SATURDAY 4TH JULY 2020

In Pursuit of Convergence, CBN Adjusts Official FX Rate Towards Market-led I&E Official SMIS window moves to N380/$1 as I&E window trades at N386/$1 Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday took another step towards unifying the naira exchange rate by adjusting the rate at the official Secondary

Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) to N380/$1. The rate was formerly N360/$1.

Many officials of the central bank confirmed this in a chat with THISDAY last night.

One of the officials

explained: “Yes, it is aimed at moving the rate closer to that of the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window, which traded at N386/$1 yesterday. From time to time, adjustment would continue

to happen, either upward or downward in line with market fundamentals. Certainly, no single rate can be achieved, but we would keep moving towards I&E rate.”

With this N20 adjustment

at the official SMIS window, it means more money for states and the federal government at the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meetings, which will cushion the impact of the

current lower oil prices.

The latest development comes about 10 days after the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, told some Continued on page 5

NSIA Records N34bn Profit, Grows Total Assets to N649bn… Page 6 Saturday 4 July, 2020 Vol 25. No 9217

www.thisdaylive.com TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N250

N

Sanwo-Olu: Churches, Mosques to Remain Shut in Lagos Cases hit 27,564, with 11,069 discharged and 628 deaths FAAN rolls out guidelines for air travellers Segun James and Chinedu Eze

leaders in the state, when he announced that places of worship would remain closed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu until further notice, even as of Lagos State, yesterday he disclosed that schools dashed the hope of religious would resume on August 3

for graduating students.

The governor, who made this known during his 16th coronavirus briefing as Incident Commander, also said all public events remained

suspended.

Meanwhile, the 454 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in Nigeria yesterday have taken the tally to 27,564, with 11,069 discharged and 628 deaths.

Sanwo-Olu's decision is coming on the heels of calls by religious leaders that places of worship should be considered essential services and should be allowed to re-open.

According to him, all social and events centres and social clubs will also remain closed, for now, Continued on page 5

Battle Royale as Wike Leads PDP Campaign in Edo State Wike: I’m fully prepared for the job; my task is to ensure APC fails PDP claims APC planning to use Ganduje, Uzodinma, Bello to derail election APC: PDP intimidated by our formidable campaign structure Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday appointed Governor Nyeson Wike of Rivers State as the Chairman of its Edo State Governorship Campaign Council, with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State as his deputy.

Wike, who spoke to THISDAY last night, expressed appreciation to the party for selecting him to lead the Edo campaign and said he was fully prepared for the job.

The governor declared: “I have accepted the job given to me by my party and I am fully prepared for the task. I have a mandate to ensure that PDP wins the governorship election. I must defend what is right. I am waiting for the Continued on page 5

WAR AGAINST COVID-19...

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, with some members of his cabinet, during his 16th briefing on Coronavirus as the Incident Commander, at the State House, Marina, Lagos…yesterday

2

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 •T H I S D AY

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 • T H I S D AY

3

4

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 •T H I S D AY

5

T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ˜ ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸

PAGE FIVE BATTLE ROYALE AS WIKE LEADS PDP CAMPAIGN IN EDO STATE

council to be inaugurated before unveiling our plans.”

The PDP Edo Campaign Council has 76 members with Dr. Agbo Emmanuel as secretary.

All the other PDP governors are on the 76-man campaign council, which also has the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; former Vice President, Nnamadi Sambo; former senate presidents Bukola Saraki; David Mark; former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu; former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; and former governor Peter Obi. The committee will be inaugurated on July 7 at the PDP National secretariat in Abuja.

Recall that the Caretaker/ Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had on Thursday announced Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje as chairman of a 49-member National Campaign Council for the Edo State governorship election.

The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma was appointed Deputy Chairman and Abbas Braimoh as

Secretary.

PDP, APC Spat over Edo Election The PDP yesterday claimed the APC was planning to use Ganduje, Uzodinma and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to derail the September 19 Edo State governorship election.

A statement by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said the party and, indeed, the people of Edo State were already aware that the three governors were selected by the APC to lead its campaign so as to force a combined formula of Kano and Kogi electoral violence, as well as Imo State mandate robbery to subvert the will of the people of Edo State in the election.

The PDP said it was pathetic that APC only had a person who suffered international shame after being seen in a viral video stuffing his robe with gratification, in foreign currency, to serve as chairman of its Edo State governorship campaign council.

He said, “It is equally contemptuous that such a person is being deputized by another individual, who

has become a metaphor of electoral manipulation, after being so docketed by a judgment of the Supreme Court.

“It is also disgusting that a governor who deployed a Police helicopter to scare voters on Election Day has been mandated to deploy thugs and dangerous weapons through the northern borderlines of Edo State ahead of the election.

“Part of APC’s plot is to import election mercenaries as observers to attempt to scare the people of Edo state, suppress them and steal their mandate," the PDP spokesperson stated. .

According to PDP, “Whereas our candidate, Governor Godwin Obaseki, enjoys the overwhelming support of Edo people due to his enthusing track record of personal character and performance in office for which even APC leaders have praises for him, the APC candidate has nothing to present to the people.

“Our party, in the strongest terms, cautions the APC to note that the ‘Gandollar, Supreme Court Governor and helicopter shooting’ formulas cannot work in this election as the people of Edo State have never been intimidated, suppressed, subjugated or

overpowered by external political influences.”

PDP said that the APC should also note that the people of Edo State would spare nothing within the law in firmly resisting any attempt by anybody to import violence or try to manipulate the Edo election in any way.

PDP Intimidated

by Our Formidable Campaign Structure, Says APC In reaction to the PDP allegations, APC said PDP was intimidated by its formidable campaign structure put in place to ensure the success of the party and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in the forthcoming September 19, Edo State governorship election.

The ruling party said that the PDP was “up to its usual, diversionary, baseless and theatrical allegations,” but added that it had no interest in rolling in the mud with the party and engaging the party in its "senseless" and "drunken tirade."

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Yekini Nabena, in a statement, noted that

APC “is a party that fiercely advocates, practices and defends the principle of one person, one vote", adding that come September 19 every valid vote must count.

Nabena stated: “Edo State is not dubbed the Heartbeat of the Nation for nothing. The Edo electorate is sensible, sophisticated and progressive. The focus of the APC is to display to the Edo electorate our pro-people credentials, infrastructure/ development track record, social investments, wealth creation initiatives, among others, which are being replicated across APC states.

“We urge the PDP to concentrate on their deadbeat and empty campaign instead of the comic it has turned itself to. Edo is proudly an APC state.”

Meanwhile, ahead of July 20 governorship primary election in Ondo state, 11 aspirants are jostling to unseat the incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

The submission of governorship forms ended on Thursday, with 12 aspirants, including the governor, battle ready to slug it out.

The aspirants are: Akeredolu, Joseph Olusola Iji, Odimayo Okunjimi,

Olayide Adelami, Kekemeke Duerimini, Olusola Oke, lfeoluwa Oyedele, Olajumoke Anifowoshe, Mr. Awodeyi Akinsehinwa, Olubukola Adetula, Dr.Abraham Michael and Dr. Nathaniel Adojutelegan.

PDP Disqualifies Two Aspirants in Ondo Meanwhile, the chairman of the Ondo State governorship screening committee of PDP, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday said two out of the nine governorship aspirants screened by his committee, were disqualified, but refused to disclose the names of those disqualified.

While briefing reporters on the outcome of the screening, Dogara said, “We analytically looked at all the claims made. All the documents submitted to us and I'm happy to announce to you that we have completed the assignment and provisional certificate of clearance has been signed by the committee.”

Dogara said the two governorship aspirants who failed the process of screening could appeal and state their case afresh.

IN PURSUIT OF CONVERGENCE, CBN ADJUSTS OFFICIAL FX RATE TOWARDS MARKET-LED I&E foreign investors that the desire of the central bank “is to achieve exchange rate unification” around the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX)/ I&E rate.

Emefiele had explained thus: “What we mean by exchange rate unification is moving towards the NAFEX. NAFEX is our dominant market for the purchase and sale of forex and it is a free market where everybody is free to sell their dollars and those who want to buy are free to buy dollars.

“That means that whether

you are a business man, a bank, CBN, and you have dollars, you can bring it to the market to sell and if you want to buy dollars, you can come to the market.

“Like some of you must have seen, three years before 2019, we saw a relatively stable forex market because the NAFEX rate and even the rate at which the central bank transacts business outside the NAFEX were substantially close to each other. So, the CBN will continue to pursue unification around the NAFEX.”

According to him, the parallel market is not a true reflection of the naira exchange against the dollar.

He said the parallel market “is patronised by people who want to do dealings not recognised by the authorities.”

The CBN had in March this year adjusted the official naira exchange from N305/$1 to N360/$1.

Meanwhile, the CBN has authorised all regional banks in the country to operate from one additional geo-political zone, beyond the two geo-political zones previously stipulated by

the banking sector regulator.

The policy which according to the CBN is to promote financial inclusion becomes effective immediately.

It stated this in a circular to all regional banks dated June 26, 2020, a copy of which was obtained on its website yesterday. The circular titled: “Expansion of the Scope of Regional Banks in Nigeria,” was signed by the CBN Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Kevin Amugo Prior to the regulation, a commercial bank with

regional banking authorisation was entitled to carry on its banking business operations within a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 contiguous states of the federation, lying within not more than two geo-political zones of the federation, as well as within the Federal Capital Territory.

“The compliance timeline to establish operational footprint at the advised zone shall not exceed six months from the issuance of the regulatory advice to each regional bank by the CBN. Please be guided accordingly,” the CBN said.

The CBN is targeting to achieve 95 per cent financial inclusion by 2024.

With the new target, Emefiele urged institutions to re-strategise and refocus initiatives, policies and schemes that would accelerate the pace of delivery of their respective financial inclusion efforts.

“The revised National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS 2.0) places implementation focus on women, rural areas, youth, Northern Nigeria and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs),” he said.

Travellers

hand sanitizer would be provided for passengers before entrance, at the waiting halls/ lounges and pre boarding gates, All footwear would be disinfected/ sanitized by foot mats placed at all entrances to the terminal building, amongst others.

FAAN said for arriving passengers, on arrival, passengers would observe physical distancing as they board the Co-Buses. Hand sanitizer would be provided in the buses.

“Physical distancing protocols must be observed at the baggage claim area, where hand sanitizer is also provided. Disinfected trolleys would be made available for passengers, All Covid-19 protocols must be observed while undergoing customs check, passengers would exit the halls and head straight to the car park for pick up, If you speak to anyone around, please speak to a properly tagged Aviation Security (AVSEC) officer, physical distancing would be maintained while waiting to be screened by personnel of port health service, amongst others,” FAAN also said.

In addition to the above guidelines, the agency said passengers are required to make use of the floor markings at the security screening area.

Remdesivir

SANWO-OLU: CHURCHES, MOSQUES TO REMAIN SHUT IN LAGOS even as he warned that only social clubs in possession of a valid Provisional Safety Clearance Letter from the Safety Commission would be permitted to open.

Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu has fixed August 3 for the re-opening of schools for graduating students.

The Governor said students in transitional classes, who have mandatory public exams ahead, are the ones permitted to resume as only day schools, as soon as possible for revision classes and examination.

He stated that students in Junior Secondary three would resume one week after the assessment of Senior Secondary three students.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, students impacted by this directive are those in primary 6; J.S.3 and S.S.3.

Commencement dates for this opening will be announced after such schools have met the required guidelines and protocols and provision of essentials for both students and teachers alike. Our Tertiary Institutions are to continue their online academic activities which are at various advanced stages."

On COVID-19 testing, the governor said: "We are also constantly reviewing our Testing Strategy, to adapt to the evolving nature of the pandemic. Going forward, there will be two categories of people who qualify for testing

for COVID-19 in Lagos State.

“The first category will be those who need to be tested; who fit the case definition for testing and therefore actually require testing. This category of people will continue to be tested free of charge by the State Government through our public laboratories, and everyone who meets the case definition for COVID-19 will be tested.

"What this means is that if you’re showing symptoms of the infection, or you have had contact with a confirmed case, or have been exposed to a location where confirmed cases have been reported, you are entitled to free testing by the Lagos State Government.

“The second category will be those who do not meet the case definition for COVID-19, but want to test for COVID-19 simply to fulfil their curiosity, or to meet requirements to travel, or to return to work, or fulfill some other regulatory requirement. This category of people will have access to testing by newlyaccredited private labs, but this will be at a cost that will be duly communicated by the Laboratories. The State Government will exercise strict oversight and control, to ensure that standards are maintained and consumers are not exploited.”

Sanwo-Olu made it clear that testing by non-accredited facilities was prohibited, adding that the government

will bring the full weight of the law to bear on any Laboratory found to be violating this directive.

"We are similarly scaling up the capacity of our Isolation Centers. On Sunday June 28, 2020, Lagos State opened a new 150-bed Isolation Centre at the Mainland Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba, donated by the private sector-led Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID).

This new Center brings to seven the number of publiclymanaged COVID-19 Isolation Centres in Lagos State.

"Let me assure you that more centers are underway, through various collaborations with the Federal Government and the private sector. We want to ensure that we have more than enough capacity to manage and treat all of the new cases that will inevitably emerge from the increase in testing. We thank the coalition for their efforts in this regard.

“All bars, day and night clubs, cinemas, games arcades, beaches and beach fronts, gyms and spas continue to remain closed. Eateries and restaurants are to continue to open as normal for takeout only. In-dining is still prohibited and a few defaulters in this regard will be shut down and prosecuted.”

FAAN Rolls Out New Guidelines for Air

Following the approval that flight operations recommence gradually at the nation’s airports effective July 8, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has released new procedural guidelines for air travellers and other airport users.

The agency said the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) “is aimed at protecting all stakeholders and preventing further spread of theCovid-19 virus while travelling by air.”

In a statement signed by the agency’s spokesperson, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN said: “Departing passengers must comply with the following guidelines, which include that all passengers must arrive the airport properly kitted with their face masks on; they must also ensure a minimum of one point five meters (1.5m) physical distancing and disclosed that passengers would be inspected by aviation/port health personnel to ensure that every passenger abides by the rules.

“Those travelling with pets must get necessary clearance from Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services. All passengers’ luggage would be disinfected before entry into the departure halls. Passengers are required to wash their hands as often as possible,

EU Approves Use of

The European Union has approved the use of remdesivir to treat severe cases of Coronavirus.

The announcement was made yesterday; days after the US effectively stockpiled the world’s entire supply of the antiviral medication.

Its approval came after two major US studies showed that remdesivir can reduce the duration of hospital stay for COVID-19 patients.

EU Health Commissioner, Stella Kyriakides said: “Today’s authorisation of a first medicine to treat COVID-19 is an important step forward in the fight against this virus. We are granting this authorisation less than a month after the application was submitted, showing clearly the EU’s determination to respond quickly whenever new treatments become available.”

Remdesivir which is the only anti-coronavirus medication to be given the green light in the EU, was originally intended as a treatment for Ebola. It was approved in UK at the end of May, with health officials outlining that it would only be used to treat the sickest patients. It is one of two drugs approved in Britain to treat COVID-19, the other being a cheap steroid called dexamethasone.

6

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾JULY 4 , 2020

NEWS

News Editor Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (sms only) Email ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

US Lauds AfDB’s Decision on Independent Review of Report Absolving Adesina Undertaking an independent review is fully consistent with a presumption of innocence The United States yesterday expressed satisfaction with the decision of the African Development Bank’s Governors to conduct an “independent review” of its Ethics Committee report on allegations levelled against its President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.

The AfDB’s Ethics’ Committee, which investigated the allegations, gave Adesina a clean bill that was accepted by its Board of Governors, but the United States rejected the report and demanded a fresh probe by an independent body.

The board subsequently authorised an independent review of the Ethics Committee’s report on Adesina, who is due for re-election as the sole presidential candidate, having received the backing of Nigeria and other African countries.

But unsatisfied with the report, the US insisted that an independent probe should be carried out to validate or invalidate the committee’s findings.

The AfDB subsequently appointed a panel led by former

Irish President, Mary Robinson, to conduct the review The United States, in a statement on Thursday signed by its Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, praised the bank’s decision to appoint the Robinson-led panel to conduct the review.

Mnuchin said: “I welcome the African Development Bank Governors’ decision to conduct an independent review of the work of the Bank’s Ethics Committee and its appointment of a high-level panel led by former Irish President Mary Robinson to conduct the review.

“Undertaking an independent review is fully consistent with a presumption of innocence.

International financial institutions must adhere to the highest standards of governance and transparency, and the decision to pursue an independent review demonstrates the strength of the African Development Bank.”

Adesina had been in the eye of the storm over allegations of impropriety leveled against him by some whistle blowers in the bank.Despite being given a

rejected the decision and called for a fresh probe.

In a letter signed by Steven Mnuchin, its treasury secretary,

the US government said it had “deep reservations about the integrity of the committee’s process”. However, several

stakeholders, including 15 expresidents of African countries, have voiced their support for Adesina.

CONDOLENCE VISIT...

L-R: Senator Sandy Onor (Croos River),Senator Opeyemi Bamdele (Ekiti) ,Senator Solomon Olamilekan (Ogun), Senate Leader, Senator Abdullahi Yahaya, APC chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo), Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe (Kwara) and Senator Tolu Odebiyi (Ogun) during a commiseration visit to the APC National Leader in Lagos over the death of Senator Bayo Osinowo...

COVID-19: Akeredolu ‘ll not Hand over to Deputy, Says Govt I’m not bothered about handing over to me, replies Ajayi

Okobi Exits Our family is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Ambassador Vincent Sunny Okobi, who passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday, June 27, 2020 after a long illness. He was 82.

Ambassador Okobi was the quintessential gentleman and a diplomat who has left an indelible mark on the world stage. First as a clerk under then Governor-General of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, before leaving Nigeria for the United States. Then as a civil rights activist and President of the African Students’ Union in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s. While serving as Nigerian Ambassador to Togo, he was awarded the Togolese National Award

by President Gnassingbe Eyadema. He was also awarded France’s National Order of Merit by President Jacques Chirac and later the Legion of Honour by President François Mitterrand for his commitment to promoting Franco-Nigerian relations.

A proud son of Asaba, Delta State, he was conferred with the Olinzele Title, Owelle Osowa Ahaba by His Royal Majesty The Asagba of Asaba, Professor Chike Edozien.

A lifelong, devout Catholic, Ambassador Okobi was initiated into the 4th Degree of the Order of The Knights of St. Mulumba.

Most of all though, Ambassador Okobi has left his most unforgettable legacy as a devoted husband of 52 years, father of four children and grandfather of 14.

Ambassador Okobi is survived by: Justice Victoria Okobi (wife), Amaechi Okobi, Yomi & Adaobi Oniwinde, I.K. & Alison OkobiPatrick & Awele Okigbo, Comfort Odiachi (sister), Maggie Okobi (sister), Patricia Dada Amuzie (sister)

clean bill of health by the bank’s Ethics’ Committee, some AfDB stakeholders, notably the United States Treasury Department, had

James Sowole in Akure

Okoni

and Telema Okobi (brother).

We would like to thank all friends and well wishers for your constant love and support.

In strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, we respectfully ask that well wishers do not plan home visits to the family at this time.

Burial plans will be announced shortly. In the meantime, we ask that you keep our family in your prayers.

Ondo State Government yesterday said it would not be handing over to the estranged Deputy Governor, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, during the period that the State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu is undergoing treatment for COVID-19.

Reacting, Ajayi said he was not bothered whether his boss, Akeredolu handed over to him or not in view of his COVID-19 status. He stated this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Babatope Okeowo saying that COVID-19 status of the governor had not made him incapacitated The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald Ojogo, made the declaration while speaking with journalists in Akure on governance and COVID-19 in the state.

Akeredolu had early in the week said he would be performing his functions

as the governor of the state while in isolation, stating that he was asymptomatic despite being confirmed positive for COVID- 19.

There had been insinuation from some quarters that Akeredolu should hand over to his deputy pending when he would recover fully from the infection.

