THURSDAY 10TH JUNE 2021

With Declining Sector Investments, NNPC Predicts $200 Oil Price Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday predicted that oil price could climb as high as $200 per barrel, as banks and major International Oil Companies (IOCs)

withdraw from funding critical projects in the industry, leading to supply shortage and a huge upsurge in the amount the commodity is sold.

It said with the accelerated push to migrate to low carbon-intensive alternatives, time would tell whether the

decisions being taken “very hastily” by some big oil companies would remain the right decisions.

Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), a subsidiary of NNPC, Mr. Bala Wunti, said

at the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS), in Abuja, that the impact of the current decision to stop investing in the sector would begin to manifest in about five years, shooting oil price to around $200.

Other speakers at the session

included the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water, Total, Mr. Victor Bandele; Managing Director, Shell Nigeria E&P, Mr. Bayo Ojulari; Managing Director, Aftrac Limited, Mrs Patricia Simon-Hart; Managing Director, Aiteo Eastern E&P, Mr. Victor Okoronkwo,

who was represented, and Managing Director, Waltersmith Petroman Oil, Mr. Chike Nwosu.

Wunti stated that the world is waiting to see whether the decision to begin defunding Continued on page 8

FG to Propose N895.84bn Supplementary Budget for COVID-19 Vaccines, Others... Page 6 Thursday 10 June, 2021 Vol 26. No 9558. Price: N250

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Obasanjo Opposes Secessionist Agitations, Says We’re Better off Together Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday called on secessionist agitators to shelve the idea and work for the unity and oneness of the country.

He said it is better for Nigeria to remain as one

indivisible nation than for each tribe to go its separate ways.

He spoke in Abeokuta at his investiture as a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), organised by the Body of Fellows of the NIS, Ogun State chapter.

Obasanjo, while reviewing

the state of the nation, stated that though the present situation in the country is undesirable, calling for the disintegration of the country is not the solution.

He said: "It is better we stay together. If there is any Nigerian who does not feel apprehensive about the

situation of the country, the person is a human being without being human.

"Any Nigerian who is human will be apprehensive, if not frustrated with the present situation in the country.

"We are apprehensive about the security situation, apprehensive about

the economic situation, apprehensive about our political situation and the drum we are hearing is of disintegration of the country.

"I am a strong believer of one Nigeria, but not one Nigeria at any cost; but one Nigeria where every Nigerian can feel proud that he or she

has a stake in this country."

The former president added that no Nigerian was born a slave and as such, no ethnic group deserves to oppress the other.

He said: "No Nigerian is born a slave in this country.

Continued on page 8

FG: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram Must Register to Operate in Nigeria Gives conditions to lift suspension of Twitter’s operations Impose visa ban on Buhari, Malami, others, PDP tells US, UK, others Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and Udora Orizu in Abuja The federal government yesterday insisted that all Over The Top (OTT) platforms, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, must register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and be licensed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to continue operating in the country.

It also rolled out conditions that Twitter must fulfill before the suspension of its operations in Nigeria could be lifted.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while briefing State House correspondents after a Federal Executive Continued on page 8

ARISE NEWS AT THE VILLA...

L-R: Chairman, THISDAY Editorial Board, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi; ARISE NEWS anchor, Dr. Reuben Abati; President Muhammadu Buhari; Chairman, THISDAY/ ARISE Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; and ARISE anchorwoman, Ms. Tundun Abiola, after an interview with the president in Abuja…yesterday

Relief as Judicial, Legislative Workers Suspend Strike...Page 5

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Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Relief as Judicial, Legislative Workers Suspend Strike NJC constitutes panel to monitor govs’ compliance with agreement

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Alex Enumah in Abuja There was a sigh of relief yesterday as courts and state Houses of Assembly are set to reopen for business following judicial and legislative workers’ decision to pause their twomonth-old industrial action to press for the implementation of financial autonomy for state judiciaries and legislatures.

Leaders of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) rose from their meetings in Abuja with the resolve to reopen the courts and legislatures.

JUSUN leaders said after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that their decision to end the strike was in deference to the National Judicial Council (NJC), which intervened in the matter.

In furtherance of its mediatory role, the NJC has set up a five-man committee to monitor the implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the judicial workers on the financial autonomy for the judiciary in each of the 36 states of the federation.

Deputy President of JUSUN, Mr. Emmanuel Abisoye, told THISDAY shortly after the NEC meeting that the union was prevailed upon by the leadership of the NJC to suspend the strike.

The union, in communiqué at the end of the NEC meeting signed by Abioye said: "NECin-session discussed extensively and after putting so many issues into consideration, that is, the intervention of NJC and other stakeholders, the NEC has resolved that the strike is hereby suspended."

JUSUN commended the efforts of the NJC in making sure that the governors comply with the MoA, court judgment, and agreement on the financial autonomy for the judiciary.

Also, PASAN leadership said they suspended the strike in principle based on the MoA signed between them and the governors on the implementation of the

contentious financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature in each state.

In a telephone interview with THISDAY yesterday, the National President of PASAN, Mr. Mohammed Usman, said leaders of the union met virtually to agree to call off the strike.

He, however, said a formal meeting of NEC of PASAN would be convened before the end of the week to decide on the date to resume work.

He said: "We did not call off the strike; we only suspended it based on the agreement that was signed between the governors’ forum, the speakers’ forum, the federal government, JUSUN and PASAN. It is based on that Memorandum of Agreement that we are suspending our strike." He stated that the workers suspended the strike to give room for those states where there are no structures in place for the take-off of the financial autonomy to establish them.

According to him, the governors are expected to use the period of 45 days granted by the MoA to put everything thing in place and to commence the implementation of the agreement, failing which the unions will have no alternative than to restart the strike.

Muhammad, prevailed on the workers to end the industrial action.

The statement reads in part: “Sequel to the prolonged strike of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and its effect on the judiciary and the nation at large, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, National Judicial Council, Justice I. T. Muhammad, convened an emergency meeting of council on Tuesday, 8 June 2021, with the chief judges of states, the JUSUN executive members as well as Senator Ita Enang, the Senior Special Adviser to the President and Secretary of the Implementation Committee with a view to finding a lasting solution to the lingering strike.

“The Chief Justice of Nigeria and other stakeholders during the interface lamented that the strike had affected the judiciary in particular and the nation at large and therefore sought for a way to resolve the lingering issue.

“Emmanuel Abisoye, Deputy President of JUSUN who briefed the council on behalf of the executive members of the association, during the stakeholders meeting, explained that the grouse of the union was that despite the constitutional provision of sections 81 (3), 121 (3), 162 (9) and the judgment delivered since 2015 in favour of JUSUN, the Executive Order 10 of 2020 and the agreement reached between the union, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the governors have refused to yield financial autonomy to the state judiciary.

“He added that the union’s other grievances include; nonpayment of peculiar allowance for judiciary staff; an attempt by the Kaduna State governor to place the state judiciary under its civil service and scheming for a state judicial council.

“He posited that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum was merely playing politics with the constitution and had also

failed to remit the one-month payment agreed on at the end of May as a demonstration of their good faith.

“Abiri opined that if the forum could renege on fulfilling its promise at the end of the month of May, there was no guarantee that it would not in June.

“He, therefore, requested that the Accountant-General of the Federation is directed to deduct from source the amount meant for the judiciary before the union could call off the strike.

“Council, therefore, yielded the floor to Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, the Secretary of the Presidential Implementation Committee and a conciliator to the trade union, who pleaded with the council to intervene by appealing to JUSUN to suspend the strike even if not calling it off, to enable the various governors implement the agreement.

“He promised that Executive

Order 10 would be enforced on any governor who failed to implement.

“At the end of deliberations, the council advised JUSUN to consider suspending the strike in the interest of the administration of justice and national interest.

“Thereafter, the JUSUN executive requested for a 10-minute break to enable them to consult with their members, a request which the council gladly obliged.

“The executive members of JUSUN returned to inform the council that they have agreed with the advice of council, adding that the National Executive Council (NEC) of JUSUN will meet on Wednesday 9 June 2021 to suspend the strike.

“The council thereafter set up a five-man committee in order to monitor the implementation of the Memorandum of Action signed between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and JUSUN.”

NJC Constitutes Panel to Monitor Govs’ Compliance with Agreement Meanwhile, the NJC has set up a five-man committee to monitor the implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and JUSUN. The NJC took the decision after its meeting on Tuesday with leaders of JUSUN and some other stakeholders, during which it demanded an end to the strike in view of its impact on the nation’s court system and appeals from other stakeholders.

NJC’s spokesman, Mr. Soji Oye, in a statement yesterday, said the NJC, led by its Chairman and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim

LEARNED SILKS...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (left) and Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, during the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja…yesterday

Lagos, Rivers Lead as Public Debt Climbs to N33.1tn Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Nigeria's total public debt had a 0.58 per cent marginal increase from N32.916 trillion as of December 31, 2020 to N33.1 trillion ($87.239 billion by March 31, 2021, latest figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO) have revealed.

The total public debt comprises the debt stock of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Lagos State led other states with a total debt of N507.377 billion; followed by Rivers, N266.936 billion; Akwa Ibom, N232 billion; and Delta, N213.982 billion.

As of December 31, 2020, the three states were also the most indebted in the country.

The breakdown shows that the external debt component of the aggregate debt of $87.239 billion stood at $32,859 billion while the domestic component is $54,380 billion.

The external debt is made up

of $17,830.05 billion owed to multilateral creditors, including the World Bank Group, African Development Bank Group, European Development Fund, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Islamic Development Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Bilateral debts accounted for $4.182 billion while commercial debts stood at $10.388 billion, comprising Eurobonds and Diaspora Bond.

FGN's domestic debt

component during the review period stood at N16.513 trillion (N16,513,929,181,182.00).

This includes Nigerian Treasury Bill (NTB), Nigerian Treasury Bonds, FGN Savings Bond, FGN Sukuk, Green Bond and Promissory Notes.

The 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accounted for N4.122 trillion (N4,122,951,837,267.70) of the total domestic debt.

The DMO explained: "The debt stock also includes Promissory Notes in the sum

of N940.220 billion issued to settle the inherited arrears of the FGN to state governments, oil marketing companies, exporters and local contractors.

But when compared to the total public debt stock of N32.916 trillion as of December 31, 2020, the increase in the debt stock was marginal at 0.58 per cent.

"Further analysis of the public debt stock showed that the increase was in the domestic debt stock which grew by 2.11 per cent from N20.21 trillion

in December 2020 to N20.637 trillion as at March 31, 2021.

"The FGN’s share of the domestic debt includes FGN Bonds, Sukuk and Green Bonds used to finance infrastructure and other capital projects as well as the N940.220 billion Promissory Notes.

"External debt stock declined from USD33.348 billion as at December 31, 2020, to USD32.86 billion due to the redemption

by Nigeria of the USD500 million Eurobond in January 2021.

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FG to Propose N895.84bn Supplementary Budget for COVID-19 Vaccines, Others To borrow N722.53bn for security expenditure Deji Elumoye in Abuja The federal government has prepared a supplementary budget of N895.84 billion for the provision of COVID-19 pandemic vaccines and military hardware, which it will soon present to the National Assembly.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, told reporters yesterday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja that the council also approved the borrowing of N722.53 billion to finance security expenditure.

She stated that the meeting approved 2021 Supplementary Appropriation Bill in an average expenditure of N895,842,462,917.

According to her, the supplementary budget will take care of the procurement of 30 million vaccines and the logistics for their deployment, including further enhancement of the capacity of the nation's defence.

She said: "The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning presented to council a proposal to seek council's approval for the draft Federal Government of Nigeria 2021 Supplementary Budget.

The council deliberated on our proposal and approved as follows: "Having noted the need for the urgent procurement of vaccines and also the

need for funding to ensure that Nigeria is able to meet its commitment under the HIV, the Nigeria Progressive AIDS Programme in State, the council approved that we should be able to proceed to the National Assembly with the bill in the total sum.

"Also, the council noted the urgent need to specifically, enhance the capacity of our military and paramilitary agencies to tackle the various security challenges that we currently have in the country, council on this note approved the 2021 Supplementary Appropriation Bill in an average expenditure of N895,842,462,917.

"The total of this expenditure is made up of at N83.56 billion for COVID-19 vaccine programme, covering 30 million vaccines from Johnson and Johnson and the logistics costs related to the deployment of that 30 million vaccines.

It also contains the sum of N1.69 billion for the Nigeria Comprehensive AIDS Programme that is currently operating in the states and an additional contingency provision of N40 billion under the public service-wide adjustments to take care of the needs for allowances to the health sector, to the education sector and other wage-related issues. This is an incremental provision of over N100 billion that is already provided in the 2021 budget.

"The council also approved an aggregate sum of N770.60 billion to further enhance the capacity of the defence and the security agencies to address current and emerging security challenges in our country."

She added that the budget will be financed through already approved loans from the World Bank and special reserve levy accounts.

She said: "In line with this approval, we have also been given the approval to draw down on some existing World Bank loans, totalling about N39.58 billion, as part of the financing source for this supplementary budget. We will be working with the World Bank to restructure some of the existing facilities to realise this N39.58 billion. "We've also

been given the approval to withdraw N135 billion from some special reserve levy accounts to part-fund this supplementary budget, but specifically related to COVID-19 vaccine, salaries and other health-related expenditure as well as the recurrent component of the defence and security expenditures".

Ahmed added that the

council also authorised the federal government to borrow N722.53 billion for security expenditures "and these are the capital components of the security expenditure in the absence of any other additional supplementary sources of borrowing and the borrowing would be done from the domestic international capital market."

IG GOES TO LAGOS...

Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Alkali Usman (left) and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the IGP’s visit to the governor in Lagos…yesterday

Buhari Rallies Global Action to Eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa by 2030 Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has canvassed for a renewed global action to decisively address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the African region and eliminate the disease by 2030.

The president, according to a statement issued yesterday by his Media Adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, spoke at a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS to review the progress on the commitment to end the deadly disease by 2030

and provide recommendations to guide and monitor response in countries.

Buhari, who addressed the meeting via a video message, pledged Nigeria’s full commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and other international and regional initiatives towards eliminating HIV & AIDs in the world within the set goal.

According to him, ''We will continue to work with fellow Heads of State and Government across the continent to ensure sustained high-level political

engagement in achieving these goals. ''I want to reiterate Nigerian Government’s full support for a clear and ambitious Common African Position & New Political Declaration that can help to reduce the public health threat of HIV/AIDS, strengthen resilience to end the disease, and in addressing current & future health emergencies. ''We further commit to urgently translating all new and agreed Political Declarations into country acts as a means of decisively addressing the HIV

epidemic in the African region.’’

Briefing the meeting of Nigeria’s response to control the disease, the President expressed delight that the country ''has moved from a data-poor to a data-rich country with the results of the largest AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey, conducted in 2018.''

He added that the result of this survey has enabled Nigeria to set realistic targets and identify those who were not being reached with the necessary services. ''This has further enabled

Nigeria, through the support of the United States Government, Global Fund, Civil Society, and other partners, to enrol almost 1.5 million Nigerians on life-saving HIV treatment. ''We have recorded tremendous growth in our treatment programme.

Especially over the past 2 years,'' the President said.

President Buhari told the meeting attended by Heads of State and Government, ministers and diplomats that Nigeria had made good its commitment at the High-Level Meeting Side

Event at the 72nd Session of the UNGA in September 2017, to commence placing 50,000 Nigerians living with HIV on treatment annually, using national resources. ''Furthermore, I personally granted an exceptional waiver for the use of competitive international tender facilities to procure antiretroviral medicines at more than 30 per cent cost efficiency, enabling more Nigerians to be placed on life-saving antiretroviral treatment within the same budget,'' he said

PDP Mobilises Senators to Block Buhari’s Aide's Confirmation as INEC Commissioner Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday rallied its members in the Senate to block the confirmation of President Muhammadu Buhari's Personal Assistant on Social Media, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, as a national commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party's renewed opposition to Onochie’s nomination came as the Senate began the process of confirming her, along with other nominees, for the positions.

Buhari, in a letter dated October 12, 2020, had sought the Senate’s confirmation for the nominations of Onochie and five other nominees.

Criticisms had trailed the

nomination of Onochie, who hails from Delta State, on the grounds of her being a registered member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in violation of Section 14(2a) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, states that “a member of the commission shall be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity.”

The Senate had stepped down the consideration of the request following the outrage generated by the inclusion of Onochie on the list.

Opposition parties and civil society organisations had argued that her nomination breached the constitution given her political affiliation.

But at yesterday's plenary, the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, read the executive

communication, saying the confirmation request was made by the president in accordance with paragraph 14 Part I(F) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Besides Onochie, others being screened are Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina), Prof. Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti), Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa), Prof. Sani Muhammad Adam (NorthCentral) and Dr. Baba Bila (North-East).

Shortly after the executive communication was read, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, rose to challenge the nomination of Onochie.

He said: “Mr. President, in seconding this motion, we have dealt with this matter of the nomination of

Lauretta Onochie. So, we feel surprised that the same name has resurfaced no longer as a national commissioner, but as a Delta State commissioner.

“Mr. President, reluctantly, I second the motion that these nominations be referred to the relevant committee for action and we shall meet in Philippi.”

Responding to Abaribe’s observation, Lawan, said: “The nominees are not stated resident electoral commissioners; they are national commissioners.

And there was no change of request; so they are not resident electoral commissioners”.

Lawan later referred the president’s request to the Committee on INEC, chaired

by Senator Kabiru Gaya, to screen the nominees and report back to the Senate in two weeks However, reacting to the

Senate’s decision to screen the nominees, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said it was a shame that the APC-led government would nominate a card-carrying member of a political party as a national commissioner of INEC. He said the nomination of Onochie breached the establishment act of INEC that states that no political party card-carrying member should be appointed as a national commissioner.

Ologbondiyan said: "Our position is clear, we call on all our members, particularly the senators and the House of Representatives members, to ensure that Lauretta Onochei is not confirmed as an INEC commissioner "Our position is predicated

on the fact that Onochie is a card-carrying member of the APC. And as such, she cannot be an electoral umpire.

"The way the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is doing, they have shown that they have no modicum of shame when it comes to electoral issues. How can President Buhari nominate Onochie who is a card-carrying member of the party, APC as a member of INEC to become a national commissioner?

"She is a card-carrying member, a registered member of APC as an umpire to serve in INEC in the 2023 general election. what are they telling us? Are they telling us that there would be no election in 2023? Or that it would be as they did in 2019 when they just write numbers and results?”

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PAGE EIGHT FG: FACEBOOK, WHATSAPP, INSTAGRAM MUST REGISTER TO OPERATE IN NIGERIA Council meeting in Abuja, also said Twitter had reached out to the federal government for talks on resolving the issues that led to the suspension of its operations in Nigeria.

However, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) doubled down on mobilising pressure on the federal government to reverse the suspension with a plea to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and others to impose a visa ban on President Muhammadu Buhari and Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, and other cabinet members involved in stifling free speech in Nigeria.

A day after Mohammed announced the suspension, Malami, in a statement last Saturday had directed the prosecution of those still tweeting after the suspension.

Also, the Minority Caucuses of the two chambers of the National Assembly rallied defiance of the federal government’s directive stopping Nigerians from tweeting.

Also, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has urged Nigeria to immediately reverse the suspension of Twitter, saying

it is tantamount to opposing free speech.

Mohammed said Twitter yesterday morning reached out to the federal government, calling for a high-level discussion to resolve its operation suspension issue.

He said: “Yes, it is true they’ve made, reached...only this morning I got, you know, communication that yes, they are now ready to hold seniorlevel discussions with us. Just now, I just confirmed with my colleague now. Yes, we just got the information now.“ Asked whether the government will hold the discussion with Twitter, Mohammed replied: “Why not? We will. But our conditions are already laid out to you. One, to do business in Nigeria, they must register as a Nigerian company. Two, they must be licensed and three, they will have to refrain from using the platform for activities that are inimical to the growth of Nigeria, to the corporate existence of Nigeria.

“From there, any other issue can come up. We already talked to them.”

He stated that the microblogging platform was suspended because it provided an avenue for people threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.

He also accused Twitter

founder, Mr. Jack Dorsey, of helping to fund last October's #EndSARS protest while allowing the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to use the platform to call for the killing of policemen.

He said Twitter failed to take down Kanu’s tweets despite repeated requests to do so.

He listed conditions that must be met even if there is a discussion with Twitter to include that it must now be registered in Nigeria as a business concern.

Apart from Twitter, he said other social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram must now be registered in the country.

According to him, there is no infringement on freedom of speech with the suspension of Twitter because Nigerians can still use other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

He also denied that the suspension is not effective as Twitter is losing money as a result of the action.

He said: “For those that have heard that Oh, the ban is not effective, to the best of my knowledge, I think the ban is very effective. Otherwise, how would they be complaining that they are losing billions

of naira every day if the ban is not effective? But that is not the issue."

On the circumstances that led to the suspension of Twitter, Mohammed said all social media groups would have to be registered like they did in other countries, for them to function now in Nigeria.

He added: “As you are aware, last Friday the federal government suspended Twitter operations in Nigeria indefinitely, and the reason we gave was because of the persistent use of the Twitter platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

“On Friday, also the government directed the regulatory body, the National Broadcasting Commission, to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT, Over The Top social media operations in Nigeria.

“And I believe that we've done that I think by today, that advert is out asking that all OTT and social media coverage operating in Nigeria should apply for registration and licensing.

“I want to repeat that is because Twitter has consistently made its platform available to those who are threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence that is

the reason for suspending their operations in Nigeria.

“Because we’ve found out that Twitter is actually the platform of choice for a particular separatist leader who resides outside the country and issues directives to its members to attack symbols of government authority, such as the police, the military, the electoral commission offices, correctional centres, etc. And this is being done willfully and consistently without any consequences from Twitter.

“You know, no country worth its name will tolerate that. And no company, no matter its self-importance, will force any nation to accept this.

"It may interest you to know that most of the OTT and social media platforms operating in Nigeria do not have any office in Nigeria and do not pay taxes to the Nigerian government for the billions they earn here. That is not the best practice globally, and that is why we are insisting that for you to operate in Nigeria, you must first be a Nigerian company and be licensed by the broadcasting commission.

"Therefore, any OTT or social media platform operating in Nigeria must do so legally. One, registered

with Corporate Affairs Commission, licensed by National Broadcasting Commission and then adhere to the conditions stipulated in their licences. We have already advertised the notice to the companies concerned to apply for registration of licence.

“Many one of the commentators have said suspending the operation of Twitter is like stifling freedom of expression. And I said no. Twitter is just one of the many platforms through which Nigerians can express themselves. There is Facebook, there is Instagram, there's WhatsApp. There's Google Hangout and others. They have not been suspended.

“And in any case, as I have said in several fora, it is because we have a country called Nigeria that we can start talking about free speech.

And of course, there has to be a country before people can able to transact their businesses using social media platforms."

Citing the fact-checking done by online newspapers, the minister accused Dorsey of funding the #EndSARS protest.

He said: “So, whether he donated money himself or

well as developing countries.

He added that the developed world has reached its saturation level.

“Where we see growth coming is in the emerging markets. Nigeria is one of them, Turkey, India is another, even China. You will see clearly that demand for hydrocarbon is going to come not from the US. Our hydrocarbon, when we export today, is heading to Asia, India, China,” he added.

He said renewables would only be relevant for "intermittent power", adding that it will take a long time for carbon-free energy sources to take a foothold globally.

Wunti said big oil companies

might reduce investment in hydrocarbon, the lowest being 10 per cent reduction and the largest being 40 per cent.

At the last estimation, Wunti stated that Nigeria has 36.89 barrels oil reserve and about 203 TCF of gas, meaning that NAPIMS controls about 7075 per cent of the total oil reserves.

On the challenge of the cost of production, he said: “All we know is that $30 is very high, and therefore in reducing that, it presents a lot of opportunities for service contractors to come out with a very creative solution.” He stated that the target was to hit a single-digit production cost.

president to the TNN's advocacy, a former member of the National Assembly, who also doubles as the North-east Zonal Coordinator of TNN, Senator Abdulaziz Ibrahim, said Obasanjo's past achievements, both as a military head of state and a civilian president, endeared him to the group.

“Back in history as military head of state, the toughest and the roughest terrain in Nigeria, you have heard of Mambilla.

It was Baba as military head of state who gave the contract for the tarring of the road to Mambilla.

"It was only 20 kilometers and it took them 10 years to bring down the rock to get the road to Mambilla.

“When I became the senator, there was no single grid of electricity in the whole of Taraba State.

"The baba (Obasanjo) you are seeing here approved the biggest transmission line from Yobe to Jalingo. No electricity, no roads, nothing in Taraba before he came to our rescue as head of state and president," Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim, who represented Taraba Central Senatorial District between 1999 and 2003, described Obasanjo

as a leader that would be remembered for the positive influence he made on the state.

He, however, said it would be unfair to Obasanjo if he and his kinsmen failed to appreciate him publicly for the achievements he recorded for Taraba while in office.

Continued on page 40

WITH DECLINING SECTOR INVESTMENTS, NNPC PREDICTS $200 OIL PRICE hydrocarbons are being compelled by activism or based on data, science, and reality.

He said: “I was talking to one of my senior colleagues yesterday, and he said, well, it is time for someone to speak the truth. If nothing is done and this trend continues, guys, we should be ready for a $200 per barrel of oil. The reason is simple, if you stop investing in the oil and gas sector, you can only produce what you have today.

"And what you have today, in many instances in five years, it will start declining, that is, if you we are not already in a declining mode, because many in Nigeria are in declining

mode. So, if there's no fresh capital for either brownfield or greenfield investment, we cannot grow production; if we don't grow the production, the consequence is that we're building a short supply for tomorrow.

“In basic economics, short supply means a higher price.

So this is the world. This is the world that we see today and this has presented some very emergent trends.”

According to him, despite the decreasing investment in fossil fuels, demand for gas will increase as part of the energy mix, and this will continue to power businesses.