Speaking with journalists, Ojogo said the governor would not be advised to hand over to his deputy.

“The deputy governor had left our party and he had left governance. We in the government see Agboola Ajayi as a big threat to governance in Ondo State.

“We witnessed what happened in the state in 1983.

Some of us were in Secondary School then when the Late Akin Omoboriowo did to the Late Chief Adekunle Ajasin what Ajayi did to Akeredolu.

“Ajayi had created unusual scenario and he had acted

treacherously which portends danger for the state.

“The governor declared in his address that he was going to perform his duties while in isolation and he had been doing so. Governance is not grounded.

“It happened in Kaduna State and governance was not grounded even when the governor and his deputy were under treatment almost at the same time.

“Mr. Governor is healthy.

He was never incapacitated.

COVID-19 is never a death sentence.

“Agboola Ajayi want to take over the governance from back door and that was why he was sponsoring write up to suggest that there is a vacuum. There is no vacuum. Governance is ongoing and I am speaking for the government,” Ojogo stated.

However, Ajayi said that with precedents, he was not bothered if his boss made him acting governor adding that he does not see that happening

considering that they had parted ways politically.

“The constitution is so explicit about it that when the President or the Governor is incapacitated, the vice or the deputy takes over but in this case the governor is not incapacitated. It is only when he is incapacitated that the doctrine of necessity will be come into play.

“For now, there is no need for any anxiety about the governor’s state of health. He has said that he will be treating files while in isolation. That means governance won’t be affected.

“And you know the political situation in Ondo State now.

Both the governor and the deputy governor are in different political camp, so we don’t expect it and we are not bothered about it because before now the governor had sidelined the deputy governor in the day to day running of the activities of government.

There is nothing unusual in what he did.

NSIA Records N34bn Profit, Grows Total Assets to N649bn

James Emejo in Abuja

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has said it recorded a five per cent growth in its total assets, from N617.7 billion in 2018, to N649.84 billion as at the end of 2019. It also recorded a profit after tax of N34.46 billion in the 2019 financial period.

These figures are contained in the 2019 audited financial statement of the agency which was released in Abuja, yesterday.

The NSIA also said it recorded total comprehensive income of N36.15 billion in 2019 as against the N44.34 billion it recorded in 2018.

According to the report, excluding foreign exchange gain of N18 billion in 2018 and N1.28 in 2019, the net income in 2019 was N34.87 billion compared to N26.28 billion in 2018.

Also, it closed key transactions

and increased capital deployment on domestic infrastructure projects, specifically in agriculture, healthcare, and infrastructure-enabling financial institutions.

In the healthcare sector, the NSIAsaid it operationalised the Cancer Centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in May last year.

The Authority also said it recorded significant progress in civil and construction worksattheAdvancedDiagnosticCentres at the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia andAminuKanoTeachingHospital,Kano.

These construction works, it said, were subsequently completed this year.

On the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, the NSIA said it delivered 6.5 million 50kg bags of NPK 20:10:10, and that accredited participating blending plants increased from 18 to 31 last year.

For the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), the Authority said it received N90

billion from government and that it deployed capital across three of the major road projects under the PIDF. The three major projects are the Second Niger Bridge, Lagos – Ibadan Expressway and Abuja-Zaria-KadunaKano Road.

As at the end of 2019, it said a total of N181.9 billion had been deployed across all the three projects.

Speaking on the financial performance, the Managing Director, NSIA, Mr. Uche Orji, said the outlook of the Fund remains promising.

He explained: “The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented human and health crisis with significant impact on global markets. As such, it may be difficult to predict the markets overall reaction to development.

“It is predictable that the volatility introduced by the onset of the pandemic may linger. However, the

Authority continues to monitor the market conditions with the view to leverage the upside risks that avail themselves in the market.

“We expect that our investment strategy will continue to deliver positive returns in the long term in 2020 as the markets normalise and new opportunities emerge.”

The NSIA boss said asset allocation strategy remains stable across the various funds, adding that Future Generations Fund remains 25 per cent public equity, 25 per cent private equity, 25 per cent Absolute Returns and 25 per cent other diversifiers.

He gave the areas of focus for the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund to include agriculture, healthcare, power, toll roads and gas industrialisation.

Orji said the NSIA closed key transactions and increased capital deployment on domestic infrastructure

projects, specifically in motorways, agriculture, healthcare, and power: Orji said, “Operationalising several subsidiaries of the NSIA will be a key focus, especially in the healthcare sector where we have several projects in the pipeline. NSIA has invested in several financial companies that help develop the capital markets, including Nigeria Mortgage Refinancing Company, InfraCredit, NG Clearing, Development Bank of Nigeria, and Family Homes Funds.

“We will continue to work on strengthening these entities and making new investments in companies that strengthen financial market infrastructure.”

The NSIA Boss said the agency would continue to deploy capital into vital sectors of the economy with increased focus on sectors that will engineer real growth.

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 • T H I S D AY

7

8

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾JULY 4 , 2020

NEWS Union Bank Targets Children with Special Accounts Dike Onwuamaeze

GOOD TO SEE YOU ...

L-R: Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri and the Chairman of BUA, Abdul Samad Rabiu, when he led the BUA Management team on a courtesy call on Fintiri at the Government House, Yola….yesterday

Hushpuppi Appears in Chicago Court on Allegations of Fraud, Scheme to Steal £100m from an EPL Club Bennett Oghifo

A Nigerian social influencer, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, 37, a.k.a. “Ray Hushpuppi” and “Hush,” made his initial U.S. court appearance yesterday in Chicago, where he is facing criminal charges on allegations that he conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams, including schemes targeting a U.S. law firm, a foreign bank and an English Premier League soccer club.

This is contained in a statement yesterday by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, which states that he was expected to be transferred to Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

Hushpuppi arrived in Chicago Thursday evening after being extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he was arrested last month by UAE law enforcement officials. FBI special agents earlier this week obtained custody of Abbas and brought him to the United States to face a charge of conspiring to engage in money laundering that is alleged in a criminal complaint filed on June 25 by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles.

An affidavit filed with the

complaint alleges that Abbas and others committed a BEC scheme that defrauded a client of a New Yorkbased law firm of approximately $922,857 in October 2019. Abbas and co-conspirators allegedly tricked one of the law firm’s paralegals into wiring money intended for the client’s real estate refinancing to a bank account that was controlled

by Abbas and the co-conspirators.

The affidavit also alleges that Abbas conspired to launder funds stolen in a $14.7 million cyber-heist from a foreign financial institution in February 2019, in which the stolen money was sent to bank accounts around the world. Abbas allegedly provided a co-conspirator with two bank accounts in Europe that Abbas anticipated each would receive €5 million (about $5.6 million) of the fraudulently obtained funds.

Abbas and others further conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from other fraudulent schemes and computer intrusions, including one scheme to steal £100 million (approximately $124 million) from an English Premier League soccer club, the complaint alleges.

If convicted of conspiracy to engage in money laundering,

Abbas would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, the statement said.

“The FBI led the investigation of Abbas, and the United States Secret Service was also involved and provided substantial assistance. The FBI further thanks the government of the United Arab Emirates and the Dubai Police Department for their substantial assistance.

“This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United StatesAttorneysAnil J. Antony and Joseph B. Woodring of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in this matter,” according to the statement.

The affidavit says Abbas maintains social media accounts that frequently showed him in designer clothes, wearing expensive watches, and posing in or with luxury cars and charter jets.

“The FBI’s investigation has revealed that Abbas finances this opulent lifestyle through crime, and that he is one of the leaders of a transnational network that facilitates computer intrusions, fraudulent schemes (including BEC schemes), and money laundering, targeting victims around the world in schemes designed to steal hundreds

of millions of dollars,” according to the affidavit.

The affidavit describes BEC schemes as often involving a computer hacker gaining unauthorised access to a business’ email account, blocking or redirecting communications to and/or from that email account, and then using the compromised email account or a separate fraudulent email account to communicate with personnel from a victim company and to attempt to trick them into making an unauthorised wire transfer.

“BEC schemes are one of the most difficult cybercrimes we encounter as they typically involve a coordinated group of con artists scattered around the world who have experience with computer hacking and exploiting the international financial system,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “This case targets a key player in a large, transnational conspiracy who was living an opulent lifestyle in another country while allegedly providing safe havens for stolen money around the world. As this case demonstrates, my office will continue to hold such criminals accountable, no matter where they live.”

COVID-19: Ayade Urges Adherence to Safety Protocols

PSC Approves Promotion of 6,618 Senior Officers

Charles Ajunwa

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

With federal government easing lockdown on interstate movement, Cross River State Governor, Sir Ben Ayade, has urged all residents of the state to strictly adhere to the safety protocols from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in the fight against Coronavirus pandemic.

Ayade in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Christian Ita, said given the influx of people into the state now that the borders are open, it will be impossible for the state to remain free of the virus.

While thanking them for voluntary observance of preventive measures reeled out in the last couple of months, he urged them to be more vigilant now than ever before in order to protect themselves from the

deadly virus.

“Now that our state borders are open, this is the time to be more vigilant. We need to be more careful because we expect the state to start recording Coronavirus cases.”

According to him, the “easing of restrictions and the opening of borders and airports, it is actually time for us to be more proactive and adhere strictly to safety protocols.”

The governor, however, assured that the state government will work harder to keep the state as safe as possible.

“We will intensify our no mask no movement policy and other policies meant to keep our people safe. It is time for us to increase our vigilance.

As a state, we will never go to sleep. Government will stay awake so that our people can sleep in peace,” Ayade said.

The Police Service Commission (PSC) yesterday approved the promotion of 6,618 senior police officers.

The promotion saw the emergence of one new Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), four new Assistant InspectorsGeneral of Police and three new commissioners of police.

The promotions were one of the highpoints of the 8th plenary meeting of the commission which spanned a period of three weeks, and ended on Wednesday, July 1st, 2020.

The meeting was presided over by commission’s Chairman, Mr. Musiliu Smith, retired Inspector General of Police.

One Assistant Inspector General of Police, Olushola Oyebade currently at the National

Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Jos, Plateau State was promoted to the next rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police to represent the South-west geopolitical zone.

Four Commissioners of Police including one specialist, was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police. They are CP Aisha L. Abubakar, CP, Veterinary Department; CP Asuquo A. A. Amba, former CP Bayelsa State Command; Counter Terrorism and currently CP Ekiti State Command; CP Nekereuwem A. Akpan, former CP Cross Rivers State Command and Olafihan Adeniran Adeeoye, currently CP, Anti-terrorism.

The commission also approved the promotion of three Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) to the next rank of substantive Commissioners of Police.

The Union Bank Plc has unveiled the UnionInfinity and UnionLegend accounts in its bid to encourage kids and teenagers to cultivate the culture of savings and prepare them for a future life of financial independence, The UnionInfinity account is for kids between one day old and12 years while the UnionLegend for teenagers from 13 to 18 years old.

The two accounts were designed, according to the bank, to cater for “the growing needs of parents who do not only want to save for their children’s future but also to teach their kids to save.”

The Head of Retail Banking and Digital at Union Bank, Lola Cardoso, said: “We are excited to champion this new and improved proposition for kids and teenagers, which will help them to achieve their dreams. An important part of our role

as a bank is to teach and encourage financial literacy and independence and these accounts are a very practical way to do so.

“We have made it even more rewarding with perks that the kids and their parents can look forward to. To open any of the accounts, call your Union Bank’s relationship manager or walk into any of our branches nationwide and request an account opening form.”

Other benefits that are available to the account holders of the UnionInfinity and UnionLegend accounts include lifestyle discounts, milestone rewards, loyalty schemes, insurance cover for education, discounted healthcare packages, customised debit cards, education, social events and a cool community.

Parents will enjoy access to financial support to pay their kids fees and up to 3.75 per cent interest on the savings account.

COVID-19: Nigeria Eligible for N10.5b Grant from Global Fund Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN), a national advocacy group, has said that Nigeria was eligible to receive $29.8 million (about N10.5 billion) from the Global Fund for tackling the COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.

The group said that the Global Fund which assists countries worldwide in tackling health issues had made available $1 billion to support efforts directed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

It disclosed that Nigeria could also apply for additional $59 million towards COVID-19 mitigation.

The Global Fund assisted accountability advocacy group expressed worry that the country may witness the doubling of casualties from malaria, HIV and tuberculosis due to COVID-19 imposed disruptions in healthcare delivery system.

ACOMIN also warned that the country runs the risk of a complete reversal in the progress so far made in anti-malaria and tuberculosis campaign.

Speaking during the presentation of the group’s health sector situation report in Abuja yesterday, ACOMIN National Coordinator, Mr. Ago Ipinmoye said that analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNAIDS and Stop TB partnership indicates that annual death tolls across the three diseases could double if nothing drastic is done to arrest the situation.

“Analysis from WHO, UNAIDS, Stop TB partnership and others suggest that this annual death toll across the three diseases could nearly double, wiping out years of progress, if we do not act decisively.

“The scale of disruption to HIV, TB malaria as a result of COVID-19 is indicated by the latest Global survey, covering 106 countries, which suggests that approximately three quarters of HIV, TB, and malaria programmes have been impacted,” he said.

Ipinmoye said that the situation was even worse in some of the vulnerable communities where healthcare services were underserved.

“They are under the threat of COVID-19 and are at the risk of a resurgence of malaria, HIV and TB. As the resources that used to serve these communities which were inadequate to begin with is stretched to serve the needs of COVID-19, alongside the economic downturn occasioned by the lockdown could result in nutritional deficiencies and collapse of services,” he said.

While giving update on the activities of ACOMIN, Ipinmoye said that its advocacy efforts had helped to improve tremendously hospital attendance by health workers in states like Kaduna, Katsina, Gombe and Osun.

He also said that the group had facilitated the recruitment of additional health workers for healthcare facilities in many of the states.

9

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͼ 2020

08054699539

Power Discos Still Dancing Naked

E

lectricity Distribution Companies (Discos) are the weakest link in the power supply chain in Nigeria. These Discos have been mortgaged to shylock businessmen who are only interested in lining their pockets. As a result, quality service delivery to traumatised Nigerian electricity consumers is not and will never be part of their agenda. Discos are only good at coming up with excuses upon excuses for their failure to effectively distribute the meager electricity generated in this country. One of the unending pretexts is that electricity supply will not improve unless consumers pay “appropriate prices” and allow investors to make enough money to reinvest in their infrastructure. Lies, Damn lies. If they get an approval today for tariffs to go up by 1000 per cent, distribution will still be epileptic and Nigeria will still wallow in darkness. Why? Discos are only interested in milking Nigerians and not in excellent service delivery. It’s a shame that these Doscos were sold to firms without passion for electricity distribution; firms without financial and technical capacity to turn around electricity distribution. They just want to make money. As a result, distribution infrastructures are jaundiced across our country.

Few days back, these electricity distributors from Hell were set to inflict another tariff increase on Nigerians amid COVID-19 lockdown. It was still all about their dubious “cost reflective tariff.”

They wanted to implement between 60 and 78 per cent tariff increase approved for them by our useless electricity regulatory commission.

July 1 was set for D-Day with the falsehood that it was part of efforts to “deliver excellent services to customers.”

John Ayodele, the Chief Operating Officer of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) remarked: “In order to provide more efficient and reliable service to customers, cost-reflective tariffs are required to cover the cost of critical investment in infrastructures and other parameters necessary for improved service delivery. This new tariff design is based on quantity of power supplied as customers will only pay based on availability of supply. For example, the tariff design is based on service delivery, such that those receiving 20 hours supply daily will pay more than those getting 10 hours.”

Ayodele claimed that the company “is very mindful” of the challenging economic situation occasioned by COVID-19, but the macroeconomic facts of rising inflation rates and a volatile foreign exchange market dictated the new tariff design: “With this tariff, the company amongst other things, will be in a better position to roll out more meters, upgrade aging infrastructure and be more responsive to the complaints of its customers.”

Roll out more meters? Upgrade aging infrastructure? Damn lies. What did consumers

NERC Chairman, James Momoh

gain from previous tariff upsurges? Increase in tariffs will never translate into improved electricity distribution in Nigeria because these shylock Discos are not committed to the project. They came in to line their pockets. That’s just it. They have prioritised making money above excellent service delivery. Just look around you and you will understand what I am talking about. More often than not, consumers repair and maintain distribution transformers in their communities.

Any community waiting for Discos to do this will probably wait till eternity. A large number of these power transformers were donated by state governments and politicians. Some communities also buy theirs. High and low tension cables are procured and repaired by communities.

The list of shenanigans by these coldblooded power Discos are unending. These firms deliberately reject energy amid darkness in our land. Our electricity distribution companies, that persistently tell consumers that they are not getting enough supply, deliberately reject power from Gencos. This is terrifying, while they go about terrorising consumers by collecting money for services not rendered. They care less about our nation being enveloped in darkness. Discos just want to make money.

They collect all sorts of illegal money from consumers, yet they pay for only a fraction of the power given to them to distribute. According to a recent report, Discos have been paying for an average of 24% of power given to them

by Gencos, while they pocket virtually all the money collected from consumers.

The problem of crazy bills from our silly Discos has also assumed an alarming dimension.

Unmetered consumers are going through hell.

Daily, they protest at Discos’ offices without result. Readings from old post-paid metres

are consistently ignored by these horrendous electricity distributors. They milk unmetered consumers with impunity, largely due to the failure of government and its regulatory agencies.

Regrettably, this impunity has assumed a scary dimension in the last five years. Consumers are boiling. Government must take steps to stop the injustice perpetrated by these atrocious Discos.

They are averse to the metering of consumers because estimated billings provide an opportunity for them to extort money from consumers.

All previous deadlines to metre all consumers have fallen flat because the political will to enforce the deadline is lacking. For me, this horror can come to an end within six months, if government and its regulatory agencies do the needful.

Government must insist on an irrevocable deadline to the Discos to metre all consumers across our nation. Thereafter, all unmetered consumers should enjoy free electricity pending the time they will be metered. If this action is taken, our monstrous Discos will sit up and swiftly metre all consumers.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, must also rise from its slumber to save Nigerian consumers. Its deadlines to Discos to close metering gap are unending. Few weeks back, the toothless NERC was again talking about a December 2021 deadline. Only about 37 per cent or 3.9 million of registered energy consumers have meters.

Last February, NERC issued Order No/ NERC/197/2020, placing a cap on estimated bills to unmetered residential (R2) and commercial (C1) customers, in order to end arbitrary billing and expedite their metering process.

The commission added that all unmetered R2 and C1 customers shall not be invoiced for consumption of energy beyond the price capped in the schedule, which was N1,872 for R2, where consumption is capped at 78-kilowatt hour per month, at a tariff of N24 per kilowatt.

According to NERC, any customer whose current estimated bill is below the capped price shall remain so without upward review until the installation of a meter by the power distributors.

Discos refused to abide by this rule. On June 10, this regulator rolled out another comical threat, ordering seven Discos to explain within 14 days, why they should not be sanctioned for breaching the capping order on estimated billing of these unmetered customers. The regulatory commission listed the errant Discos as Benin, Enugu, Eko, Ikeja, Kano, Kaduna and Port Harcourt.

It gave an indication to punish the Discos, if after the 14-day deadline, they are unable to give any tenable reasons for their action. NERC threatened that the rules would be applied appropriately by commencing enforcement action. Nothing happened eight weeks after.

I am sure that NERC had even forgotten that

FG’s Unviable 774,000 Jobs

Keyano

I find the planned creation of 774,000 jobs for youths, with 1000 drawn from each of the 774 local government areas across the country preposterous. They are evidently not jobs in the real sense of it, if critically analysed. These unemployed youths will get N20,000 monthly for doing public works.

Then, everything ends within three months.

No more jobs and pay again. This is what this government is planning to do with its Special Public Works programme. N52 billion has already been set aside for the project in this year’s budget. For me, government should either create sustainable jobs with this kind of money or use it to create enabling environment for the private sector to generate jobs. We should be creating real jobs not cash gifts to partisan youths. Government should be helping these youths to acquire skills in diverse areas and thereafter, providing them tools/grants for self-employment.