He predicted a growing power demand, saying that by

2050, the power consumption globally is going to grow from the current level of 27 terra joules of electricity to about 54 terra joules of electricity, exactly twice the current consumption.

While raising posers over where the electrical energy is going to come from, he said the present outlook showed both opportunities and some challenges.

He stated that the reason for choosing gas is not far-fetched, being a low-carbon intensive hydrocarbon.

“So, we see thermal power plant growing and these plants will need gas, and that indeed has led some of us to believe that gas, contrary to

what many people think, is a destination for this transition point and a bridge fuel.

“In my own view, gas is going to be a destination fuel because at the end of the day, gas will be there, it will be there in the front, pronounced,” he added.

According to him, as a gas country, with the declaration of the “Decade of Gas”, it means the stage is now set and Nigeria can take advantage and position itself for the future.

Wunti said energy demand would continue to come from energy-deficient countries where energy poverty was pronounced and in undeveloped countries as

OBASANJO OPPOSES SECESSIONIST AGITATIONS, SAYS WE'RE BETTER OFF TOGETHER No Nigerian is born to be oppressed in this country and those of us that have shared part of our blood and sweat for this country, we did that because we wanted a country where every Nigerian can claim as his or her own.

"I believe that if we talk among ourselves the way we should and if we change the narrative, I believe this is a great country.

"That we are not making Nigeria what God wants it to be is not the fault of God, but the fault of ourselves, particularly our leaders."

He identified Nigeria’s diversity as one of the nation's major strengths, adding that breaking into splinter groups will weaken the influence to be asserted in the community of nations.

According to him, "One thing that gives us strength is our diversity. If all that we have is Republic of Oduduwa for those who said so, their position is understandable. If that is all we have, members of that country will be diminished compared to being a citizen of Nigeria.

"Citizens of the Oduduwa Republic or any other republic from Nigeria, will be diminished compared to

citizens of Nigeria.

"In this age and time that we are talking about the reintegration of Africa for economic development, the disintegration of any country will be almost idiotic; even if we have Igboland as an independent country, Yorubaland an independent country, and Fulani/Hausaland as an independent country.

"And as a friend of mine in the military used to say then, what will become of the over 300 minorities - the Jukuns, the Gbasamas? Where will they belong? The only reason they can raise their heads is that they belong to Nigeria.

"Are we thinking of them or are we are just being selfish?

It doesn't matter what we do, we will still be neighbours."

Obasanjo cited cases of countries that broke and are yet to know peace till date.

He said: "We had seen it before, India was broken into India and Pakistan, they are still at war today. Yugoslavia was broken into how many countries? They haven't sorted it till today. Sudan was broken into Sudan and South Sudan; I don't believe South Sudan is better for it and that is the truth.

"I believe it will cost us less

to work for our unity, there are many things wrong, but those things are correctable if we make efforts to correct them and hold us together than what it will cost us to break up and be perpetually at war and all our money will be spent on building an army.

"I know what an army contains, I know what it means to keep an army, an army that may not be productive, let us think about it."

At a separate forum yesterday, Obasanjo advised every citizen to take the task of "building a new Nigeria at heart", if the country must quickly overcome its current challenges.

He said this had become necessary as Nigeria is currently in a bad shape.

Obasanjo spoke in Abeokuta while hosting Team New Nigeria (TNN), a group of eminent citizens that seek to promote genuine democratic values, equality and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.

The former president, who expressed delight at the coming into existence of TNN, stated that the current situation in the country called for every Nigerian "to prioritise in their heart, the task of building a new country".

He, however, said that "the situation is obviously in a very bad shape".

Earlier in his speech, the National President of the group, Dr Modibbo Farakwai, said the visit was part of the TNN's efforts towards mobilising the eminent Nigerians to identify with the ideal of the group.

Farakwai stated that the group, which comprises distinguished citizens who all shared attributes of patriotism and nationalism, could no longer afford to sit back, doing nothing about the problems that are daily threatening the collective well-being of Nigerians.

He stated that his group has resolved to embark on the mission of making Nigeria work for Nigerians.

According to Farakwai, though TNN has realised the "enormous task ahead", Obasanjo's endorsement of the group will be a morale booster.

"We intend to introduce to the polity, such narratives that will eradicate poverty, religious extremism, hate, political strife, disunity, inequity and corruption," he added.

Commenting on the importance of the former

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COMMENT

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

GBAJABIAMILA AND THE 1999 CONSTITUTION

Femi Gbajabiamila is of the view that the constitution falls short of standard, writes Justice Ayomide The constitution of any nation is the most important document and overriding instrument for administering state affairs and other matters.

It is called the grundnorm, as propounded by Hans Kelsen, a renowned jurist and legal philosopher. Kelson’s theory of grundnorm espouses a need for a system that gives legitimacy to all other bodies of laws.

The 1999 Nigerian Constitution has been a controversial document since the beginning of the current political dispensation. Lawyers, political activists and pro-democracy agitators who fought the military jackboot to its knees rejected the document as lacking in legitimacy.

They argued that it was a document forced on the nation by the military top command stressing that it didn’t emanate from the people as claimed in the preamble of the 1999 Constitution.

Agitations grew as the inadequacies of the constitution became pronounced in the face of a myriad of infrastructural, social, economic and political challenges. States and other minority interests want the over-powerful central government to shed its weight and devolve power to federating units.

The proponents are quick to cite glorious days of the regions where regions had healthy competitions of outsmarting themselves in development because the central was less powerful. The resources served the people and their needs and fractions of revenues from regions were remitted to the government at the centre.

As if a fresh constitution can overnight transform Nigeria into a state of El dorado, the campaigners hang every trouble with the country with the ‘’faulty constitution’’.

From protracted insecurity to excruciating poverty, a new constitution that will genuinely reflect the yearnings and aspirations of various ethnic groups and interests in Nigeria is considered as the silver bullet.

The agitations and concerns have led to a number of amendments both minor and major like the ongoing review exercise organized by the ninth National Assembly.

For reasons not hidden, the political class speaks tongue in cheek whilst appraising the 1999 constitution just to be politically correct and not ruffle feathers. But not the ever vibrant and cerebral Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Gbajabiamila, a lawyer trained in the best democratic clime, openly admitted that the nation’s constitution severely falls short of standards.

He was unapologetic in his verdict and did not sugar-coat the deficiencies.

The Speaker’s charity began at home. He is not a leader that will be vocal abroad and acts dumb at home. Gbajabiamila publicly declared his verdict in Lagos last Tuesday at the public hearing organised by the House’ Special Committee on the Review of the Constitution.

Gbajabiamila said, “A nation’s constitution is the foundation of its existence. It is supposed to set the terms of our nationhood and define who we are in a manner that reflects both our common truths and highest aspirations.

“Our constitution falls short of this standard because the 1999 Constitution is the product of a hurried national compromise that we entered

WE WILL HAVE FAILED IN OUR MANDATE IF THE CONSTITUTION THAT EMERGES FROM THIS PROCESS CONTINUES TO LOOK TO OUR PAST RATHER THAN REFLECT OUR PRESENT AND SPEAK TO OUR FUTURE. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RENEWAL, AND WE MUST SEIZE IT, OR FACE THE HARSH JUDGMENT OF HISTORY

into two decades ago in order to ensure that the military returned to the barracks and that we returned to democratic government.

“It was always the intention that we will one day as one people and one nation, return to amend this document so that it gives voice to the yearnings of the Nigerian people and sets out in clear details how we intend to achieve the shared ambitions of our nationhood. Providence has cast upon the ninth National Assembly the responsibility to write such a constitution for the Nigerian people.

“The foundational constitution of the United States of America deemed people of colour to be ‘less than’ and denied women the right to vote. It did not include any limits on the President’s term of office and allowed for citizens to be denied the right to vote for failure to pay the ‘poll tax’.

“Twenty-seven reviews and amendments, over one hundred years cured these and other defects. No nation in the world has a perfect constitution, but we need a near perfect constitution in Nigeria and we can achieve that through substantive amendments that significantly alter the character of our nation.

“We will not be able to deliver on this historic assignment if we restrict ourselves to tinkering around the edges of the constitution or by imposing upon ourselves artificial redlines that restrict honest conversation.

“We will have failed in our mandate if the constitution that emerges from this process continues to look to our past rather than reflect our present and speak to our future. We have an opportunity for renewal, and we must seize it, or face the harsh judgment of history.

“Through this constitutional review process, we have it in our power to restructure our government to make it more effective, reorganise our politics to make it more inclusive, enshrine efficient mechanisms for holding the institutions of state to account and put an end to the debilitating conflicts that even now continue to tear our nation apart.

“We will do what is necessary to achieve these outcomes because all of us in the House of Representatives recognise that this moment in our history is fraught with promise and peril, and the future of our country lies in our hands.”

The informed views of the Speaker underlined the major demands of the people as reflected in the memoranda presented at various venues of the public hearing nationwide.

Devolution of power, fiscal federalism, true federalism, local government autonomy, true judicial autonomy and making ‘welfare of citizens’ which is currently nonjusticiable under Section 2 justiciable.

Many political watchers and other Nigerians who had earlier discountenanced the exercise as a mere jamboree are having confidence in the process following the submission of Hon. Gbajabiamila. They see sincerity of purpose and deep understanding of the deficiencies inherent in the constitution.

Rather than quitting the space for less informed Nigerians to dominate the process, Gbajabiamila’s open stance on the constitution and the exercise renewed their hope of getting a constitution that will truly reflect the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

BEHOLD, THOU SHALL NOT TWEET! Olusegun Adeniyi argues that the ban on Twitter should be lifted as the government has made its point Continued from backpage

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hile Twitter is just one of many readily available social media platforms, it happens to be the only one I use, essentially to send out my column and trade banters. So, I can do without it. But people like me who play at the margins of social media are few. The suspension will affect the livelihoods of many of our young people who depend on it for e-commerce, even though I also understand that Instagram is the platform of choice. The challenge of course is that the federal government is becoming increasingly intolerant and may be using Twitter to test the waters for a total clampdown on social media. That is where the danger lies.

Meanwhile, the conversation for tech companies to take responsibility for their content, especially to curb fake news and hate speech, is ongoing, including in Western countries with liberal views on freedom of expression. If that is what the federal government is saying, then it must be more strategic and ensure that our young people are carried along regarding intention. In fact, alienating our young people is counter-productive in the circumstance. We should not forget that this entire controversy began with the security challenge in the Southeast. The problem is still there.

On Monday, the Brigade Commander of 34 Artillery Brigade in Imo State, Brigadier-General Raymond Utsaha, accused the Eastern Security Network (ESN) established by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of killing at least150 security operatives and civilians in the South-east zone.

“Within these few months, they have killed 78

police officers, 38 army officers, five naval officers, seven air force officers, 15 civil defence officers, 31 community policing members. Over 100 innocent citizens and civilians who decided not to support the IPOB/ESN or refused to pay them money were also killed and properties worth billions of naira destroyed”, said Utsaha. “With this staggering number of casualties, no serious government will stand by and watch the life of security personnel and its citizens to be destroyed. Survey reports show that 80 per cent of the security personnel killed are from the eastern part of the country.”

These, no doubt, are shocking disclosures.

Ordinarily, Nigerians will support the federal government in its effort to stop the ongoing mindless violence in the Southeast. But considering claims by IPOB/ESN that they are not the “unknown gunmen”, the Twitter conversation does not advance the cause of the federal government.

We need a thorough investigation that will unearth those responsible and bring them to justice. No matter how well intentioned, a time when you need to rally all citizens to confront a serious national security threat is not when you assault the freedom of young people and their livelihood. You only play into the hands of your enemies.

The federal government should understand that critical stakeholders are becoming increasingly worried about the country. Yesterday in Abuja, at the instance of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, I ‘gatecrashed’ into a high-level consultative meeting on ‘the state of the nation’, jointly convened

by John Cardinal Onaiyekan and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III. It was a tripartite meeting of three platforms: The Interfaith Initiative for Peace, National Working Group and the National Peace Committee. Aside the two

conveners and Kukah, others in attendance included former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, Emir of Keffi, Dr Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, as well as Dr Usman Bugaje, Prof Jibrin Ibrahim and a few others. In his opening address, Onaiyekan said that “in the midst of the cacophony of discordant voices (in the country), the government has done little to come out with a clear conversation to offer some clarity and explanation for why certain things are happening that ought not to happen in a modern civilized state.”

I encourage the federal government to find a sensible way out of this Twitter mess. Given my own experience, I can picture what is going on within government circles right now. But the hawks must not be allowed to win this argument.

As I recounted in my book, ‘Power, Politics and Death’, the closure in 2009 of Channels television (over a fake report about the president’s resignation) was one of my most difficult periods in office as presidential spokesman. When my late principal called a meeting on the issue and announced it was at my instance, I received the support of the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed who always had my back. But the man who tilted the scale in favour of reason was the then Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), Mr Afakriya Gadzama, a thoroughbred professional who enjoyed healthy debate (where is he now?). I am aware that there are many people in this government who feel uncomfortable with the suspension of Twitter.

This is the time to whisper to all ‘constituted authorities’.

That Kanu’s incendiary tweets were taken down is already a win which also means that Twitter will

be more alert to such posts in future. The federal government has therefore made its point. I believe Twitter too must have learnt significant lessons.

The tacit involvement of its CEO in the EndSARS protest was a wrong judgement call. EndSARS was a good cause, but the story is now not just about the tragedy at Lekki. There was also the destruction that Lagos is yet to recover from, and the attack on police stations (including arms carted away) and killing of several police personnel after the protests had been hijacked by hoodlums.

It is important for the federal government to be more strategic on two fronts: timing of its actions and being aware of unintended consequences—in this case, how it has allowed a legitimate concern about the alleged activities of IPOB/ESN to degenerate into an attack on a region and later, a war on freedom of expression. In all of these, it is important to have a strategic exit—the point at which you take your victory and move on. That point is now, and should not be allowed to slip away. The federal government can even invite the leadership of Twitter for a virtual meeting, and formally lay out its complaints.

While Twitter should indeed have held Kanu accountable for his tweets (as it has belatedly done), there is a higher burden on President Buhari on this issue. Even if we discountenance all the arguments about fundamental rights and laws, when the young citizens of any country are barred from socializing openly, you heighten the sense of hopelessness and push them into the numerous underground spaces that are also available, including online. When that happens, you lose the opportunity to monitor or moderate discussions.

That is a dangerous place to be for a country like Nigeria.

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EDITORIAL MUCH ADO ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW The current review must be done to ensure the constitution works for all Nigerians

A

t no time in recent history has there been more strident call for a review of the structure of the country. Yet only perhaps few Nigerians take seriously the perennial constitution amendment exercise which has become another cash-cow for National Assembly members. Since 2006, the Senate and House of Representatives have expended several billions of naira on this enterprise with nothing fundamental to show for their efforts. As the National Assembly therefore commences yet another round of constitution review, the lawmakers must understand that they cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different outcome.

Apparently in response to growing criticism, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege said last week that the National Assembly has no power to write a new constitution being demanded by many Nigerians. While that is true, the main challenge is that the lawmakers are almost always interested in dealing with superfiIN ALL THE PREVIOUS cial issues rather than ATTEMPTS, WHAT the important ones CAME OUT FROM THE that could impact NATIONAL ASSEMBLY negatively on their privileges.

AS CONSTITUTIONAL For sure, there AMENDMENTS WERE NO MORE THAN AN ELABORATE are important issues that can benefit from CHARADE legislative interventions. How do we ensure efficient and effective security in the country? Should we tinker with the current arrangement? Of what benefit is a bi-cameral legislature to Nigeria at this present time? Do we make the job of a lawmaker part time? And how do we restructure the country to make it work for the people?

These and many other questions are what agitate the minds of Nigerians. But they are issues that hardly bother our federal lawmakers. If experience of the past were any guide, constitutional review is nothing but a wasteful venture for the mere purpose of collecting jumbo allowances from retreats and public hearings.

Letters to the Editor

We particularly fail to understand why the Joint National Assembly Constitution Review Committee refused to start off with reports from previous sessions.

Starting afresh is not only a waste of public funds, it also robs the exercise of seriousness. For instance, both chambers of the eighth National Assembly rejected a proposed amendment to devolve more powers from the bloated exclusive list to the concurrent list. The bill (Devolution of Powers) had sought to alter the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, Part I & II, to give more legislative powers to the states. It also delineates the extent to which the federal legislature and state assemblies can legislate on items that have been moved to the concurrent legislative list. It was a move aimed at restructuring certain aspects of our federation that impede development and often lead to needless tension.

T T H I S DAY EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI AJAYI, DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

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TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

TWITTER BAN AS WORST DEMOCRACY DAY GIFT

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he aim of that bill was to empower the state houses of assembly to legislate on land use and management, railways, health care, agriculture, road safety, pension, environment, youth development, and stamp duties. Simply put, it would put the responsibility of the development of some percentages of the listed sectors on the states and reduce the powers of the federal government. The idea was to accelerate development through competition. That bill speaks to the clamour for restructuring the governance structure of this country in a manner that would ensure equitable development and better use of resources.

Various ethnic nationality groups like Afenefere, Ohanaeze, Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) and Middle Belt Forum have jointly called for a constitutional conference that would amend the 1999 Constitution in the model of the 1963 Constitution.

We do not see how such a suggestion would work. But the lack of critical thinking by our federal lawmakers in Abuja compounds the challenge. In all the previous attempts, what came out from the National Assembly as constitutional amendments were no more than an elaborate charade.

Such outcome will be unacceptable in the situation Nigeria has found itself today.

he suspension of the micro-blogging site, Twitter by the federal government is probably the worst democracy day gift in more than two decades. And for a country struggling to catch up with the rest of the world technologically, politically and economically, that ban represents another dark spot in the anal of the country’s democratic trajectory. Indeed, with that arbitrary and scary decision comes flurry of backlashes from critics and clerics decrying that draconian decision by the government. In today’s fast changing world for example, being deft diplomatically to sift and sort political, and technological squabble in a seamless fashion remains core to political survivability and democratic sustainability.

Democracy for instance is built on robust debate, and where debate thrives, the seed of democracy blossoms. For Nigeria, especially in the last six years, various measures evidenced in obnoxious sponsored bills to constant and relentless rhetoric against fake news (and alternative voices) have been advanced though futile efforts to gag and suppress debate and dissenters thereby stifling and killing democracy in black Africa’s most populous nation. Although democracy as a system is a work in progress, and Nigeria as a country is not yet fully formed, the rule of law is supposed to reign supreme. But where supremacy of the law takes backseat, as the case of Nigeria on Twitter ban, that nation gradually descends into the quicksand of anarchy and international ridicule.

One interesting fact about the 21st century is its strong headedness against control freak leaders who want to Lord themselves on and

maintain absolute control over their land, space and citizens. With advanced technology in communication, time, space and even sovereignty are shrinking. Thus adding flavor to the idea of a truly globalized world: a world where the line between infosphere and biosphere continues to get blurred. This idea, that the line between virtual and real world is vanishing must have eluded those in authority to ban Twitter, a decision that has backfired in no small measure.

Suspending Twitter by Nigerian government was obviously aimed at stifling civic engagement among young Nigerians and flexing unnecessary muscles against innocent citizens. Thus, the continuous use of the platform through Virtual Private Network has exposed the danger of being technologically and politically arrogant. That ban matter-of-fact has continued to expose the underbelly of our rulers who by comparison may not fare better than the khaki boys. Fortunately, the world has eclipsed the loud voices of the military brass to the soft voices of reasoning and logic.

But for those in authority playing the autocratic game using the draconian rule, no time is as difficult as now. While Twitter ban continues to send the chill up the spines of those in authority, it has created a new tidal wave of political consciousness among young Nigerians. As the organic #EndSARS protest shows, there is more awareness among young folks on the need to take the bull of politics by the horn. And this ban, though now defied by same young Nigerians it targeted, is opening more eyes and hearts to the massive gains of active citizens involvement and participation in democratic process.

Muftau Gbadegesin, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com

IT’S NOT LOGICAL

T

he US government is going to release some information about UFOS. This might be either because there is nothing interesting to find or they are trying to hide something else that is much more interesting.

Most UFOs have sensible explanations although a few don’t and that is where the interest lies.

There might be other life forms out there, its statistically likely, but less likely is that they would visit us. We are a long way from any other planet, physics says we can’t travel all that fast so it’s a long journey and we aren’t probably that interesting.

The more puzzling thing is why do they seem to visit the drunk, the demented and nobody with a good camera? Most of the world has a high-resolution camera in their pocket, capable of both photos and films and yet all we get is fuzzy images at a distance. There seems to have been no accidents except maybe Roswell in 1947 so they must be great flyers given the speeds they seem to be travelling at.

Perhaps we should stop looking to the sky and look around as we have enough to see here and enough problems to solve. Maybe the UFOs ae here to make sure we stay here given how badly we are managing this planet.

As Mr. Spock might say ‘It’s not logical’.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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POLITICS

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com (08114495324 SMS ONLY)

‘I Don’t Regret My Choice of Ayade as C’River Governor’ Following the recent defection of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress; Senator Liyel Imoke, former governor of the state and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party told Nseobong Okon-Ekong that he has returned to the strategy room to lead from the front in the crucial struggle to retain the party’s leading position

L

et’s talk about developments on the political terrain in Cross Rivers State. You are a founding member of the PDP. You’ve also held various key positions in the country, including being Minister of Power and Steel, and for a while Minister of Education before going on to become Governor of Cross River State for 8 years. Tell us, what vision and strategies characterised those early days, your roles and how the foundation was laid for the current republic?

This question takes me back to my early days in politics. As far back as the early 1990s I got involved in politics because of my interest in public service and in contributing to the growth and development of the society that I come from and giving back, as it were to the society. The then Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Clement Ebri, was someone that I worked with and admired.

He supported me when I ran for senate; under the same political platform, I got elected as a senator in 1991/92. That was the real beginning of my political career. As you may be aware that dispensation ended with the Abacha coup and after the Abacha coup it was basically back to the trenches.

I remained in communication with a lot of our political supporters and members of our team and we still had a common vision, a vision for a new Cross River State. That vision was borne out of my experience, campaigning literally door-to-door to get elected into the senate. The campaign provided me an opportunity to see the state of our people and the conditions they lived in, especially in the rural communities and that was really a driving factor for us, in terms of coming together and thinking that Cross River State needed a new order. It was through that process that I started convening meetings in my house in Lagos at the time, which were attended by young Cross Riverians as it were, to build and share a vision, and also chart a new course for Cross River State. Amongst those who attended those meetings were the former governor, Donald Duke, Senator Gershom Bassey, Bassey Eyo Ndem who became a commissioner in the state and MD of Tinapa; Essien Ayi who is now a member of the House of Representatives, and several others, all young men.

We also had among those who attended the meetings people like Victor Okon and a number of young aspiring Cross Riverians and a lot of my colleagues like Dennis Nkiri, who were in the House of Representatives when I was in the Senate, were also part of that process. They saw the vision and bought into it from day one. We all stood firmly, sharing a common vision and came up with a blueprint for a new Cross River State. It was through that process that we decided to participate actively in the transition that took place under that Abacha administration; but we were of the progressive orientation, as such we did not join any party that we thought Abacha would control and manipulate. We opted to join the NCPN and when the NCPN was eventually decimated by the same Abacha administration, we joined the DPN. In providing leadership to that generation of people we were able to work collectively as a team to go into an election at the time, of course there were all kinds of idiosyncrasies and all kinds of theories about power and who had it and who could give it and where it could go to. But as young men we thought that we could chart a different course for the state and it was on that basis that we ultimately joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and by so doing, we were taking a position against a significant number of our leaders,

was the one election that united Cross River state and that united our political party, the PDP. Since then, until now, the PDP has remained the overwhelming dominant political force in Cross River State.

Imoke

including my boss, Clement Ebri, who was in the APP; Dr. Joseph Wayas and several others who opted for the APP. By joining the PDP we had room as it were, to build a new order, and not just build a new order but to bring young people into the politics and that led ultimately to winning the elections with Donald Duke as our candidate, going against the odds at the time where they said no Efik man can be governor of Cross River State. I couldn’t understand why a citizen of the state was not entitled to become an elected representative of the state especially, if they’re qualified to occupy that office. So I championed that cause and a lot of people came against me saying I was not Efik and as such why was I championing a cause for the Efiks. At the end of it all, by the Grace of God we succeeded and Donald became the governor of Cross River State and he got elected for a second term. We built a strong political family and this translated to a marginal

victory for the party.

It’s understandable; because the big weights were on the other side?

The big weights were on the other side and we were on this side, so we were quite satisfied with the marginal victory. After the elections we engaged the young people who may have been in the other political party to bring them to understand and appreciate that it was better if we worked collectively. So as leader of the team, as the campaign manager for all the elections, that was my responsibility. We brought these young people together and by the 2003 elections we had a formidable team going into the elections. So even though there was a strong anti-Efik sentiment and a strong anti-Donald Duke sentiment represented in a group of leaders organised under the aegis of Atam Congress, we stood firmly against it. I led that movement to ensure that the state was united and I think 2003

Donald’s return should add value to what we’ve done and will continue to do. We have not changed and we will continue to blaze the trail. He has returned to our great party and to his foundation at a time when the governor has defected; since I am not God, only God knows the hearts of men, so I am not going to speculate on the reasons behind Governor Ayade’s departure from the party. But as I said, I welcome Donald back to the party and I look forward to working with him. I believe that the key to our success which has been acknowledged, beyond the party and the state and I believe has even been recognised and acknowledged by Donald himself in re-joining the party, is clearly the collegiate rather than autocratic style of leadership. So let’s not dwell on that but welcome him, and assure him of not only his full membership, but also of the key leadership role that he is expected to play

So one can say that you were actually the pillar behind Donald Duke becoming governor?

Well at the risk of sounding immodest, the answer is yes; but we had a formidable team and we were extremely focused. Our major strength was the ability to strategise to win the hearts of the people. I led a strong team of young men and women who worked selflessly. I think that’s the history of our state and I think through that experience we were able to strengthen our party and it became the dominant party. I contested the elections and the party won all the seats at every level and everybody that has contested election in Cross River state thereafter has won with similar margins. The struggle was for the PDP ticket, once you had the PDP ticket, you are literally elected.