The views of the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Trade, Ukpong Akpabio, on this issue are germane. He said: “The

plan to dish out N52 billion to 774,000 youths will not grow the economy.

Just ‘dashing’ money to the youths will make them lazy. It will not achieve the desired result of developing and expanding individual economies. The federal government ought to use the fund to boost small and medium enterprises because of the multiplier effect on the economy.

“For instance, if you use that amount to boost 100 small businesses in one local government, the 100 SMEs will empower another set of people. Some of the SMEs will not only employ some people, they will also train some other people and purchase machineries and raw materials from others. Their finished products will also be distributed by another set of people.”

This is the way forward for our country instead of wasting N52 billion on bogus jobs. I sincerely hope that this project will be restructured along these lines.

it issued such threat. Unmetered customers are still being slammed with huge bills. NERC is clearly a toothless bulldog.

Back to the latest attempt by Discos to increase tariffs. Pressure from the leadership of the National Assembly forced them to suspend the planned increase till the first quarter of next year. However, they said the government must start bearing the difference in the present tariff and what was considered as the appropriate tariff. This must not happen.

The comment of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, during the meeting with the Discos is instructive. He said: “A well-intended programme or policy of government can fall flat on the face and never recover if you do it at a wrong time. I think we all agree to that. There cannot be a time as bad as this for us to increase anything. Forget about electricity, anything; whereas, even in time of decreasing revenue, we are even reducing the pump price. I don’t know how we can justify an increase in the cost of electricity at this time in Nigeria.”

Well, it is not just about timing. Unending increase in electricity tariffs won’t translate into improvement in distribution. No tariff increase should be allowed again. The Discos have breached virtually all aspects of the shares purchase agreement. The federal government should activate necessary clause in the agreement and take back the Discos. Only committed firms, with required financial and technical capacity, can actualise our dream of uninterrupted electricity distribution. The little generated must be effectively distributed.

Sirika

Federal Character and Ministry of Aviation’s Agencies Today, I am focusing on the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Aviation, as I continue my expose on the unending lack of respect for our federal character law by the Buhari government.

Four of the six agencies under the ministry are headed by people from a section of the country. Here we go: Director-General/ CEO, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Sani Abubakar Mashi; Rector, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Captain Abdulsalami Muhammed; Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Captain Hamisu Yadudu; Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Musa Nuhu; Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Captain Fola Akinkuotu; and Commissioner/CEO, Accident Investigation Bureau, Akin Olateru.

These are the facts and figures. At the Ministry of Aviation, it is four out of six for just a section of the country. Buhari’s appointments are evidently skewed. We must all insist on respect for our federal character law in the interest of this beautiful country. The story continues next week.

10

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 4, 2020

SUPER SATURDAY It’s a Boy for Ned and Regina Nwoko It has been celebration galore for Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels and her billionaire husband, Ned Nwoko, following the birth of their first child, and berth of their reality TV show, “Our Circle”, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Ned and Regina

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 4, 2020

11

SUPER SATURDAY It’s a Boy for Ned and Regina Nwoko

H

ours after the young actress welcomed her first child, a baby boy last Monday, Regina Daniels announced the premiere of her new life documentary. Taking to her Instagram page, the actress posted a teaser along with a brief description of her new show. Regina publicised the launch of the show on YouTube to mark the birth of her first child with the first episode which premiered on Tuesday June 30, 2020.

Recall that few weeks ago, Regina and Ned had announced that she was expecting her first child. The news of Regina’s baby arrival was made public by her brother.

Regina welcomed the baby boy on Monday 29th June, 2020. A photo taken on Tuesday, June 30, showed Ned’s Moroccan wife, Laila Charani, visiting Regina at the hospital shortly after she gave birth. The photo captured Laila standing by Regina’s bed side while the young wife threw up a peace sign. This is coming days after Ned shared another photo of his family posing in a private jet. The photo features the businessman, his Moroccan wife Laila Charani, Regina, and his young kids.

Regina, the latest celebrity mum has been a trending topic on social media for weeks leading up till now.

21 year-old Regina had teased her fans and followers with new photos of herself as she gushed about her pregnancy with the caption, “Motherhood is beautiful”. Regina’s maternity pictures were also posted by her happy husband on his Instagram page @princenednwoko.

Last Monday, the lawyer and politician surprised his fans and well-wishers when he uploaded on his Instagram page a picture of his young wife, Regina, lovingly cradling her baby bump. Regina first gave fans glimpse of her bump couple of weeks ago when she posted pictures of her pregnancy.

She took to social media to share videos of herself, looking all glam in a black dress, in what appears behind-the-scenes shoot for “Our Circle” reality show promo.

Captioning the videos, Regina wrote, “I have never been this happy before. This feeling of becoming a mum is the most amazing journey of my life …I see myself speaking to my tummy all day, staring at the mirror and still can’t believe it. This child is about to change my entire life Oh! How much Regina with her co-wife, Moroccan Laila Charani...

I can’t wait”. was pregnant. The new mum said she first became Congratulatory messages from her fans and colaware that she might be pregnant when her husband leagues have continued to pour in for the Delta State said he could “perceive a pregnant woman”. She said actress. she was confused and that she could not explain the Regina’s new television show tells her story as feeling after discovering she was carrying a baby. “The expectant mum, a young bride, a loved wife and a first time I found out I was pregnant, I was confused, caring lady who has “got so much love and support I just couldn’t explain the feeling,” she revealed. from her family”. Sharing a snippet, Regina wrote; On the show, Ned said he was excited about the “I present to you, Our Circle, a docu-reality on our news of the pregnancy. Regina admitted he told her family, business, my pregnancy and child birth. at some point that she was pregnant but she did not Episode 1 premieres tomorrow exclusively on Regina believe him. Ned said he told his wife that he has a Entertainment Tv on YouTube.” sixth sense that makes him know when a woman is The new documentary by the actress and her huspregnant. Regina said she went to about four different band detailed how she felt after confirming that she hospitals to confirm her status and that they all came back positive.

Further in the video, Regina shared the moment she revealed the good news to her mother, Rita Daniels.

Her mother was obviously excited and expressed how proud she was of her pretty daughter.

For first time mothers like Regina is, the news of pregnancy might be accompanied by nervousness and disbelief. That appeared to be the case with the new mum.

Regina has relished bounty romance with Ned. Hardly is there any family journey without both together following their marriage. However, prior to welcoming their bundle of joy, her pregnancy had cost her a planned expedition to Antarctica with Ned. Ned would then express his displeasure that Regina couldn’t make the trip for some reason. He said in his memo from Antarctica: “It’s very sad though that

The first time I found out I was pregnant, I was confused, I just couldn’t explain the feeling

Regina could not make it as originally planned as she was hospitalised. Today, I finally made it to the coolest, lowest point of earth and the largest wilderness on the planet. We’re live in Antarctica! I’ll be meeting with the various research stations to see how we can partner on the eradication of malaria in Africa.”

One other piece of her journey viewers will get the opportunity to see in her rollercoaster ride to motherhood is her surprise baby shower. Last Saturday afternoon, the Nigerian star was greeted with a surprise baby shower. The all-white event which took place in Abuja was organised by her friends with the help of her billionaire hubby. In the video, the ever glowing Regina was seen dancing happily and joyfully with smiles.

Ned had severally made the headlines in 2019 amid his rapidly blossoming relationship and marriage to Regina. In the wake of the backlash that had trailed the union on the basis of the duo’s age disparity, Regina had hedged, claiming she couldn’t have married within her age group because she’s stubborn.

The marriage to the former House of Reps member, Ned, no doubt remained a thing of public attention.

Even though there is a major age disparity between Regina and her husband, Ned, the two have never been shy to publicly show their affection. Regina isn’t one to shy away on social media; hence it wasn’t long before she initiated her husband into the fierce world of celebrities where nothing is hidden. Expectedly, a lot more would be shown to her close to 68,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel.

12

ͼ ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

FIVE LESSONS FROM THE COVID-19 BATTLE There is need for mature leadership to manage the pandemic, writes Rajendra Aneja

M

anaging a global predicament like Covid-19, calls for visionary and pragmatic leadership from heads of nations. Leaders should keep the people of the country fully appraised of the situation, tell them the truth and also keep the morale high by providing direction and hope. They need to ensure preparedness to meet the medical and civic challenges. Leaders should govern effectively, without indulging in symbolism.

Not all global leaders have stood tall during the Covid-19 turbulence. President Donald Trump is leading the fight against the pandemic from the front in USA, but he could avoid generating a controversary a day. Again, if the public is advised to wear masks, leaders like Trump and PM Boris Johnson of UK, should have set personal examples.

Volatile Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, could have been more statesman-like, instead of playing a divisive role. Germany’s Angela Merkel and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern have managed well through steely resolve. Both have preferred silent action over words.

Many national leaders have been content to stay safely ensconced in their homes or offices. They should have been in the streets, to assess issues first-hand and galvanise their people.

Health Spending: Covid-19 should make developing countries review how much they spend on the health care of their citizens.

As people caught the virus, they were traumatised by concerns on whether they would get a ventilator in the hospital. Many patients died trying to find a bed in a hospital. Doctors in Europe had to make hard decisions, about allotting the limited ventilators.

Many countries spend as low as three per cent of their GDPs annually on health care. India spends 3.6 per cent of its GDP on health.

The United States spends 18 per cent of its GDP, which is over USD 10,000 per person per year. The world spends about 10 per cent and sub-Saharan Africa spends around five per cent of the GDP on health.

After the Covid-19 watershed, every country should spend at least 10 per cent of its GDP on public health, especially in Asia and Africa.

Doctors and nurses have buffered the immense damage that Covid-19, could have caused across nations. Health workers have endangered their own lives to save patients. Many of them work 12 to 14 hours at a stretch in hospitals.

Apart from showing due respect and appreciation to health workers, their salaries should be enhanced. They should also be insured generously at government expense.

Caring for Elders: Around 65-70 per cent of the deaths due to Covid-19 have been amongst patients above the age of 65 years. Perhaps some of these elders had associated issues like diabetes, blood pressure, etc. Nevertheless, there have been reports that in Europe many elderly home-care agencies faced a shortage of staff and equipment.

The health, spirit and morale of the elderly need special attention.

Most countries have issued advisories that citizens above the age of 60 should stay indoors. However, many elders stay alone. They need assistance for domestic chores, cooking and shopping. Moreover, being

TO MANAGE PANDEMICS LIKE COVID-19 EFFECTIVELY, WE NEED TO ELECT OUR LEADERS WISELY, SPEND 10 PER CENT OF THE GDP ON HEALTH, MANAGE THE WELL-BEING OF ELDERS, REVAMP SLUMS AND SHOW COMPASSION TO MIGRANT WORKERS

alone they also get more dispirited and lonelier than others.

A society that does not care for its elders, does not have the right values. In many developing countries, old-age homes are conspicuous by their absence. This is the time for governments to review how many elderly care homes are required and build them, with adequate open spaces, where the senior citizens can walk and get some fresh air.

Manage Slums: About a billion people across nations, which is around 18 per cent of the global population, live in slums and shanty areas. Covid-19 has spread faster in the slums, since social distancing could not be practised.

In many slums like Dharavi in Mumbai in India, there are five to 10 people residing in small rooms of 80 to 100 square feet. Only 20 per cent of Dharavi’s population of about 1.5 million have access to toilets. Similar situations prevail in slums in Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and Venezuela. The informal economies of many large cities, is dependent on workers, who stay in these over-crowded and unhygienic slums. Governments should prepare emergency five-year plans, to replace the slums with low cost apartment housing, which provides more space and toilets to residents.

Managing Migrant Workers: Migrant workers constitute the backbone of many economies. They leave their villages and work in shops, factories or as hawkers in the cities. A traumatic fallout of the lockdown in India, has been the horrendous plight of the migrant labour. Trains and buses stopped abruptly and an estimated 80 million migrant workers lost their livelihoods.

The return journey of the migrants to their villages was gutwrenching. Labourers carrying their belongings in bundles, mothers carrying babies, trudged on highways, walking distances of 200 to 1,000 kilometres, over a period of eight to 15 days to reach their villages. Many workers walked continuously, without food, water or shelter, in the blazing summer. The picture of a child tugging at the tunic of her dead mother at a railway platform tore hearts. About 225 labourers died in accidents, on their desperate journeys. Another 15 migrant workers were crushed by a train in the night as they slept on railway tracks, on their journey on foot.

When lockdowns were declared in many countries, the employers or local governments should have arranged to transport the migrant workers home or ensured food and accommodation for them. It would have cost very little to open community kitchens and start health-check centres for them. In this time and age, it is deeply disappointing that anyone dies of hunger or exhaustion.

Thus, to manage pandemics like Covid-19 effectively, we need to elect our leaders wisely, spend 10 per cent of the GDP on health, manage the well-being of elders, revamp slums and show compassion to migrant workers. Wisdom and humaneness can help us to fight any pandemic, populism and jingoism cannot.

Aneja was the Managing Director of Unilever Tanzania. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and is the author of “Little Thoughts for a Better World”

IN PRAISE OF FRIENDSHIP

Adebayo Bodunrin pays tribute to his friend, brother and banker, Segun Agbetuyi, at age 67

I

n one of his philosophical jottings, the great Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, wrote on three types of friendship: Those based on utility. Friendship based on utility is the most common. People associate for their mutual usefulness. Example, a car owner and a mechanic. Second, those based on pleasure. Examples, drinking together, sexual exploits between men and women. Third, those grounded in virtue. This is the most ideal type of friendship.

It is a constructive engagement. Friends share common values and principles of an irreducible moral nature which allows them to honour and rever each other. Simply put, this is an essentially selfless relationship which sustains, encourages, nurtures, supports and celebrates life time friendship as opposed to relationship bound by utility or pleasure.

True friends are not phony. They are sincere, authentic, loyal, honest, kind, caring, respectful, sympathetic, trustworthy, truthful, dependable and a source of love and support.

Moral and virtue theorists counsel that personal relationship built since youthful days must be taken seriously. This should be true friendship that is affable, affectionate, amiable, amicable, attentive, believable, brave, cheerful, considerate, cordial, discerning, easy going, empathetic, faithful, forgiving, humorous, generous, gentle, heartfelt, honest and kind. Some friendships have been characterised by snubs, slights, misunderstanding and betrayals.

I have been lucky to enjoy true friendship in my life which is noble, edifying and enriching. I have enjoyed over 40 seven years of healthy friendship with Venerable Segun Agbetuyi which had and still having positive influence on my life. We have succeeded in sustaining friendship and intimacy that is grounded in shared goals, concern for each other and mutual caring.

It is no exaggeration that Venerable Agbetuyi is the best friend l have ever had and still have.

He has played and still playing lots of roles in my life as a trusted adviser, number one cheer leader, confidant, one with milk of human kindness, care and support as well as someone who shares with me moments of joy and despair.

Our friendship is one of the greatest gifts in my life. It is a friendship in which l have found trust, companionship, love, hope and compassion. He was part of my youthful adventures and even escapades. We grew up in challenging circumstances and struggling to fulfill our destinies having lost our fathers in our young ages. We were not born with the fabled silver spoon.

We aspired for the best in life. We exalted bond and friendship not in glib terms. We spent time together affectionately. We freely exchanged gifts.

Till date, he remains an old and new soul. I can’t remember any altercation or contention between us.

In all of these, Segun proved to be a great talent.

He is kind, generous, loving, giving, honest and caring. It was a good, respectable and mandatory move to attend church services. Those were memorable times of our lives.

Right from youth, Segun established unquestionable relationship with God. It was not a surprise much later that he studied, trained hard and became a Minister of the God. He rose rapidly and today he is a Venerable in the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. I have worshipped several times under his ministration and I can say loud and clear, that his knowledge of the WORD is deep. Besides, Segun knows the challenges of business management like he knows his palms. He is deploying this knowledge to assist the church to manage its enterprises. He is a God-fearing man with strong convictions. He is a man with great testimonials of deep zeal and commitment to the growth of Christianity.

There is something unique about Segun Agbetuyi. His academic records were a commend-

able catalogue of distinctions. He left Ekiti Parapo College, Ido Ekiti at the top of the class.

The child of providence from Ekiti went to the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in early 1970s where he honed his skills in banking and finance. He qualified as a certified and chartered banker of the UK Institute of Bankers in his first year at ABU, Zaria.

It did not come as a surprise that the authorities of his alma mater head hunted him as a lecturer before his graduation. He was discovered as an academic star in his very early days in the university. For the brief period he was at the Congo Campus of ABU, Zaria, Segun was celebrated for his brilliance, competence and effectiveness. He was strict with his students. Yet his sense of humour and humility were disarming. As a university teacher, he had a combination of the rare attributes of hard work, scholarship, frankness, flexibility, dedication, focus and commitment. His stay in the academic community was brief but impactful.

It is an indisputable fact that today Segun can look back with satisfaction at the many children he has fathered in the banking industry, first as a lecturer and later as CEO of a flourishing commercial bank, Omega Bank.

Perhaps, he is one of the most loved personalities.

He is loved as a family man of remarkable qualities, he is loved as dedicated university teacher, he is loved as an exemplary banker of the highest caliber and extremely high standard, he is loved as a friend to many people, his loved in his current calling as a man of God, a Venerable in the Anglican Church.

Like his sojourn in the academic community, he was head hunted into the banking industry, even though he had previously in the early 1970s, before proceeding to the university, worked as a Clerk/ Cashier in two banks, Nigeria --Arab Bank and Bank of America.

At a young age, early twenties, he was already

holding managerial positions in the banking industry. This is an indication that he had watched his hands clean and could comfortably eat with elders.

He held several top positions at International Bank for West Africa, Nigerian – American Merchant Bank, Bank of Boston, USA before capping it all as Managing Director, Omega Bank Plc and later Chairman, Board of Directors of Spring Bank Plc. He shone brightly as a banker of the old generation. He unabashedly embraced the right things – principle, hard work, diligence, honesty and sincerity of purpose and intentions. Significantly too, he had an unwavering sense of duty, loyalty, professionalism, discipline and demonstrable integrity.

There is something relatively unknown about Segun. He loves writing. His writings are refreshing, informative, educative, incisive, factual and analytical.

In the world of Journalism, not all Journalists are columnists. Equally, not all columnists are journalists. Most notable newspaper and magazines promote columns as a veritable means of opinion moulding and a source of harvesting alternative ideas for policy formulation and execution by any purposeful administration.

In the 1970s and 1980s, New Nigerian, a Kaduna -based newspaper was very influential even though it was forcefully acquired by the then military adventurers in politics. The Editors of the tabloid created a column, “AS I SEE IT”, which was freely made available to any Nigerian to express their views on burning national issues. Segun Agbetuyi was one of the regular contributors.

His passion was promotion of economic prosperity, good governance and visionary political leadership. He is not a coward, trembling with fears not to step on toes. He is blunt and fearless.

Bodunrin is a Journalist with AIT/RAYPOWER FM in Abuja

13

ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

Whither Covid-19 protocols?

The Rising Cost of Drugs

A

market survey has shown that the prices of essential and prescription drugs, as well as other pharmaceutical products, have increased between December 2019 and June 2020. This rise in price has made many essential and prescription medications unaffordable, and therefore inaccessible, by quite a large number of Nigerians, who live on the edge of poverty.

A number of reasons have been attributed to the rising cost of pharmaceutical products. For example, in June last year, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was reported to have increased the cost of registering new prescription drugs from N350,000 to N1.05 million - a whopping 350 percent increase! Also, over-the-counter drugs moved from N1 million to N4 million.

Other factors that have been identified as contributing to the rise in prices of essential and prescription drugs and other medical/pharmaceutical products include: the Coronavirus pandemic; bottlenecks and disruptions in worldwide supply value chain; soaring forex and inflation rates; ban on international flights which increased freight costs associated with importation of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), excipients and finished products.

Additionally, the slow uptake of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) N100 billion stimulus package has also been identified as a contributory factor.

One particular example of essential medicines which have experienced a skyrocketing of prices since the outbreak of COVID-19 is antimalarials.

This writer was taken aback by his recent realisation of the current price of popular antimalarials (such as Coartem, Amatem Plus, Syriam, etc), which are within the price range of N1,400 and N2,000, at pharmacies.

This increase in drug prices could come with grave consequences of morbidity and mortality to consumers of healthcare products in Nigeria. This price increase will not augur well for patients, drug manufacturers, and the economy at large. This is because when the prices of drugs go up, the people who need them cannot buy them. And when drugs cannot be purchased due to their exorbitant prices, the pharmaceutical industry will not contribute adequately to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

It is also important to note that a sharp increase in the prices of drugs could encourage the sale of fake and substandard drugs in the country. And consumers, who will be forced to seek cheaper drug alternatives, could easily fall prey to these fake and substandard drugs, which could be more damaging to their health.

In view of the foregoing, some steps that can be taken to help reduce the rising cost of essential and prescription drugs and other pharmaceutical

Death Penalty for Rape in Nigeria

products could include: developing the Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. This is very critical, not only in closing the gap in access to medicines, but also in ensuring economic growth and sustainable development.

Also, banks should pay attention to the local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, ensuring that they reduce the many bottlenecks that will hinder members from accessing loans. The local pharmaceutical products manufacturers could use the funds to repurpose their facilities to meet international qualifications and standards, expand their product lines, upgrade their machineries, and build new factories.

Furthermore, improving access to foreign exchange would be very helpful in easing the increase in drug prices, as this can ensure that manufacturing remains stable, while only minimal job losses are recorded.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should also put in more effort to reduce the rising forex and inflation rates in the country. The exchange rate of the Naira has been a source of concern to pharmaceutical importers because by the time they are able to source foreign exchange and bring in the finished products, the final cost to the consumers would have gone quite high. Therefore, there should be a consideration of import waivers, in order for pharmaceuticals to make the prices competitive.

Daniel Ighakpe, FESTAC Town, Lagos

T

he girl-child needs help in Nigeria but who is there to help them? The fundamental assumption today in Nigeria is that rape has come to stay because it is tolerated by government, people and society.

Loco parentis is clearly missing in Nigeria, as regards rape. People hardly talk about it and government does nothing but lecture for its sake and agents of state sometimes blame victims’ for their woes.

You can feel the sociopathic detachment to issues of rape by religious bodies and traditional institutions. Royal fathers do not speak truth to power and clergy men have all become politicians instead of addressing burning societal issues.

The cornucopias in their domain seem to be better than justice. What goes around comes around. We cannot afford to break wind always with policies that are antithetical to national security and suppose that we can tame acts of malevolence bothering Nigeria.

Fate will not grant Nigeria an exception, criminality will increase and the country

T H E S AT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE DEPUTY EDITOR CHIKA AMANZE-NWACHUKU MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

needs many tough laws to put the fear of state into the hearts of people.

As stated by this present writer elsewhere, “what drives ethical behaviour can be attributed to a person’s moral fibre. This, in turn, can be influenced by conscience, observation of accepted social mores and the laws of the land. Fear of consequences or expectations of rewards are other factors considered when behavioural decisions are being deliberated.”

Are rapists punished in Nigeria? Isn’t it clear for all to see that they do not have conscience? Rapists get the death sentence in Indonesia as well as chemical castration in Indonesia and Poland but why does Nigeria celebrate rapists and not punish them?

Nigeria should institute the death penalty for rape to stem the tide. However hard we pretend, we cannot wish this away with magniloquence, doing so would be akin to telling the Arabs and the Israelis to settle their differences in a good Christian manner or even asking a Jew what his Christian name is. Wouldn’t that be a bad joke?

I move away from karmic arguments although I know that many people will live and others shall die: laws or not, but I know that a good government can make horrors pass over our homes.

Thoughts like these overwhelm me with a feeling of helplessness and I cannot but wonder why these total turkeys in government cannot properly secure the country and considering that they are outsmarted by bad people. I will pray for victims tonight, it might be just the bit of inspiration that some of them need to go on. They have blood running through their veins, just like you and I, they are human, too. That is the way to go; Nigeria needs an abundance of community spirit. Leaders are groomed, some learnt on the job and many others took the bull by the horn to fix their countries, the system needs to be rejigged.

A sane society must develop clear rules for sexual conduct for the growth and the survival of the society.

Bad cultures have subsumed the Nigerian culture and since some acts are learned, government needs to beat crooks so they can unlearn some of the acts learned.

Simon Abah, Abuja

14

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾JULY 4, 2020

NEWS

Ewubare, NNPC’s Chief Operating Officer, Quits Abruptly Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Chief Operating Officer, Joint Ventures and Business Development, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Roland Ewubare, yesterday suddenly resigned from the national oil company.

Before his new redeployment a few months ago, Ewubare was the Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investments and Management Services (NAPIMS) and was the Managing Director of the Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL), a seismic data acquisition company of the corporation.

It wasn’t clear if there were official reasons why the corporation’s top shot turned in his

resignation letter Wednesday morning, however, he attributed his quitting the NNPC to his need to join his family outside the country.

Ewubare, an indigene of Delta State, however refuted insinuations that he threw in the towel as a result of disagreements with the current management of the corporation led by Mr. Mele Kyari.

He stated that as a very close friend of Kyari, he had been very supportive, noting that he had nothing against the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the corporation.

He said: “I’m leaving to return to my family in the United States.

I have been in NNPC for five years, mostly away from them.

With the pandemic, I can’t travel

Bua Cement Set to Establish Cement, Power Plant in Adamawa BUA Cement is set to establish a three million metric tonnes cement plant and 50 megawatts power plant in Guyuk and Lamurde local governments of Adamawa State. This was revealed when the Chairman of BUA, Abdul Samad Rabiu led the BUA Cement Management team on a courtesy call to the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in the Government House, Yola.

Speaking during the visit, Abdul Samad Rabiu said preliminary findings showed that the two local governments of Guyuk and Lamurde are reputed to have good quality of limestone deposits and BUA Cement is ready to begin the investment in the state.

He added that the BUA would use new technologies to supply power to the proposed cement plant and communities of Guyuk and Lamurde in addition to providing three thousand direct and five thousand indirect jobs.

The Chairman stressed that the Guyuk Cement Plant would be the major investment in the North East by BUA and solicited

for support of Governor Umaru Fintiri to set up the factory in Guyuk.

Rabiu said the company made a decision to source its raw materials locally and it has invested billions of dollars in various sectors across Nigeria and therefore urged the state government to support BUA to actualize the Guyuk Cement project. In addition, he praised the commitment of the governor within one year in office in many sectors of development despite the economic challenges in Adamawa.

Responding, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said his administration’s effort in exploring local contents had started yielding results and thanked BUA for showing interest in establishing the cement plant in Guyuk.

He further assured the management team of BUA that government would make whatever is needed and provide the necessary support which will create enabling environment so that the BUA Cement company in Guyuk will become a reality.

to visit them and they can’t come to visit me. It’s tough. At the core, I’m a family man. Stepping down solely for personal family reasons.

That’s the truth.”

Explaining the reasons for Ewubare’s redeployment in May, the NNPC had stated that professional competence, national spread and accountability were prioritised before such deployment.

Dr. Kennie Obateru, the spokesperson of the corporation said many top management officers of the corporation were moved to new positions while some were promoted based on their verifiable track records of performance.

He said that some Chief Operating Officers, Group General Managers and Managing Directors

of subsidiaries were affected in the redeployment exercise at the national oil company.

The erstwhile Chief Operating Officer (COO), Upstream, he said, under the new arrangement, got an additional responsibility for business development, besides managing the group’s ventures.

Obateru announced that Ewubare brought to bear his competence in the onerous task of laying the groundwork for the corporation to take up new business opportunities and challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 impasse.

“The new position would also see Ewubare traversing downstream, midstream and upstream sectors to develop new ventures” he stated.

The University of Calabar Teaching Hospital ( UCTH), yesterday announced five new positive cases of COVID-19 in its Isolation and Treatment Centre in Cross River State.

This brings to six the number of positive cases for the virus reported in the state since Thursday, June 25, when the hospital announced the first case of the patient which its management said was successfully treated.

The latest announcement of the presence of the virus contradicts the official position of the state government which had insisted, from the outset, that the territory was free of any COVID-19 infection.

The announcement from the UCTH came barely 24 hours after the State Governor Professor Ben Ayade, and his cabinet and some of his aides danced hilariously on Thursday, at the Government House field, Calabar, celebrating what they described as the nonexistence of COVID-19

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ((EFCC) has denied dropping charges against former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke.

It said contrary to media reports, Adoke was standing trial in two separate courts, a Federal High Court in Abuja and FCT High Court, Gwagwalada.

A statement issued by the commission said the former chief law officer of the federation was still standing trial for money laundering.

“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some media reports claiming that the Commission has dropped charges of money laundering against former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke.

“The EFCC wishes to make it abundantly clear that Mr. Adoke is standing trial in two separate courts: Federal High Court, Abuja before Justice

Inyang Ekwo in Suit Number: FHC/ABJ/CR/39/2017 and FCT High Court, Gwagwalada before Justice Idris Kutigi in Suit Number: FCT/CR/151/2020”, it said.

The statement said he was re-arraigned alongside an Abuja-based businessman, Aliyu Abubakar before Justice Ekwo on June 17, 2020 on seven-count charges, bordering on money laundering noting that the rearraignment was occasioned by the transfer of the case from Justice Binta Nyako, before whom he was originally arraigned on February 8, 2020.

“Adoke was equally arraigned before Justice Kutigi alongside others on January 23, 2020 on 42-count charges bordering on the Malabu Oil scam.

“There is another subsisting case involving Malabu Oil & Gas Limited, Aliyu Abubakar and five companies allegedly involved in money laundering charges before Justice Ekwo”, it said.

The anti-graft agency said they were arraigned on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 in Suit Number: FHC/ ABJ/CR/268/2016.

in the state.

At the event, Ayade addressed members of the State COVID-19 Response Taskforce, and said he was delighted that the state has so far remained free of the virus.

“As a general treatment protocol, in hospitals in Cross River State, people are so well trained and equipped with public enlightenment. This accounts for one of the reasons for the zero COVID-19 case in the state.

“We introduced the use of nose masks early. In fact, we were the

first to lock our borders, we introduced face shields. We were the first in anything that were required as defensive mechanism against COVID-19. So, it became obvious and clear that we were able to contain with other airborne-related diseases. So, we have no reason to suggest that there is pandemic in Cross River. Statistics also show it....

“It is a pandemic, therefore, when you say somebody has Coronavirus, it means it can spread to all family members, they will all come down with it.

‘Turkish Airlines Now Busiest in Eurocontrol Area’ The management of Turkish Airlines has said they had 400 flights in Eurocontrol area for the first time an airline had that number since March 24, 2020, making it the busiest operator during the period.

A statement by the airline said Eurocontrol is a pan-European

civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation. “They confirmed that Turkey’s national flag carrier operated 359 flights during the first week of June from its home at Istanbul Airport. On 14th June three aircraft were able to take off simultaneously with the opening

National Emergency Treatment Committee (NEMTC) without a pharmacist is an aberration capable of undermining the objective of the project, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has said.

ACPN, the umbrella body of all registered Community Pharmacists in Nigeria described the 27-man committee without a Pharmacist, as not only an error but also erodes the very importance of pharmacists in the country’s health care delivery.

In a petition to the Federal Ministry of Health, the association which is an affiliate of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) observed that the composition of the Committee approved by the National Council on Health was lopsided as of the 27 members, 13 were Medical Doctors and the rest representing various agencies

of government and professional bodies.

Describing the exclusion of Pharmacists from such an important and sensitive national assignment as an aberration, ACPN argued that it viewed the National Emergency Medical Committee as part of the “unending subjugation of other health professionals to the whims and caprices of Doctors in the health system of our country.”

“In the very minimum, an Emergency Medical Treatment Committee would have at least a Pharmacist who coordinates drug use endeavours in the Committee since over 90% of the rescue efforts in a Health/Medical emergency ultimately revolves around the handling of drugs which remains the lawful prerogative of Registered Pharmacists by virtue of the Pharmacy Act and the National Drug Policy,” the body argued.

OPL 245: EFCC Denies Dropping NSE Rewards Outstanding UTME Charges against Adoke Candidates with Scholarship

UCTH Announces 5 New COVID-19 Positive Cases in C’River Bassey Inyang in Calabar

‘National Emergency Treatment C’ttee Without Pharmacists, An Aberration’

of Istanbul’s third independent runway, a momenteous occasion for the future of Turkish aviation.

According to the statement, Turkish Airlines’ Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee, M. IIker Ayci said, “It is our firm belief that once the world overcomes the crisis, air

travels will bounce back stronger than ever and Turkish Airlines will be more than eager to welcome you aboard with our trademark hospitality as we connect continents, people and cultures. We fully adapted our customers touchpoints according to new normal standards.”

Funmi Ogundare The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has rewarded 16 secondary school students for their outstanding performance in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The NSE this year, instituted a scholarship award to encourage candidates who intend to study Engineering and STEM related courses in the university. The 16 students will enjoy a scholarship of N1,000,000 each, for a five-year period after gaining admission into the university of their choice studying Engineering.

Some of the students who received the award and their scores in the UTME include; Miss Agnes Maduafokwa with a score of 365, intends to study Industrial and Production Engineering, Miss Shalom Mezisashe Ojuba with a score of 359, intends to study Electrical Engineering, Master Awesome Osom Akan with a score of 353 intends to study Electrical Electronics Engineering; Master Victor Elechukwu, 359.

Others were; Oluwatobi Samuel Ojo, 355; Master George Utulu, 355; Fejiro Akakabota, 352, Miss

Favour Jesupemi, 352, Gboyega Olueatobiloba Enoch, 356, David Okwuchukwu, 363, Paul Oluwatobi Adebola, 358, among others.

Speaking during a virtual meeting/unveiling of 2020 UTME best brains in Engineering ceremony, the President of NSE, Babagana Mohammed said the essence of the award, was to change the narrative where students who performed excellently in their academics were not encouraged and create an enabling environment for the students to achieve their potentials.

According to him, “For a long time, I had the impression that what we were doing is not right. In most competitions organised in Nigeria, students who performed well only get a handshake. That I think does not encourage anybody. Some of these children are from less-privileged background. It is because some of us got government scholarship; that is why we are where we are today.

“There are many brilliant children who cannot continue their education because their parents could not afford it. We intentionally came up with this policy to empower people.

This is the maiden edition. We must make ourselves productive and in the process, our country will benefit, it is a two way switch.”

COVID-19: TUC President, Lauds Oyetola on Salary Payment, Welfare The President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Quadri Olaleye, has commended Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the State of Osun for prioritising the welfare of workers in the state.

He also lauded the governor for ensuring prompt and regular payment of workers’ salaries, wages and other emoluments despite the adverse effects of the global Coronavirus pandemic on the economy.

Olaleye gave the commendation while delivering his speech during the 2020 Triennial Delegates Conference of Osun State Council of TUC, in Osogbo, the state capital.

The TUC president acknowledged the commitment of the

state government at repositioning the economy of the state for the good of the citizens.

He said: “May I use this medium to commend the Governor of Osun State, His Excellency, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, for the payment of April and May, 2020 salaries despite the challenges posed by the covid-19 pandemic.“ Olaleye lamented the rising insecurity cases in the country, attributing the menace to high rate of unemployment that has resulted in youth restiveness.

He urged governments at all levels to formulate policies that could create job opportunities to absorb the teeming unemployed youths, saying “this will help to reduce crimes and all forms of social vices in the state.”

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͼ˜ ͺͮͰͮ

15

NEWS/POLITY

Lamorde Heads Force Intelligence Dept Kingsley Nwezeh ÓØ ÌßÔË The Inspector-General of Police, Mr, Mohammed Adamu, yesterday named former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and

Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, as the new head of Police Directorate of Force Intelligence.

The IG also named AIG Adeleye Olusola Oyebade as the new Head of Research

and Development Department of the Police.

A statement issued last night by Force Headquarters said the IG also ordered the posting of senior police officers to head the five newly created zonal commands.

Assets Microfinance Bank Records 150% Growth in Loan Bennett Oghifo Assets Microfinance Bank Limited has said it recorded over 150% growth in its loan portfolio and 200% growth in Savings and Investments portfolio since its acquisition in May 2018 by Swift and Allied Partners Limited, a division of Canary Point Holdings Limited.

The company said this in a statement after it commemorated its second anniversary since going into full operations, adding that it was a feat the management and staff were proud of.

According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Idris Ibrahim, “Assets Microfinance Bank Limited is a financial institution set up to empower Nigerians with greater financial freedom by making access to loans faster, simpler, safer and more affordable.

“Furthermore, part of the remarkable milestones the business makes and boasts of

are growing numbers in client base by 170%, accomplished by a committed staff strength increment of 65% since inception. It has also transitioned from a robust technology based Micro-Finance Bank to a more robust Digital Bank.”

He said the company is focused on offering bespoke loan offers for Nigerians, the business covers all individuals who have a proven need for accelerated funds at convenient rates. There are packages for Retail Loans, Salary Advance Loan, SME Banking and Trade Finance among others all within the range of N50,000 to N5,000,000.

Assets Microfinance, he said offers a wide range of services, such as; Savings (Assets Savings Account, My Target Savings), Loans (Micro, Macro, Nano, SME Loans, Salary Advance Loan, My Asset Financing (MAF) and School Support Loan), Investments (Fixed Deposit and My Asset Fix Investment (MAFI)) and Wallets (Lifestyle and Travel).

To fulfil the promise of instant disbursement of funds, the business has an astute and seasoned team of officers, led

by Idris Ibrahim who has run businesses in the financial services sector for more than a decade. They provide advisory services and ensure your needs are met and surpassed.

Ibrahim said, “The growing number of well-meaning Nigerians looking to accomplish a short term goal is greatly hampered by the lack of sufficient and available funds.

Although the avenue for such wealth exists, there are bottlenecks that inhibit access and conditions are often steep and arduous. Here is why the business was setup – to alleviate such burden. We Are Financing The Future Of Africa.

“For a business poised to be the pacesetter in the provision of financial services to the unbanked and financially excluded population, it promises to accomplish even more in terms of financial empowerment for everyone.”

Prior to this posting, AIG Adeleye Olusola Oyebade, was a directing staff at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos while AIG Lamorde, a former Chairman of the EFCC was the AIG in-charge of Force Intelligence.

The IGP also ordered the posting of the following senior police officers to the five new police zonal commands.

They are AIG Zone 13 Ukpo-Dunukofia (Awka), AIG Dan-Mallam Mohammed; AIG Zone 14 Katsina, AIG Rabiu Yusuf, AIG Zone 15

Maiduguri, AIG Lawal Ado. Others include AIG Zone 16 Yenagoa, AIG Austine I. Agbonlahor, AIG Zone 17 Akure, AIG David Oyebanji Folawiyo. In the same vein, CP Asuquo A.A Amba, former Commissioner of Police, Ekiti Command takes charge as AIG of the new FCID Annex Gombe; CP Olafimihan A. Adeoye, former CP Federal SARS takes charge as the AIG FCID Annex Enugu while CP Uche J. Anozie, former CP Cross River takes charge as AIG FCID Annex Lagos.

The IGP charged the affected

senior officers to bring their wealth of experience to bear in their new places of assignment.

The statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer and Deputy Commisioner of Police (DCP), Frank Mba, said "they are to ensure that policing is brought closer to the people and work with relevant stakeholders to tackle crime and improve on policing services across the country."

The postings/redeployments are with immediate effect.

Imo Plans Migration to Contributory Pensions Scheme Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, has commenced integrating Imo Pensioners into the National Contributory Pensions Scheme as a way of enhancing good governance and assuaging the suffering of pensioners. Governor Uzodimma gave this indication yesterday in a meeting with the leadership of Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Imo State at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House Owerri where he informed that everything concerning pensions and salary of Imo workers had been automated to ease governance.