Through the years up till the emergence of Governor Ben Ayade, PDP has been firmly the party of choice of the people. I think it’s not just our style and approach that achieved this. We introduced a collegiate leadership model at all levels. This engendered confidence in our supporters as it was a bottom up approach and afforded them not only the freedom of choice but also an opportunity to take ownership and responsibility. We also had a strong connection to the grassroots and I think that was something that we deliberately embarked upon especially given my own experience in going round campaigning, first for senate and then subsequently for Donald to become governor and then my own eventual emergence. So we endeared ourselves to the electorate and that is where the strength of the PDP lies.

That’s a very interesting history.

Things are looking a little bit different now. Your state governor, Senator Ben Ayade, recently defected to the APC. How will that affect the fortunes of the PDP in the coming elections in a state that has a history of being a PDP state?

Cross River has a history of being a PDP state. I think in the past you would see that states that have that type of strength irrespective of a defection tend at all times to remain strong. There’s a reason for that.

What you perceive as power will determine how you lead. If you perceive power to be a political party, then you will be moving from one political party to another but if you understand that power ultimately is the people and that it belongs to the people, you will appreciate that it is not about the party. PDP in Cross River State has always been about the people and I think we still remain about the people; so the party has endeared itself to the people and as such a movement by the governor does not of its own translate to the people moving into another political party, because they have already identified strongly with the party – the PDP. It is sort of like what you have in the United States and other countries where there are strongholds; a state like California, it is defined as a Democratic stronghold. Cross River State is a PDP stronghold.

That’s interesting; that means there is still hope?

Hope? The truth is that they have an uphill task to remove the PDP in Cross River State.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021

POLITICS

‘My Plan is to Take Anambra From Good to Great’ Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe is the daughter of former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr Alex Ekwueme. She is a Peoples Democratic Party aspirant for the governorship seat of Anambra State. She spoke with David-Chyddy Eleke on her aspiration and how her father influenced decision to run for governorship

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employment and infrastructure.

hy are you in the governorship contest?

My manifesto says it all. Our dear state needs restoration in all facets because over the past eight years people have experienced leadership, trust, fiscal, economic and infrastructure deficits. My priorities are to restore trust and confidence, in both leadership and government; to get our state infrastructure working again; to sustain and protect existing public infrastructure and public properties; to complete viable abandoned projects and place Anambra State on the path to greatness, God being our helper.

It is easy to see that things are not working optimally. The situation could get a lot worse if we fold our hands. I am moved by a strong desire to serve selflessly. To sustain legacy and to get the job done right with the fear of God, that’s the reason I’m running.

What is your motivation in the race?

Leadership is about service. I am privileged to have been well travelled. I have been to places where things work and are taken for granted. Even here in Nigeria, in the so-called good old days, potable water was available in most urban areas, the roads were few but well maintained, public properties were well maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD). If we improve the quality of life, give our people hope and better life, that ought to be sufficient motivation. As the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is expected. I want to give back. I want a state that our children are proud to call home. As a child growing up, holidays in the village were always the highlight of my year. These days, the young ones are mostly looking for a way out. A lot has gone wrong. We need to get back on the right track.

Could you tell us in practical terms what you think government is not doing right at the moment, and what will you do differently?

Our approach of doing things differently will be dual-tracked: create opportunities and an enabling environment to make governance seamless and reform and strengthen our public institutions. So we will bring experience to the table, follow due process, and accountability anchored on the fear of God. Our governance mantra, ethics and values will be premised on accountability and transparency. We shall offer opportunities for our people to get affordable healthcare, good education, gainful employment and dividends of democracy. We will engage in gender mainstreaming at all levels, bureaucratic and political. Elective and appointive positions will be based on a 60:40 ratio.

If given the opportunity, my team and I, shall reform and strengthen our governance institutions to serve the public interest and the common cause, guarantee investors’ interest and confidence, restore capital inflow and sustainable development. Our budgetary process shall be transparent and results-based. Our policies will be peopledriven. Anambra State will be fiscally secure and solvent under my watch.

My plan for Anambra is simply, to take her from good to great. In the pecking order of states and in all facets - good governance, solvency, economic, political, educations, industry and commerce, housing, welfare, revenue generation, power sufficiency, and infrastructure - I want to see Anambra ranked in the Too Five in Nigeria, and consistently so. That is my plan.

Weighing yourself against other billionaire aspirants in the race with you, how would you rate your chances, and do you sincerely think PDP can win back Anambra State Money is as good as what it can buy for you. It could also be detrimental, if not well deployed. Campaign financing laws took care of that. No candidate can justifiably exceed

What is your rating of the serving governor and those before him?

By the mercies of the Almighty, in 2017, I ran on a joint ticket as deputy to Oseloka H. Obaze. Today, I am running for the top job so my ratings stand a great risk of being viewed as biased. Such assessments are the prerogatives of the Anambra people. I will suggest that you direct your question to the everyday citizen of Anambra State.

They are in a better position to provide an unbiased answer to those questions. But so you don’t think I’m doing the dodge, I’ll tell you this. As a citizen I have one vote.

And I know that in 2017, I did not vote for the incumbent.

Do you fear that a political godfather like former Governor, Peter Obi may influence the choice of governorship candidate for PDP? PDP is the longest and presently the only active party amongst those founded at the cusp of the return to democracy in 1999.

We have institutional capacity, institutional memory, and sagacious stakeholders and leaders. These leaders, like Peter Obi, are highly respected and wield sufficient influence to advise the party on how to do things right in the interest of the party, and to ensure equity, credibility and transparency.

Insofar as their individual and collective influence are germane and in tandem with the aspirations of the party, their respective roles remains critical. That is the much I can say about that.

Onyemelukwe the N200 million spelt out by the Electoral Act for vying for governorship. Doing so is sufficient grounds for disqualification.

So, wealth is just one attribute of the race.

Someone mentioned to me that Anambra has the highest concentration of millionaires and billionaires. So it’s only natural that some of them aspire to govern the state. What is key, is what added value each aspirant brings to the table.

With all modesty, if political and social pedigree were the only factors for winning this election, I believe I’m in good stead to be the next Governor of our dear state. Of those you refer to as tested, none became Governor, and just a few have been on the ticket of major parties either as candidate or deputy, so we are all essentially at the same level. What matters most, is what Anambra needs at this juncture to leapfrog from stagnation to eminence and prosperity.

I’m offering myself and my services to make that dream a reality.

As for PDP winning, I can say PDP is in the race to win. I am in the race to win.

Many believe that the ruling parties, both at the central and state levels have not acquitted themselves creditably and therefore traditional and primordial sentiments alone, cannot return or put them in power in Anambra State. It’s time for a reality check.

The outcome of the November 6 election, barring anything untoward, will be in the hands of the Anambra electorate, and of course, in the hands of God. What do you think the state lacks that you will provide?

Like Nigeria, Anambra State is blessed with human and material resources. Really, we lack nothing in that sense. What we need is focused, transformative, adaptive and purposeful leadership that will deploy its energy and the state’s finances and resources in promoting the common cause, welfare and giving our people a better life. Of course, in doing so, one would strive to provide facilities that would address the unmet needs, in housing, healthcare, education, food sufficiency potable water, power,

PDP is the longest and presently the only active party amongst those founded at the cusp of the return to democracy in 1999. We have institutional capacity, institutional memory, and sagacious stakeholders and leaders. These leaders, like Peter Obi, are highly respected and wield sufficient influence to advise the party on how to do things right in the interest of the party, and to ensure equity, credibility and transparency. Insofar as their individual and collective influence are germane and in tandem with the aspirations of the party, their respective roles remains critical. That is the much I can say about that

Some people have this perception that Anambra is not ripe for a female governor. Does that bother you?

Such perception could be misinterpreted as being sexist; but I won’t go that route, since I know there is a cultural angle to it.

Anambra needs a female Governor because we need to do things differently. Moreover, today in Nigeria we have had a female Chief Justice, a female Admiral, A female Army General, female senators - indeed Anambra has two presently- and female captains of industry. We have also had a female deputy Governor and Governor in Anambra State.

So, where is this ‘not being ripe’ coming from? I think we should leave the perception and deal with the realities. My confidence comes from God and from my God given abilities.

Do not underrate the powers and abilities of a woman because in deed, there are a lot that a woman can achieve that the men folk are not even thinking of, or do not even consider as serious. Our platform has offered the solution to addressing the scourge of out-of-school children, of which there are over 13 million in Nigeria. Our approach will be simple but efficient and practical: we intend to invest aggressively in primary, secondary, vocational and tertiary education.

We will also make Primary and Secondary education mandatory and free up to Junior Secondary level in order to lower out-ofschool and dropout rates. We will devote U.N. prescribed budgetary allocation of 26% to education. Those are little details that a woman pays attention to.

In what ways would you say your late father influenced you?

I learnt practical leadership from my late father. We were living in the state house when he was Vice President, and I know first hand what my father did during his days as Vice President of Nigeria. I am somewhat like my father, and I was very close to him, to the extent my mother used to call me her co-wife. I learnt a lot from my father, and that is the angle I’m coming from in fixing Anambra State. My late father was a selfless man, a man who had honour and integrity and worked to leave a legacy for humanity.

I learnt a lot from him too. If you are asking if his name opens doors for me, I will simply say I do not think so. Maybe or maybe not.

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FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

Lagos-Ibadan Rail as a Value Added Service Despite initial teething problems, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the 156km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail, which would be flagged off today by President Muhammadu Buhari after four years of construction, is a dream come through as it would provide a viable alternative to road transport

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or the federal government, one of its focal point is to connect cities, states and even coastal villages, thereby ensuring development. To achieve this, they sought to revive the rail system of transportation. Though more expensive than building roads, on the long run, its advantages outweigh the cost.

Therefore, with what has been achieved with the rail, it would be safe to say that under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, premium has been given to the rail system.

For the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Rail, which would be inaugurated tomorrow by President Buhari, it is expected that it will provide linkages, job creation, and also boost trade in the South-west corridor with ripple effect on the national economy.

Aside the boost to the economy, it would be stating the obvious to note that the railway is not just an alternative and comfortable mode of transport, it also holds the master key to transforming commerce in Nigeria and across the continent.

Some of the acquired trains

Viable Transport Alternative Without a doubt, the rail will in no small measure save the life span of the roads as well as reduce the port congestion caused by the long queues of trucks waiting to carry loads out of the ports. Perhaps more importantly to Lagosians will be the reduction of the number of trucks and tankers that cause long hours of annoying traffic snarl in the city.

Early Days When the conception of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway moved beyond theory to practical, it was clogged with initial teething challenges.

In fact, the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, who has passionately seen the project through lost the engine of his car at the early days of the construction as he drove through one swampy pool and the engine hit a rocky boulder clay. That was the end of that car.

As can be attested by many, his passion to actualise the project saw the minister embark on so many inspections, which often times lasted long into the night hours, returning to base in the dead of the night sometimes. He would embark on monthly inspection of the rail construction work and sometimes, there were two or more inspection rounds in a month.

Initial Teething Challenges For the initial teething problems, they faced that of ascertaining the right of way, the need to move and relocate all underneath pipes, cables and wires within the Lagos metropolis to avoid the damage of vital pipes and possible outburst of fire like the Ijegun fire of 2012/3.

They also faced construction challenges like having to surmount hills, rivers and valleys. In fact, two bridges, after Kajola train station were particularly troublesome, as they had to be rebuilt and rebuilt several times over, before it could meet requisite standard.

Another challenge was the payment of compensations to communities and individual families whose properties were on the rail line. In some cases, schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, police stations, entire villages had to be relocated altogether.

They also faced challenges during negotiation with Lagos State government, Ogun State government and Oyo State government, which took chequered times, but they all eventually co-operated.

While battling the man-made challenges, nature showed up through the weather, especially during the rainy season, which naturally slowed down construction. The COVID-19 pandemic and the slow pace of work by the CCECC crew was another factor. In fact, the head of TEAM – the administrative consultants in the project, lost his life to the pandemic. The pandemic delayed work so much that the project, which was to be commissioned last year June, was moved to this year. The advent of the pandemic not only delayed work at the various construction sites,

President Muhammadu Buhari

as works were suspended, fewer workers had to be engaged even when work resumed, to make for some kind of social distancing.

Value Added Service Notwithstanding the challenges, the minister ensured that the CCECC established a company for the production of wagons and coaches in Nigeria. The company is at Kajola, in Ogun State and preliminary works have long commenced on that sub- project.

More than that, two Universities of Transportation –in Daura (Katsina State), and Ubima (Rivers State) have been approved as an institutional support to train and produce manpower for the maintenance and expansion of the rail line services in Nigeria Passion for Execution For the minister, he showed an uncommon devotion and passion to the execution of the rail projects across the country. It is one project that has gulped huge resources in the country as it was largely financed through loans from China. But the minister is optimistic that the train services have the capacity to pay off the loans by which they were procured, over time.

But in all the challenges, the minister is full of praise to the people of the region whom he said, had given the NRC maximum co-operation. He is excited that not once, through out the period of the construction, was there a community uprising or protest or attack or upheaval of any sort. “ They have been very supportive and have shown the greatest understanding so far”, Amaechi said.

He added that whatever agitated the minds of the concerned communities, they always formally put it in writing. And that the ministry on its part ensured that the complaints of the various

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi

communities along the said corridor were very promptly attended to, “and the result is what we are having, that there has never been any case of theft, kidnapping or other forms of unrest around the construction sites, even when workers worked late into the nights”, Amaechi enthused.

Extension to Sea Ports It is also very significant to add that courtesy of the minister’s insistence, the rail lines have to be extended to the sea ports, either in Lagos, Warri or Port Harcourt. The idea is that the cargo trains will be able to carry out freighting services right from the ports to any part of the country.

Already, the cargo trains have commenced services between Warri port and Itakpe in Kogi State.

In Lagos, the rail tracks have been laid right into the Apapa port, with some terminals connecting the loads to the trains.

Quality of Work Three weeks ago, when the minister and his team ramped up the inspection of the train stations between Lagos and Ibadan, it was clear huge work had been done, with the Ebute Meta station serving as the flagship station, what with the huge state-of-the-art facilities, including even the structure.

In all the stations, there are shopping malls, shopping outlets, depending on the size of the station. They are fitted with cooling systems, elevators, large sitting lounges, large car parks to assist park-and-ride services, and such other provisions that make for overall comfort and safety of passengers.

The technology, finishing, IT equipment and fixtures, communication channels and platforms, all combine to pass it as meeting a global standard.

It is equally remarkable to note that many of the

station have been named after past and present Nigerian leaders, including former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engnr Fidet Okhiria explained that the technology and information/communication equipment have to be modern and up to date because of the complex network of train service. He maintained that “NRC has insisted that we get the best and ensure that in offering this service, Nigerians will not only get value for money, but also enjoy the kind and quality of service offered even in foreign countries”.

Efforts are being made now to even add data and internet services to train rides.

Sustained Maintenance In the same vein, there are concerns about the sustained maintenance of the trains and its services. It was gathered that there are plans to retain the Chinese firm that built the trains and the stations to maintain an acceptable standard, until such a time that enough expertise and capacity have been built among Nigerians to handle same.

Concerns However, as the rail is being inaugurated today, it does not erase the concerns of the cost of the project, freighting, ticket racketeering, vandalism of rail equipment, troubles of insecurity, capacity to attend to more passengers, promptness of service, and cost of a ride etc. How all these concerns will pan out is yet uncertain but it was gathered that to address the issue of ticket racketeering, plans are underway to create train ride Apps that will help curtail the activities of fraudsters.

With the inauguration today, Nigerians are no doubt better off for it as they enjoy the many benefits the rail system offers.

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#THISISNIGERIA - Ayobami Olunloyo

Case Number 04062021: Twitter vs. Nigeria (From the blog: ‘My Nigerian Dream’)

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f this incredulous situation went to court, I guess the case name might sound something like the title of this piece. Ha! But guess what? Nigerian courts are currently on strike, so no chance of that.

When we sit idly by, while our courts are not sitting, then we can be certain that something is seriously wrong. The Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has been on strike since April 6, 2021.

That level of irrelevance combined with a paradigm of ruling rather than leading may well provide the causal links necessary to understand how and why we would suspend Twitter ’s operations in Nigeria – on…wait for it…Twitter no less! Personally, I’m no fan of big tech over/misstepping, but what signal is this move sending across the world?

Initially, it wasn’t clear what it meant to “…suspend Twitter operations”. Was it to stop in-country activities? Or would the platform itself cease to function on users’ devices? Well, now we know better.

The knee-jerk nature of the suspension bypasses the need to provide a clear basis for its own existence. It rather seems like an ego bruise that led to a disproportionate response. Borrowing from warfare, the Doctrine of Proportionality says that, ‘a state is legally allowed to unilaterally defend itself and right a wrong provided the response is proportional to the injury suffered. The response must also be immediate and necessary, refrain from targeting civilians, and require only enough force to reinstate the status quo ante’. I will now induct you (yes, you reading!) into the jury for this case; what say you – proportional response or not?

As you decide, it would help to consider whether or not ‘civilians’ were caught in the crossfire.

I love history, particularly of World War II, so please permit me to use this as a parallel to the ongoing face-off between Twitter and Nigeria. This is NOT a comparison of the actors, but rather of the nature of the escalation of events. After World War I, there was the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which Germany found utterly egregious. 20 years later, Germany invaded Poland and flagging-off WWII. Then the Axis powers including Italy and Japan dig in ahead of the Allies - UK, France, et al. Other countries form allegiances, some stay neutral. However, after the Allies wobble a bit, America enters the war, and the Allied Forces go on to win, again, just as they did in WWI. That’s 2-0 to the Allies and if it were best of 3, thankfully for the sake of world peace, there is no need for a third match!

Twitter deletes a ‘presidential tweet’ for violating its policies; Abuja moves to suspend Twitter. Aptly put, Matthew T. Page tweets: “Shutting down Twitter is something dictators do, if I’m not mistaken” and compares Nigeria with Iran and South Korea. Is this our cohort now? Facebook also steps into the arena by deleting a ‘presidential post’. Who owns Instagram?

And WhatsApp? Facebook! So if it comes to it, their allegiances are clear. How will other social media platforms align? Your guess is as good as mine. Big-tech may well be rivals and competitors, but where their interests align, I suspect it’s like NATO’s principle of ‘collective defense’ – an attack on one is an attack on all. So, is Nigeria on course for a Trump-like persona non grata status with the social media giants? We’ve seen what social media can do through the Arab Spring. Moreover, bear in mind though, that just as the Allies had the moral high ground in WWII, so now does Twitter have the market; Nigerians want to

be on Twitter and they are already finding ways to keep tweeting.

More strategically, what does all this mean for Nigeria? Specifically, what does it mean for Nigerian businesses? On the global Ease of Doing Business Index, Nigeria currently ranks 131 out of 190 countries, which is sadly beneath its potential. As a strategy professional, I did a quick P-E-S-T-E-R (Political-Economic-SocialTechnological-Environmental-Regulatory) mental analysis and concluded that the only dimension that the #TwitterBan may have ignored is the ‘Environmental'. I can literally posit how the ban can regress the nation’s standing on all the others, and I’m sure you can too if you consider it for a moment, so I won’t bore you with that. Needless to say that Nigeria as a nation just became a lot riskier to foreign investors as an investment destination.

Between the policy inconsistency, lack of legal recourse, and apparent arbitrary nature of decision-making, the likely outcome is unfortunately capital repulsion, which will ultimately undermine FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and consequently GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The ongoing saga, in which the baby is thrown out with the bathwater, therefore, appears to be resulting in self-harm. There are Nigerian businesses that advertise and survive on Twitter; it is a news and entertainment source to millions, and even public sector ministries, departments, and parastatals including the Presidency, military, and the Information ministry use it as a mouthpiece to inform citizens of their good deeds including suspending social media platforms. By the way, that reminds me of President Trump sacking appointees on Twitter, perhaps wherever he is, learning that Nigeria ‘sacked’ Twitter on Twitter, he might say: touché. Nigeria

is neither the first nor the only country to be in a running battle with Twitter; India and China would have lots to share about their experiences, for any juror who may find a reference useful. Even as the Wiki page titled “Censorship of Twitter” has already been updated with a Nigeria entry, the question that remains is will Nigeria walk back its decision, and if so, how can we do so and still save face? Twitter, on the other hand, stands accused of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s (the plaintiff) corporate existence”. So, as a member of the jury, how do you find for the defendant? Guilty or Not Guilty?

Admittedly, in this piece, I ask more questions than I give answers, but hopefully, it encourages us all to seek consensus on the answer to one of the greatest questions of our time – the right to free speech.

For now, it appears that while freedom of speech is still a fundamental right (at least constitutionally), there is no guarantee of freedom, AFTER the speech! However, at a time when our national headlines are too often being hijacked by violence, let us focus on the fact that PEACE is an endowment that God left with us, to share with one another as a gift. t"ZPCBNJ "LJOZPEF 0-6/-0:0 JT B QBTTJPOBUF /JHFSJBO BOE "GSJDBO QPMJUJDBM FOUIVTJBTU BOE BDDPNQMJTIFE QSPGFTTJPOBM )F IPMET BO .#" XJUI %JTUJODUJPO GSPN UIF 6OJWFSTJUZ PG $BNCSJEHF 6, BOE XBT SFDPHOJ[FE BNPOHTU UIF #FTU #SJHIUFTU &YFDVUJWF .#"T HMPCBMMZ JO )F JT DVSSFOUMZ B NFNCFS PG UIF QJPOFFS DPIPSU PG UIF OFX VODPOWFOUJPOBM 4DIPPM PG 1PMJUJDT 1PMJDZ BOE (PWFSOBODF 411( SVO CZ UIF 'JY1PMJUJDT *OJUJBUJWF *OTUBHSBN !BZPCBNJ PMVOMPZP

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THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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BUSINESSWORLD

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Quick Takes Minister, Others Set Blueprint for Big Data

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Ojobo to Speak at UN Seminar

RENDERING ACCOUNT TO SHAREHOLDERS

L-R: Chief Financial Officer, MTN Nigeria, Modupe Kadri; Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola; Chairman, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe; Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanah; and Independent Non-Executive Director, Muhammad K. Ahmad during, MTN Nigeria’s 2021 Annual General Meeting held in Lagos...recently PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN

FG: Financial Loss to Twitter Ban Insignificant to Nigeria’s Integrity Stories by Emma Okonji The federal government has acknowledged that Twitter and its users in Nigeria are facing huge financial loss, following the social media platform’s suspension in Nigeria.

But the government insisted that the loss was insignificant, when compared to the integrity of Nigeria.

The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr. Garba Abari, said this on ARISE News Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, while responding to a question on the controversy surrounding the matter.

He insisted that the federal government had to take the decision in order to protect

ECONOMY national interest and integrity.

According to him, “It is a difficult decision to take because of the economic implications, but it is also a right decision of government because Nigeria must exist as a country and government has a duty to defend the country’s integrity.”

The federal government last week, suspended the operations of Twitter in Nigeria, following the action of Twitter to delete the post of President Muhammadu Buhari, which Twitter said could be incisive to violence and which negates its community standards. Few hours after the suspension was announced, FaceBook, another

social media platform, which owns and controls WhatsApp, also pulled down the same post of President Buhari, while citing violation of international standards.

Following the announcement, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) directed all telecoms operators to deactivate access to all Twitter subscribers in Nigeria, an order that had since been carried out.

In spite of the deactivation, many Nigerians continued to tweet with their twitter handles, through the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Some social media users have been bitter with the federal government over the development and have warned government of its implications.

Nigerians who depend on Twitter for their business growth and expansion, said they have lost so much money to its suspension since it cost them more to use VPN to support their tweets.

The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), has however called for a continued dialogue with stakeholders in the social media ecosystem.

ISPON, which said it has been following the unfolding events, stressed the need for dialogue as the best means to address the issue.

According to a statement released by ISPON, and singed by its President, Mr. Chinenye Continued on page 24

How Electric Vehicles Will Drive Africa’s Future Automobiles As technology evolves, experts are thinking of new ways of adopting smart technologies that will drive global digital transformation, the International Energy Agency has said.

Exploring the possibility of driving the future of automobiles in Africa, using electric vehicles, the agency in a recent publication, said in many ways, electric vehicles remained an excellent innovation and would likely be one of the best things to happen in the present day as they assist the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

It explained that the future of transportation appears to be electric, as more people across the globe are opting for electric vehicles and the industry is undeniably on a

TECHNOLOGY positive path of technology innovation.

According to the International Energy Agency, “The number of electric cars, trucks, vans and buses on the world’s roads is on course to increase from 11 million vehicles to 145 million by the end of the decade. In addition to providing a convenient and easy transport method, Electronic Vehicles (EVs) are also environmentally friendly. Their ease of maintenance, cost efficiency, and accessibility make them an excellent choice.”

In 2014, KMC developed the Kiira EVS, Africa’s first electric vehicle, and in 2016, it developed Africa’s first solar electric bus, the Kayoola Solar

Bus. South Africa appears to be the leading country in the adoption of electric vehicles on the continent. Nissan LEAF and BMW i3 are two notable electric vehicles sold in South Africa. As of 2019, South Africa is home to about 180 charging stations for electric vehicles.

In addition to this, African countries such as Kenya and Rwanda have enacted tax incentives to encourage electric vehicle imports and are developing their own electric two- and three-wheelers.

In May 2021, Lagos, unveiled its first electric car. It was also the first electric car assembled in Nigeria. Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had unveiled the new Hyundai Kona, a

product of the Stallion Group.

At the launch, the governor had committed to providing charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) throughout the state.

Hyundai Kona, manufactured by Stallion Group, is a fully electric vehicle and, as expected, emits no emissions, and can be charged both at home and outside of the house.

Additionally, a proudly indigenous manufacturing company, JET Motors is producing custom-made electric vehicles in Africa.

These vehicles are suitable for the African and Nigerian environment.