The governor reiterated his earlier stand that pensions and salaries were not negotiable, insisting that what had brought the delay in payment was the discovery of overwhelming fraud, discrepancies

and irregularities resulting from salary padding, over bloated and double pensions among other sharp practices where some pensioners received monies above their retirement salaries and some even outrageous monies that were not accounted for.

Expressing bitterness over the development, the governor said soon, names of those who earn above N330m (three hundred and thirty million Naira) per annum as pension would be published for Imo people to know.

“Government will no more make use of micro finance banks for payments of salaries and pensions because they are no clearing house for BVN holders,” the governor said and reassured that the government has decided to pay pensioners

directly.

By the discoveries as presented to the leadership of pensioners and NLC Chairman who was in attendance, the Governor informed that out of 13,800 primary school teachers, only 9,000 were found to be real and that only primary and secondary school teachers who had been verified and confirmed to be employees of government would receive their salaries.

The Governor advised those playing politics with pensions and salaries to desist from doing so as his sole objective had remained to dismantle the cabal that milk the state dry through the pensions and salaries, adding, “Government has decided to automate all payments to enable it migrate to the contributory pension’s scheme.”

Adamu Lawan: Borno’s IGR Target Now N10bn ÒÏ ÙÜØÙ ÞËÞÏ Ù××ÓÝÝÓÙØÏÜ ÐÙÜ ÓØËØÍϘ ßÎÑÏÞ ËØÎ ÍÙØÙ×ÓÍ ÖËØØÓØј ÖÒËÔÓ ÎË×ß ËáËØ ÞÏÖÖÝ Michael Olugbode ÞÒËÞ ÓÐ ÏàÏÜãÞÒÓØÑ ÑÙÏÝ ËÝ ÚÖËØØÏΘ ÓØ ÞÒÏ ØÏâÞ ͹ͽ ãÏËÜݘ ÞÒÏ ÝÞËÞÏ ÝÒÙßÖÎ ÌÏ ÍÙ×ÚÏÞÓØÑ ÓØ áÓÞÒ ËÑÙÝ ÞËÞÏ

W

hat is the internally generation revenue of Borno State like at present?

Our budget for 2020 is for us to generate N4.6 billion, that is from January 2020 to December 2020. So far, we have been able to generate close to N4 billion in five months - January to May. Now, our target has changed from N4.6 billion to N10 billion for year 2020 and we have our reasons. One of the things we did or we are still doing to make sure we raise our IGR is to firstly ensure all the leakages are blocked. You cannot block all for sure, you know our people, but at least we have been able to reduce it considerably. We have blocked most of these leakages.

We all know that all these revenue officers (collectors) have like two receipts. They will go and collect revenue on behalf of government and they have their personal receipt too which they will issue about four times before they issue one government receipt. They do collect higher than what they bring to government. The first thing we did was the introduction of Treasury Single Account (TSA) for revenue. For now, all MDAs that are revenue generating would close all their existing revenue accounts and be paying directly to that treasury single account through remita. Now, we do not allow cash payments in those MDAs. If someone wants to pay his tax or levy or whatever you would be asked to go to a bank because this platform goes through all the banks. You can go to the platform of your choice and pay, then a receipt will be generated, the normal remita receipt. Once you pay, the entire revenue network would be able to see who paid, for what purpose and how much had been paid. With that, we were able to boost our IGR collections in the last one year or so. That is one aspect.

The second aspect is that we contacted a forensic audit firm to come and audit all our revenue generating agencies, especially the federal government agencies. You know the federal government’s workers that are living in Borno ought to pay their PAYE to Borno State Government. For the past years, like ten years, these federal agencies were not remitting to Borno State Government the PAYE of their workers. With that, we now engaged the services of forensic auditors to audit those federal agencies and at the end of the day, we were able to come out with a figure which is N8.2 billion. They should have remitted N8.2 billion to Borno State, which they have not done. We do not have problem with the federal agencies, we

who are actually auditing them; their workers, how much they are getting and their PAYE too should come to us. We have not been able to finish, but once we finish, we will tell them what they should be paying or ought to pay. It will definitely boost our IGR.

Lawan

just have to write the Ministry of Finance where they get their money. This did not only happen in Borno State but in most states.

The federal government says they cannot pay the entire sum to the states and they paid us 25 per cent of the money owed, which is about N1.8 billion, that is also part of the revenue and that was what actually boosted our revenue collection this year. That is why we are even close to achieving this year’s target of N4.6 billion. And we are expecting that before the end of the year, the remaining 75 per cent or at least 50 per cent of the PAYE from the federal government would be paid to us, which will also increase our revenue generation. With our TSA and payment of revenue through the bank, I believe we can surpass the N10 billion we target before the end of the year. It is just a conservative figure, the 75 per cent is over N6 billion alone.

Has the presence of NGOs in the state contributed to the growth in your IGR? Yes, it has. Right now, we are trying to see what the NGOs will be paying. We had a meeting with them. We have some consultants

If you are able to generate N10 billion where would that take you to in the ranking of states?

Right now, we are number 31 or 32, but by the time we hit the N10 billion or more, we will go up to 16 or 17 position, because we have another source, we have not talked about, which is the BUDGIT - Borno Geographical Information Service Agency. It is one of the cash cows. It is going to be a huge revenue generating agency because right now they have upgraded from the manual way of doing things to the automated system. Even the ground rent is massive. Last week, they wrote to the members of the state executive council to pay theirs, claiming that charity should begin at home. Even those in the House of Assembly and everyone in government should come and pay their ground rent so that everyone else would follow suit. They are going to enforce it immediately. Ground rent alone would give us between N5 billion and N6 billion. Once it is passed into law, the revenue of the state will improve massively. The reason we are still foot-dragging and do not want to work at collecting the taxes, levies and fines is that we want to collect a new rate rather than the old rate and we are waiting for a new law to be passed by the Assembly.

But with the COVID-19, one of the ways to give relief to the people is to apply tax relief because of the lockdown. After we have the law, we are going to say this is the tax relief we are extending to the people for the next one or two years. We will let people know that this is the new tax regime and this is what we are extending to the people. We know with COVID-19, businesses have crashed and we cannot overburden our people by enforcing new task regime.

By 2021, we are going to boost our IGR. I do not just want to quote a figure for now, but we want to see how this year will pan out. We are going to see how much we can generate at the end of the year. Our projection for next year would be twice what we generate this year, even if not more.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

16

˜ ˞ JULY 4, 2020

JOE/FAJ

THEFRONTLINES

Ndume’s Treatise on Part-time Legislature, Lawmakers’ SacriďŹ ce

JOSEPH USHIGIALE

W

hen Senator Mohammed Ndume representing Borno South rallied his colleagues calling on them to sacrifice by reducing their perks of office as well as contemplate adopting part time legislature for the good of the country, I was bemused.

Nonetheless, I also thought that at last, it was a fresh breathe of air coming from an arm of government that has abdicated its constitutional role of exercising checks and balances within the doctrine of separation of power with other arms of government and has become a deliberate parasite on the commonwealth.

In a country where an average workers earns less than $2 per day and the minimum wage, which took several years to negotiate, is now pegged at N30,000 per month up from its previous N18,000.

There is anger in the land, why not? Nigerians who are continually being pressured by their leaders to tighten their belts and sacrifice for the good of the country, are no longer smiling at the humongous earnings of their legislators.

The reasons are not far fetched. At the return to civil rule in 1999 and the subsequent inauguration of the National Assembly, the budget for the legislators was N2,204,150,000 representing 3.64% of the national budget that year to cater for 360 House members and 109 Senators.

By 2015, without any increase in the number of members, its budget skyrocketed from N2.2b to N227b representing 5.05% of the national budget that year. This year, the legislators increased the Assembly’s initially proposed budget sum of N125b to N128b an increase of N3b and N10b short of its previous 2019 budget of N139b.

The National Assembly and its organs, prior to 2015, had a yearly budget of N150bn for many years. A chunk of this sum, about N9bn of the vote went into the take-home pay of lawmakers.

However, between 2015 and 2020, the budget started ballooning upwards from N120bn to N139bn,even as Nigeria faced dwindling financial resources, particularly from crude oil market

volatility. In the face of these unstable times, the budget rose to N139.5bn in 2018 only for the subsequent one to dip to N125bn in 2019.

While the legislators were smiling to the banks with bulging pockets, the living conditions of majority of Nigerians deteriorated by each passing day. The development caused anger and uproar with Nigerians seeking to know if these humongous payment to the legislators were duly earned, because to them, nothing could tangibly quantify their outrageous payments, which in comparative terms are about the highest in the world.

The financial profligacy exhibited by the National Assembly did not go unannounced. It caught the attention of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, who in 2015, opposed the huge pay, criticising the bid by the Senate at the time to buy cars worth over N47bn in addition to the transport allowances they were being paid.

Ideally, the National Assembly ought not be a drain pipe on the commonwealth as it is currently. The annual salary, including allowances, for each member of the Senate, according to RMAFC, is N12,766,320:00 (N12.7m). On a monthly basis, a Nigerian senator collects salary and allowances amounting to N1,063,860:00 (N1.06m).

On the other hand, each member of the lower legislative chamber, according to RMAFC, receives N9,529,038:06 (N9.5m) as annual pay and N794,086:83 every month.

The angst in the land emanates from the realization that in the House of Representatives, each of the 360 lawmakers pockets a total annual package of N136.6m or N11.3m monthly (or N33.9m quarterly). It has since come to light that the 6th Assembly jettisoned the old system of bulk quarterly payment which included total allowances, running cost and choosed to collapse the old system and embraced monthly payment instead where the entire emoluments are broken down per month.

Defending the Legislature from the allegations of collecting jumbo pay, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan declared that there was no such thing as ‘jumbo pay,’ adding that he earned N750,000 as salary.

But Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), dismissed Lawan’s

Our Vanishing Concept of Celebrity

M

y endeavours as an associate lecturer at the foremost journalism school, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, expose me to a varied and enriching experiences that have substantially improved my appreciation of human psychology and relationships.

While teaching a specially designed subject, elaborately titled “Topical Issues in Nigerian Mass Communication�, the lynchpin of the entire 13-week lecture was “Celebrity Journalism�; and the great enterprise was masterminded by the Provost, former Punch editor and TVC director, Gbemiga Ogunleye.

The most exciting topic, to the intensely engaging Post Graduate Diploma classes I was privileged to share experiences with was, “Who is a celebrity?� The answer to that question may be as diverse as our different noses. Their choices range from the burlesque to the borders of ludicrousness, and back to profundity.

Some of the names bandied as “celebrities� included: Wizkid, Davido, Hushpuppi, Toke Makinwa, Linda Ikeji, Tonto Dikeh, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Genevieve Nnaji, RMD, Don Jazzy, D’banj, PSquare, Funke Akindele, Flavour, TuFace, Tiwa Savage, Anthony Joshua (and more contemporary entertainment names unknown to me)... then... Fela, Chinua Achebe, Gani Fawehinmi, Wole Soyinka, Dora Akinyuli, Femi Falana, Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu, etc. Many of the names were welcomed with guffaws of derision, prompting some stubborn whoops of resistance here and there.

Few things became clear to me as I encouraged them to spare not their thoughts and selections; the fabric of societal valuations of upstanding and accomplished models of imitation and inspiration have skewed violently in the last two decades. The squeeze of physical and mental poverty occasioned by irresponsible and reprobate policy tweaks in Nigerian economic and educational systems have made our people less and less repugnant to immodest, lavish and fraudulent lifestyles...our people have progressively been smashed around by the cold batons of institutional and governmental neglect, public stealing and mis(pocketed) appropriation.

My class, with an estimated average age of 25 years, is a microcosm of the vast majority of Nigeria’s most active, vocal and enterprising demographics. Rightly or not, they represent a huge segment of the Nigerian youth who have scant regard for stimulating values that were the steaming rods propelling the children born in this space up until the 1960s.

Worried by this realisation, I spent four or five lecture periods, instead of the two allocated for the topic, to challenge and engage the students with the aid of robust debates, assignations, definitions, connotations and anecdotes, to nudge their mindsets to some sort of higher parameters that graduates of journalism studies should hold leading lights of their society to.

Recent happenings have provoked me to flip through my

lesson notes, to review and restate my considered position in, not only defining, but profiling who exactly is a celebrity. And the difference between a celebrity and a socialite.

Have you not seen headlines such as: “Famous kidnapper, Evans, gang sentenced� and “The Hushpuppi in all of us�...? Go to the Google search engine and read what some of our people are looking for: “Who is the richest (sic) between Hushpuppi and Davido?�; “How much is Ray Hushpuppi worth?�...�Who’s the richest Yahoo boy in Nigeria?� Is it not symptomatic of a broken value system when a search for the “best actors in Nigeria� merely yields “Top 10 Richest Actors�? Or when our children flock to the online platforms of figures with highly disputable substance but of generous and flamboyant expressions - and clearly, from their numerous conversations, no one is in doubt about the doubtful source of their acclaim!

Recent online indicators show that leading suspects of the Yahoo-Yahoo kingdom (acronym for internet fraud) have Instagram followers in hundreds of thousands. The meteoric Hushpuppi is leading at 2.4 million followers. Others in his firmament also post hefty figures that belittle efforts of more aspirational personalities: Mompha is cruising with about one million followers, in spite of his police fiasco; B. Naira - 1.3m and Baddy Oosha 1.2m. The list is shamelessly long.

In fact, if you want to fully appreciate how dysfunctional our values in Nigeria have become, check what we search for on the internet - the volume and brazenness will stagger most optimists.

Back to the issue: Who really is a celebrity? First, let us understand that the denotative (dictionary or literal) meaning of any English word (e.g. celebrity) is not the final statement on its meaning. To an educated mind, there are other levels of meanings - connotations, associations, annotations and assignations - which, when fused and filtered, will give us a robust view of a word’s full meaning. For instance, most publications of stories and news associated with celebrities, including the Nigerian media, are influenced by the simple dictionary (literal) definition of “celebrity�.

Let us scan through some definitions. This is from Google: “Celebrity - /siebbrnti/ - noun plural noun: celebrities... (Person) - a famous person, especially in entertainment or sport. ‘he became a sporting celebrity’. (Thing) - the state of being well known: ‘his prestige and celebrity grew’.� Several synonyms follow to deepen the meaning (mostly ignored), such as famous person, VIP, superstar, celebutante, leading light, giant, great, master, guru, dignitary, luminary, worthy, mogul, supremo, megastar....

And as a “thing�, these synonyms apply: prominence, renown, pre-eminence, distinction, greatness, prestige, stature, repute, illustriousness, glory, etc.

And here is Wikipedia: “Celebrity is the fame and public attention accorded by the mass media to individuals or groups or, occasionally, animals, but is usually applied to the persons or groups of people (celebrity couples, families, etc.) themselves who

jushigiale@yahoo.co.uk, joseph.ushigiale@thisdaylive.com 08023422660 (sms only)

position and asked him to stop misleading Nigerians. Sagay insisted that senators earn N15million monthly and not N750,000 as claimed by the Senate president.

Hear him: “That’s where the jumbo pay comes in when you talk of building, furniture, domestic this or that, 15 items and those items alone bring everything up to N13.5 million a month.

So, simply mentioning the base salary, which brings it over N14 million, is not sufficient. “What they get -- the current ones -- that I have not been able to release. I had the details of the previous house. They were mindboggling; we are talking of one person getting up to N280 million a year in allowances for his position. But I don’t know what they had during the Saraki era or what the present group is going to award themselves.� Sagay clarified.

It is for this reason that the current call by Ndume on his colleagues to shed some weight and sacrifice for the people especially in the middle of the global pandemic and with dwindling financial resources.

In his words: “In the current system, workers are not being paid living wages, whereas a privileged few are earning luxury wages. The National Assembly members, including me for instance, are paid luxury wages. “How can we live comfortably when only a few of us are living a life of luxury when the majority is living in abject poverty?

The N30,000 minimum wage is too small; it can make workers engage in corruption in order to survive. “We have a budget of over N10 trillion and only 30 per cent is going to the majority whereas 70 per cent would be spent on a few minority. The system we presently practice is not fair in terms of moral, religious or socially.�

Yet, Ndume’s treatise has provoked several questions most of which border on the feasibility of realizing such a project with the current legislature. Another worry is that the whole concept is woven round reducing the cost of governance; and with the presidential system which we are copying and its unwieldiness, would a switch to a parliamentary system which Nigeria inherited from the British work?

Readers can continued online www.thisdaylive.com

COUNTERPOINT

FEMI

AKINTUNDE-JOHNSON fajalive1@gmail.com 08182223348 - (SMS Only)

receive such a status of fame and attention.�

More explanations... “A celebrity is a person, who has a prominent profile and commands some degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media.� - Definitions.com.

Finally, this explores further than the denotative: “Celebrity comes directly from the Latin celebritatum, meaning famous, and is related to the verb celebrate which means to honor something with the proper ritual. We usually use celebrity now when we talk about entertainment stars, but someone doesn’t have to be on the supermarket tabloids to be a celebrity. Celebrity can also be used to mean the state of fame. If you are seeking celebrity, develop a thick skin for nasty rumors.� - vocabulary.com The 1999 creation, now very popular amongst young readers worldwide, the Urban Dictionary, has tons of colourfully brutal “definitions�. Just few entries, by unknown persons, will leave you in stitches: “A lucky slacker multi-millionaire. Rarely has more talent than you or me. J.Lo...�. “Celebrities - They are full of self-delusion, hypocrisy and attention seeking drug habits. They are spoiled drama queens and usually have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about because they’re under-educated. They drive cars that cost enough to feed a small country.� “Simply put...useless in everyway shape or form... any attempt to get any celebrity to do anything productive shall be punished by death�. And this: “Celebrity - The reason why we have poor people. All they do is act\sing\get naked\some other thing that we don’t need and they get millions of dollars for...�.

My “definition�: simply put, a celebrity is one who has become relevant, influential and inspirational within his or her own environment as a result of remarkable accomplishments or respectable achievements. He or she may be from any field or practice beyond the more common entertainment and sports, and must have been thrust into fame or popularity by the activities and coverage of the media.

Generally, people respond to celebrities (properly so called) positively, aspirationally and reverentially; in deference to what they (people) perceive the objects of their admiration (celebrities) have sacrificed, undergone, and overcome - despite the great odds and hitches along the way. Are today’s celebrities alive to these ideals?

Next time, we shall explore the attributes of the genuine celebrity, the dynamism of societal values, and the collapse of the Nigerian moral framework, leading to the ogre of unabashed corruption and the epidemic of get-rich-quick-or-die-trying that we nurse today. We may also engage the slippery slope between the Nigerian celebrity, and her faux alter ego, the socialite.

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 • T H I S D AY

17

18

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 4, 2020

POLITY Osinbajo,Ogunbiyi:CleanEnergyInvestmentOffersGreatOpportunities As countries continue to rebuild following COVID-19 pandemic, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, last Tuesday released a new guide on how clean energy investment can support African countries to recover better, reset their economies and close energy access gaps, writes Sunday Ehigiator

A

s the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, SEforALL has developed The Recover Better with Sustainable Energy Guide to support African countries as they develop their post COVID-19 recovery plan and stimulus packages. The guide is part of a series which includes guides for countries in the Caribbean region and Southeast Asia region due to be released soon.

The new guide showed how clean energy investment can support countries to recover better and use this unique moment to reset their economies and close energy access gaps. It argues that countries that commit to an ambitious Recover Better strategy today can deliver long term economic growth, new jobs, and sustainable energy for all in the long-term.

This is particularly key for Africa after COVID-19 has highlighted the deep regional divide on energy access. Africa is a region full of promise and a growing economic powerhouse, yet this progress will be stifled without access to sufficient, reliable and affordable energy.

The latest data on Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) with regard to access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 shows that progress in Africa is still off track to meet global targets. 565 million people still lack access to electricity, and a further 900 million lack clean cooking solutions. The pandemic risks setting progress even further behind.

By acting on the enabling measures put forward in The Recover Better with Sustainable Energy Guide, countries across Africa will benefit from increased GDP, affordable energy provision, and improved agriculture, gender and health outcomes.

This re-set can also spark progress at the speed and scale needed to meet SDG7 and help put the global economy on a trajectory in line with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

“COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it. As countries rebuild economies from the impact of the pandemic, they are faced with a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to “Recover Better with sustainable energy”, said Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN SecretaryGeneral for Sustainable Energy for All/Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

“There has never been a better time to invest in clean, efficient renewable energy. Countries that recover better with sustainable energy will see the payoff in the form of resilient economies,

Ogunbiyi

new jobs, and faster energy development. By making this investment, African countries can develop a competitive advantage.”

Speaking on the launch of the guide, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said: “COVID-19 has presented a unique opportunity to accelerate transition to that clean, affordable, reliable and renewable energy source offered by the sun. Nigeria is committed to the full utilization of this abundant solar energy source.

The Federal Government has already removed fossil fuel subsidies and included five million solar connections in our post-COVID-19 economic sustainability plan – first steps to new jobs and a cleaner, healthier environment. We commend Sustainable Energy for All for producing this practical ‘Recover Better’ guide that will help African governments close the energy access gap and deliver economic growth for the benefit of our people.”

The global economy is increasingly being powered by clean and efficient sources of energy. According to research, dollar for dollar investments in clean energy creates three times the number of jobs compared to fossil fuels. Every 1,000 customers connected to decentralized energy solutions – solar home systems or solar mini grids – supports approximately 25 jobs.

Also speaking in support of the guide, Amina Mohammed, UN’s Deputy Secretary-General, said: “Access to sustainable energy is pivotal to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement. As we work to recover better from

the impacts of COVID-19, African countries have the opportunity to drive faster progress on the energy transition with efficient, renewable energy that protects the most vulnerable, delivers sustainable growth and supports climate action.”

Riccardo Puliti, World Bank Global Director for Energy and Extractive Industries and Regional Director for Infrastructure in Africa, said: “Access to energy is crucial for Africa to recover from the ongoing health, economic and social challenges caused by the pandemic. We welcome this new guide from Sustainable Energy for All that outlines ways in which African countries can seize this unique moment, and in return, unleash economic growth with clean, sustainable energy.”

As countries seek to recover better, SEforALL has highlighted key policy measures that governments should adopt to ensure a successful energy transition in this period. This includes: Ease of doing business: Governments creating a supportive business environment that ensures investments are driven as fast as possible, including significantly reducing red tape, reducing the number of permits required/time it takes to get permits, waivers (if available) for renewable energy and clean cooking equipment and appliances.

Also, governments are expected to set robust policies and empower national institutions to drive development, work now to establish or empower institutions such as regulators and rural electrification agencies to ensure the right frameworks are in place to successfully drive the development of renewables and increased electrification and access to clean cooking.

They are also encouraged to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.

With the price of oil at the lowest it has been for 18 years, governments must take this opportunity to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. When the price of fossil fuels rises again, governments should refrain from re-introducing the subsidy.

Governments are encouraged to move towards cost-reflective tariffs. The natural tendency for countries will be to cut the cost of electricity, but this should be avoided. The reality is that electricity is largely consumed by wealthier residential or by industrial/ commercial clients. Governments should allow cost-reflective tariffs that allow utilities to perform better and increases investments in energy access and clean energy.

Other key elements outlined in The Recover Better with Sustainable Energy Guide for African Countries include: Investment in robust data, declaring a moratorium on new coal-fired power, investing in energy efficiency and investing in people so they can take advantage of new clean energy jobs.

In the Shadow of COVID-19, a Massive Upgrade for Enugu Hospitals Laurence Ani

G

iven its high-density location, a typical day at Poly General Hospital, Enugu, often involves a steady stream of patients that leaves healthcare workers with hardly any moment of respite.

From mothers seeking ante- or post-natal care to those visiting the facility in search of solution to sundry ailments, no one who has ever been to this hospital would doubt the health ministry’s record that it is the second busiest healthcare facility in Enugu State.

But as is quite common where facilities are built without a reckoning for rapid rise in population, patient traffic soon outpaced recruitment of health workers and available bed space. And even from afar, the physical structure bore the telltale signs of a hospital in desperate need of rehabilitation.

Last September, the sorely needed retool came after over three decades of cramped spaces and generally challenging medical environment. That month, the old Poly Clinic, which almost never had a fresh coat of paint for years, got a structural makeover and equipment upgrade described as “comparable to the best standard anywhere in the world”, by Dr. Okechukwu Ossai, administrator of the state’s Hospital Management Board. The facility turnaround also earned Poly Clinic the status of a general hospital, a process that meant the employment of additional specialists in various medical fields by the state government.

Creating additional hospital bed space, consulting rooms and requisite personnel is always in itself a significant feat. It’s even more so when done simultaneously as was the case on September 17, 2019, when Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi commissioned the reconstructed Poly Clinic (now Poly General Hospital) and the Udi General Hospital. But he did not revel in the glory of the moment.Asimilar makeover is being extended to the 390 primary healthcare facilities and 43 cottage hospitals across the state. The upgrade is consistent with his administration’s desire to improve the quality of healthcare at the primary and secondary levels and generally expand their capacity.

Nothing in recent history has exposed the vulnerabilities of public healthcare globally, and reinforced the imperative of creating a robust response to pandemics as Covid-19 has done. It was thus remarkably prescient that the governor began the extensive rehabilitation

Ugwuanyi of public health facilities in Enugu State several months before the outbreak. Such foresight stems from his conviction that it is always better to take actions to curb possible future social crisis even when the risk of one occurring is minimal.

Governor Ugwuanyi also recognizes that institutions’ efficiency is to a great extent directly proportional to the degree of support received from the state. So he has substantially addressed the funding deficits that had for decades plagued public healthcare and crippled its capacity to cater to basic health needs and respond to emergency situations as it should. Last year, for instance, the National Bureau of Statistics listed Enugu among 10 states with the most expenditure on health.

The launch of Universal Health Coverage in the state is also anchored on the drive to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible to a larger population.

The sheer scale of the projects needed to create a complete turnaround of public health facilities, can be gleaned through the paradox that each completed rehabilitation seems to call attention elsewhere to a situation similar to the facility that had just received some facelift.

Yet, the intervention is an insight to the sort of incremental retool that public health facilities would have attained had they been, over the past years, given the kind of attention the Ugwuanyi administration

has devoted to their upgrade. Their mostly squalid conditions are strong proofs they have been neglected for decades, like theAwgu General Hospital and School of Basic MidwiferyAwgu, whose deplorable state prompted the governor’s directive for urgent rehabilitation of facilities. The latter had lost its accreditation in 2004, but regained it after sufficient funding was restored on Governor Ugwuanyi’s accession to office in 2015.

On an unscheduled visit to Oji River General Hospital, the governor had observed that the outbreak of Covid-19 has necessitated a paradigm shift in public health management and funding. This new thinking has helped transform hospitals across Enugu State into permanent construction sites, from General Hospital, Ogrute, in IgboEze North Local GovernmentArea, where rehabilitation commenced just few days after award of contract, to General Hospital,Agbani, where he has paid two unscheduled visits in one week to inspect the construction of a bigger hospital complex and equipment overhaul at the existing facility; and Colliery Hospital, Enugu, currently experiencing a massive makeover which, on completion, will become an Infectious Disease Isolation and Treatment Centre.

Significantly, this extensive retooling has not only been in a structural sense. In anticipation of the manpower needs which the expansion of facilities and increased patient traffic will entail, the governor had granted approval to the state’s teaching hospital to absorb one hundred and twenty-five interns of diverse medical background and one hundred and two resident doctors. This is in addition to a sustained employment of consultants in different medical fields.

One of the benefits of this robust expansion of medical facilities and the requisite staffing it has ensured reflects in Enugu’s impressive doctor-patient ratio.According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics, Enugu State’s doctor-patient ratio of 1:1,812 is the fourth best in the country, coming only behind the Federal Capital Territory (1 doctor to every 1,267 resident population), Edo State (1:1,416) and Lagos State (1:1,709). Only states such as Oyo (1 doctor to 2,729 patients), Kwara (1 doctor to 2,965) and Rivers (1 doctor to 3,661) posted any figure that could be considered somewhat close to the top three states.

–Ani, former editor ofThisDay -The Saturday Newspaper, and SaturdayTelegraph, is a senior communications aide to the governor of Enugu State.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 • T H I S D AY

19

20

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 •T H I S D AY

21

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͼ˜ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Kizz Daniel’s ‘King of Love’ is Ready Iykeresa Diane Russet in Stormy Relationship pg. 23

Love is a Skill that Must be Learnt pg. 25

22

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͼ˜ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Kizz Daniel’s ‘King of Love’ is Ready Singer and songwriter, Kizz Daniel, proves he is Africa’s King of Love songs, with the release of a 17 track album. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

Kizz Daniel

W

ith a 17 track album, being his first record without a guest artiste, and love as the theme of his most talked about body of work, singer and songwriter, Kizz Daniel, assumes his rightful stead as Africa’s King of Love songs. An album which was carefully curated by some of the brightest music heads in the country was upgraded from an EP to a full-fledged album in recent turn of events.

His prolific track record of not releasing any bad song since his debut in the Nigerian music scene with his platinum love song Woju is still intact.

King of Love album is loaded with production credits from the most brilliant and creative producers from around the continent including Philkeyz, Majorbangz Runtinz, ATG and Krizbeatz. The fact that he has produced a third consecutive quality album is testament to his immense natural talent and work

ethic. Sampling preview of songs from the album such as ‘Ada’, ‘Boys Are Bad’, ‘Need Somebody, Tempted to Steal, and Find A Bae, Kizz, has succeeded in stirring conversations which has left him as a trending topic on social media for weeks leading up till now.

In one’s view, ‘King of Love’ is a wellcurated Afro-pop album for different Nigerian scenarios and emotions; wedding and love, gratitude and party, vanity and braggadocio, pettiness and anger. The album also commendably experiments as necessary. At 17 tracks, King of Love could have done without three or four tracks, not because they are bad songs, this album could have done without ‘Fvck You’ and ‘One Day.’ The project comes two years after his last album, No Bad Songz and four years after his debut, New Era. With the new album, the ‘Woju’ crooner takes fans on a unique love journey that leaves fans and music buffs asking for more. The ‘King of Love’ album, which is his third body of work and his second under self-owned label Flyboy Inc, and Empire Distribution

went live on all digital platforms on 25th of June 2020. And shortly after the release, it became one of the most-streamed Nigerian songs on Boomplay, with one million views within 72 hours. Following conversations by top music journalists and social media commentators, the king of Love album is definitely going to be worth all the hype and as expected live up to expectations.

Just days to the album release, Kizz had signed a deal with Empire Distribution.

The development further stretches the list of Nigerian artistes who have signed a deal with the US records and publishing company which boasts of global music heavyweights including Kendrick Lamar, Tyga and Fat Joe. Olamide, a rapper and record label boss, had earlier sealed a joint venture deal with the company in February. Peter Okoye, of the defunct Psquare, had also inked a deal with the American company in 2017.

It also adds to what has been an impressive music career for the singer, born Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe. Prior to the

love themed album, Kizz Daniel hadn’t had much work out there this year, except for the feature on Adekunle Gold’s hit song titled ‘Jore’ released months ago in January 2020.

Kizz Daniel had strategically released, on the success of his 2019 outing last December, an inspirational song ‘Jaho’ off the record just to gain traction in the current year. And it did quite well getting massive airplays and downloads.

From his breakout hit, Woju, to songs like Mama, Poko, One Ticket, 4dayz, and outstanding collaborations like True, Jore and Loyal goes to show that when it comes to singing about love, Kizz Daniel has made a point as he acclaims self the “King of Love”. Each track on this 17 songs body of work has its own message of love but with a wider spectrum of discussions beyond just love. Interestingly, Vado as the singer is also called, paints his lyrics most times with his experience of being in love, how he was treated in a relationship as well as aspirational romance.

23

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͼ˜ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Diane Russet in Stormy Relationship Given the success of her first two productions, Diane Russet promises magic with her new movie titled, Storm, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

D

iane Russet of Big Brother Naija Pepper Dem fame has released the trailer to her new movie titled, Storm. The filmmaker, who already has two short films to her credit, dropped a clip of the forthcoming movie via her Instagram page. The Michael ‘AMA Psalmist’ Akinrogundedirected movie stars Diane alongside, Daniel EtimEffiong in the lead with fellow ex-Big Brother Naija housemates, Ike Onyema, Sir Dee, and Atteh Daniel as supporting characters.

The one minute trailer shows Diane, who seem to have falling in love with a mystery man by the name Storm, saying over the phone to Storm who would not want her to know more about him until they meet: “I didn’t just expect the name Storm.” Eventually both agreed to meet but to Diane’s surprise, it turns out a hoax as the mystery man was nowhere to be seen or heard.

Prior to this, Diane had released two short films, “The Therapist” and “Bayi”.

Her first production, ‘The Therapist’, treated sociocultural issues based on the throes of underage marriage. While her second, Bayi, takes on relationship, featuring Nigerian singer, Iyanya. The Storm promises to be interesting likewise, as she’s excited and can’t wait to show the magic her team created. “Who is ready for the trailer? I am excited and can’t wait for y’all to see the magic we created. Anticipate #STORMthemovie,” she posted.

Diane, whose real name is Precious Yunana Yashim, while in the BBNaija house, had expressed interest to join the movie industry when Nollywood star and producer, Funke Akindele-Bello visited the house.

In her response, Funke Akindele expressed delight

that she can’t wait to have Diane Russet on the set of her comedy series, “Jenifa’s Diary”.

Given the success of her first shorts, this new one will likely also do well.

Seemingly reserved 24 year-old reality television star, Diane appears to be the cynosure of all eyes at the ongoing Big Brother Naija Pepper Dem Reunion show.

She pulled a ‘storm’ that got fellow housemates stunned.

This happened when Diane walked out of the set after the host Ebuka called the name of a celebrity who possibly caused a strain in her relationship with fellow housemate, Elozonam.

The latest episode of BBNaija 2019 reunion show is filled with a lot of drama.

This particular episode of the reunion show was centred on relationships (the sailing and sinking ones) that started in the house and how they are faring outside the house. Mercy and Ike relationship was the first to be spoken about in the show and then the ‘Dialo’ Diane and Elozonam.

Diane and Elozonam gave updates about their relationship. Diane revealed she like Elozonam while in the house, but she felt different when they came out.

According to Diane, Elozonam is not someone who is forgiving and he holds things to heart. She also said that she would have loved for Elozonam to treat her the way Ike treats Mercy.

Elozonam also revealed that Diane treated him like an option and hinted that there was a certain someone Diane was more interested in than him and was trying to avoid being asked on set. Ebuka in his mischief-making way just had to let everyone know when he asked how much handsome Nollywood actor, Mawuli Gavor, had to do with their situation.

The question obviously got Diane angry and embarrassed as she stormed out of the set.

Diane

AREWA24 Reiterates Commitment to Advertisers, Subscribers As part of efforts aimed at giving its teeming advertisers and over 40 million subscribers more value for their money, Hausa language entertainment and lifestyle television channel, AREWA24, has announced a major slate of new and exciting shows, in commemoration of its 6th anniversary.

Speaking on the new offerings, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, Celestine Umeibe, in a statement, explained that the company, which clocked six in June, this year, would debut a new, gripping drama series, “Labarina,” from the wellknown and highly respected Hausa Director,Aminu Saira, in July, this year.

He added that the company’s subscribers would also be treated to a new Season-2 of the popular hit

comedy series, “Gidan Badamasi,” while it would also premier all new episodes of its longest-running drama series in Northern Nigeria, “Dadin Kowa”.

Umeibe also assured subscribers of the company’s commitment to airing the most recent and popular Kannywood movies, adding that a collection of new movie titles had been licensed for roll-out in the weeks and months ahead.

As part of efforts at maintaining its strong bond with the children and youth categories, he said AREWA24 would also be teaming up with the iconic children’s show, Sesame Street, to present a Nigerian version of the show, “Dandalin Sesame”.

He added that the uniqueness of the Dandalin Sesame would be derived from the fact that, while

it features all the show’s lovable characters, the characters would however be domesticated, and would be in Hausa to reflect the nation’s rich cultural context heritage.

AREWA24 will also debut a kids’ educational show, “Akili and Me,” from the same producers as the popular youth show, Ubongo Kids, which currently airs on AREWA24, among others.

Umeibe expressed the belief that the company’s new youth show, “My Better World,” an animated series that follows the exciting adventures of six African teens as they navigate the complex challenges of school, family and friendship, would also thrill the nation’s youths the programme is designed for.

“The new offerings further demonstrate AREWA24’s commitment to its 40m viewers and its advertising partners, who are always guaranteed 100% compliance on their placements. These are those who receive in-depth knowledge and insights into the Northern consumer market and also enjoy a high return on investment for their ad placements on AREWA24,” he added.

Speaking on the partnership with AREWA24, Sesame Workshop’s Vice President of International Social Impact, Danny Labin, expressed the delight of Sesame Workshop at the partnership, aimed at making Sesame Street programming, developed locally, meet specific educational needs of children in Nigeria.

24

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͼ˜ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Burna Boy, Wizkd Win at BET Awards Ferdinand Ekechukwu

B

urna Boy and Wizkd went home with prizes at the 2020 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards. The ceremony, which marked the 20th edition of the awards, was held with no audience due to COVID-19 restrictions. The ceremony was televised live on BET using an array of innovative techniques and artistegenerated content.

Wizkid’s feature on Beyonce’s ‘Brown Skin Girl’ track won him the BET Her Award category as he currently makes history as the African artiste with the most BET awards win. Burna Boy emerged winner of the Best International Act category.

It was the second time the self-acclaimed African Giant would win a BET Award which he did in the same category last year. He beat other black acts such as Innos B (Dr Congo), Sho Madjozi (South Africa), Dave (United Kingdom), Stormzy (UK), Ninho (France), S.Pri Noir (France) to win the award. British supermodel, Naomi Campbell presented the award to Burna Boy. While virtually presenting the award, an excited Campbell congratulated Burna Boy, screaming “You deserve this

Burna Boy and Wizkd

award and more. Afrobeats all the way!”

In his acceptance speech, the “Dangote” hitmaker said that in order for Black lives to matter, Africa must matter. “I’ll like to use this opportunity to say that sometime around 1835, there was a mission to turn Africa into a dominated nation. Now is the time to overturn that and go back to the royalty that we were, because, in

order for black lives to matter, Africa must matter.”

Mavin Records star, Rema, lost out in the ‘Best New International Act’ category to Zimbabwean act, Sha Sha. The Zimbabwean songstress became the jewel of Southern Africa after she walked away with the Viewers’ Choice Best New International Act at the presti-

gious awards ceremony. She beat Nigerian Rema, Celeste and Young T & Bugsey from the United Kingdom, and Hatik and Sracy from France. The award was decided by fans. The Sunday big show also honored Beyoncé with the Humanitarian Award, which was proudly presented by former US first lady, Michelle Obama.

In one of the most powerful moments from the show, a number of celebrities including Viola Davis, Sterling K. Brown, Courtney B. Vance, Misty Copeland, Quincy Jones, Spike Lee and many others, solemnly spoke the names of murdered Black men and women who were victims of racism and police brutality in American history, including Eric Garner, Rayshard Brooks, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Emmett Till, Malcolm X among a tragically long list of others who’ve lost their lives to bigotry and hate.

With a record average 7 million viewers, the BET Awards remain the highest rated awards shows on cable television.

The most nominated artiste at the BET Awards is Beyoncé with 62 nominations (56 solo and 8 with Destiny’s Child).

She also leads in wins with a total of 28.

Chris Brown follows with 39 nominations and 16 wins. The only BET Ultimate Icon Award to date was awarded to Janet Jackson in 2015, which recognized her as a game changer in the fields of music, dance and video performances.