In Africa, the adoption of Continued on page 24

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NITDA, Others Highlight Cybersecurity Risks

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“The earlier disagreement between banks and telecoms operators over nonpayment of USSD charges to telcos, had led to the introduction of a new USSD rate of N6.98k, different from the initial N10.50k rate for every USSD transaction” Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON),

Gbenga Adebayo

T H I S D AY ˾ JUNE 10, 2021

24

BUSINESSWORLD FG: FINANCIAL LOSS TO TWITTER BAN INSIGNIFICANT TO NIGERIA’S INTEGRITY Mba-Uzoukwu, “ISPON notes in its memo released on November 24, 2020 under the subject: ‘Framing a National Consensus on Social Media Management’, that Nigeria has been navigating the digital transformation journey that all nations are undergoing with varying degrees of success.

“With the growth of the digital economy, government’s definition of national security is rightly seen as fundamental to the social media management issue however, Nigeria’s interest is better served by a progressive policy that creates an enabling environment for local entrepreneurship and the ecosystem on which it depends on to thrive.”

The statement further said: “Accordingly, the Institute has actively supported efforts to consider and recommend an approach to designing a social media policy that protects all Nigerians and promotes its use in a positive and productive way.”

HOW ELECTRIC VEHICLES WILL DRIVE AFRICA FUTURE AUTOMOBILES electric vehicles, is however, not without challenge.

Commenting on the challenges facing electric vehicle adoption in Africa, the International Energy Agency said: “For African countries to be able to take advantage of electric vehicles, a few issues need to be addressed. One is, an EV typically costs more money and is dependent on reliable energy than a gaspowered car. It is no secret that many African countries rank among the lowest per capita income countries in the world, and also lack reliable energy supplies.

“At the very least, EVs must become as affordable as petrol-powered vehicles, and if Africa does not live up to its electric potential, the EV could remain a fiction on the continent. Moreover, recharging the battery takes time, compared to filling up at the gas station, recharging an electric car’s battery needs more time.

“An electric car may take up to 20 hours to charge fully, depending on the model.”

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

NEWS

FG Expresses Commitment to Support Privatised Enterprises Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government is committed to providing an enabling environment for all privatised enterprises in the country to perform optimally in order to realise the privatisation objectives.

The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh, who spoke at the handover of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of Ikorodu Bricks and Clay Limited (IB & CL) to the core investor, Continental Project Development & Supplies Ltd. (CPDSL) in Abuja, listed conditions for the hand over.

Based on the execution of the revised Performance Agreement which was submitted by the core investor in May 2021, Okoh said the Bureau will monitor the implementation of the Post Acquisition Plan (PAP) to ensure strict compliance.

He urged the core investor to note the addendum to the Share Sales/Purchase Agreement (SSPA) which prevents it from the sale or disposal of part or the whole shares or land of the company without the prior notice and approval of the Bureau.

The Director General

implored CPDSL to revive the company and bring it to profitability in the shortest time and for the benefit of Nigerians.

Responding, the company’s Group Chairman, Prince Albert Awofisayo said the company would abide by the reviewed SSPA to resuscitate the company to generate employment

in Nigeria.

He appeal to the federal government to intervene in power supply to the company, adding that the cost of generating power by the organisation is expensive.

Ikorodu Bricks & Clay Company, wholly owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria was privatised through

a core investor sale in 2006.

The company was acquired 100 per cent by CPDSL through a competitive bidding process.

Through the post-transaction monitoring exercise, it was discovered that IB&CL stopped operations few years after privatisation due to the core investor’s inability to raise capital to finance the opera-

tions.

Thus, the company was listed as one of the non-performing enterprises and in the quest (through the committee set up for non-performing enterprises) to identify the challenges inhibiting performance, CPDSL identified the inability to raise capital to finance operations as part of its challenges.

KNOWLEDGE-SHARING FORUM

L-R: Vice Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association-Section of Business Law (NBA-SBL), Dr. Adeoye Adefulu; Chief Executive Officer, RTC Advisory Services, Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje; Managing Partner, Principles Law Partnership, Mrs. Miannaya Essien (SAN); Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Akintunde Adelana; and Chairman, NBA-SBL, Ayuli Jemide, at the NBA-SBL/NCDMB colloquium held in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

NALDA Recovers Abandoned Farm Estates in 21 States James Emejo in Abuja The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Paul Ikonne, has said the authority had identified and recovered various abandoned farm estates in no fewer than 21 states of the federation.

This, he said, followed the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to the authority to recovery of all NALDA abandoned farm estates located across the country.

The farmlands were recovered in Gombe, Borno, Adamawa,

Taraba, Niger, Kebbi, Oyo, Imo, Katsina, Lagos, Ekiti, Delta, Bauchi, Yobe, Kaduna, Benue, Kogi, Osun, Anambra, Akwa Ibom and Abia States.

Ikonne said efforts have commenced towards reactivating the lands in phases, adding that the institution was prepared to start wet season farming across on the recovered assets across the country.

Speaking on the achievements of the authority, one year after it was resuscitated by Buhari and domiciled under his supervision, the NALDA boss further assured that the president’s mandate to

boost food security and create employment would be achieved.

Among other things, he said NALDA had engaged in dry season farming of rice in some pilot states including Adamawa, Niger, Yobe, Taraba and Bauchi adding that farmers were trained on dry season farming of which they were not used to, stressing that, “we are expecting harvest in the coming weeks”.

He also disclosed that its animal husbandry programme, which included rabbittry and goat rearing in some pilot states had been a huge success as

over 30,000 litres of rabbit urine and 1,000kg of rabbit droppings, which are being used as fertilizer, had been harvested, having subjected it to laboratory analysis while the “rabbit farmers are making income from this”.

He said the authority was also in partnership with some state governments to reactivate abandoned state-owned farm estates.

He explained that in line with NALDA’s mandate of achieving food security, it had embarked on establishing fish villages to engage rural women in fish

production and packaging in some pilot states including Borno and Abia states.

He further said through the NALDA integrated farm programme to be established in the 109 senatorial districts across the country, “we have reached out to the leadership of the senate for senators to facilitate land donation with the state governments”.

According to him:” This programme is under the National Young Farmers’ Scheme (NYFS), and each integrated farm is expected to engage at least 1,500 farmers.

Institute Harps on Capacity Building for Lawmakers Emma Okonji The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) has said it will continue to enlighten members of the National Assembly on the relevance of emerging technologies in driving smart city projects.

National Chairman of NIEEE, Kings Adeyemi, gave the assurance during the 53rd Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) of the institute, which held recently via

a webinar.

He said the institute would continue to proffer proficient guidance to the National Economic Council, Governor’s Forum, and the National Assembly, on subjects related to its professional domain.

In his welcome address, Adeyemi said NIEEE would strengthen its relationship with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Communications Commission

(NCC), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and other relevant agencies of government in standards development processes.

Adeyemi, who spoke on rebranding and innovation of NIEEE’s technology driven projects, said the major goal of re-branding NIEEE project, was to raise the profile of NIEEE up to legislative backing. “Other landmarks of the project include the implementation of new

NIEEE logo, re-designing of website, befitting NIEEE Head Office now in strategic location in Abuja, full implementation of re-structured organs of NIEEE, engagement of an Executive Secretary to run the affairs of National Secretariat and Liaison Office, National Chairman’s quarterly engagement with Chapter Chairmen, introduction of online general meetings and conferences, e-voting, acquisition of licensed Zoom online facilities

and available for all Chapters and National activities, among others,” Adeyemi said.

“It is my vision to see NIEEE becoming a world-class professional body. To achieve this mandate, we all need to work together to position NIEEE at the front burner of engineering affairs in this country. “We need to bring our slogan – ‘NIEEE Setting the pace in Engineering Excellence’ – into limelight,” Adeyemi further said.

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Asst. Editor, Money Market

Nume Ekeghe

Senior Correspondent

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) ÜÙ×ÙÝÏÖÏ ÌÓÙÎßØ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) ××ËØßÏÖ ÎÎÏÒ (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

Expert Advises Business Owners on Employee, Consumer Privacy Emma Okonji The Regional Manager, Middle East and Africa (MEA) at Zoho Corporation, Mr. Andrew Bourne, has advised business owners on the need to protect employee and consumer privacy in order to maintain good employee-customer

relation and retain them.

According to him, “the business landscape is hurriedly re-orienting itself to provide the digital consumer a safe space where their data is protected round the clock.”

“Meanwhile, there’s another important stakeholder whose privacy equally matters. Em-

ployees have just as much right to privacy in the workplace,” Bourne said, adding that recent trends like remote working and hybrid models have heightened the importance of employee privacy in an organisation.

With little to no time to vet third-party vendors, organisations had to purchase and

implement technology quickly or use free applications without weighing vulnerabilities. But this hasty transition was not without its risks, especially for employees. For instance, the steep rise in user base for video conferencing tools caught the hackers’ attention and live meetings were invaded in some

cases. Moreover, audio/video calls while working from home means that varied details of employees’ personal lives are archived in vendors’ data records, at risk of being compromised unless the vendor has a stringent data protection program, Bourne said.

25

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͮ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Huawei Partners TD Africa on Enterprise Solution Huawei, a multinational technology company, has partnered with TD Africa to unveil the IdeaHub series products, a cutting-edge solution targeting the enterprise market.

The revolutionary products were unveiled at a launch event held recently in Lagos.

The Huawei IdeaHub series is an intelligent endpoint, which integrates multiple functions, including multi-screen collaboration between mobiles and PCs, interactive whiteboard, remote collaboration, FHD video conferencing and built-in HD AppGallery.

Furthermore, the IdeaHub is a brand new productivity tool designed by Huawei to create an all-scenario smart office. It aims to bring digital to every meeting room and open office, promoting office and production efficiency for enterprises in need of the most advanced networking infrastructure needs.

Users can choose from a wide range of IdeaHub products. Huawei IdeaHub has six models divided into three series. They include the IdeaHub S 65”/86”, IdeaHub Pro 65”/86”, and IdeaHub Enterprise 65”/86” customized for industry scenarios.

Also, the Huawei IdeaHub Series offers both 65-inch and 86-inch options. It can be installed on a mobile stand or wall in a variety of environments, including enterprise conference rooms, executive board rooms, open office, and even home office rooms.

Its excellent performance and flexible deployment provide

an intelligent office and team collaboration for every working space.

Huawei IdeaHub debuts multiple cutting-edge technologies of the industry, such as intelligent display, intelligent handwriting recognition, acoustic baffle and speaker tracking.

In addition, its built-in AppGallery creates a wide range of benefits. First, theyaggregate massive enterprise office and production applications. Second, they satisfy the enterprises demands of collaborative offices, R&D, and production. Finally, they support low-cost and easy deployment and use.

Further elevating the utility of the Huawei IdeaHub is a dual-chip kernel developed by Huawei to provide powerful graphics and AI processing capabilities. It has a 4K touchscreen with a precision of ±0.1 mm and its professional 4K camera supports ultra-HD video of 4K 30 FPS. The 12 microphone arrays pick up sound within 8 m and have 0.5° source localization for sounds. In addition, a powerful hardware configuration coupled with a sleek technical design sets a new trend for enterprise upgrades of intelligent offices.

The IdeaHub series will appeal to a burgeoning Enterprise market in Nigeria and beyond, which Huawei hopes to access through TD Africa’s wide reach and growing partner database.

The innovation mirrors Huawei’s all-scenario smart office strategy – 1+3+X, which provides enterprise users a new productivity tool to actualize this smart office.

Univasa Offers Solution for Instant Withdrawal for Driver-partners Nosa Alekhuogie Indigenous ride-hailing platform, Univasa Nigeria has released a new feature that allows driver-partners instantly withdraw their commissions on card-based trips at any time and any day they want.

The instant withdrawal feature is the first of its kind in the Nigerian ride-hailing sector where drivers usually have to wait till a particular day in the week to cash out or withdraw their card-based trip commissions.

Univasa was also the first platform to enable in-app internet-enabled voice calls that helps drivers and riders spend less on airtime calls.

This development is in line with the company’s mandate to provide the best possible service to its driver-partners, the company currently provides a welfare package that gives drivers the opportunity to own their lands, buy gadgets and pay in instalments. They also provide insurance to drivers and security tools like tracking devices.

Speaking on the new feature, Univasa’s CEO, Dr. Ben Adeniyi, said: “We decided to implement this feature

after so many driver-partners complained of the delay in accessing much-needed cash, the weekly remittance process is a major pain point for ride-hailing driver-partners especially when they have a lot of card-based trips in the week.

‘This means they don’t readily have access to cash needed for both car and personal maintenance, some of them informed us that they take loans ahead of their payout days and this affects their profit-making or even business growth.”

It is for this reason that the solution was developed, which has brought so much relief to driver-partners and they are so happy about it,” Adeniyi said.

Univasa launched in the later part of 2020 in Lagos with a partnership with popular Lagos yellow cabs through a campaign called “Baba dey online” and has since expanded operations to Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Benin City, Akure and Ilorin; Kwara state. The platform also confirmed that they will be extending operations to at least five more cities in Nigeria before the year runs out.

UK Enhances Support for Tech SMEs in Nigeria Stories by Emma Okonji The United Kingdom (UK) government, in January through the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub launched it’s iNOVO Accelerator Programme for 10 early stage startups building innovative solutions to tackle the challenges caused by COVID-19 across the Education, Agriculture and Health sector in Nigeria.

In partnership with StartupBootcamp Afritech and Ventures Platform as implementing partners, the three months virtual programme afforded the top 10 selected startups an opportunity to receive capacity building and learn startup training, mentorship, and support to scale their products and business models rapidly.

The top 10 startups across EdTech, AgriTech and HealthTech also received an opportunity to validate their solutions with pilots and proof

of concept engagements and use their newfound insights to rapidly pivot and scale.

This was done with the help of dedicated entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and industry experts. To wrap up the programme, these startups also got the opportunity to pitch in front of an audience comprised investors, corporate and government partners at the virtual demo day event.

The second pronged strategy of the programme was to also provide a great learning experience for selected startups that couldn’t make a cut into the programme. Of a total of 750 applications received, the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub also sponsored 100 startups from the pool of applications received to gain life-time access to the Accelerator Squared platform where they are provided with the necessary insights and modules to help them build

products and companies to scale impact.

Founders were very impressed by the Accelerator Squared platform-the interactive playbook that provides startup founders with more than a dozen graduated modules to progress through every stage of the startup journey was a valuable asset that assisted in helping them fine-tune their business models.

The Interim Country Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Lamide Johnson said: “Seeing the incredible impact this programme has been for the participating startups is a testament to the fact that if we want to give room for innovation to solve some of the arduous problems faced in Nigeria, more interventions such as this are needed to provide the needed information, network and support for early-stage startups building innovative

solutions.

“Through this programme, we readily saw the need to support and provide more spring-boards for early-stage startups seeking to scale their impact.”

Speaking on the programme experience, some of the top 10 startups gave remarkable feedback on how the iNOVO Accelerator programme had an impact on their startups.

The Chief Executive Officer of Schoola Abdul Bature, stated: “It has been an incredible three months of hard work. With the help of StartupBootcamp AfriTech and Ventures Platform, our gamified learning solutions for secondary and primary schools has managed to get the attention of corporate partners and key stakeholders, which has led to a partnership with the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges and an onboarding of 25 other partners.”

PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

L-R: Assistant Director, Corps Inspection and Monitoring, NYSC, Mrs. Jane Okpongette; Head Brand Marketing & Communications, Unity Bank Plc, Mr. DeVoe Okorie; Overall Winner of Corpreneurship Challenge, Agu Ogechukwu Lilian, NYSC Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, Mrs. Chinyere Ekwe; second prize winner, Victor Obichukwu Chidebere; third prize winner, Abiona Elizabeth Oluwayenisi, Uyo Regional Manager, Unity Bank, Mr. Etop Ukpe, and NYSC Akwa Ibom Camp Commandant, Captain Atawodi S.A, during the cheque presentation to winners of Corpreneurship Challenge at the Akwa Ibom NYSC Orientation camp...recently

NIMC Appoints Spectranet 4G for NIN Enrollment Nosa Alekhuogie The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has appointed Spectranet 4G LTE owned exclusive shops as locations for Nigerians to register for National Identity Number (NIN) Disclosing this in a chat with journalists, the Chief Executive Officer of Spectranet, Mr. Ajay Awasthi, said, seven locations of Spectranet shops in Lagos,

Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan had been granted approvals to conduct registration of NIN. According to Ajay, these locations are already in operation with added manpower to attend to the need of anyone desirous of enrolling for the National identity Number.

It is a service we are offering for both Spectranet customers and other members of the public that are yet to register for the National Identity Number.

The service can be availed free of cost, in the comfort of Spectranet exclusive shops located at convenient distances from various localities in these four cities.

“We would urge our customers and their friends and families to get themselves enrolled for NIN in a hassle-free manner without the need to stand in long queues. I would further urge them to hurry up and not to keep this enrolment pending

till 30th June 2021, the date fixed as the last date by the Federal Government,” Ajay added.

He further said: “As ISP brand, we are thankful to NIMC for considering us worthy of delivering this critical task in the middle of the challenges confronting Nigerians in registering for NIN, we are extremely glad to render the service that will keep our fellow citizens connected to the internet in a safe manner.”

Airtel Customers to Enjoy Home Broadband Discounts Nosa Alekhuogie Airtel Nigeria has announced the introduction of its Airtel Home Broadband (HBB) seasonal offer, a value offering that gives customers exciting discount deals on its home broadband devices.

The telecoms operator said the offer was designed to ensure its home broadband customers get the best out of its broadband services on the widest 4G Network in Nigeria.

According to Airtel, customers now have the opportunity to own Airtel Home Broadband (HBB) devices such as routers and MiFis at discounted rates bundled with Broadband Data from June 1, 2021 till August 31st, 2021.

Commenting on the new offer, Director, HBB, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Godfrey Efeurhobo, said the HBB Seasonal Offer would further extend broadband experience to more customers across the country.

According to him, the offer, which has been designed to meet the growing demand for quality home broadband experience with consideration for affordability is a veritable platform to support the new normal of work from home, study from home, entertainment at home with friends and loved ones, connecting multiple devices simultaneously to Wi-Fi with superior data quality seamlessly.

“Airtel is committed to

creating unique and innovative value propositions that makes life simpler, easier, better and more fun for all its customers.

“There is a growing demand for superior internet connectivity on Home Broadband internet, and with this new offer, we are confident that consumers in the segment will have an enriched experience and be further empowered to realize their full potentials, especially with its affordability and Reliability” he said.

T H I S D AY ˾ JUNE 10, 2021

26

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Gbolade: Insecurity, Major Disservice to Nigeria’s Economy The Managing Director/Chief Executive, SD&D Capital Management Limited, Mr. Idakolo Gbolade, said as laudable as it seems to end the fuel subsidy regime, the implementation should be delayed until certain conditions are met. James Emejo brings the excerpts:

T

he federal government recently in a bid to further curtail the spread of COVID-19 has ordered closure of parks and bars and introduced curfews. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also frowned at another shut down of the economy. What is your opinion on this development?

Actually, I believe the lock down announced by the government was too quick, for the government to consider any lock down at this time. Nigeria in the past one year has successfully stemmed the tide of COVID-19 and with measures already put in place and ensuring that our borders are secure and monitored and testing actively done - I don’t see any reason why Nigeria should be announcing lock downs anymore. And again, the economy of Nigeria presently is extremely weak. Anything that seems to lock down or suggest inactivity will definitely throw Nigeria back to recession and increase the inflationary trends. So the truth of the matter is the Nigeria as it is now, just as the measures that are being taken in other advanced countries, should identify countries like India and Brazil that have dangerous strains of the virus and ensure that travellers from those countries are closely monitored or a red ban can be placed on them and ensure that our contact and tracing and those that are coming into the country are undergoing the normal seclusion for the two weeks and ensure that it is enforced. If Nigeria can do this, we have seen that the rate has drastically reduced to less than a hundred in a day and we have seem that Nigerians over a period of three to five days have not even witnessed any single deaths as regards to COVID-19. So, going to take drastic measures of lockdown in this present economy is going to really affect the economy in an adverse manner.

How much damage has the current state of insecurity exacted on the country’s foreign investment drive?

Insecurity is a major disservice to the Nigerian economy presently. COVID-19 did a part but insecurity is our major problem and is the most dangerous trend that has caused the Nigerian economy to continue to slide when it comes to foreign direct investment. Any investor in an economy will most importantly first look at government policies after which they’ll look at the security of their investments in such a country. Presently in Nigeria, the security of investments, except if you are investing in the capital market - is very dicey because you cannot move freely in two-third of the Nigerians states presently. And therefore, I don’t see a foreign investor coming into Nigeria to establish for example a mining or gold manufacturing plant or any manufacturing plant presently without being kidnapped. We have seen at most times that even expatriates are being even on the oil rigs in Nigeria. So even foreign direct investments as regards the oil and gas services has also dwindled because of the fear of insecurity. We have seen that the likes of Total and ENI among other oil companies are looking elsewhere where their investments can be secure. So, insecurity presently is really affecting Nigeria’s economy and is reducing the foreign direct investment that is supposed to come into the country. Yes, we have had investment announcements of intended investments in Nigeria, the major thing that could affect these potential investments from materialising is insecurity and if the investors do not see government’s concrete actions in stemming the tide, they’ll be forced to withdraw or wait until the situation is better. So, insecurity is really affecting us and the government of Nigeria seemed to be overwhelmed as to how to stem the tide.

Away from foreign investments; how are the local investors coping with the present business environment?

The government with their approach to businesses is really affecting productivity as regards those businesses. One, the government is all out to tax business owners to their teeth.

Gbolade

And most of these businesses are suffering from multiple taxation presently which the government needs to look into and make the tax regime as flexible as possible for these companies to be able to survive. Secondly, we have seen over time that because of the neglect of host communities of where these manufacturing companies are located, most of them tend to resort to self-help by ensuring that they make the environment in conducive for manufacturing companies in their respective localities and these are the things that government should have done in the first place. In any community there should have been an arrangement with the communities to ensure that any industry that is sited there can be able to operate peacefully. So, if there are destruction to their operations, it’s definitely going to affect their production and their output would be low. So when we look at the relations between host communities and the companies that have sited industries, it’s hostile presently in Nigeria and the government is inflicting heavy taxes on these companies and coupled with the insecurity that pervades the country. For a company that is manufacturing in Osun for instance, it has to be assured that the company will successfully be able to carry their goods and move them to place where they’ll be able to sell or move them to their distributors. The government has not put enough enabling environment to ensure that the rail system can be used effectively, logistics as regards transportation is having a serious challenge in Nigeria because it’s either the manufacturer use the rail system or they use the containerised system which is fraught with serious security challenges presently. So most of these manufacturers suffer huge losses as regards either accidents on the road or attacks on their goods. And at the end of the day, when they are now giving reports to their directors and shareholders, you discover that these issues that we have listed affect their bottom line and make the balance sheet most of the time go to the negative.

Most of these companies have voiced out their concerns to government. We’ve seen most of them packing out of Nigeria to a saner environment where they can do their business and over time in the past 10 years, I have not seen any government policy to directly address this and it’s affecting business seriously.

What would be your recommendations to the government in reducing the current tax burden on businesses?

If you see that approach that some countries in the world are using, you’ll discover that they operate a tax friendly regime. What I mean by tax friendly regime is to ensure that you bring tax payers together and look at ways of having a win-win situation that would ensure that the taxpayers would be truthful in the remittance of their taxes and there would be no corruption in the system to deter the government from receiving its dues for taxpayers.

Part of what the government should do is to ensure that there is a seamless framework to ensure that the tax payers have a buy-in in government policies, to ensure that what they government had said the taxes will be used for are satisfied - that it is going to be used for it...we need to sit down with manufacturers who are they high-end of taxpayers- sit down with them and identify their problems. The government needs to sit with taxpayers, out their problems and policies to them and tell them that if they fulfill their own part, the government will also fulfil their own part. We have seen that in the past years, government only ensured that these taxes were collected from the businesses but government does not fulfil its own part. We need to have a synergy between the taxpayers and the government. If the taxpayers believe that whatever they are paying they’ll see the effects, they’ll dutifully pay and the government should eliminate all the loopholes of corruption so that these actual taxes can actually get to the coffers of the government instead of dividing it 50-50 by some unscrupulous elements.

Inflationary pressure has remained a key challenge to policy makers particularly the monetary authority as this has affected the cost of living. What is your panacea for the headline index which had risen for about 18 consecutive months before slowing in April?

We first need to look at government policies as regards how to stem inflation. We have the central bank, we have the ministry of finance, and various agencies of government that are supposed to ensure that government policies are implemented. And they are measured. So,

we have seen a lot of policies that the CBN has introduced - the Anchor Borrowers Programme and ensuring that the real sector gets what it needs in the area of foreign exchange and necessary back up for those who are exporting their products.

But what the government needs to do is to be able to measure performance of the policies which they have instituted. Because if these policies are not measured, then we will not be able to have a firm grip of how far we have gone or how far are we doing. So government needs to look at measuring these policies from the policy operators’ angle because if the CBN has given so much to the anchor borrower programme and given farmers so much loans, how much of these have gotten to these respective areas and how has it been measured and utilised.

And if there are lines for repayment, how has it been done? Has repayment been coming?

That is one angle. The second angle is that the major causes of inflation in Nigeria presently had been inflation that had arisen from food prices. One of the major reasons why inflation had arisen in food prices is still what we are talking about - insecurity. Because most of the farmers that are supposed to willfully go to their farms and ensure that they practiced what they have learnt are being denied this opportunity due to the spate of kidnappings, destruction of crops and all the banditry that is happening in the country and because of that, the output of agricultural inputs have reduced drastically in the country. The very few that has been had is what is now used to service the economy and we have seen that because there’s reduced production, it would lead to high costs of goods and services. The third thing that government needs to do is to start adding value to the raw materials that we have. One is the issue of petroleum for example; Nigeria is going to face more inflation because we are importing petroleum and we are paying so much dollars for it. If Nigeria can ensure that the five existing refineries which are supposed to work at 445 million barrels per day - but we know their capacity presently though there are turnaround maintenance that is ongoing at the four NNPC refineries, but even after the turnaround I doubt it if they’ll be able to meet up with the 445 installed capacity. And so Nigeria keeps importing petroleum and we keep playing expensive dollars for it. If Nigeria can look at adding value to the crude oil that is our own natural resources by ensuring that it is processed here in Nigeria, it is going to drastically reduce the cost without even adding subsidy to it. And also, Nigeria should encourage private sector involvement in the area of oil and gas. As Dangote refinery is going to be coming up very soon, more of it should be encouraged to the extent that Nigeria would now be a net exporter of cause oil products.

If Nigeria can do that, we will receive more dollars and it would stem inflationary pressures.

Also, Nigeria needs to start adding value to the non-oil sector products - we should add value to our cocoa, cow skin that is used for leather and shea butter among others. Nigeria is one of the highest producers of shea butter in the world but yet we are not adding value it and that is why we said the policy implementation of the government needs to be reassessed and valued to be able to be sure that something is actually being done and result is being generated.

I give you an example...it’s a major problem in Nigeria that government needs to look into. We have to have a deliberate policy of consistently adding value to the raw materials or natural resources that we have. One of the major reasons for inflation is because of the high expenses that Nigeria incurs when products are imported. If we are having more exports than imports, it’s going to drastically affect the inflation that is happening in Nigeria and it’s going to reduce it. Similarly, if Nigeria can ensure that insecurity is reduced to the nearest minimum, then agricultural products which are now the cause of the inflationary trends that we are seeing in Nigeria will reduce.

Continued on page 29

T H I S D AY ˾ JUNE 10, 2021

27

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Harnessing Potentials of Renewable Energy Oluchi Chibuzor

A

s the world continues to record high level of modernisation and globalisation, one of the things being beamed searchlight on is renewable energy.

Research has shown that as at 2019, more than two-thirds of worldwide newly installed electricity capacity was renewable even as in 2020, photovoltaic solar and on-shore wind are the cheapest forms of building new electricity generating plants.

According to Wikipedia, renewable energy is useful energy collected from resources which are naturally replenished on a human time-scale, including carbon natural sources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal.

Renewable energy quite different from fossil fuels, provides energy in four important areas; electricity generation, air and water heating/cooking, transportation as well as rural (off-grid) energy services.

Now, bringing the matter home, policymakers and experts in Nigeria are paying increasing attention to the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector as an elixir to economic growth and investment portfolio.

Globally, there were an estimated 10.5 million jobs associated with renewable energy industries with solar photovoltaics being the largest employer.

Again, it has been stated that rapid deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency results to energy security, climate change mitigation, investment promotion, pocket-friendly, and other economic benefits, Indeed, determined to increase access to power supply across the country, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has disclosed that it is using standardisation to open up improved investments in the renewable and efficient energy sector.

A statement from the office of the Director General, SON, explained that the solar power industry relies heavily on standardisation, adding that renewable energy has become increasingly important across the country.

The agency unveiled recently in Abuja, new energy standards for energy meters, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, inverters, batteries and charge controllers.

According to the standards body, this is to substantially increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix under the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Besides, the standards body stated that in a country such as Nigeria where expensive and ecologically harmful diesel generators are widely used, the unveiling of new standards would improve access to electricity in Nigeria.

SON said it would deploy a multistakeholder approach with consultations and inputs from relevant public-private entities to develop a more regulated and standardised market that encourages further investments into Renewable Energy (RE) and Efficient Energy (EE) sector.

To achieve this, the SON is currently being supported by the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), a technical assistance programme co-funded by the European Union and the German Government and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Salim

GmbH in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Power.

SON noted that due to its flexibility and affordability, solar power has fast become the most popular form of renewable power.

SON said NESP aims to improve the framework conditions for investments in the application of renewable energy and energy efficiency and rural electrification, saying that its main objective is to provide guidance towards the achievement of the objectives of the strategy set for the implementation of renewable energy policy.

“NESP aims at enabling and fostering investments in a domestic market for Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) and improving access to electricity in Nigeria,” SON declared.

According to SON, following extensive consultations, 37 standards were selected and approved in November 2020, pointing out that given renewable energy’s increasing prominence, the solar power industry understandably relies heavily on standardisation.

“Standards play an essential part in testing, energy conversion, reflectance or materials properties, fabricating arrays, integrating into the smart grid and assuring workplace safety,” SON stressed.

Recall that in 2017, the agency launched the Energy Guide Label; a seal to guide Nigerians on the amount of energy consumed by air conditioners, lamps and refrigerators in collaboration with the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP).

The Energy Guide Label was designed for the Nigerian market to be attached on electrical appliances to provide information

on the accurate energy consumption of a product. The agency has been enlightening consumers on how to make informed purchasing decisions on electrical products and appliances.

Meanwhile, the agency would soon commence a nation-wide campaign against sub-standard electric appliances.

Disclosing this in Abuja at the launch and awareness creation of Photovoltaic (PV), charge controllers, inverter battery and metering standards, the Director General, SON, Mallam Farouk Salim warned all operators in the power sector to be ready to face the full wrath of the law ‘because SON will apply zero-tolerance to all sub-standard appliances.

He declared: ‘I must send out this strict warning to manufacturers, assemblers, importers, and distributors of all products in this range that will want to cut corners to be ready to face the full wrath of the law because SON will apply zero-tolerance to all sub-standard appliances.”

Salim also disclosed that the agency has been doing all it could to put in place all the needed conformity assessment measures to support the implementation and enforcement of the new standards, adding that testing equipment have been procured and are being installed.

He stated that the agency has been strengthening the capacity of officers through training and retraining, thanking GIZ for the just concluded first phase of the training on the standards while accreditation of the laboratory will be pursued for global acceptance of the reports.

There will be high level surveillance of

the products imported/local, manufacturing/ assembling companies will be professionally and competently inspected.

Analysts said however, that it would require a concerted teamwork involving all stakeholders to achieve the needed success that will benefit all, adding that useful information would be key while seeking the maximum cooperation of operators.

The SON boss lauded the collaborations and contributions of all related MDAs towards the project, soliciting their support to work together with SON in standards development even as he expressed hope that stakeholders would keep deploying the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) appropriately in order to support the implementation of the standards as well as sustain the global fight against climate change and global warming.

According to Emmanuel Oke, an engineer, all stakeholders in the power sector need to contribute their quotas towards developing strategies for effective implementation and public awareness of the new electricity appliances standards while commending the Nigerian Energy Support Programme/GIZ and other experts for the technical supports and contributions towards the development of the standards.

‘Globally, lack of enough efforts to provide sufficient energy have resulted in challenges and impacts that affect the climate, causing untold greenhouse effects. In Nigeria, we crave for high-energy sufficiency while expecting to protect nature.

“Therefore, we can no longer afford to ignore actions against greenhouse effects, we must therefore consider the environmental consequences of energy production and use.

“It is to this end that these sets of standards and the other approved standards in this category are considered very important, timely and instruments for actions to support energy sufficiency as well as mitigate the negative effects of climate change.’ he stated.

Another stakeholder, Callistus Mba deposed that through standards and conformity assessment, efficient, reliable and sufficient power solutions would be provided for rural, urban dwellers as well as industrial needs, adding that with the collective expertise, ozone layer depletion and other environment challenges would be mitigated.

“As these standards for Photovoltaic modules, Charge Controllers, Electricity Meters, Inverters and Inverter Batteries are launched, opportunities for fair trade practices, lowered cost of manufacture/assembly through low or eliminated factory rejects, consumer satisfaction, business expansion, employment creation and career development will be the requirements of these standards to ensure Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), the best product quality that will satisfy all consumers at all times’’ Mba asserted.

Insider claimed that SON has been doing all it could to put in place all the needed conformity assessment measures to support implementation and enforcement of the standards. While hoping that the plans for surveillance, implementation and public awareness for the standards in the Energy sector would help disseminate quality requirements and popularize the need for quality grid-tied and off-grid solar systems among power investors, producers, and consumers

Media Executives Task NEITI on Transparency in Mining Sector Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Media executives in the country have urged the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to beam the searchlight on the mining sector in the country, in a bid to rid it of underhand dealings.

A statement by the Head, Communications and Advocacy of the organisation, Mrs. Obiageli Onuorah, in Abuja, noted that the media professionals made the call when the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, visited some media houses in Lagos.

While congratulating Orji on his appointment, they tasked NEITI

to pay special attention to the mining sector, enforce sanctions against infractions and support in building the capacity of their staff to understand the mechanics of the extractive industries.

The statement quoted the Chairman of Channels Television, Dr. John Momoh, as pledging to put at NEITI’s disposal its digital space with millions of followers.

“It is a matter of national interest.

We are interested in knowing how much money is being spent and what is happening in Nigeria’s extractive industries. We will work with you.

Just let us know what we can do,” Momoh said.

Orji stated that the advocacy visits have opened new chapters in NEITI’s relationship with the media and form part of his efforts at re-building trust and confidence towards the NEITI process.

He called for stronger and deeper partnership with the media in its advocacy to ensure prudent management of Nigeria’s natural resources.

According to the release, the visits also took the NEITI chief executive to the Lagos offices of the Managing Directors of Arise News and THISDAY Newspapers, Ms. Ijeoma Nwogwugwu and Mr. Eniola Bello respectively.

Orji said: “I am in Lagos to thank

my colleagues in the media for their support and solidarity on my appointment and to seek collaboration and partnership. I regret that I am unable to visit all but only a few as a result of time and the Lagos traffic but will do so in the near future.”

He stated that the success of his job requires a lot of media collaboration in the use of data and information generated by NEITI to build knowledge and understanding, mobilise public support for a more transparent and accountable extractive industries.

He explained that NEITI exists to galvanise change in Nigeria’s

natural resource management by making the findings and recommendations contained in its reports public, enlighten the people, and ultimately uplift their standard of living.

He commended the media chiefs for the quality of their programmes, experience and professionalism of their staff.

“Your media are very independent, analytical and insightful on issues.

That is why we seek this relationship to enable us link our reports to visible impacts. I commend the young men and women you have given the opportunity to advance in the industry,” he added.

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When is the Best Time to Improving Food Safety Issue a Bond? through Self-regulation

Oniha

Robert Awodu

E

stablished in October 2000, the Debt Management Office (DMO) was empowered to oversee and coordinate Nigeria’s public debt. Before the formation of DMO, public debts were reportedly managed by establishments such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF). The injection of efficiency and improved coordination of public debt by the DMO was expected, among other things, to translate to a sustainable borrowing framework for the country, improved support for the fiscal and monetary authorities, and lower debt stock and servicing cost.

Nigeria’s total debt stock and related servicing expense were quoted at N32.9 trillion and N2 trillion, respectively, as of the end of 2020 (versus N12.6 trillion and N1.0 trillion apiece in 2015), highlighting ever-expanding funding needs amidst intermittent revenue setbacks and multiple naira devaluations. Interestingly, despite representing only a tiny fraction of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, the sovereigns boast a larger share of total outstanding debt across the country.

On the other hand, the corporate bond market remains smaller even though the private sector contributes more to the country’s output than the government.

This corporate bond market is mainly regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which reviews and approves bond or debt issuance programmes of public companies.

Giant corporates seeking cheaper long-term funding options that would not dilute their ownership structure often resort to bond issuances. These companies typically enjoy tax waivers that, among other things, reduce their issuance cost and benefit investors in the note.

These exemptions cover taxes under personal income tax, valueadded tax, and capital gains tax; and are expected to last for an initial period of 10 years after issuance (vs infinite tax exemptions for sovereign bonds). However, the benefits harnessed from debt markets are not identical across firms as market timing ability and other company-specific factors such as earnings profile, current leverage levels, credit ratings, et cetera, play a differentiating role among issuing companies.

Though it is not always possible to accurately predict the best time to issue bonds, the prevailing interest rate environment is usu-

ally a good indicator. Specifically, the pricing of corporate bond instruments is likely affected by investors’ return expectations based on benchmark FG instruments and the yield offered on recent similar issues by comparable companies.

Indeed, a few companies saw an opportunity to raise debt at very favourable interest rates in the second half of 2020, aided by the unique circumstances that resulted in the material decline in interest rates.

For context, interest rates plummeted to multi-year lows in Q4 2020, on the impact of excess market liquidity and a second monetary policy rate cut in the calendar year that investors primarily interpreted as an indication of CBN’s intention to remain dovish in the near term. In addition, the Nigerian stock market was relatively unattractive in Q4 2020, which made the debt market a safer haven for investors despite the low rates.

While market analysts and commentators expected a yield reversal later on in 2021, few anticipated the rapid acceleration in interest rates witnessed in the first four months of the year. This sudden hike in market rates has raised borrowing costs for individuals and corporates, who may be ruing the opportunity to raise cheap debt in the immediate aftermath of the liquidity induced crash in interest rates in the first half of 2020.

However, at least 18 companies took advantage of lower rates within the nine months of May 2020, and February 2021, raising a combined N410.6 billion of debt at below a rate of 10 per cent per annum for bonds and 4.3 per cent per annum on average for Commercial Paper issuances.

Worthy of note are three capital market operators who specifically leveraged expertise to take advantage of the low-interest environment.

Perhaps buttressing the significance of the timing of the bond borrowings, CardinalStone Partners raised N5 billion through a 5-year bond at the height of the interest rate crash in December 2020 at a coupon of seve per cent per annum; this is the lowest-priced bonds for any non-bank financial institution in Nigeria for a similar tenor in the last ten years. Coronation Merchant Bank and United Capital also issued 5-year bonds at six per cent and 12.5 per cent per annum, respectively, while Flour Mills Plc and Dangote Cement issued similar tenored notes at 5.5 per cent and 12.5 per cent per annum, respectively, in April and December 2020.

Notably, bond issuances by high-quality corporates have continued in recent times. Specifically, Fidelity Bank raised 10-year funds at 8.5 per cent per annum in January 2021, while MTNN raised seven-year funds at 13 per cent per annum in May 2021.

A good understanding of market timing will help companies plan their proposed debt issue and hedge against higher finance costs.

It will be ideal for companies to engage an investment bank to assist in optimizing the capital structure and identify the ideal funding gap that requires long term funding so that the company is better positioned to issue bonds at the best time.

-Awodu wrote in from Lagos

Oluchi Chibuzor

C

ommemorative days are typically known to inspire wider actions in addressing deep issues across thematic borders and sectors.

The theme of the 2021 World Food Safety Day (WFSD), ‘Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow’, couldn’t have been more appropriate in drawing attention to the current global and national food security and safety issues.

Reports about the looming food shortage in certain countries/ regions; and the increasing pivot to cheap, and in some cases, unsafe alternatives among segments of the global population has helped to galvanise governments and corporate bodies to effectively participate in food security and safety campaigns within their countries and operational regions respectively.

This year’s commemoration of the World Food Safety Day provides a platform to focus on the consumption of unsafe foods, and the consequent impact of such practices on the socio-economic wellbeing of the global population and how the various private and public agencies are working together to proffer lasting solutions to these issues.

A World Health Organisation factsheet showed that an estimated 600 million people fall victim to unsafe, contaminated food every year.

While a large percentage of the estimated number of people who consume unsafe food suffer a range of illnesses such as diarrhea and cancer, about 420,000 of the victims die yearly.

The consumption of contaminated foods and the resulting cases of illnesses and deaths impact the global labour force and productivity levels negatively. The efficiency rate of the labour force is lowered, while medical bills gulp a chunk of corporate and public revenues. In monetary terms, the world loses a whooping $110 billion annually to lost productivity due to consumption of contaminated foods.

More painful, however, is the fact that children account for 40 per cent of the total victims of food-borne diseases.

Considering the recent advancements in the global food supply chains and nutrition regulatory and monitoring frameworks, the proliferation of unsafe foods and the consequent loss of lives is tragic, seeing as it is completely avoidable.

Food can be chemically, biologically and physically contaminated. For instance, the toxins that occur naturally in some fishes may harm consumers.

Likewise, the use of hazardous chemicals such as dichlorvos for the storage of agricultural produce and the adoption of crude farming practices that involve the use of substandard fertilizers on local farms may leave food contaminated and unsafe for public consumption.

Unauthorised preservatives to prolong the shelf life of food products can be hazardous to human health. Pest droppings and other contaminants often contain bacteria and viruses that are harmful when carelessly allowed to get into food prepared for human consumption.

Besides, where foreign objects such as wood, iron, fingernails, amongst others, are found in food meant for human consumption, the food is said to be physically contaminated.

In addition, non-fortified natural food ingredients such as unbranded salts and cooking oil that lack vital nutritional minerals do more harm to the human body than good.

Food insecurity can somewhat be linked to the consumption of unsafe foods. Price inflation and natural disasters stimulate a wider pivot to cheap and unsafe food types.

Drought creates deep poverty and hunger.

Food price inflation encourages the sale of fake & substandard food products, and the marketing of unfortified & badly processed food products.

Global food prices rose sharply in the first quarter of 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupled with regional unrests in the country, the various policies deployed to curtail the pandemic have resulted in economic meltdown across local and global markets.

The World Bank, in a report titled, ‘Food Security and COVID-19’, published on May 21, 2021, stated that, “Global food prices have

risen by 38 per cent since January 2020. Maize prices are 80 per cent higher and wheat prices are 28 per cent higher than in January 2020.

“Surging prices reflect strong demand, along with weather uncertainties, macroeconomic conditions, and COVID-19-related supply disruptions, even though the global production outlook for major grains remains good.

“The primary risks to food security are at the country level: Higher retail prices, combined with reduced incomes, mean more and more households are having to cut down on the quantity and quality of their food consumption.”

The rising cases of illnesses and deaths as a consequence of food-borne diseases demand wider actions. This is where public-private collaborations are imperative. Many global agencies, including the World Bank, and several private food processing firms are helping to address the food security and safety challenges by providing support resources at the production and supply levels to ensure the global population is well-nourished.

As producers of one of the leading food staples in the country, the flour milling industry has a responsibility to ensure food safety and security.

According to Ashish Pande, Managing Director of Crown Flour Mill (CFM) Limited, a subsidiary of Olam Group, “presently, the wheat value chain accounts for 75 million of the daily food portions in Nigerian households. As such, food safety is of very critical importance both ethically and financially to the food production space.

Quality is extremely imperative as it helps to reduces risks and cost thereby increasing sales and improving reputation.”

For one of the leading millers, CFM, for instance, food safety starts from raw material procurement through to the manufacturing processes, storage and distribution and right up to when it gets to the consumer.

According to the Vice President, Quality of CFM, Jean Hazoume, “We ensure that all legal and regulatory requirements are met at all levels, with rigorous procedures followed in line with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards to optimize best practices.

Our factories are certified compliant with international standards, and preventive & corrective actions are taken as at when due.”

We pay maximum attention where food safety and quality are concerned.”

In the food processing business, traceability is a vital part of operational efficiency. This entails identifying the source of all food inputs such as raw materials, additives, other ingredients, and packaging. CFM’s operations underscore the importance of traceability for the production of safe food products.

Food quality measures by CFM includes the deployment of cutting-edge vitamin premix to boost the supply of nutritious, and safe food products that meet the regulatory requirement of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for the local market.

Today’s consumers and particularly this present generation are more health conscious than their older counterparts. This presents a huge opportunity for food manufacturers to exploit this consciousness by manufacturing food products to meet consumer preferences.

In this regard Ashish Pande said: “We have a few things in the pipeline in terms of new product development that would further excite our customers. However, at present, our food labels convey information about our product’s nutritional identity and contents, and on how to handle them safely.

“They contain vital details such as preparation & consumption directions, date of manufacture and expiry of the product as well as storage instructions. Our nutrition labels describe the nutrient content of our products and are intended to guide the consumer in food selection.

Our nutrient content is carefully selected and based on compliance with regulatory dietary recommendations.”

The Managing Director added: “Keeping the contents of our food products safe for their required shelf life is fundamental to avoiding food contamination. As the world celebrates food safety day, CFM continues to contribute to the country’s food safety and security drive, its efforts add up to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals of zero hunger by 2030.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ JUNE 10, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Akwa Ibom as Model for Good Governance Bassey Otu

W

ith the advent of democratic rule in 1999, there has been dearth in qualitative and purposeful leadership by the ruling class. It has been a case of selfish, rudderless and uninspiring leadership which Nigerians have been experiencing.

The style of leadership and governance offered Nigerians by some leaders is myopic and primitive. This is not to say the crop of leaders we have had since 1999 are all bad, there are few examples who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and selflessness.

Since 1999, it has been a norm for most public office holders especially governors to be “clannish” in project(s) execution, policy and decision making and even with appointments.

Some governors at the expiration of their tenure amass questionable wealth and are often subject of investigation due to allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment.

Another endemic trait of these set of leaders is the pettiness with which they play “their” politics.

They are always at war with either their predecessors or successors. While many may call for caution, I will be audacious with my claims that Emmanuel Udom the Governor of Akwa Ibom State is a unique example of good leadership and governance past and future leaders should emulate. The reasons are not far-fetched and I will like to highlight few of it.

When his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressive Congress, rather than the expected campaign of calumny against him either overtly or covertly, neither happened under Emmanuel’s watch. This is a simple demonstration of matured knowledge that democracy is about popularity and scorecard appraisal by the electorates in place of bile-full and instigated attacks.

Emmanuel

It further revealed the stock the gentleman is made of - a man who will not heat up the polity of his state for personal or political interests. Rather, he was focused and went about discharging his duties to the electorates and even conducted a peaceful elections in the state.

As we speak, we are yet to see any leaked or sponsored articles maligning his predecessor. There have been no press conferences, or advertorials by known or faceless groups attacking the reputation of the former Governor either.

Emmanuel left the political fate of his predecessor to God and the electorates.

Unlike the situation of the former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso who cried out that he could not visit the A reason for my assertion of Governor Emmanuel is the sort of projects executed so far by his administration. These projects obviously informed from an economic value and of enormous importance in improving the level of self-generated fortunes for the

state thus reducing its reliance on federal allocation with a boost in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and IGR (Internally Generated Revenue). The Ibom Agricom Rice Processing Mill, King Flour Mill, Lion Plywood Factory, the Syringe Production factory, Greenwell Fertiliser Plant, Awka Prime Hatchery, and the toothpick and pencil making factory are examples of project which is turning the fortunes of the state around for good, and will do for a long time..

Without a doubt, his strategy on security seems to be paying off. Akwa Ibom is about the only state in South-South region and the only oil producing state with no presence of militants or economic saboteurs under the guise of demanding a fair deal for the oil producing communities.

He is a leader who has refused to weaponise poverty or keep his people in the grip of socio-economic hardship in a bid to consolidate his hold onto political power, dominance and relevance, but has created job opportunities, access to quality

education, genuine empowerment schemes and economically viable initiatives. Today, there is said to be a large population of enlightened residents and indigenes committed to personal development and that of the State too. There is no population to recruit criminals, political thugs and miscreants from to disturb the peace and tranquillity in the State. Akwa Ibom is the only state in the region with no heightened tension or considered a flash point for acts of criminality by all relevant security agencies.

The indigenes of the state are committed to moving the state forward and sparing no one or agenda that could back track their achievements or positive aspirations.

Emmanuel is a man whose values and sterling leadership qualities are appreciated and celebrated by prominent persons from both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress.

Two notable instances are when Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State described him as a man of integrity as his words is his bond, and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo described him as “ a game changer for the nation, effusively described him as “one of the cleverest people I have ever come across” during a project commissioning exercise at the state.

Emmanuel always readily preaches service as the first law of God, citing the story of the Good Samaritan.

“He believes that everyone should stoop down to help anyone who is down,” he says. With him (Udom Emmanuel), service is not a habit but a character. This must explain why selfless service to the good people of Akwa Ibom is the hallmark of his administration.

I will recommend with all sense of responsibility, that all aspiring public office holders understudy Udom Emmanuel and get a great perspective on selflessness in leadership. It will surely be a good model to emulate and always celebrate.

-.Otu writes from Uyo

Gbolade: Insecurity, Major Disservice to Nigeria’s Economy How would you evaluate the present MSMEs space in view of recent interventions by government to strengthen operators in the sector?

The policy of government during the COVID-19 pandemic was a welcome idea and on paper it was well thought. But over time, according to statistics, we have seen that that policy had not really reached the grassroots level and most people that even applied, up till now they’ve not been able to receive anything. And so that boils down to what I said earlier concerning evaluation of government programmes. Yes, the government said we are bringing N500 million and we are going to attack this and this areas but most of these areas, when applicants applied, it comes to something else; it comes to favouritism, it comes to who you know and at the end of the day, very few people benefit from a government programme that should have benefitted a larger society. That was why I said that the government should be passionate in their delivery of services to citizens in the sense that when programmes are implemented, we should be able to evaluate them. And when you talk of evaluation, government cannot evaluate itself, government should get people that are not part of government to be able to evaluate the success of government programmes. The government should reach out and look at none governmental organisations or other analysts even foreign analysts or organisations that are skilled in that area to be able to evaluate the programmes and be able to give reports to government so that government can be able to say we have done so much in this area and these are the areas needing improvement and then these are the things to be done to ensure policies are all round successful Government has not evaluated that programme. We see that over time it’s all noise and no action. So in as much as government knows what to do, they’ve put out the papers and plans but we have not seen success because there is no evaluation.

There is currently a debate on whether

Gbolade

the fuel subsidy regime should be scrapped or not. What is your opinion on the issue?

Now, let’s start with the damage. Everybody in Nigeria and the world know that the Nigerian economy is experiencing one of its weakest form now. One of the problems Nigeria has is shouldered by the common man presently.

Now, the removal of subsidy from petroleum is going to have a very serious repercussion on the ordinary Nigerian. Why did I say this? We know that petroleum product is enabler in every aspect of Nigerian life. Petroleum products are used for manufacturing, transportation, road construction among others. What that tells us is that when subsidy is removed from petroleum products there would be a hike in price and when there is a hike in price, it will affect cost of production by manufacturers and the cost of their goods will increase. The hike in price will affect cost of transportation because the cost of fuel has increased and who are the people to purchase these goods and services? They are the ordinary citizens of Nigeria. Just as we said earlier, inflation is on the high now and the cost of goods have seriously increased. I believe that the cost of goods could reach over a hundred per cent increase in a year in this 2021 if the fuel subsidy is removed presently.