Cheque

My Infinite Vibe is a Mix of Different Genres When Akanbi Bamidele Brett started making music in 2015, while studying at Obafemi Awolowo University, little did he know he had safely taken up a career, as he was then a Chemical Engineering student. Shortly after graduation in 2017, his path crossed with that of popular indigenous rapper, Phyno and he got signed to the latter’s label, Penthauze Records in 2019. The 25-year-old artiste, who goes by the stage name, Cheque shares more interesting facets of his career and understanding of the industry in this interview with Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Y

our real name is Akanbi Bamidele Brett, where did Cheque come from?

Before I started music, I would go to an area where they freestyle and watch the guys go hard for hours, admiring every single rapper or singer that came up to do something nice. So, one day, I was anxious to see what it felt like to hold a mic and when I did, all that could come out of my mouth was cheque. I said this 15 times, people started laughing, and that’s how the name got stuck to me. Anytime I went back, they would say ‘that’s the Cheque guy coming’.

What does your brand represents as an artiste?

I am a new school artiste representing unbound diversification and versatility. I fuse all genres of music into Afro, Trap, R&B, hiphop and pop.

I also focus on lyricism and melody.

When and at what point in your life did you start taking music seriously?

I started taking music seriously in 2015. At this time, I was in the University studying Chemical Engineering How were you discovered and signed by Phyno’s Penthauze Records?

In 2017, I had just finished school and I decided

to come to Lagos so through 2017-2018, I was just dropping freestyles on social media. This fateful day, I had dropped one freestyle for Ajigijaga Reminisce’s contest and a couple of days later, I got a direct message that surprised me. It was from Phyno. The rest, like they say, is history. I wouldn’t say I have challenges; it’s been more like a blessing in disguise for me to be able to absorb all the energy I can into making music.

I believe proper communication is key to a good relationship. That way, both parties can understand their goals and stay level headed as they strive to achieve the agreed upon set goals.

If you had the power to influence a change in the Nigerian music industry, what would it be?

The industry definitely needs more new artistes with great talent. That’s the major change I would love because the Nigerian music industry is a multi-million industry and the more new artistes we have, the greater our chances to take over the world and make our voices heard.

You just dropped an EP Titled Razor, why Razor? What motivated the choice of songs?

The title of my EP is Razor because my intentions with this EP is to cut though different genre of music and culture. The choice of songs however, came by just picking one or two from different genres of songs I have. I still have much more in store for the world to enjoy.

What has the challenges been so far for you, and how have you been overcoming, especially during this pandemic?

The pandemic has disrupted a lot of activities for everyone especially in the entertainment industry. It has disrupted studio recordings, video shoots, I can’t go out as I want, and it’s even affecting music promotions as much can’t be done on the street due to the social distancing rules. I have been making sure I do all the best I can to get through this stage, I set up a creation corner in my house where I write, record and do

The Nigerian music sphere has a lot of young guys making waves, what are you bringing different to the table?

I bring an infinite vibe and mix of different genres. You can’t resist that.

Cheque

what makes me happy, which is music.

How do you think artistes and labels issue can be properly addressed to make the industry progressive?

Olamide and Phyno have made a name in the entertainment industry not just in Nigeria but Africa and beyond, what would you like to imbibe from their growth?

The level of consistency when it comes to Olamide and Phyno are unmatched and admirable. That consistency is what I envision for myself and hope to achieve.

25

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺͿ˛ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR Iykeresa

Love is a Skill that Must be Learnt Theresa Ifeoma Ugorji and Ikenna Nnama, better known jointly as Iykeresa, were first runnersup in the first season of Ultimate Love. Since then, they have kept up appearances and interacted with fans on various platforms, as well as keeping the love, which was found during the show, alive. The love birds talk to Tosin Clegg about life after the Ultimate Love show, growing in love, building their brands, handling fans and a lot more

T

heresa: I grew up in a small family of ďŹ ve I’m the first child with two siblings.

We were raised with the knowledge that as a family, we have an unbreakable bond and we come first before anyone else. In my family, we strongly believe in education. My mother is a teacher and my father, a public servant. My parents trained us to always be the best in whatever we do and they instilled morals in us. I remember how my mother would emphasise to us to always strive to be the best.

Iyke: I come from a family of seven I’m the first son out of five children, so I have my fair share of responsibilities. For me, charity begins at home.

Most of what I know about handling situations, I learnt from home. At some point, my mother quit her job just to raise us better, after she found out that we were neglected by our caretakers. She still says that was one of the best decisions she ever made because she raised us the best way she knew how to. She is a devout Catholic and a pillar in the church. So, we had a lot of moral upbringing in my family. My father is a business man. I remember he always bought us stuff whenever he came back from work everyday. In fact, we always looked forward to that.

Love is a skill and it needs to be learnt We would describe our Aunty in that house as a counselor and one who helped us to find and place our focus on the path of love, without necessarily choosing for us. A lot of us know the concept of love but are not taught how to love.

Love is a skill and it needs to be learnt. There are different love languages and for you to be able to love better, you must have learnt the different love languages and how it applies to your partner. Making a conscious effort to be a loving partner, learning good habits and unlearning bad habits are all parts of the process.

What’s next for Iykeresa?

Together as Iykeresa, we plan on solidifying our brand, making the most out of it, running our businesses, pursuing our individual careers and philosophies. About the news that we are N5 million richer, it’s actually a gift from the priceless GENG which is the name of our fan base. They are represented by diamonds because they are priceless.

And, of course, there will be wedding bells soon. We will announce here when it is time.

How the COVID-19 pandemic affected us Just like everyone else, it has slowed down a lot of

things for us. We have had to be attentive to our health and that of our loved ones but we haven’t allowed it to entirely affect our brand or our journey because we are still working really hard. It could have been different if there was no pandemic but regardless, we are thankful that the brand is still growing.

People we look up to for guidance Yes, we have people who have passed through the same journey that we look up to.

We have mentors, godfathers, godmothers and so on that keep us in check and always check up on us regularly. Also, we have a team that ensures the smooth running of our affairs.

You always seem joined at the hip. Are you ever apart?

Theresa: Iyke loves holding my waist most times. Sometimes, we are not together, especially when we are working separately.

Iyke: Honestly, at this point we don’t know what it will feel like being apart and we’ve gotten used to being in the same space. We don’t even want to know what it will feel like being apart.

Our YouTube channel Our YouTube channel which is KetchingUpWithIykeresa is a platform we built to keep the fans up to date with us, as well as keep them entertained. We have always wanted a space where we can teach about relationships, love and marriage and we decided to start a podcast. It currently has many viewers, and they all learn a lot from what we teach.

We don’t talk to a lot of people about personal stuff and we try not to divulge any personal things to anyone except our parents. So, no one actually has the opportunity to tell us how to act in our relationship.

Dealing with fans and their requests We try not to give people the leverage to put us under any form of pressure. We are still very grateful to everyone that continually supports us or that have invested in us one way or another. However, we are very grateful for every bit of love we get. God bless the family we have. We are priceless and diamonds are priceless. The fans picked the diamond logo even before we came out of the house and we loved it. The logo announces our presence and that’s what we are going to keep working with. There have always been fan wars even before us but we try as much as possible to make people understand that we preach love only and whatever animosity they have, we try to stay out of it. We only appreciate fans that always come to our defense.

Theresa Ifeoma Ugorji and Ikenna Nnama

26

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2020 •T H I S D AY

3

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

04.07.2020

NEWS

BATTLE FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOT PAGE. 29

Victor Osimhen

From Doubts to Ligue 1 Best

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 04, 2020

28

GLOBAL SOCCER

Victor Osimhen From Doubts to Ligue 1 Best When in the summer of 2019 the management of French Ligue 1 side signed Victor Osimhen as a replacement for their 22-goal hero, Nocolas Pepe, who moved to Premier League side, Arsenal, many Lille fans were left in anguish because they felt the Nigerian international does not possess requisite skills to fill Pepe’s ‘big’ shoes. Osimhen, however, went from being Lille’s new cult hero to Ligue 1 best

V

ictor Osimhen announced his arrival in Ligue 1 with a brace for Lille in his first game despite having only trained for just five days with his new mates.

Many had expected Osimhen to struggle to fill the shoes left by Pepe but he showed no signs of pressure and had gone on to become the new star of French football.

The Nigerian forward proved his goalscoring prowess in France with a return of 18 goals for the Great Danes across all competitions this season culminating in the club boss, Christophe Galtier to describe Super Eagles star as a cross between Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and PSG star Edinson Cavani.

The Nigerian striker was on Tuesday named the top African player in French Ligue 1 season to become the youngest-ever recipient of the Prix Marc Vivien-Foé, named in honour of the late Cameroon player who died aged 28 in 2003.

“It’s something I’ll treasure forever,” Osimhen told RFI in a telephone interview. “I’m really proud to have this award with Marc Vivien Foé’s name on it.”

With 13 goals in the 2019-20 Ligue 1 campaign and 18 in all competitions, Osimhen beat opposition led by Monaco’s Islam Slimani of Algeria and Moroccan Yunis Abdelhamid who plays for Reims.

Galtier, in his reaction to the honour, was full of praise for Osimhen and lauded his ability to score goals, by comparing him with Cavani who won the Ligue 1 top scorer in 2016–17 and 2017–18.

The Nigerian star shone in his maiden season in Ligue 1 before the campaign was cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic, with his contribution of 13 goals and four assists which helped Lille finish fourth on the league table.

“He has a great determination to want to score. He is obsessed with the goal as Cavani can be,” Galtier told RFI.

“He is a player who has great athletic potential, who is able to repeat efforts. He gives a lot of depth and speed to his game. He is a very important asset for a team. He improved in associations when we went to 4-4-2 to be able to combine with his partners.

“He is an axis player, powerful, who goes fast and who is quite skillful in front of the goal.

Obviously, he will have to continue working to improve all these qualities, and also his offensive head game.” Galtier has helped three African stars, including Osimhen, win the Marc Vivien Foe prize in his coaching career.

The Frenchman was Saint-Etienne manager in 2013 when Aubameyang won the coveted award, and he also guided Nicolas Pepe to clinch it before his move to Arsenal last summer.

In his assessment, he rates Osimhen as a similar player to the Gabonese star because of their hard work to achieve success while Pepe was a natural talent.

“You mentioned Pierre-Emerick Aubmeyang who also received the Marc-Vivien Foé Prize when he played with me in Saint-Etienne,” he said.

“But if I have to compare Victor Osimhen with Nicolas Pepe and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang whom I directed, I would say that Nicolas has an innate, intrinsic technical quality. It’s a gift.

“Aubameyang is a little bit like Victor. Aubameyang has worked a lot to reach a very very high level. He had the intelligence to go through an intermediate club with Dortmund and it was there that he integrated what was the very highest level.

“In Saint-Etienne, we managed to make it grow, to hatch it. I think Victor has this same profile in the character, in the human relationship, but also in the intrinsic qualities. In the choice, he will have to make for his future club - because we will not hide our faces.”

Thanks to his fine form in front of goal, Osimhen has been attracting interest from a

number of European clubs and is reportedly nearing a Lille exit.

Galtier confirmed the transfer situation around the 21-year-old and he is confident he will adapt to any league he finds himself.

“He is a player who is in great demand by many European clubs,” he continued.

“In the club project, there is the economic aspect but also in the player’s mind, it is important. If the club is happy, the president is happy, and the player too, it is that we will have worked well.

“We are all in the same state of mind. Victor wants to see what is happening at the highest level, it also fits into the club’s economic model.

“Victor will adapt to all championships. He’s a very good player. I am convinced that he can play in all championships.”

The 21-year-old is the second Nigerian player, after goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama who also played at Lille, to clinch the award which crowns the best African player in the French top-flight every season.

In his congratulatory message, former national team coach, Sunday Oliseh, acknowledged Osimhen’s hard work in Christophe Galtier’s team but cautioned him to remain professional as he aspires for more success.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Victor Osimhen for being elected winner of the Marc-Vivien Foe Prize. This trophy is important since it rewards the best African player in the French Championship. It is important for us Africans,” Oliseh told RFI. “I find his victory even more surprising when we see the competitors that Victor had to surpass to win this title. Many people will wonder if he deserves it if he is stronger than these players.

“But what Victor has done this season is truly exceptional. Thanks to him, his team managed to make a magnificent season.

“I think Victor frankly deserves it because he brought a lot to his club. We really saw the

difference when Victor was on the field and when he was not. We see the possibilities he offers his teammates to go forward. We also see the weight it places on the enemy’s defences.

“Frankly, congratulations Victor! You deserve it. But I advise you my little brother to always remain humble and ambitious at the same time.

“Stay professional and good luck. Congratulations again, little brother!”

He disclosed that Osimhen was the closest to former Eagles striker, Rashidi Yekini, who is Nigeria’s all-time top scorer with 37 goals in 58 international games.

“When I was coach, I was trying to assemble a new team. In fact, the bases of the current national team are made up of players that I put together. For me, it was important to have young people of the future who were hungry for national team matches,” he continued.

“Victor Osimhen was playing at the U-17 World Cup at the time. I had watched the meetings with my assistants, including the final won

by Nigeria. He had done it with such ease, the way he eliminated his opponents.

“We had planned to invite him to the national team but I left the selection. Otherwise, I would have invited him.

“Because since Rashidi Yekini left the selection, we have not had a player of the calibre of Victor Osimhen. My plan was to integrate him very slowly into the Super Eagles, to give him a few minutes, before launching him 100 per cent as we did with Wilfred Ndidi or Alex Iwobi at the time.”

Like his predecessor, Pepe, the sought-after Osimhen is expected to be lured to a new club next season.

“I have planned for some time that Victor will no longer be here next season,” conceded Galtier this month.

Osimhen has not resumed training with his current side as he is in Nigeria following the death of his father.

29

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 04, 2020

GLOBAL SOCCER

Leicester, United, Chelsea Intensify Push for Champions League Spot Wolves also in the mix, battle Arsenal at Molineux

With Liverpool and Manchester City having taken two of the available four Champions League spots, the trio of Leicester, Chelsea and Manchester United would be struggling for the remaining two places.

That is why today’s Premier League fixtures involving the trio would go a long way in determining who picks the remaining spots

A

faltering Leicester City side will resume their search for a first win since lockdown when they welcome Crystal Palace to the King Power

Stadium today.

The Foxes still sit third in the Premier League table but are winless in four games, while Palace go into the contest on the back of successive defeats.

Today’s hosts have not won a game since March 9, and in the Premier League have only picked up one victory in eight games since January.

The fact that they still sit third in the table is testament to how impressive they were during the opening half of the campaign, but they needed a Chelsea defeat against West Ham United on Wednesday night to keep hold of that spot while Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are now also hot on their heels.

Leicester’s season has been a tale of two halves so far; in their opening 16 matches they won 12 games and lost just twice, whereas in the next 16 they have won four times and lost seven.

Many of their recent top-flight defeats have come in pairs too, so Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Everton does not bode particularly well for them heading into this contest.

The Foxes need to turn their form around sooner than later, though, and if they do end up earning Champions League qualification, then they would have done it the hard way, with matches against fellow European hopefuls, Arsenal, Sheffield United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United still to come

this season.

Even if they are not pushing for it themselves, Palace could end up having as big a say on the top-four race as anyone with matches against Leicester, Chelsea, Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur to come in five of their six remaining games this season.

The Eagles will be underdogs heading into this one considering that Leicester’s home points tally has only been bettered by three teams this season, although they have only won two of their last eight at the King Power Stadium while Palace have a respectable record on the road.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will begin a run of challenging fixtures with a trip to Molineux as they prepare to take on fellow European hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers in today’s Premier League showdown.

The two clubs both enjoyed victories and clean sheets in their most recent fixtures, with Wolves overcoming Aston Villa 1-0 last weekend while Arsenal inflicted a 4-0 thrashing on Norwich City in midweek.

Even though Wolves have had relatively friendly fixtures to contend with in the past few weeks, manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have shown no signs of complacency as they maintained their 100 per cent record since the restart over Villa last time out.

Nuno’s men have now enjoyed three victories and three clean sheets over West Ham United, Bournemouth and Villa following the resumption of the Premier League, and Wolves are now only two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea following their dramatic defeat to West Ham on Wednesday.

Of course, fifth may be enough to guarantee a Champions League spot amid Manchester City’s financial fair play troubles, and Wolves are now only behind Manchester United on goal difference with six games left to play.

The visit of Arsenal represents the most challenging task that Santo’s men have faced since the English top flight was given the green light to return, although the Wolves faithful will have fond memories of their 3-1 victory over Arsenal at Molineux last season.

Man United and Chelsea are aiming to record straightforward victories over Bournemouth and Watford respectively this weekend, but should the English giants both slip up, Wolves could enter the final five games of the season in the top four with a win over Arsenal.

Things looked bleak for the Gunners following defeats against Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion in their first games back, but Arteta’s men are firmly in the argument for a European berth with 46 points from 32 matches this term.

However, the trip to the West Midlands is followed up by crunch matches against Leicester City, Spurs and Liverpool in July - meaning Arsenal can ill-afford to drop too many points if they want to secure a spot in international competition for next season.

While Arteta’s side are not renowned for their away form, the Gunners have only suffered defeat twice in their last 15 games in all competitions on the road, but they have not beaten Wolves in three attempts since Santo’s side made their return to the big time.

Premiership Table Liverpool Man City Leicester Chelsea Man Utd Wolves Sheff Utd Arsenal Tottenham Burnley Everton Crystal Palace Newcastle Southampton Brighton West Ham Watford Aston Villa Bournemouth

32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32

45 48 29 13 20 11 1 6 7 -9 -7 -9 -10 -14 -10 -18 -20 -24 -24

86 66 55 54 52 52 47 46 45 45 44 42 42 40 33 30 28 27 27

PREMIER LEAGUE TODAY

Norwich City Leicester Man Utd Wolves Chelsea

v v v v v

Brighton Crystal Palace Bournemouth Arsenal Watford

12:30 15:00 15:00 17:30 20:00

Burnley v Sheffield United Newcastle v West Ham Liverpool v Aston Villa Southampton v Man City

20:00 14:15 16:30 19:00

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Tottenham v Everton 20:00

30

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 04, 2020

GLOBAL SOCCER

L-R: Leslie Oghomienor Chairman Blaugrana Sports, Mohammed Malick Fall, Unicef Rep and Mrs. Darogba, receiving the jersey on behalf of the First Lady at the maiden edition of the the event in Abuja

Ighalo ready to work for Rashford and Martial

Ighalo Explains Manchester United’s New Role To work for Martial, Rashford Former Nigeria international, Odion Ihgalo has revealed that with the return Marcus Rashford to the Manchester United fold after recovering from injury, his role has changed a bit under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Odion admitted he is no longer the prime option on offensive attacks and is now tasked to support both Rashford and Anthony Martial.

The Shanghai Shenhua striker however said he has no qualms about new arrangement, knowing that he needs to be at the right place at the right time. Hence, the main thing he needs to do is to just keep on running alongside Martial and Rashford and wait to get his opportunity, saying he’s pretty fine with the setup.

“If you can’t touch the ball you

can’t do anything with the ball, you have to unsettle the defenders so your other teammates can move and do something with the ball. It’s what I was trying to do in the first half against Norwich when I wasn’t getting too many balls,” Ighalo told United Review.

Though he is on loan, Ighalo is no stranger to Premier League play. He has the experience to show, having previously played for Watford. Ighalo believes he is stronger now and on his part has improved a lot while wearing the Manchester United shirt.

“You have to keep the mentality the same, work hard and take the chance when it comes. You play for the team, even if you don’t score a goal, you can give an assist and work for the

Injury Knocks out Success of Watford’s Trip to Stanford Bridge Nigeria international Isaac Success will play no part for Watford when they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the Premier League today.

The former Golden Eaglets star is still recovering from an Achilles injury that kept him out of the games against Leicester City, Burnley and Southampton.