Now, talking about the positives that could come out from the removal of the fuel subsidy - we all know that over the years, trillions of naira had been earmarked to very few people - some of them portfolio contractors to share amongst themselves. And we have seen that over time, this subsidy had not really been subsidised but had gone to some few hands. So if there is a removal of fuel subsidy, definitely it will eradicate one of the major arms of corruption in Nigeria which is in this area of subsidy scam. So the government will have enough funds to do capital projects and they’ll have enough funds to meet other obligations. So removal of subsidy will help government to be able to meet up with its obligations. But the truth of the matter is that if government removes that subsidy now, it’s going to be deadly and it’s going to affect Nigerians negatively. On the other hand, I am in support of the removal of the fuel subsidy if the following can be done: One, the government should give itself a timeframe. The turnaround maintenance on the refineries is expected to end in eight months. Let us look at how the TAM is going to be- if TAM can guarantee us 100 per cent production of refined petroleum products, then it means we will be having over 445 million barrels per day converted. It may not meet our needs but that will also give room for the private sector led intervention in the oil and gas like the Dangote refinery and others coming up to be able to jump start. We believe that Dangote should start running from next year. So, the government should delay the policy as wonderful and as nice as it is to curb corruption - it should delay it till when the turnaround maintenance of the four refineries has been done and certified to operate optimally between 80 per cent to 100 per cent. And the private refinery especially Dangote refinery is on stream; when that is done, the local refining capacity will be increased and we will be able to get the cost of the petroleum products at a very reasonable price because it will be based on some of the landing costs, FoB and some logistics would have been removed. So as much as it’s a laudable idea for government

to implement, I think it should be delayed till things are in place.

The CBN has intensified efforts in recent times to deepen financial inclusion. What’s your thoughts about that?

To me, I am very passionate about the Nigerian economy especially the one that has to do with the lowest rung of the economy and we can call them the unbanked population. The CBN has to be more deliberate in the area if the unbanked population. It was that passion that made me to have a cooperative society registered because I want to really attend to the unbanked population.

They are the engine room that Nigeria has left lying fallow and the N10, 000 market money will not be able to help them if there are no deliberate policies to be able to attack that market and be able to bring out strong entrepreneurs from them. So, I believe that he CBN should have a look again into the unbanked population and have what I call a group of cooperative societies deliberately to be able to attend to specific areas of needs of this unbanked population in the agricultural sector, in the electronics and in all the sectors. We should have cooperatives dedicated to those areas that can stand as a governing body to this unbanked population and to be able to disseminate information and resources to that area so that area too can be lifted because they have been neglected for too long. I don’t see where N10,000 market money can help somebody that is selling orange in Ikorodu or some of those markets...we are just doing cosmetic approach, we need to be able to lift them up. Some of them, what they need is more than N10, 000. Some of them what they need is an opportunity to be able to enhance their capacity by being able to buy more or being able to buy in bulk so that it can be cheaper for them to sell at a higher rate instead of buying from retailers like them. So these are the areas I want the CBN to look at: have an assemblages of cooperative societies and deliberately attack that area. The government has not done that so far.

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Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (right) interacting with Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun (2nd right) and other members of the Chinese delegation, during a courtesy visit by the Chinese envoy at Lagos House, Marina, on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 L-R; Commissioner for Environment, Cross River State, Mfon Bassey; member representing Calabar South 1 in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Okon Ephraim and Deputy Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Joseph Bassey, during their official defection from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in Calabar …recently

L-R: Special adviser to the APC governorship aspirant on political matters, Mr Igo Okparama.; Anambra State APC Governorship aspirant Dr. Ben Etiaba and Ward chairman of the aspirant, Chief Osigwe Chikwudi; during the submission of expression of interest and nomination forms at the APC national secretariat in Abuja yesterday ENOCK REUBEN L-R; Fellow, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought (ASSPT), Mr Ariyo-Dare Atoye; Directors of ASSPT, Dr Sam Amadi and Prof.

Udenta Udenta, during a round-table on restructuring, power shift in 2023 and inclusive dialogue, at the School in Abuja…recently

L-R; National Commissioner of INEC, Mr Festus Okoye; ; representative of the Minster of Interior, Mr Peter Egbodo; Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba; Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; National Security Adviser, Babagana Mongunu; and the representative of Controller General of Federal Fire Service (FFS), Mr Karebo Samson, during the deployment of a new firefighting truck to the commission by FFS, at the INEC headquarters in Abuja…recently L –R , Director General , Directorate of State Security Services ( DSS) ,Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi ; Inspector General of Police , Usman Alkali Baba and Director General , Nigerian National Intelligence Agency , Mr. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar at the emergency security meeting held at the Presidential Villa , Abuja …recently GODWIN OMOIGUI

L-R; Executive Members of Daniel Ukwu Leadership Foundation (DULF), Secretary, Ms Chisom Nebo; Executive Director, Mr Nkemokalam Ukwu; and Programme Manager, Mr Chinedu Anioke, during a news conference on the Foundation’s activities lined up to mark June 12th Democracy Day in Enugu …recently

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefunre (3rd L); UN Resident Coordinator, Nigeria, Edward Kallon (3rd R); Secretary of Programme, SDGs, Ahmad Kanu (2nd R);and Senior Economic Advisor, United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), Amarakoon Bandara (2nd L) and other dignitaries, during a capacity building

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L-R: Commissioner for the Environment & Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello; wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Mrs. Ronke Odeneye and Special Adviser to the Governor on Drainages & Water Resources, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, during the opening of Lagos 8th International Climate Change summit with the theme “Adapting Health, Energy, Agriculture, Transport and Waste Infrastructure to the long-term impact of climate change in Lagos”, at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos…recently

L-R: Oake Legal, Chukwubuike Onwuzurumba ; Honourable Commission, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Lagos State, Olalere Odusote; Executive Director, Legal/Company Secretary, NDPHC, Mohammed Mahmud; MD/CEO, NDPHC, Chiedu Ugbo; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; MD, Eko Disco, Adeoye Fadeyibi; Director, Eko Disco Dere Otubu; and Director, Eko Disco, George Etomi ; and Oake Legal, Sola Arifayan during the bilateral agreement signing between NDPHC and Eko Disco for the sale of 300MW of Power from NDPHC Plant to customers in Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos and Agbara in Ogun State..recently a L-R Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN the New Inspector General of Police and SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha after the confirmation of the New Inspector General of Police by the Police Council held at the State House Abuja…recently STATE HOUSE

L-R; Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Ozoemenam Urama, Dean of law faculty, UNN, Dr Sam Nwantu and Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Igwe, during a news conference on the 49th convocation ceremony of the institution in Enugu…recently

A cross-section of panelists during the Chief Executive Officers roundtable at the 4th Nigerian International Petroleum Summit in Abuja…recently

L-R Group Managing Director Dangote Group, Mr. Olakunle Alake, Alhaja Bekdat Sulaiman and Alhaji Idris Saleh Dangote Sugar Customers, and the Dangote Sugar GMD/CEO Mr. Ravindra Singhvi at the unveiling of the new Dangote Sugar product packaging in FCT Abuja on Tuesday, June 8th 2021.

L-R...Head Skill acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development ( SEAD) Mrs Grace Enabor, FCT National Youth Service Corps Camp Coordinator Mr Sulaimon Abdulahi, winner of Accesspreneur prize Miss Esangbedo Precious and Regional Sales Manager Abuja and North Access bank Mrs Obiageli Chukwu during the presentation of Cheque to the winner of accessoreneur NYSC Abuja Edi-

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T H I S D AY ˾ , JUNE 10, 2021

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

Upscaling Health Practitioners Skill in Basic, Advanced Life Support Sunday Ehigiator reports that to upscale the basic and advanced life support skills, Smile Train, world largest cleft charity organisation, recently partnered the Federal Ministry of Health by sponsoring the National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthesia and Nursing Plan to train health practitioners

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ecently, there was a trending video shared across various social media platforms of a man who appeared to have suffered a cardiac arrest while dancing at an occasion.

While the man fell to the ground, and appeared to be choking and gasping for air, other attendees at the party watched on the premise that he was still performing l.

Eventually, they realised it was beyond a dance routine and immediately rushed out to help. However, the video clearly showed that none of them understood what he was going through, hence didn’t know how to help, and unfortunately, the report was that the man died.

Such is the case of cardiac arrest. It is sudden, unplanned and can happen to anybody at anywhere or at any time. Hence, everyone alive is vulnerable to suffering a cardiac arrest, and having a basic knowledge of how to perform a basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a good way to go.

This was why Smile Train found it necessary to champion the cause, by training healthcare workers with prerequisite first-aid techniques needed to resuscitate anyone who suffers a cardiac arrest.

In her opening remarks, Smile Train Program Director for West and Central Africa, Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi, explained that the National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthesia & Nursing Plan (NSOANP) programme “agrees with Smile Train’s mission of empowering health practitioners to boost health coverage”.

Mrs. Obi, who was ably represented by Smile Train’s Program Manager for West Africa, Victoria Awazie, added that the organisation’s intervention was also to ensure that the NSOANP programme is actualised.

“Smile Train has given life to the NSOANP Nigeria project. We have signed a MoU with the Federal Ministry of Health for implementation of the NSOANP. We also have a partnership on a cleft e-registry platform aimed at mapping out patients with clefts to enable them to have access to free and quality care.

“There is a need for us to equip our healthcare professionals with basic life-saving skills that meet the needs of under-served communities”, she stressed. Also speaking with THISDAY, Pediatric Surgeon, and Research Assistant at NSOANP, Dr. Justina Olajide added that part of the goals of the National Surgical Plans for Nigeria was to train people to be proficient in delivering Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS).

“BLS is not just for healthcare providers but also for the populace as well, so that anyone who develops a condition that needs the intervention will get it, whether in the hospital, church or home, or community.

And we believe that this is going to lead to a lot of improved health matrix for the country, and that was what led to this

Cross section of participants undergoing Basic Life Supports (BLS) and Advanced Life Supports (ALS) at a recently held training for health practitioners on BLS, and ALS sponsored by Smile Train

training.

“To implement this, we needed sponsorship, and so we had to rely on development partners. Smile Train rose up as a development partner to help with the implementation of the surgical plan.

And one of the entry points Smile Train is using is training people to deliver basic life support to the population in the country, and that is why this program is holding.”

On the two days training, Mrs. Olajide described the feedback as fantastic. “Everybody learnt so much, acquired new skills, and we’re encouraged to go back to their centres, encourage directors in their hospitals to set up similar training, using them as trainers.

So we expect a step down of what they have

learnt to be passed on to others”.

One of the trainers, also an Anesthesiologist from Ghana, Anastasia Ohene, while speaking with THISDAY said the essence of the training was to empower as many healthcare workers to be able to provide first aid or BLS and ALS. According to her, “you never know when someone can collapse or have a cardiac arrest, and we want as many healthcare workers as possible to be ready to provide the necessary help needed by such a patient.

“We know that the more people train in BLS, the more confident they are to give the support. Sometimes, when cardiac arrest happens, there are people who are trained, but because they are not confident, or sure,

they are reluctant to act. But the more they are trained, the more confident they become, and likely to always help when the need arises.

“The healthcare workers are also part of the general population. They can go further to teach more people on these skills, whether in schools, banks, market places etc. So that many Nigerians are skilled up in BLS and are confident to help whenever the need arises.”

Speaking about her experience after the training, a Pediatrician, from the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Dr. Dedeke Olabisi showered praises on the organisers who afforded her an opportunity to have a formal training in BLS for the first time in her career.

“It’s very important for us to have training and retraining. We know that people have cardiac arrest almost every few seconds.

So it’s very important for me as a trainer myself, and also a trainee, so that I can up my skills in resuscitation and ensure that if anybody around me has cardiac arrest, the person survives it.

“So, for me, it’s highly impactful training.

The people seated here are from different hospitals, it’s expected that upon leaving this place, plans would be made in their various hospitals on how they can further train other staff of the hospital just as they have been trained.”

Speaking on some causes of cardiac arrest, she said “there are so many reasons why people would have cardiac arrest. They may have infection, or may have been in shock, or react to things or choke as they are eating etc. As simple as throwing groundnuts into the mouth can make anybody choke, just like talking while eating, we just need to be careful.

“People even choke on their saliva and are gone. Little things such as talking while eating or chewing gum, can just cause cardiac arrest, we just need to be very careful, live a healthy lifestyle, and preach preventive measures in our home,” she noted.

Also speaking with THISDAY, Consultant Anesthetist, at the Federal Medical Center, Owo, Dr. Akinwonmi Olugbenga described the training as awesome.

“I have learnt quite a lot, in terms of the new equipment and changes in the CPR, basic life support, and even the practical session. The training has provided us with an opportunity to perfect our skills and also opportunities to be corrected in a few places we had lapses.

“And this would translate to gains when we get back to our field at our various workplaces, and we will give back to our patients and train more people on these new techniques.

“I really want to thank Smile Train and NSOANP for making it possible for us to have this kind of program. It is a well thought program that is going to have a positive impact on the larger population of Nigeria,” she added.

Foundation Calls for Proactive Efforts against COVID-19 Rebecca Ejifoma The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has urged global leaders to promote greater international cooperation that would guarantee proactive action to vaccinate the world against COVID-19.

This call was made by

the Bureau Chief of AHF Africa, Dr Penninah Lutung, during the Pan African Virtual Panel discussion powered by the foundation.

The bureau chief noted the importance of studying and understanding the mutation and evolution of COVID-19, and the consequent effect on

vaccines. He said: “AHF is transferring know-how learnt from the fight against HIV to the war against COVID-19, urging the world leader to leverage it.”

While hinting on the need for fast vaccination to halt the spread of the new variants of COVID-19, Lutung

warned, “If the whole world is not vaccinated, Africa, along with all developing countries, runs the risk of becoming a breeding ground for new variants”.

He also emphasised, “The risk is ever-present”, cautioning that if vaccines

are not administered fast enough, new variants of COVID-19 would emerge that would not respond to the vaccines available.

In his suggestion, world leaders must encourage far greater international cooperation as the driving force for ending the pandemic, not

continue with politics as usual.

At the webinar, experts also highlighted insights on the synergy of collaboration and a practical guideline of manageable steps world leaders could consider to vaccinate world citizens and halt the spread of COVID-19.

T H I S D AY ˾ , JUNE 10, 2021

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NEWS

Ehanire: FG to Build Oxygen FERTILITY Plants in States, FCT Common Misconceptions And Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said the federal government has approved the building of one new oxygen plant in every state in the country including the FCT. He explained that Lagos State will have two making the number 38, while 30 existing oxygen plants will be rehabilitated by the government and another 12 through Global Fund, making the total number of oxygen plants in the country 80, thereby ensuring oxygen sufficiency in the country.

The minister disclosed this last weekend when the new Executive members of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) visited him in his office.

According to the minister, government is aware of infrastructural and equipment decay in some health institutions and was planning for full scale rehabilitation before the upsurge of COVID-19 pandemic.

He urged the association to be patient for government to recover from unexpected expenditure from COVID-19, pointing out that as far as COVID-19 is concerned, Nigeria is not yet out of the woods, and there is no reason for over confidence or celebration.

“We are not yet accepting congratulations until we know where we are’’, he stated.

He appealed to the nurses and midwives to help government to emphasise on compliance to COVID-19 protocols.

Ehanire said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the year 2020 as the Year of Nurses based on the relentless services nurses render to the hospitals in the whole world.

He also said that 2021 has been designated by WHO as ‘’International Year of Healthcare Workers’’ to appreciate the significant roles of Nurses and Midwives to mankind.

Ehanire said ‘’it is very clear that what define the quality and competence of good hospitals in the whole world is the quality of services nurses render to their patients.

He said that nursing and midwifery profession is an extremely important part of the health care service.

The minister commended all the health workers for the services they rendered especially since the outbreak of COVID-19.

He used the opportunity to commensurate with some of them who lost their lives and those afflicted with one type of infectious disease or the other, while delivering services to the nation and mankind.

A statement by the Head of the Publicity Unit of the Ministry, Nwokike Brendan said the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Abdulazizi Mashi Abdullahi, also said that government is aware of shortage of nurses and midwives in some hospital and lifted ban on employment to the health sector.

He added that right now, some health institutions are engaging in recruitment drive to fill the gaps in their respective organisations.

Abdullahi asked the association to forward the approved new Unified Scheme of Service for Nurses and Midwives issued by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, so that he would take it up.

He therefore advised the association to list all the conflicting issues and address it properly to the ministry for careful handling and resolution.

Earlier, the National President, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Mr. Michael Nkuma Nnachi appreciated the minister and other stakeholders on the way and manner the COVID-19 pandemic is being handled.

He told the minister that the purpose of their visit was to present their new executive members and to make their

requests/demands to the ministry for consideration.

The National Council on Establishment (NCE) approved a new Scheme of Service for Nurses and Midwives in the year 2016 which the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation had since issued circular to the ministry and up till today, the details of the scheme has not yet been gazetted.

“The association is appealing to the ministry to use its power to see that the scheme of service is gazetted by the Head of Service of the Federation.”

Continuing, the president noted that there are lots of infrastructural/equipment decay in many hospitals across the country.

“The association is therefore pleading to the ministry to embark on infrastructure and equipment audit of our health institutions with a view to address them for efficient and sustainable health care delivery in the country.”

Mr. Nnachi disclosed that trained murses and midwives are denied practice in some institutions, such as the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, School of Anesthesiology which is a West African Health Institution, responsible for training of nurses anesthetics and equally registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (N&MCN), the management of UNTH Enugu has refused these cadre of nurses to do their work in the theatre without any justifiable reasons.

NANNM President further complained about non-payment of teaching allowance, nonimplementation of 30 per cent increase on shift duty allowance and with held salaries of health workers including nurses and midwives for two months, April and May, 2018.

The association expressed the optimism that the ministry will critically look into these anomalies for possible resolution.

FCTA Inaugurates Emergency Medical Treatment Committee Olawale Ajimotokan ÓØ ÌßÔË The Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration has inaugurated a 15- member Committee for the Disbursement and Monitoring of Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT), facilities to carter for the health needs of the poor and most vulnerable persons in the FCT. Inaugurating the committee in Abuja, the acting Secretary, FCT Health and Human Service Secretariat, Dr Mohammed Kawu, said the committee was constituted to ensure optimal coordination of the EMT in FCT. Kawu, who stated that the EMT is one of the three gateways of the basic health care provision fund, noted that the resilience of Emergency Medical Treatment has been tested on several occasions, and its efficiency and effectiveness require a lot of improvement.

While stressing that the administration under the leadership of the minister, Mohammed

Musa Bello, is committed to ensuring the well being of all residents of FCT, Kawu noted that measures were been put in place to enhance the optical operationalisation of EMT. He implored members of the committee to put in their best as required to fully optimise the operationalisation of EMT service in FCT. Speaking after the inauguration, the Chairman of the Committee, Dr Ahmadu Abubakar, who is also the Director, Medical and Diagnostic Department, FCT Health and Human Service Secretarial, assured the secretary that members of the committee will work hard to ensure the success of the project.

Abubakar identified inadequate resources to fund desired health projects and inadequate trained manpower as some of the factors militating the provision of basic healthcare system in the society.

“Because the National Health

Act is a law, it is binding for the government to give an annual grant of not less than one percent of its consolidated revenue to the BHCPF. “The 2014 National Health Act ensured the provision of basic Minimum package of health services (BMPHS) and Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT) to all Nigerians,” he said.

The concept of the Universal Health Coverage was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2005.

It is aimed at providing a specific health care benefits package to all members of a defined population by providing financial risk protection in the course of accessing necessary health care services.

Members of the committee were carefully selected and are representative of relevant stakeholders to deploy available resources, both human and material, in line with international best practices.

Info@lifelinkfertility.com; Website: lifelinkfertility.com 08033083580

Myths About Infertility And In Vitro Fertilization (Ivf) (Part 1)

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ouise Brown, the first baby ever conceived with the use of IVF, was born on the 25th of July 1978. Since that time, which is over four decades ago, Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has played a large role in successfully treating Millions of infertile couples globally. In 2020, the estimated number of children conceived and given birth to by ART was estimated to be over Eight Million. Despite this huge number, there are still numerous myths and misconceptions surrounding these Reproductive Techniques. The fact is that many of these myths are only due to lack of knowledge.

Clarifying these misconceptions can help remove the social stigma associated with infertility and IVF, and improve access to care.

Myth 1: Infertile Couples Cannot Conceive On their Own Fact: It is important to understand the difference between Infertility and Sterility.

At the point when a couple does not get pregnant a year after regular unprotected intercourse, we can say that they are infertile.

We have cause to speculate something might not be right. Be that as it may, it is possible for couples or individuals who have been diagnosed with infertility to get pregnant without fertility medications. The chance of that happening will rely upon the reason for their infertility, their age, and the length of time they have been attempting pregnancy.

The chances might be extremely little, under 1% sometimes, yet they are not zero.

Some causes of infertility are less likely to lead to a spontaneous pregnancy. For instance, a woman diagnosed with primary ovarian failure is significantly less likely to get pregnant on her own than a couple diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Furthermore, the longer a couple has been trying unsuccessfully, the less likely it is that they will get pregnant on their own.

Sterility is an entirely different discussion; a sterile male or female is incapable of getting pregnant without fertility assistance. This could be a man who has zero sperm count, also known as “Azoospermia”. When a structural issue causes Azoospermia and sperm cells cannot get into the semen, the man is sterile. A female will be considered sterile if she has both of her fallopian tubes completely blocked. Her eggs will not be able to reach the Uterus (and the sperm can’t get to the egg), pregnancy will be impossible without the help of Advanced Technology.

This does not mean that if you are infertile (but not sterile) you ought to depend on those little chances of getting pregnant. You cannot assume your infertility as birth control. If you would prefer not to get pregnant, regardless of whether you require an egg donor and IVF to get pregnant previously, use contraception.

Pregnancies have and do happen.

Myth 2: Infertility Is a Female Challenge Fact: We are culturally programmed in Nigeria to believe that the females are the only possible cause of infertility. Some reasons for infertility in women may include; Age, Lifestyle habits (Smoking and alcohol consumption), Obesity, eating disorders, poor diet, endometriosis, mental stress, ovulation disorders among others. With that being said, it must be noted that 50% of infertility cases results from male infertility. This could result from issues with the sperm, such as low sperm count, low sperm motility, abnormal sperm.

These issues could arise from, over exposure of testicles to heat, hormonal imbalance, obstruction on the ejaculatory duct etc.

In the light of these, it is safe to say that infertility is not solely a female problem; it could very well be a male factor or a combination of both.

Myth 3: Donating Eggs/ IVF Will Deplete and Diminish Ovarian Reserve Fact: Ovarian reverse is simply the amount of egg follicles remaining in a woman’s ovaries.

Women are born with approximately 2,000,000 follicles, however by puberty; there are only about 400,000 eggs left. During the menstrual cycle, about 15 - 20 eggs are stimulated. However, only one makes it through the ovulation process, the rest of them get reabsorbed (in other words, they die). With IVF, all the eggs that naturally get recruited per month get stimulated and allowed to mature. This way, each egg gets a chance to eventually become an embryo and not die off like it normally would, the other eggs remaining in the ovaries are unaffected. Therefore, there is no chance of eggs getting finished through donation for IVF or by having repeated IVF procedures done.

Myth 4: There Is a Higher Risk of Multiple Gestation (Twins, Triplets or More) With IVF Fact: IVF is the ONLY fertility treatment that permits control for the number of embryos that are implanted into the uterus. With other treatments, for example, oral or injectable drugs with intercourse or insemination, there is no control. The majorities of the eggs that have developed in an ovarian stimulation with intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycle for instance, have a chance of getting fertilized and become pregnancy. This in some cases gives a higher chance of conceiving multiples than IVF. Although there are cases of multiple pregnancies with IVF procedure, reducing the number of embryos transferred particularly in younger women, can minimize this risk of multiple births TO BE CONTINUED

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T H I S D AY ˾ , JUNE 10, 2021

NEWS

Foundation Holds Medical Outreach in Delta, CallsforFocus on PreventiveHealth A two-day free medical outreach organised by Jesu Marie Empowerment Foundation (JMEF), in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Osubi District 9141 and Rotaract Club of Osubi Community Base, in Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, ended with a record of over one thousand registered patients. The patients, including both young and old, had besieged the Osubi Communty Town Hall, venue for the program with various different health challenges, while a good number of them took

advantage of the exercise to do general check up to ascertain the state of their health. The inadequacy of primary health care services, particularly in rural communities across the country was evident at the program as facilities assembled for the exercise by the sponsors were over stressed.

Although the initial plan for the two-day program was cervical and prostate cancer screening, testing and possible treatments for those with early signs of the conditions, the organisers said the need to expand the scope

Fruits, Vegetables, Enough Water Consumption Recipe For Stress Reduction, Says Bello Ayodeji Ake Mental Health advocate, Dr. Eniola Bello has advised that eating more fruits, vegetables, drinking a lot of water and exercising daily help to reduce stress and stabilises mental health.

Speaking at a seminar on Mental Health organised recently by Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (C.O.P.E) in collaboration with Leadway Health, for cancer survivors , Bello said engaging in things of interest also help to combat stress.

“In terms of lifestyle modification, we can talk about eating a balanced diet, eating more fruits, eating more vegetables, drinking a lot of water and exercise. “ Also that is very key because those things help with building what we call endorphins, they are hormones which help with improving your mood as much as possible.

“Things like; fitness, finding things that you enjoy if it is taking minutes out of your time every day to do something you love doing even if it is listening to music, dancing, cooking, and sometimes you might just need to express yourself, it might just be you need to find someone to talk

to which helps with managing your stress. “ Speaking on stigma on mental health disorders, she noted “mental health journey is a daily thing, it’s an on-going thing we as individuals and as a community need to work together to reduce the stigma that is attached with mental health disorders.

“We need to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable enough to talk to us to express whatever they are feeling and we need to as much as possible be advocate for mental health, individually, we need to be an advocate for mental health as much as possible” Bello said.

The Founder, C.O.P.E, Mrs. Ebun Anozie, also said the impact of COVID-19 has dashed a lot of people into depression and has unstabilised their mental health which was necessary for mental health education.

“I decided to organise this program because of the debilitating impact COVID-19 has had on people globally, including myself and members of our support group.

“There is no doubt that the pandemic threw the entire world into a state of uncertainty because it was unexpected,” she said.

Fernet-Branca Treats Consumers to Free Tasting Ferdinand Ekechukwu COVID-19 brought with it a renewed consciousness towards personal health and the need to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

As more Nigerians turn to a rather preventive than curative approach to personal health, Fernet-Branca an herbal based bitters is committed to promoting overall well-being, healthier immune system and digestive health. The distributor company, “Ekulo Group” is carrying out an invite only tasting for consumers in its Lagos model store (Ekulo Wine World), with rewards on every purchase.

The event, which is to hold every last Saturday of the month, will have activities like brand introduction, with highlights on the health benefits of the brand and sampling of the many exciting ways to enjoy the brand. According to the

General Manager, Mr. Joseph Okonkwo, the tasting is aimed at “sharing the health benefits of the premium bitters and reinforcing that a healthy choice in beverage consumption is a way to personal preventive approach to health.”

Laden with anti-oxidants, an anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive and anti-aging property, Fernet-Branca is sure to yield valuable health gains.

To further promote the adoption of healthy lifestyles and habits in the pandemic, the brand also comes in a sweeter, refreshingly minty variant, Brancamenta which appeals to the female and younger folks.

Fernet-Branca is an Italian premium herbal bitters made from the aging of wine, herbs and spices. Its recipe is a special journey through the 27 herbs, roots and spices that make up its secret and unique special formula.

to cover other areas of health concerns became inevitable.

Such areas include HIV, malaria, typhoid, blood pressure, anaemia, and tests for blood and sugar levels as well as eyes checks.

Samples were collected and taken to laboratory for examinations, even as some were diagnosed and attended to almost immediately.

The pharmaceutical section of the segmented medical exercise was also filled with drugs that were given to some of the patients free of charge.

The medical team, drawn from within and outside Delta State, including Doctors, Pharmacists and Nurses, made concerted efforts to ensure that every patient was attended to, while some officials of the Rotary Club of Osubi were also on ground to ensure a hitch free exercise.

The President, Jesu Marie Empowerment Foundation, Dr Rukevwe Ugwumba, said focus was on prevention health which was far cheaper in addressing the medical and health needs of the people. Dr Ugwumba, a Canada based physician and one time Special Adviser to former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Health Matters, said government could not do it alone, hence the need for corporate bodies, nongovernmental organisations and well meaning individuals to invest in the health sector.

Noting that so many people had died in ignorance, Dr Ugwumba stressed that life was too precious to be lost and restated the commitment of Jesu Marie Empowerment Foundation to enhancing the well being of Nigerians, particularly Deltans as according to her “Charity Begins at Home”.

The President, Rotary Club of Osubi District 9141, Rtn Ighodalo Akpasubi, a past President of the club, Comrade Kiede Oisemaye, and Rtn Mfon Otite-Douglas, Assistant District Governor designate, Rotary international, District 9141, said the free medical outreach was all encompassing as it also included treatments and health talk.

The Rotarians explained that rotary cared about the problem of people and that all its activities were centered on services to God and humility, stressing that “heaven rejoices whenever a soul is saved”.

Akpasubi, Comrade Oisemaye and Otite-Douglas paid glowing tributes to Jesu Marie Empowerment Foundation for partnering the club for the free medical outreach, saying that the collaboration had enable the club to

reach out to hundreds of people with health needs.

A former Commissioner for Health, Delta State, Dr Chris Oghechovwe, stated that the health care system in Nigeria, requires all the support.

Dr Oghechovwe who commended JMEF and the rotary club for partnering to bring healthcare services to the rural dwellers, enjoined other foundations and clubs to emulate the gesture.

Some of the beneficiaries could not hide their joy as they expressed appreciation to the sponsors and organisers of the health program.

It was gathered that from the fifty results collected so far of the two hindered patients that were screened for cervical and prostate cancer, three were positive, while ten were sent back for further laboratory examination .

L-R: One time SA on Health to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and President, Jesu Marie Empowerment Foundation, JMEF, Dr Rukevwe Ugwumba; former Commissioner for Health, Delta State, Dr Chris Oghechovwe; Director in the Delta State Ministry of Health, Dr Gloria Patrick-Ferife; the President, Rotary Club of Osubi District 9141, Rtn Ighodalo Akpasubi; and Dr Ese Agbatutu during a two-day free medical outreach organised by JMEF, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Osubi District 9141 and Rotaract Club of Osubi Community Base, in Osubi, LGA, Delta

LASG Strengthens Health Facilities for Future Emergencies Ayodeji Ake With lessons and experiences gathered from COVID-19 pandemic, the Lagos State government (LASG), has further strengthened her health facilities for swift responses against future health emergencies.

Addressing journalists recently at the press centre, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, noted that to prevent and respond effectively for a possible disease outbreak in the future, the state is currently upgrading and building new infrastructure with the experience it gathered from the current pandemic.

Abayomi said the roadmap for the upgrade of infrastructure in the state-owned health facilities, being executed by the Medical Project Implementation Unit (MPIU) in phases, was aimed at building resilient healthcare in Lagos and increasing residents’ access to quality universal health coverage.

In his dispensations, he said the comprehensive refurbishment was being carried out in short, medium- and long-term bases said in line with the Sanwo-Olu administration to achieve the goals set in the Health and Environment pillar of its T.H.E.M.E.S agenda, the upgrade is cutting across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare.

He said: “We have renovated and remodelled the Mainland Hospital in Yaba with future plans of making it an Institute of Research for Infectious Disease.

“We have also completed the remodelling and upgrade of Apapa General Hospital, just as we currently renovate Harvey Road Health Centre, Ebute Metta Health Centre, Isolo General Hospital and the General Hospital, Odan Lagos.

All of these are in the effort to make health accessible.”

“In fulfilment of our medical infrastructure blueprint agenda, we have commenced the construction of a 280-bed General Hospital in Ojo,

150-bed New Massey Street Children’s Hospital, while the Governor has also approved the construction and equipping of 1,500-bed Psychiatric Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre at Majidun in Ketu Ejinrin.

“In the course of the year, we have completed the construction of a four-storey Faculty of Basic Medical and Clinical Sciences Office Block at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and plans have been concluded for renovation and upgrade of some facilities at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in tandem with our medical infrastructure blueprint strategy for the tertiary health facilities.

“In partnership with the private sector, we have completed and handed over an oxygen plant at Mainland and Gbagada General Hospitals.

“We have delivered Triage and Oxygen Centres in 10 locations across Lagos. In raising staff welfare, we

have started the construction of a 24-unit Doctors’ and Staff Quarters in Gbagada General Hospital.”

Curbing the third wave of COVID-19 in Lagos, he said all strides gained in the fight against the virus would be lost without improved border surveillance against the importation of new and mutant strains.

“All passengers arriving in Nigeria will now have to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel rather than the previous 96 hours period. “ I have hence instructed that all these protocols would be made more stringent to protect the residents of Lagos State from an impending third wave.

“As part of these protocols, passengers are to be mandatorily isolated for the required seven days and will be strictly monitored through phone calls by our EKOTELEMED platform and physical visits to the passengers’ homes by our surveillance teams,” he said.

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INTERVIEW

Tokede: Deploying Invisalign in Orthodontics Key to Improved Dental Care Bunmi Tokede is the promoter of The SmileHub in Nigeria and an associate professor of informatics and orthodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, where he also practices as an attending consultant orthodontist. He trained at Harvard University, where he also taught for years as an assistant professor and afterwards acquired his Masters Degree, PhD degree and Orthodontics Residency Education from the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine/Boston Children’s Hospital, respectively. In this interview with Chiamaka Ozulumba, he talks about setting up a practice that proposes Invisalign as an alternative option to metal braces in the country Can you give an insight into the specialised solution you are offering to Nigerians and why now?

Yes, we are planning to improve smiles and transform lives by using aligners. Aligners are one of the most consequential innovations in dentistry in the last decade. Aligners are a tool used in the orthodontic care of patients. Orthodontics is that branch of dentistry that deals with the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of mal-positioned (crooked) teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. In younger patients, it also focuses on modifying facial growth, known as dento-facial orthopedics. Abnormal alignment of the teeth and jaws is common in all races/nationalities and Nigeria is no exception. Orthodontists use many tools in the treatment of patients, ranging from fixed appliances (braces) to removable ones (clear aligners).

Almost all orthodontic treatment in Nigeria is currently performed using braces (fixed to the teeth). Removable appliances (clear aligners) represent an almost non-existent market, driven by few educated and well-informed patients who are aware of the availability and advantages of clear aligners but lack easy access to it through certified service providers (we are not aware of any certified aligner provider in Nigeria). As a result, the aligner market remains informal and grey. Many in Africa often travel abroad to undergo aligner care.

To be clear, I know of one or two clinics in Lagos who say they are able to provide this service, but many Nigerians do not even know about aligners, not to talk of knowing that they can benefit from aligner therapy.

often runs for a long duration, and if you split the cost (like we do) over the duration of treatment, the cost seems considerably less daunting.

Nevertheless, one approach we can learn from other countries is having a robust health insurance system. A significant proportion of those that benefit from orthodontics are adolescents.

In most states in the US, for example, a sizable part of orthodontic treatment costs is covered by insurance companies. This isn’t the case in Nigeria. Organised dentistry can lead the charge to help move things in this direction.

Tokede

time off work for parents, and off school for kids.

What informed the choice of this solution/ business?

I am an orthodontist, so naturally, I was interested in sharing my expertise with Nigerians. I underwent my specialty orthodontics residency training at Harvard University. During this training, we were formally educated with various tools and techniques, including the science behind aligner care and how to use it efficiently in the provision of orthodontic care. The more I learned about aligner care, the more I thought Nigerians would absolutely benefit from this incredible innovation.

There is no tool in dentistry that leverages the power of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the provision of care to the extent the aligners do.

At the moment, I am also an associate professor of orthodontics and informatics in the US. You can begin to see how aligners are the perfect melting pot for my interests and qualifications.

This is the 21st century – there is so much technology can do for us. Nigeria and Nigerians would not be left behind in this trend. Not under my watch!

Many people are familiar with the use of metal braces. You are proposing Invisalign as an alternative option. What makes the option different and a value proposition for adoption?

A major benefit of Invisalign is that the aligners are virtually invisible. It reduces social awkwardness. Patients also love that colleagues and clients can’t see they are undergoing orthodontic treatment. Many who are interested in orthodontic care are usually discouraged by the fact that they have to get braces. For this section of the population, aligners are a game changer.

Also, fewer consultations are required. Regular braces require monthly visits to the dental clinic.

With Invisalign, much of the orthodontist’s work happens before you receive your aligners. A 3D scan of your teeth is used for making all the customized aligners in a laboratory. There is no need to visit the orthodontist for adjustments, so visits are kept to a minimum to check on progress. Few visits to the orthodontist mean less

With braces, there are restrictions on the types of food you/your kids can eat. With Invisalign, you can continue your diet as usual. You remove the aligners, eat, brush/ rinse, and re-insert the aligners. Braces are not removable.

As with eating and drinking, you can also remove your Invisalign to brush your teeth. With braces, patients usually have cavities and unsightly decalcifications (white spots on teeth) at the end of treatment. This is due to the inability to brush properly over the duration of treatment.

It is also comfortable to wear. You may be wondering “which is more painful?” Moving teeth around with Invisalign can be uncomfortable, however, much less than traditional braces.

Additionally, there are significantly fewer mouth and gum problems with Invisalign. Invisalign aligners are made of a special material and fitted to each patient’s mouth, so - unlike braces - there are typically no cuts on the inside cheeks or warm salt washes to deal with.

There are many aligners in the market, outside of Nigeria. But we have chosen Invisalign because it is the market leader – a tested, trusted and efficacious product that makes us confident in the types of results we can deliver.

How affordable is this option, considering that many don’t even take dental health seriously?

There are multiple things to get at with this question. Stepping back, a huge issue generally in dentistry in Nigeria has more to do with education/ information, than with affordability. The issue of the importance of dental health has been dealt with ad nauseum, so I wouldn’t belabor the point. Other than to say we need to continue to proactively engage the Nigerian population on helping them understand the critical importance of paying attention to their oral health. As with general health, prevention is better than cure.

Delay charges interest. Not having regular cleanings lead to needing an expensive filling tomorrow. Not getting the filling in time leads to needing a more expensive root canal treatment

in the future. And not getting the root canal treatment in time can lead to loss of the teeth.

Many Nigerians have an experiential relationship with this narrative.

To hone in on orthodontics, you are correct in noting affordability as a potential concern. I’m just not sure that is the right question. You are your own best investment. Look around you, Nigerians pay for what they believe is of value to them. Orthodontic treatment usually takes place over a period of months to years. As a result, patients are able to spread the cost over a long period of time. This makes it an affordable service for a huge swathe of the population, if they’re made to understand that it is an investment in themselves.

Competition across many sectors is increasing. How do you hope to tackle this, considering the share of market, alternatives and disposable incomes?

The psychologist, Maslow, in his popular paper, talked about hierarchy of needs. Broadly speaking, at the base of this hierarchy, we have the basic needs and then we gradually go all the way up to esteem, and self-actualization needs.

Inasmuch as Nigeria continues to struggle with many of the basic needs, a significant section of the population has proceeded on to esteem and fulfillment needs. Nigerians are expecting more of themselves and demanding more from their government, and service providers.

If you consider the proportion of middle to upper class Nigerians, and the prevalence of moderate to severe malocclusion in the population, the initial market for Invisalign in Nigeria could easily be as high as over a million patients. If and when Nigerians become aware of this product/ service and its potentially transformative power, they would embrace it. Part of our job at The SmileHub is to help them become aware.

Orthodontics is rarely spoken about and could be easily perceived as preserved for people in certain economic classes. How true is this and what measures would you undertake to increase access to your services?

Again, I challenge that premise because treatment

Dental healthcare is often considered as secondary and not given immediate attention as other cases. How can this be addressed considering its impact on the physical and psychological well-being of many people?

This has a lot to do with advocacy. You are absolutely on point to talk about some connection between oral and psychological well-being, especially with children. Many undergo bullying and experience a lack of self-esteem that usually lingers through adulthood. We do talk about oral health a lot but these discussions are usually fitful, and are not followed up with some sort of actionable plan. Even many of my highly educated physician friends are usually surprised by how much they do not know about dentistry. At every level of schooling, we need to integrate an appropriate level of education about oral health.

Our legislation/spending should also reflect our values. If we care about oral health, we need to spend on improving outreach, education and access to oral health care. The existing structure for training dental professionals also needs to be strengthened. Those are some of the conventional ways to approach the intractable issue of poor attention to oral health.

More creative solutions involve enlisting the help of young, educated opinion-leaders. Understanding where Nigerians get their information is critical to being able to effectively get information across to them. Regular blogs, targeted advocacy will organically motivate Nigerians to seek more information about their oral health.

Lastly, one of the reasons why we brought The SmileHub to Nigeria is because we wanted to reinvent how oral health care is delivered in Nigeria. We want to change some of the negative stereotypes about dentistry. Dentistry doesn’t have to be painful or boring. We are bringing in technology, highly skilled and relatable specialists, and delivering service in a relaxed and beautiful boutique. Nigerians will see and hear about The SmileHub and want to be part of what we do.

The change will be incremental, but it is one step in the right direction.

What is the value of investment the business would be bringing into the economy? Will it help to address FX costs due to medical tourism?

The African economic world still revolves around Nigeria, even if it does so in increasingly wider orbits. Align Technology (the multibillion-dollar company that produces Invisalign) announced late last year that they will be coming to subSaharan Africa. Because Nigeria must continue to be the leaders in Africa, The SmileHub is partnering with Align Technology to provide this care to Nigerians way ahead of the rest of the pack. Africans who are aware of this product/technology frequently travel to Europe or America to obtain treatment.

Consequently, one of our goals is to reverse this trend. And with reduced overhead costs, we would be able to provide care at a cost that is less than the US or UK, as such, this can open up the market to interested parties traveling in the opposite direction in order to obtain care.

Nigerians can connect with us by looking us up on IG @the_smilehub or interfacing with us on our website at www.smilehubortho.com.

36

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ JUNE 10, 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

UBA, DEG Sign $50m Loan to Support SMEs in Nigeria Nume Ekeghe The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, and Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, the German Development Finance Institution, have entered into a partnership aimed at supporting small and medium scale businesses (SMEs) in Nigeria.

To this end, both institutions have signed a $50 million term facility agreement.

According to a statement, the facility with a tenor of six years is targeted at supporting SMEs and family owned businesses in Nigeria.

UBA America’s Chief Executive Officer, Sola Yomi-Ajayi, was quoted to have said UBA remains passionate about the growth of the private sector and small businesses which according

to her, remains critical for any developing country.

She noted that the passion to see this sector succeed was what led both organisations to collaborate on this laudable feat.

Yomi-Ajayi, who is also the Global Head for Financial Institutions, Multilateral and Development Organisations said, “At UBA Group, we are proud of this collaboration with DEG, particularly as it supports our financial intervention in the SME space, enabling financial inclusion, as well as facilitating economic empowerment.

Continuing, she said, “These objectives remain core aspects of our strategy, particularly as regards to facilitating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals on the African continent.”

In his comments, DEG’s Regional Director for West Africa,

Bernhard Tilemann, said, “DEG is delighted to enter into a long-term cooperation with UBA in Nigeria and the region. This cooperation will address the current economic challenges of the country while fostering private sector growth and impact in the largest economy of the continent.”

According to Tilemann, the funding provided by DEG is partly supported by EB-SME Finance Fund Emerging Markets, while the fund’s adviser is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Evangelische Bank (EB).

The Regional Director noted that DEG has offices on the African continent in Lagos, Abidjan, Johannesburg and Nairobi; and pointed out that the move is a major milestone for DEG’s Regional Representative Office in Lagos which was opened in 2019.

FCMB Restates Commitment to Environmental Sustainability First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has re-assured that it will continue to champion, execute and support initiatives that would enhance the ecosystem, as well as tackle some of the adverse effects of climate change and other challenges facing the environment.

According to the bank, the pledge was in recognition of the fact that a cleaner and more sustainable environment is key to building a better world for present and future generations. FCMB gave the assurance in a statement to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day (WED), which held on June 5, 2021, under the theme, “Ecosystem Restoration”.

The annual WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates

worldwide awareness of the environment and climate issues.

It also serves as an opportunity to remind humanity of the need to protect the environment, as well as encourage responsible conduct by communities, enterprises and individuals in preserving and enhancing it.

Through the years, FCMB, under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) philosophy, has maintained active participation in the WED. The institution does this by organising and hosting various educative programmes, in partnership with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation and other stakeholders.

For this year’s edition, the bank mobilised staff, hundreds of students and young Nigerians nationwide to plant trees in the six

geopolitical zones of the country, as part of its “Go Green” initiative.

The tree planting exercise, which also forms part of the Bank’s Employee Volunteering Scheme, would go a long way towards restoring the balance of the ecosystem and improving the environment.

The bank’s sustainability agenda is underpinned by the nine pillars of the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBPs) developed and adopted by theBankers’ Committee in 2012.

The NSBPs encourage Banks to promote economic growth, business opportunities, and enhance innovation and competitiveness, whilst protecting communities and the environment in the course of daily activities.

Huawei: How Technology Can Transform Nigeria’s Oil, Gas Industry Emmanuel Addeh ÓØ ÌßÔË Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited has said that when fully utilised, technology can help in reducing headwinds and improve process optimisation in the country’s oil and gas industry.

Speaking during a session at the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS), taking place in Abuja, on the theme, “Data to Barrel”, Managing Director, Huawei Technologies, Michael Zhuang, said his firm was dedicated to promoting digital transformation and reducing the digital gap in the oil and gas industry.

Other participants on the panel included the Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Agip, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total and a number of NNPC subsidiaries.

Zhuang explained that the company had continued to work with local oil companies in the upstream, midstream and downstream arms to promote new oil and gas digital frontiers.

He stated that Huawei had to develop an ecosystem for partnership through which it collaborated with local and international organisations, explaining that for the upstream exploration and production arm, the company would speed up oil search and improve search accuracy. For crude oil production data, Zhuang said the target was to increase production and

reduce cost, assuring there would be adequate monitoring of oil depot data to reduce oil theft and leakage.

He added: “With this integrated oilfield IoT solution by Huawei, it is now possible to visualise and monitor real-time production and reduce the vandalism on well sites.”

“In the midstream, we have delivered AKK pipeline camp with Huawei IVS monitoring and campus network/office solution to improve camp safety monitoring and office experience.

“In the downstream, we have also delivered our monitoring solution for NNPC retail to enable more safety and secure management at it’s headquarter office and mega petrol stations.”

Unity Bank Urges NYSC Members to Embrace Entrepreneurship No fewer than 30 winners have emerged in the fifth edition of Unity Bank Plc’s business plan competition, ‘Corpreneurship Challenge,’ which held across 10 states last week.

The 30 winners who won cash prizes totalling N10 million emerged during the final business pitch in the fifth edition of the contest for NYSC 2021 Batch A

Stream II Orientation Course, which took place simultaneously across ten NYSC camps in Lagos, Ogun, Benin, Abuja and Akwa Ibom. Other NYSC camps where winners emerged included Ogun, Kano, Sokoto, Enugu and Osun.

As in the previous editions, the cash prizes included a N200,000 business grant for each of the second runner ups; N300,000

business grant for the first runner ups and a star prize of N500,000 for each of the ten winners.

Some of the winners included Monday Love Sheba, Adeoye Janet and Essien Nsikak in Bayelsa camp, while Agu Ogechukwu Lilian, Obichukwu Victor and Abiona Elizabeth emerged as the winners in the Akwa Ibom State camp.

Kennedy Uzoka

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ Ͷ ͰͮͰͯ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $69.81 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $70.14 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

37

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͮ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Stock Market Gains N151bn as Bulls Consolidate Hold Goddy Egene The stock market gained N150.8 billion yesterday as the bulls consolidated their hold on the market.

The bulls had regained control of the market on Tuesday after a negative trading on the first day of the week. The positive trend continued yesterday as 25 stocks appreciated in prices compared with six that depreciated.

As a result, the Nigerian

Exchange (NGX) Limited AllShare Index (ASI) rose 0.7 per cent to close at 39,170.95, just as market capitalisation rose N150.8 billion to close higher at N20.4 trillion.

Traders said investors engaging on bargain hunting after prices dropped significantly in the month of May, noting the performance is in line with the general expectations that the bulls would dominate this week.

“We expect market performance

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

to be dominated by the bulls, as positioning by early birds in dividend-paying stocks ahead of H1-2021 dividend declarations should outweigh profit-taking activities. We reiterate the need for positioning in only fundamentally sound stocks as the weak macro environment remains a significant headwind for corporate earnings,” analysts had said at the beginning of the week.

An analysis of the price movement chart showed that

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

bellwethers such Dangote Cement Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc and Zenith Bank Plc were among the price gainers. However, Cutix Plc led with a gain of 10 per cent, trailed by Okomu Oil Palm Plc with 9.7 per cent. Union Bank of Nigeria Plc chalked up 9.4 per cent. Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and ABC Transport Plc went up by 8.6 per cent apiece. NASCON Allied Industries Plc and Regency Insurance Plc garnered 7.4 per

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

cent and 6.6 per cent in that order.

Other top price gainers included: Royal Exchange Plc (5.4 per cent); Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc (4.5 per cent); Lafarge Africa Plc (4.2 per cent); Coronation Insurance Plc, Wema Bank Plc (3.5 per cent each), United Capital Plc (3.3 per cent); Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (2.7 per cent); Transcorp Plc (2.3 per cent) and Dangote Cement Plc (2.2 per cent).

On the contrary, Sovereign Trust

O F

Insurance Plc led the price losers with 3.5 per cent, trailed by Jaiz Bank Plc with 3.3 per cent. FCMB Group Plc shed 1.5 per cent, while FBN Holdings Plc went down by 1.3 per cent.AXA Mansard Insurance Plc lost 1.1 per cent, just as Nigerian Breweries Plc closed 0.08 per cent lower.

Trading activity was mixed as volume traded declined 16.9 per cent to 181.5 million units while value traded rose by 149.0 per cent to N4.0 billion.

0 9 / 0 6 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

38

˾ THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

10 June 2021 Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index Rose 60bps The dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ƌŽƐĞ ϲϬďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

ϭ͕ϲϵϴ͘ϰϬ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ dŚŝƐ ǁĂƐ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ GUARANTY

(+1.8%),

DANGCEM

(+2.2%),

and

ZENFundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

ITH ;нϬ͘ϮйͿ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ Ϯϭ͘ϭй ŽĨ the index.