Success had previously missed

24 English top-flight games this season due to fitness issues and manager’s choice.

Delivering a fitness update, Watford’s official website stated: “Only Gerard Deulofeu (cruciate ligament), Daryl Janmaat (knee) and Isaac Success (Achilles) will be unavailable for the trip to Stamford Bridge, with the rest of the squad all back in full

Manchester Utd Battle Bournemouth Live on GOtv Aseries of top-flight games involving elite European teams across various football competitions will be aired live on GOtv this weekend.

The games, scheduled to hold from July 4 to July 5, would be broadcast live on SuperSport Select 2 to GOtv Jolli and GOtv Max subscribers, and on SuperSport Select 4 and SuperSport Select 5, exclusive to GOtv Max subscribers.

This weekend’s broadcast begins with the Premier League encounter between Manchester United and Bournemouth. Manchester United will continue their chase for a top-four spot in the League when they host Bournemouth at Old Trafford today. The game kicks off at 3pm and will air

live on SuperSport Select 2.

A fierce football rivalry will be rekindled in the Serie A today when defending champions, Juventus host Torino in the Turin Derby.

The game will be aired live at 4:15pm on SuperSport Select 5.

Also in the Serie A today, 12th-placed Sassuolo entertain relegation-threatened Lecce at the Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore at 6:30pm on SuperSport Select 2 and 5, while title-chasing Lazio host AC Milan at the Rome’s Stadio Olimpico at 8:45pm on SuperSport Select 5.

It is fifth position against sixth on Sunday in the Serie A as Napoli host Roma at the San Paolo Stadium. The game kicks off at 8:45pmon SuperSport Select 5.

team. That’s the most important thing because it’s a team game,” Ighalo said.

With Rashford back in harness, critics felt that Ighalo would be lost in the mix. But as expected, Solskjaer made the necessary adjustments to make them all co-exist. However, this setup is only good until January 2021 unless the Red Devils engage in new talks to sign Ighalo to a permanent deal.

However, Ighalo seems to be playing on borrowed time after Manchester United was able to secure a loan deal extension with Shanghai Shenhua as the deal does not include a buy option, meaning the Nigerian striker will only be at Old Trafford until January 2021. Regardless, it appears that is not bothering the 31-year-old who is comfortable taking a new role with the Red Devils.

training.”

There could still be Nigerian involvement in the matchday 33 fixture as Nigeria U23 international Tom Dele-Bashiru was spotted training with the first team this week.

The Manchester City Academy product is still waiting to make his Premier League debut, with his three appearances for the Vicarage Road Stadium outfit coming in Cup competitions.

Watford have only point from a possible nine since the season restarted and occupy 17th position in the table with 28 points.

Adegoke, Chibueze Sign New Chelsea Deal Nigeria-eligible goalkeepers Prince Adegoke and Kelechi Chibueze are delighted to sign new contracts with Chelsea.

The 2003-born players will be first-year scholars at the Stamford Bridge outfit next season and have been promoted to the U18 squad.

Adegoke and Chibueze are competing to be Chelsea U18s first-choice goalkeeper for the 20202021 campaign and will be observed at close quarters by manager Ed Brand when pre-season preparations begin in the coming weeks.

While Chibueze has represented England at U15 and U16 level, Adegoke, who was The Blues U16s number 1 last term, was

invited to train with the Nigeria U17 squad in 2019.

The Golden Eaglets invitee’s scholarship deal will be automatically upgraded to a professional contract when he turns seventeen in November 2020.

In an Instagram post, Chibueze stated : “The journey continues! @ chelseafc”.

Prince Adegoke said on Instagram : “Proud Day For Me and Family Happy to sign My First Contract at @chelseafc #cfc”.

Prince Adegoke’s family including his father, who was a goalkeeper for Victory High School Lagos during his playing days, attended the signing ceremony earlier this week at Cobham.

Blaugrana Sports Inaugurates Legends for Children Project Blaugrana Sports Group International’ s objective of nurturing young children into great legends, promote grassroots sports development and values of sportsmanship and social integration engaging the FC Barcelona sports development programmes methodology was heightened during the week with the inauguration of the in - house committee for the Group’s Legends For Children Project. Launched in 2018 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, where an array of the Nigerian football legends were honoured.

Speaking to the media after the brief ceremony, Leslie Oghomienor, Chairman, Blaugrana Sports Group said that the “Legends For Children Project is so dear to the heart of the Sports Group, but the recent outstanding performance in JAMB of one of the Group trainee prayers Akakbota Fejeiro Simeon, who played for the Wazobia FC, during FC Bulmaro free technical support training for Secondary Schools in Lagos, fully sponsored by the Group has spurred us to action. By reactivating the project which is also aimed at helping bodies working tirelessly to ensure that every child girl or boy, aside doing sports, is given quality education and guidance, that will help such live better and meaningful life, freeing society from burdens.”

He further explained that the Legends For Children Project was in pursuance of the sports company’s vision to become the largest world-class sports talent training and nurturing platform in the world with numerous veritable platforms of first choice for great and gifted talents who may be challenged by lack of genuine direction, guidance and support.

“Our Group is driven by the quest to nurture children with gifted talents into great legends using the little resources we have, applying the FC Barcelona methodology in environment with first-class facilities, supervised by well-honed seasoned professionals and the Legends For Children Project is one of the best way we will berth our dream.

Believing that to empower our beloved nation, we must help see that our children are educated. They are our greatest future. Now, is the right time to invest in a greater tomorrow through them,” Oghomienor said.

He added that aside from the committee planning for the next event, the body will also see the possibility of developing a strategic and holistic plan for sustainable youth sports, education, development and empowerment template that can serve as a radar in success of the sports sector.

“Shaping the future of the country is not government alone. It is a collective responsibility. It is a must done work. Together, is should be done,” he stressed.

Responding on behalf of the 13 - man committee, and appealing for support for the project, Ms. Abibatu Abudu Ajayi, a business and communication strategist, attached to the Group, acknowledged the importance of the project to children education, youth development and empowerment and seeing to the greater interest of the Nigerian football legends, agreeing that membership of the committee was a responsibility call to action, and trust, the committee members would strive not to betray by making sure the project kicks off on a much better way and accommodate more children and legends than the first outing in 2018.

“We are sure more will be achieved, and better with the support of all. Also, the committee is saddle with the responsibility of finding a means of making the project an annual event, bigger, bolder, with a global outlook. Therefore, to run with this novel dream and win good laurels, we must brace the tape on the track of this noble race together,” Ms. Ajayi pleaded.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 04, 2020

31

GLOBAL SOCCER

Where Next for Mikel Obi ?

Since leaving Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor by mutual consent in March, former Super Eagles Captain, Mikel Obi had been linked with several clubs from Europe to South America and even Africa. The latest of them being newly promoted Serie A club Benevento. The former Chelsea midfielder has however not given an inkling to his next move, but said he was open to the right opportunity

N

ewly promoted Serie A club Benevento is the latest club side to have been linked with a move for former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi in an effort to gain stability in the midfield having won the 2019/20 Serie B. The Wizards are hoping to add Mikel who is a free agent after leaving Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor in March to bolster their squad for the 2020/21 campaign.

Gianlucadimarzio.com reported

that the club was showing no sign of slowing down in the transfer market this summer in its on-going effort to beef up the squad with tested and quality players.

Towards this end, the club has also made an inquiry for Juan Iturbe, currently a free agent after his latest stint at Pachuca to bond with Mikel.

Brazilian Serie A side, Botafogo, had led the race to clinch the signing of former Nigerian captain back in April this year.

Globo Esporte says the Rio de Janeiro club turned their attention to Mikel after failing to agree on a deal with Manchester City legend, Yaya Toure.

The Chelsea icon was pleased with the approach from Botafogo but talks broke down because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Mexican clubs C.F. Monterrey and Tigres UANL also entered the race to sign him too.

Former Chelsea midfielder has said he intends to continue playing football and is open to any offers following his departure from Turkish side Trabzonspor.

The 33-year-old is not ready to hang up his boots yet and in an interview with Egyptian media outlet OnTime Sports, he said he was willing to consider any offer to continue his career.

“Playing in the Egyptian Premier

League? Why not?” said Mikel in response to a query about playing in Egypt.

“I am a professional footballer and everything is possible. I never ruled anything out.

“My goal is to continue playing football, and I hope I will have the opportunity, I do not reject any offers made to me, but rather study them well until I make the right decision.”

Following his departure from Stamford Bridge in January 2017, Mikel spent two seasons at Chinese side Tianjin Teda and half a season at Middlesbrough before he joined Trabzonspor last year.

In March, the former Nigeria national team captain refused to play for his Turkish club, arguing that league should have been postponed like its European counterparts as a safety measure against the deadly Coronavirus.

Mikel parted ways by mutual consent with Trabzonspor in March after expressing his concerns about the Turkish Super Lig continuing amid the global Coronavirus pandemic.

The 33-year-old played a crucial role in helping Trabzonspor soar to the summit of the Super Lig after joining Black Sea Storm as a free agent on a two-year deal last summer, at the end of his brief stint in the Championship with Middlesbrough.

Obi’s refusal to play in the top of the table clash between Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir was said to be the reason for the mutual termination of his contract and the Nigerian midfielder gave up his remaining wages.

The former Super Eagles captain had criticised Turkish football authorities for not suspending the Super Lig season despite the spread of the Coronavirus across Europe, stating he did not feel comfortable during the COVID-19 outbreak and called for the season to be cancelled.

He has been a free agent after his contract ended with Chinese side, Tianjin TEDA. Trabzonspor was Mikel’s sixth club in his professional career which started at Nigerian side Plateau United, but it was At Chelsea that the midfielder enjoyed huge success winning two Premier League titles, three FA Cup trophies, a Football League title, the Champions League and Europa League.

The midfielder made 368 appearances for Chelsea between 2006 and 2017.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE DEPUTY EDITOR CHIKA AMANZE-NWACHUKWU THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE

Saturday, July 4, 2020

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Price: N250

MISSILE

NLC to FG

“Government simply wants to transfer the cost of its own inefficiencies to Nigerians. There is no way Nigerians would accept a situation where we are charged international rates for a product which Nigeria is the 6th largest producer in the world.”

– The Nigeria Labour Congress rejecting the new price of petrol announced on Wednesday.

PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Oyindamola Adeyemi: The New Gutsy Nigerian is Here

F

ellow Nigerians, I’m in the best of spirits and back here on a positive note this week. It’s been a season of anomy, everywhere in the world. I know so many friends who have virtually given up and wondering if things would ever return to normal. Business is not going well.

And fear won’t let us go out to hustle. So, we are all waiting for a miracle that would send COVID-19 back to wherever it came from, in the pit of hell. But in the middle of this bedlam, it is gratifying to find some friends who refuse to be intimidated by the daunting challenges of this crazy moment that no one knows when and how it would end.

One such person I know, and I have come to respect enormously is Ms Oyindamola Oluwafunmilayo Lami Samira Adeyemi.

Oyindamola and I share several mutual friends, but she was originally introduced to me by my best friend, Prince Adedamola Aderemi, who is also her very good friend. We met over lunch and I was stunned to meet a lady who not only knows her onions but is determined to prove at least one stereotype wrong, that certain professions are the exclusive preserve of men.

She also fervently believes that we should not give up on our country, that Nigeria is definitely one of the best countries in the world, that we shall rise above all our challenges if we all play our parts, conscientiously and with integrity, in different ways, instead of expecting government to solve all problems. Her view is that no nation becomes great simply by relying on government to do most, if not all things.

It is impossible to sit down with Oyindamola and not receive some inspiration about how to stay positive about Nigeria and life in general. She reads my column and sends private comments regularly. She tells it as it is when she disagrees with me and knows how to deliver her punches without appearing rude. She loathes the way most columnists dwell so much on the negatives with much cynicism when, according to her, we should try to provide solutions to those negatives as well as foster and engender the many positive stories which daily surround us.

This struck a chord with me because it is one of the principles that gave birth to Ovation.

We have always felt that we must celebrate the myriad of success stories that made Nigeria the great nation that was the envy of the world. In Oyindamola’s view Nigeria is blessed with very brilliant and hardworking people who should be encouraged. She insists we’ve gained nothing tangible from grumbling endlessly, so why not try a different strategy.

I had read much about this amazing lady before we ever met but nothing prepared me for her intellectual prowess, prodigious talent, her honesty and sincerity and her raw determination.

Prince Adedamola had said so much about her to me and vice versa. I’m happy to have met such a forward-looking Nigerian. I see a solution to some of the problems of our country through the lenses and prism of Oyindamola. For me, her attitude and perspicacity are not a mere accident but a combination of many things from her birth, background, education, interests and pursuits. This is why I have today tried to key into her vision and mission by celebrating a risen star, since she has already achieved great heights, although I am confident that she will scale many more in the decades to come. I will look at some of the things which make her different and which make her tick.

The first is the issue of unity. Nigerians must encourage inter-tribal marriages which used to be common but seems to have decreased lately.

She’s born to a Yoruba father from Owo, in Ondo State and a Hausa/Fulani Mum from Gombe.

Adeyemi Growing up in different parts of Nigeria afforded her the opportunity to know the country well and appreciate the different cultural values of our diverse people. She’s lived with her grandmother in Owo, where she did part of her schooling before she was taken back to Gombe. And then she headed back to the South West to attend secondary school at FGGC Akure where she says she was toughened and learnt to speak Yoruba well. She completed her Senior Secondary School Certificate at Federal Government Girl’s College, Bauchi. Just imagine the diversity and opportunity such variety would provide her in the future, and so it proved. Oyinda has developed into a compassionate young woman who interacts easily with people from disparate cultures, traditions and languages. She is easy and unassuming and builds bridges across the nation and internationally with flair and transcendent ease because of her multi-cultural and multilingual background.

Oyindamola prepared herself for a great future by making education her launchpad. She believes parents should make every effort to send their children to school even if their children won’t use the certificate, they earn eventually for the career they choose. Education for her opens the gateways of the mind. Knowledge can never be wasted but can only enhance the capacity of the individual. Every facet of Oyinda’s experiences and views gives rise to inspirational moments and thoughts. Her own tertiary educational foundation was laid at the University of Abuja where she studied Political Science, which she developed by following up with a postgraduate MSc degree in Political Economy and Development from the same University. Education boosted her self-confidence and she has a voracious appetite for learning. She is constantly seeking to develop herself and her knowledge and attends several courses on an annual basis. To this end she would later attend and obtain a certificate in the reputable Owner/President Management Program from Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Her capacity and ability did not go unnoticed on the program. Her professors regularly consult with her on third world and other management issues even till today and she is a veritable resource person in that highly esteemed institution. It is noteworthy that Oyinda is a natural born leader and those in leadership positions not only immediately visualise her potential but are quick to reward her efforts and will gravitate towards her as well.

As early as her National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) year, Oyindamola was already winning accolades and plaudits for her service to the

nation by being conferred with the prestigious Ogun State NYSC Merit Award.

Oyindamola’s diversity and multeity has been amplified by her career projection. She started a career in banking and traversed various positions at the First City Monument Bank PLC and Equitorial Trust Bank. She then tried her hands in the retail fashion business, travelling to England to bring quality products because for her nothing but the best will do.

This proclivity for excellence coupled with her great interest and love for the arts would subsequently impel and propel her to one of her true callings. Soon she was to discover a passion in the most unusual career for women, construction, where she has carved a special niche for herself and her companies and become a major player in over a decade. Her foray into construction began as a realtor. Assisting clients in different aspects of the real estate business including rentals, sales and purchase meant exposure to not only the construction of homes and offices but also infrastructure. As a consummate professional with a great eye for attention and detail she recognised that there were better ways of doing things and the industry standard generally fell far short of what should obtain in a country like Nigeria with the vast resources and personnel at the country’s disposal. It was therefore no surprise to keen observers who had been following this young lady and her steely determination not only to succeed, but to do so with distinction, when she ventured into construction with a passion and vengeance.

She sees Nigeria as a country that is still virgin in many areas and thus offers limitless opportunities for those willing to work and do business. “If foreigners are still trooping in, it means there are things they are seeing and getting that we are missing” Oyindamola says matter-of-factly. That is why she says that, about ten years ago, she decided to quit the company of perpetual grumblers and go full blast into the construction business.

Our young men and women have a lot to learn from her guts. She faced seemingly daunting obstacles by trying to compete at the highest level in the male dominated business of Construction. Today, her gamble and gambit have paid off. She’s built a formidable company with the capacity to take on ambitious and lucrative jobs competitively and competently in the construction industry and help reduce the infrastructure deficit in our country.

She is now the Group Managing Director at Still Earth Holdings, in Ikoyi, Lagos, a leading engineering and construction and real estate conglomerate that is setting new trends and raising the bar in the industry with imagination, innovation, zeal and professionalism. He companies now boasts of robust portfolios that include Julius Berger Nigeria, Dangote Refinery, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd, Oyo State Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lagos State Government Akwa Ibom State Government, Delta State, Federal Ministry of Transport, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited and many others in the public and private and sectors.

Ms Adeyemi’s commitment to improving the engineering and construction landscape in Nigeria is already bearing fruit. To achieve the successes and heights that she has attained Ms Adeyemi has put together a great team of diligent, dedicated, experienced and highly qualified expatriate and local workforce. Indeed, her companies pride themselves in their ability to put together a team of natural and qualitative experts who are geared to delivering quality and superlative projects

on time and on budget which have been the bane of many in the industry. She has a group of workers who are well trained not just to be highly proficient in what they do but also to team players and members working together to produce glorious results for their clients and the ultimate end user. Regular training of personnel in new methods and technology is the sine qua non of the corporate ethos of the Still Earth companies and this originates right from the leadership by Ms Adeyemi and radiates and permeates right through to lowliest employee of the company. Indeed, she has founded and is the Chairperson of a Leadership Advancement initiative called the Green Renaissance, which is partly useful in complementing her desire and drive for leadership and excellence in leadership in her organisation. Ms Adeyemi is simply a trail blazer in this regard, and therefore her companies have become one of the most prized and sought after corporate, entities in the construction industry.

The Still Earth group of companies have always thrived on the use of technological and information technology advances to shape and affect their contributions to the construction industry. Imbibing and utilising leading edge and cutting-edge technology, the Still Earth construction group has been able to deliver distinctive projects and contribute to creating novel ways and means of reducing the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria.

Oyindamola Adeyemi is not just about adding her significant bit to the construction industry through her unyielding, disciplined and principled high standards. She is passionate about supporting and benefitting the communities in which she operates. She believes in achieving this not just through the delivery of successful projects which impact on the community, but also by generously employing corporate social responsibility as a means of adding value to those communities and societies.

What I find most encouraging is always Oyindamola’s determination to perform impeccably and do a matchless and unblemished job. Every quote given for her contracts must meet international best practices and be in the overall best interests of the Client. This is not a common trait in Africa where many companies thrive in over-inflation of contracts and cutting corners in order to make as much profit as possible. It is gratifying that this is not the Still Earth way. The Company cares essentially about attaining the best for the client and the communities benefitting from them rather than itself. Accordingly, one of the prime objectives of the Still Earth group is to work in conjunction with its clients to “achieve success on every project for our clients, through the professionalism, diligence and hard work that we profess and promote”. For a company that has started spreading its wings beyond Nigeria, she’s very smart to have such a corporate policy of satisfying her customers and clients by completing and handing over quality projects with high standards, diligence, sedulousness and professionalism in timely fashion and within budget.

I am also glad that having conquered the construction industry, this elegant amazon and young titan of the Nigerian corporate world is eager to continue to exploit her vast entrepreneurial skills in other areas of the commanding heights of the Nigerian economy.

I see a new Nigeria in her. It cannot always be business as usual especially with this pandemic and Oyindamola has already imbibed the new culture in her business and we can only expect greater things from her. I salute her today and give her a standing ovation.

Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja .

All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: editor@thisdaylive.com, info@thisdaylive.com. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929 24/7 ADVERTISING HOT LINES: 0811 181 3085, 0811 181 3086, 0811 181 3087, 0811 181 3088, 0811 181 3089, 0811 181 3090. ENQUIRIES & BOOKING: adsbooking@thisdaylive.com