Ticker

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

1,708.63

0.60%

837.00

0.0%

32.1%

74.00

0.0%

11.2%

-4.3%

28.90

1.8%

8.7%

-10.7%

Local Bourse Extends Gains... ASI up 0.7%

1 Airtel Africa PLC 2 BUA Cement Plc

dŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ĞdžƚĞŶĚĞĚ the previous day's gains, driven

3 Guaranty Trust Bank PLC 4 Zenith Bank PLC

by

buying

interests

in

DANGCEM

(+2.2%),

OKOMUOIL (+9.8%), and GUARANTY ;нϭ͘ϴйͿ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůůShare index increased by 0.7% to 39,170.95 points. ConseƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ zd ůŽƐƐ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ -2.7% ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝͲ ƐĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ േϭϱϬ͘ϴďŶ ƚŽ േϮϬ͘ϰƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂƐ mixed ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ϭϲ͘ϵй ƚŽ ϭϴϭ͘ϱŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ traded rose by 149.0% to േϰ͘ϬďŶ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ ZENITH (20.8m units), STERLING (19.4m units), and GUARANTY ;ϭϱ͘ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ NESTLE

;േϭ͘ϰďŶͿ͕ DANGCEM

;േϱϭϴ͘ϬŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ZEN-

ITH ;േϰϳϲ͘ϭŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

5 Dangote Cement PLC 6 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC 7 Nestle Nigeria PLC

due to buying interest in DANGCEM (+2.2%) and WAPCO (+4.2%). In the same vein, the Banking and Insurance ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ϭ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϰй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ GUARANTY (+1.8%), STANBIC (+1.1%), MBENEFIT (+4.6%), and NEM ;нϬ͘ϱйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽŶͲ

CON (+7.4%), CONOIL (+10.0%), and OANDO (+0.3%) .

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ as measured by market breadth ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ ϰ͘Ϯdž from 0.9x in ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϱ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ

BANK (-3.4%), and FCMB (-ϭ͘ϲйͿ ůĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵͲ ŝŶŐ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ƚŽ be extended on the back of ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ market.

16.4%

70.9%

15.4%

3.6%

-1.7%

-1.7%

10.0%

3.5%

0.6x

5.6%

13.6%

-4.3%

19.1%

11.2%

35.5x

6.7x

2.5%

2.8%

-10.7%

26.6%

4.3%

4.2x

1.0x

10.5%

24.0%

2.1%

6.5%

-7.5%

-7.5%

23.1%

2.9%

3.1x

0.7x

13.1%

32.3%

-6.1%

-6.1%

32.0%

15.5%

12.9x

4.1x

7.0%

7.8%

165.00

0.0%

4.9%

-2.9%

-2.9%

97.1%

11.4%

14.7x

13.3x

5.7%

6.8%

1,400.00

0.0%

3.8%

-7.0%

-7.0%

104.8%

17.8%

28.3x

37.9x

4.3%

3.5%

21.00

4.2%

3.4%

-0.2%

-0.2%

8.8%

6.2%

10.6x

0.9x

4.8%

9.5%

8.10

0.0%

2.8%

-4.1%

-4.1%

16.4%

1.4%

2.5x

0.4x

9.9%

40.6%

7.10

0.0%

2.3%

-17.9%

-17.9%

0.3x

7.3%

-1.4%

2.6%

0.7%

0.7%

11.1%

1.1%

3.8x

0.3x

6.2%

59.00

-0.1%

2.2%

5.4%

5.4%

4.5%

1.8%

63.9x

2.9x

1.6%

1.6%

13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC 14 International Brew eries PLC

46.50

1.1%

2.2%

5.6%

5.6%

20.7%

2.9%

7.1x

1.4x

8.6%

14.1%

5.35

0.0%

1.5%

-10.1%

-10.1%

-15.5%

-3.4%

15 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 16 SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

30.00

2.7%

1.2%

15.4%

15.4%

680.00

0.0%

1.8%

69.0%

17 11 PLC 18 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

0.0%

19 Fidelity Bank PLC 20 Ecobank Transnational Inc 21 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 22 FCMB Group Plc

28 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC 29 United Capital PLC

31 Custodian and Allied Insurance 32 AIICO Insurance PLC 33 Total Nigeria PLC 34 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

1.6%

0.9%

7.4%

3.2%

-8.8%

0.8x

4.7%

39.9x

0.6x

6.0%

9.8%

1.1%

28.0%

28.0%

24.6%

16.0%

14.1x

3.2x

6.0%

7.1%

0.9%

0.7%

-9.9%

-9.9%

11.4%

1.1%

2.3x

0.2x

9.7%

44.2%

13.9%

5.00

0.0%

0.6%

-16.7%

-16.7%

0.6%

0.0%

66.5x

0.2x

17.50

0.0%

0.6%

-0.6%

-0.6%

25.5%

12.6%

7.2x

1.7x

8.5%

3.10

-1.6%

0.5%

-6.9%

-6.9%

4.8%

29.8%

1.62

0.0%

0.3%

-20.6%

-20.6%

9.2%

0.9%

4.0x

0.3x

3.1%

25.0%

14.50

7.4%

0.4%

0.0%

0.0%

18.4%

5.8%

8.4x

3.1x

2.8%

11.9%

0.89

2.3%

0.4%

-1.1%

-1.1%

-1.3%

-0.3%

0.5x

1.1%

-2.4%

75.90

0.0%

0.3%

7.0%

7.0%

17.9%

7.3%

2.4x

2.7%

12.10

0.0%

0.2%

-12.9%

-12.9%

-6.2%

-4.1%

14.4x

1.1x

5.60

0.0%

0.2%

5.7%

5.7%

3.3%

0.3%

31.6%

31.6%

35.5%

4.2%

29.00

0.0%

0.3%

52.6%

52.6%

-17.8%

-9.0%

5.95

0.0%

0.2%

1.7%

1.7%

25.0%

7.8%

3.0x

0.7x

1.12

0.0%

0.2%

-0.9%

-0.9%

20.5%

3.3%

3.1x

0.2x

145.00

0.0%

0.2%

11.5%

11.5%

19.10

0.0%

0.2%

8.4%

8.4%

8.3%

1.1%

8.4x

-14.5%

3.5%

0.1%

9.4%

0.0%

3.00

0.3%

0.1%

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

54.00

0.0%

0.1%

3.57

0.0%

0.0%

-0.8%

1.5%

3.4x

6.20

37 Oando PLC 38 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 39 Beta Glass PLC

1.8% 4.7x

1.5x

11.3%

0.9x 9.2%

4.2%

4.6%

0.6x

2.0%

11.9% 32.8%

8.0%

0.5%

3.1x

0.4x

6.8%

7.4%

0.9%

6.6x

0.7x

4.3%

-18.9%

14.5%

2.6%

1.3x

0.2x

0.0%

0.0%

-28.7%

-7.6%

-2.5%

-2.5%

9.3%

6.4%

-0.8%

-10.6%

-5.5%

15.1% 77.4%

1.9x

-16.8%

0.7x

2.1%

0.6x

12.9% -22.5%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

C UT IX

2.53

10.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

20.8

0.2%

116.50

9.8%

ST ER LN B A N K

19.4

0.0%

UB N

5.80

9.4%

GUA R A N T Y

15.1

1.8%

H ON YF LOUR

1.26

8.6%

FB NH

11.6

-1.4%

A B CTRA NS

0.40

8.1%

F ID ELIT YB K

11.3

0.9%

10.9

0.0% -1.2%

N A SC ON

14.50

7.4%

UB A

R EGA LIN S

0.48

6.7%

M A N SA R D

8.3

R OYA LEX

0.78

5.4%

J A P A ULGOLD

7.9

0.0%

M B EN EF IT

0.46

4.5%

UC A P

6.7

3.3%

WA P C O

21.00

4.2%

H ON YF LOUR

4.9

8.6%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s P ric e

33.0% 32.5%

21.9x

7.8x

21.1% -22.4%

-14.5%

-18.9%

6.9% -5.7%

-100.0%

T o p 10 G a i n e r s

T ic k er

2.5%

2.27

0.59

40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

69.0% -100.0%

0.9x

26.1%

116.50

35 Wema Bank PLC 36 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

1413.6

0.0%

SOVR EN IN S

0.27

-3.6%

N EST LE

J A IZ B A N K

0.57

-3.4%

D A N GC EM

518.0

2.2%

FCM B

3.10

-1.6%

Z EN IT H B A N K

476.1

0.2%

FB NH

7.20

-1.4%

GUA R A N T Y

432.8

1.8%

M A N SA R D

0.83

-1.2%

OKOM UOIL

182.0

9.8%

59.00

-0.1%

NB

125.2

-0.1%

M TNN

122.9

0.0%

FB NH

83.9

-1.4%

NB

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

7.20

6 stocks ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ CUTIX (+10.0%), OKOMUOIL (+9.8%), and UBN (+9.4%) ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ǁŚŝůĞ SOVERENINS (-3.6%), JAIZ-

5.2x

P/BV

5.9%

10 United Bank for Africa PLC 11 FBN Holdings Plc 12 Nigerian Brew eries PLC

OKOM UOIL

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ

P/E

0.2%

8 Lafarge Africa PLC 9 Access Bank PLC

ƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ Ϭ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ ϯďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ƵƉƟĐŬ ŝŶ FLOURMILL (+2.7%), NAS-

ROA

2.2%

ish as 5 indices gained ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ &Z-ICT ŝŶĚĞdž ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ 30 Guinness Nigeria PLC Leading the gainers was ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž͕ ƵƉ 1.3%

ROE

22.95

26 Presco PLC 27 Unilever Nigeria PLC

ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ďƵůůͲ

Price Change Index to Date

230.00

23 Sterling Bank PLC 24 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 25 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

Bullish Sector Performance

Price Previous Current Change Price YTD Weighting Change

Current Price

WA P C O

78.6

4.2%

UB A

77.7

0.0%

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Taiwo Ogundipe | togundipe@afrinvest.com Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com

39

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 08Jun-2021, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 153.70 155.23 -4.99% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 4.11% Nigeria International Debt Fund 305.90 305.90 -23.78% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 111.63 111.63 -0.43% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ACAP Income Funds N/A N/A N/A AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.50% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.27 3.32 -9.32% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 3.18% Anchoria Equity Fund 129.52 130.95 -2.63% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 -20.03% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 19.02 19.59 4.87% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 415.63 428.16 3.81% ARM Ethical Fund 37.42 38.55 11.01% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) N/A N/A N/A ARM Fixed Income Fund 0.96 0.96 -14.56% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 0.00% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 104.54 104.54 2.78% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 130.00 130.65 2.92% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.79% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 1.95 1.95 -21.77% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.01 2.05 -22.44% mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com ; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.01 1.01 1.39% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.84% Paramount Equity Fund 15.89 16.17 -0.68% Women's Investment Fund 132.25 133.62 -0.68% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.74% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 116.33 117.09 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 106.72 106.72 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.81% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.18 1.19 -2.07% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.37 1.37 -13.80% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 3.10% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 2.70% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,161.51 1,170.22 -2.97% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,374.17 1,374.17 10.31% FBN Balanced Fund 185.82 187.00 -0.99% FBN Halal Fund 109.79 109.79 6.76% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.48% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 125.19 125.19 3.42% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 154.47 156.56 2.17% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Balanced Fund 3,598.76 3,656.08 -3.79% Coral Income Fund 3,358.16 3,358.16 2.50% Coral Money Market Fund

100.00

100.00

5.57%

GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.43% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.73 2.79 19.17% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 149.54 149.98 -3.78% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.24 1.28 30.77% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.09 1.09 6.39% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.37 1.39 0.69% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,141.03 1,141.03 3.31% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.66 1.69 7.16% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.39 12.46 2.20% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.71% PACAM Equity Fund 1.59 1.61 0.73% PACAM EuroBond Fund 111.02 112.64 0.97% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 128.83 131.80 8.81% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 3.21% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,144.75 3,169.78 -2.22% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 230.11 230.11 2.34% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.18 1.20 0.85% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 301.79 301.79 2.42% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 219.10 221.82 0.27% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.70% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,323.12 10,452.16 -1.71% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.26 1.26 2.42% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 113.97 113.97 2.60% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 101.37 101.37 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.35 1.37 -0.89% United Capital Bond Fund 1.95 1.95 2.84% United Capital Equity Fund 0.92 0.94 5.91% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.83% United Capital Eurobond Fund 120.91 120.91 3.27% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.10 1.11 1.38% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.05 1.05 5.22% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.23 12.34 3.05% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.62 13.75 11.53% Zenith Income Fund 24.10 24.10 0.52% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.55%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

123.83 51.43

2.56% -1.85%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.71 124.31 97.75 N/A N/A

12.81 124.31 99.52 N/A N/A

-3.81% 2.11% -1.66% -

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.64 5.60 17.00 1.00 19.16 161.55

3.68 5.68 17.10 1.00 19.36 163.55

-3.50% -1.62% 3.98% 3.85% -6.57% -26.21%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.52

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

THURSDAY, ͹͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

40

NEWS

IG Charges Personnel Never Again to Allow Hoodlums Overrun Police Stations Says current permits for tinted glasses valid

Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Alkali Usman, yesterday charged officers and men of the Lagos State Police Command never again allow hoodlums and miscreants to overrun their area commands and divisions.

He also clarified that all permits issued by the police for vehicle-tinted glasses would remain valid.

He, however, ordered Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the 36 states of the federation and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to retrieve all unauthorised vehicle number plates in their states and areas of jurisdiction.

Usman, at a meeting in Lagos with police officers during his maiden visit to the state, said: "Never again do we allow our stations and our personnel to be overrun to the extent that we would not be able to handle situations that can

easily be handled because of lack of operationalism or cowardice.

"We must do in-house training, we must remind ourselves of the laws, the powers in the laws that we have, and how we can discharge them.

"As strategic managers and officers of this business, all of us in this room are the managers and we need to enforce self discipline.

"The service can no longer tolerate acts of indiscipline which is all known to us, we must do the needful to be able to carry on with our job."

Usman spoke against the backdrop of attacks on police facilities during last October's #ENDSARS protests, hijacked by hoodlums who unleashed an organisation of violence on the state.

On extrajudicial killings occasioned by riots, the IG urged personnel to go back to the accepted norms of discharging their responsibilities.

He said: "You must also control the use of firearms.

You need to lecture your men and remind them that once

you’re assigning the rifle, there are kinds of posts of which you would use.

"You must also guard against it being either snatched or by carelessly handling it. We must also be civil in the discharge of our responsibilities at all times."

He further charged personnel to be professionals in preventing and controlling crime, as well as the maintenance of law and order.

"It is good to remind ourselves of the enormous task of policing under a democratic dispensation.

It is a known fact that we have not gotten all that we need in the discharge of our duties and responsibilities in terms of personnel equipment and welfare.

"Be that as it is may, with the limited resources that we have and personnel, we are going to do our job with more dedication and professionalism," he stated.

Earlier, the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, had tasked the IG to provide

the command with 13 water cannons to quell riots or uprisings.

He said: "The command sincerely appreciate the recent release of two water cannons to the command.

We promise to make judicious use of them and other arsenal provided by the IG in combating crimes and criminality.

'However, like Oliver Twist, I wish to still appeal to the IGP to bless the command with an additional 13 water cannons, each for the 13 area commands on the land "At least five gunboats will be required for the 14th area command at Area “L” Ilase,’ which is situated along riverine areas, to police and secure our waterways that have been experiencing heavy traffic presently due to the ongoing road constructions across the state.

"In addition, the command will appreciate the release of two police helicopters to assist in fortifying the aerial patrol/surveillance of the command with a view to tactically tackling some of the crimes being experienced in

the state and by extension, in the South-west."

IG: Existing Permits for Tinted Glasses Still Valid Meanwhile, the InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Alkali Usman, yesterday clarified that all permits issued by the police for vehicle tinted glasses would remain valid.

He, however, ordered the Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the 36 states of the federation and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to retrieve all unauthorised vehicle number plates in their states and areas of jurisdiction.

Baba, on Monday, had ordered the suspension of issuance of permits for tinted glasses.

A statement issued by Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a Commissioner for Police, said the existing spy number plates being used by authorised users for purposes and vehicles specified by law

remained valid, while the issuance of new spy number plates remained suspended pending the release of a new protocol to guide its allocation and usage in the country.

"This clarification is coming on the heels of public inquiries following the announcement of the suspension of issuance of new tinted permits by the IGP during the meeting with senior police officers at the Force Headquarters, Abuja on Monday, 7th June 2021.

"The suspension, which is a temporary measure, will remain in force pending the release of a new protocol that would regulate the issuance of tinted permits for vehicle owners and operators in the country," the statement said.

The IG added that the move was part of efforts to streamline the process of issuance and usage of permits for tinted glasses in line with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act, which is explicit on conditions for the use of vehicles with tinted glasses in Nigeria.

Nigeria, Togo, Others Plan $570m Power Transmission Line Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government, represented by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) along with Togo, Burkina Faso and the Niger Republic, yesterday commenced a high-level meeting in Abuja, to put final touches to the execution of a planned $570 million transmission line which runs across the four countries.

Speaking during the opening ceremony last night, acting Managing Director of the TCN and Chairman, Executive Board of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), Mr. Sule Abdulaziz, disclosed that

unused electricity within the country will be taken to the participating countries through the Northcore Power Transmission Line.

He noted that the question as to whether the country is selling its generated power to other countries when it doesn’t have enough does not arise, noting that unutilised power generated daily will be exported to avoid waste.

According to him, the project will be completed in about two years, with funding from international financial organisations in collaboration with the participating countries which will be disbursed after the

contract signing ceremony.

He said: “The power we will be selling is the power that is not needed in Nigeria.

These generators that are going to supply power to this transmission line are going to generate that power specifically for this project.

So it is unutilised power.”

Abdulaziz noted that Nigeria is expecting new generators to participate in the energy export for the 875 kilometre 330 kilovolts transmission line from Nigeria through the three other countries, adding that jobs will be created while Nigeria will earn foreign exchange.

He noted: “In addition,

there are some communities that are under the line route, about 611 of them, which will be getting power so that there won’t be just a transmission line passing without impact.”

Abdulaziz said the project funded by World Bank, French Development Council and the African Development Bank (AfDB), has recorded progress and that the energy ministers will be addressing security issues for the project at a meeting in Abuja today.

“Nigeria has the greatest advantage among these countries because the electricity is going to be exported from Nigerian Gencos. So, from that,

the revenue is going to be enhanced and a lot of people will be employed in Nigeria,” he said.

In his comments, the Secretary-General of WAPP, Appolinaire Ki said that when the facility becomes operational, there will be continuous feedstock, assuring that the funding agreement is ready as participating countries await the disbursement.

He noted: “The cost is about $570 million and the part of the investment in each country is funded by the country and they are supported by the donors and Nigeria are taking its own.

“However, the donor

agencies had said they needed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between the buying and the selling countries to be executed before releasing the fund.

“So, we will be addressing the ministers on this, so they can talk to the donors to remove this condition for disbursing the fund and let’s go on with the implementation.”

The WAPP executive noted that security was a major issue in the execution of the project, explaining that the body was discussing ways of incorporating the security agencies to mitigate threats that may be posed by criminals

Human Rights, which Nigeria is a signatory to, as well as provisions of Sections 39 and 36 (12) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), stating that “by these provisions, no one will be violating any law for using Twitter in Nigeria."

It added: “As lawmakers, the joint caucus is pained by the anguish Nigerians, especially the youths, who find the use of Twitter as a means of livelihood and genuine social interaction, are passing through just because the APC-led federal government feels slighted that an individual’s post was deleted by Twitter for an ethical violation.

“The joint caucus, therefore, calls on Nigerians to use various opportunities offered by technology and continue making use of Twitter since such does not violate any law in our country.

“It is agonising that Nigeria and Nigerians have been

losing billions of naira on a daily basis since the ban on Twitter. This is completely unacceptable as it is worsening the already biting economic hardship and frightening unemployment level in the country."

FG: FACEBOOK, WHATSAPP, INSTAGRAM MUST REGISTER TO OPERATE IN NIGERIA helped to raise money, the Twitter owner is one of those who helped to fund the #EndSARS protests that were later hijacked leading to loss of lives and massive destruction of property.

"Like I said last Wednesday, you can see from the factchecking, the role of Jack Dorsey is suspect. His interest in Nigeria is inimical to our growth.

“Our decision to suspend Twitter has been lauded by some, it has been decried by some. But we want to make it clear that what is important to us is the sovereignty of Nigeria.

“And until when Twitter responds and the cardinal thing is that Twitter must be registered in Nigeria. Twitter must be licensed in Nigeria and Twitter must stop using its platform for activities that are inimical to the growth of Nigeria and its corporate existence.”

Impose Visa Ban on Buhari, Malami, Others PDP Tells US, UK, Others Meanwhile, the PDP yesterday called on the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and other members of the international communities to immediately impose a visa ban on President Muhammadu Buhari and members of his cabinet involved in stifling free speech in Nigeria.

The PDP predicated its demand on the alleged violation of UN International Charter on Human Rights by Buhari by suspending the use of Twitter in Nigeria.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, described the suspension as a violation of Article 19 of the UN Charter as well as section

39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guaranteed freedom of expression to all Nigerians.

The party also urged the world bodies to also sanction Mohammed, Malami and some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their individual roles in the suspension of Twitter in addition to associated harassments and threats to Nigerians.

The PDP urged the countries to bar Buhari, Mohammed, Malami and their family members from entering their territories for any private purposes whatsoever.

Continue Tweeting, N’Assembly Minority Caucus Tells Nigerians Also, the joint Minority Caucus of the Senate and the House of Representatives has

called on Nigerians to ignore the Twitter suspension.

The lawmakers described the suspension as draconian as it has resulted in the loss of sources of livelihood for many Nigerians.

The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, and Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, in a joint statement said the joint caucus “restates its condemnation of the embargo as draconian and unacceptable.”

The caucus also dismissed threats by the federal government to arrest and prosecute Nigerians for using Twitter, calling on Nigerians to “go ahead and use their Twitter (handles) as they would not be contravening any law in Nigeria or any international statute.”

The lawmakers cited the provisions of Articles 19 and 20 of the United Nations Charter on Fundamental

Reverse Twitter Ban Immediately, USAID Warns FG Also yesterday, USAID urged the federal government to immediately reverse the suspension.

An administrator of USAID, Samantha Power, in a statement, said: “There are nearly 40 million Twitter users in #Nigeria, and the country is home to Africa’s largest tech hub.

“This suspension is nothing more than state-sanctioned denial of free speech and should be reversed immediately.”

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THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Abdulsalami, Sultan, Onaiyekan, Others Call for Peace, Reconciliation Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja A former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd); the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Cardinal John Onaiyekan have called for reconciliation, peace and national cohesion for a prosperous nation under God. This call was made under the auspices of the Nigerian Inter-Faith Initiative for Peace (IIP), under its Tripartite Consultation (TC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the group made the call during the TC joint consultation meeting on the “State of the Nation” in

Abuja.

The convener of the meeting held on Tuesday, Cardinal Onaiyekan, said that as heavy clouds of impending tempest hung over the nation, people should not just sit and complain.

“Nigerians cannot just sit back, complaining or merely waiting for the worst to happen.

“Many are thinking aloud, speaking out clearly, discussing and dialoguing to seek a way out of our impasses quickly.

“This tripartite consultation is one of such many voluntary fora for positive conversations on the state of the nation.

“We must find our way back as a country from the

brink of chaos and look forward to reconciliation, peace and national cohesion, for a prosperous nation under God,’’ he said.

Onaiyekan said that the state of the nation called for major concern as the challenges facing the country were many, serious and well known to all.

According to him, Nigerians are talking, often complaining and at times even threatening to quit a dysfunctional state in which they have lost all trust and faith.

He said that in the midst of the voices, the government should come out with a clear position and explanation why

certain things that ought not to happen were happening in a modern and civilised state.

The clergyman also said that the National Assembly, which is the institutional forum for fruitful dialogue and conversation, should try to measure up to expectation.

Onaiyekan, however, prayed

that the Almighty and Merciful God save and prosper the nation.

On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto who also led the Nigerian Inter-Faith Initiative for Peace, urged that the National Peace Committee (NPC) should go beyond restoring peace in state elections.

Lawan: Ninth Senate Passed 58 Bills in Two Years Senators score upper chamber high on mid-term performance Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, yesterday disclosed that the Ninth Senate passed 58 out of the 742 bills introduced at the two chambers of the National Assembly since its inauguration in June 2019.

This is just as Senators, who took turns to speak in a special plenary to mark the second anniversary of the Ninth Assembly scored the legislative arm high in their presentations.

Lawan also said the Senate under his leadership achieved 100 per cent budget implementation level in 2020, despite the challenges it faced.

The Senate President, who stated this in an address at a special session on the second anniversary of the 9th Senate, said that 355 out of the remaining 742 bills have also gone through first reading, while 175 have gone through second reading and referred to relevant committees for further

legislative business. ‘’Eleven bills referred by the House of Representatives for concurrence have also been passed. The bills cut across all sectors and touch most areas of needs in the lives of our citizens. This will be the last plenary session that we will hold in the first half of the life of the 9th Assembly of the Senate. ‘’On Friday, June 11, we will be marking the second anniversary of our inauguration in this hallowed chamber. At the outset of our journey, we developed a comprehensive Legislative Agenda to guide us in the pursuit of our constitutional mandates of lawmaking, representation and oversight.’’

On budget cycle, Lawan said the lawmakers restored the annual national budget to the January-December cycle.

He said the measure had made the nation’s fiscal plans more predictable and had boosted the confidence of local and foreign investors on the economy.

HOMEMADE PHONE…

President Muhammadu Buhari (left) and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, during the presentation of the ITF Mobile, an Android phone fully made in Nigeria in Abuja…yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

Relief as Poly Lecturers Suspend Strike Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have suspended their nationwide strike, which crippled academic activities in the institutions since April 27 this year.

A statement issued yesterday

by ASUP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Abdullahi Yalwa said the suspension of the industrial action with effect from June 10 came after an appraisal of the gradual implementation of the items contained in the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed between the union and the federal government.

of Education to fulfill some aspects of the MoA. It cited some of the efforts to include the reconstitution and inauguration of governing councils and visitation panels in Nigerian federal polytechnics, the release of funds for infrastructure revitalisation and processing of the minimum wage arrears for payment.

Other achievements recorded according to the statement, include the ongoing efforts at the review of the Scheme of Service and Conditions of Service for Polytechnics as well as the commencement of work towards resolution of

the issues around CONTISS 15 migration arrears for the lower cadre.

“We also acknowledge the recent passage of the Bill for removal of the dichotomy against HND holders in the country. In reaching the decision to suspend the strike, our union took into cognisance the appeals made by the government, revered traditional stools in the country, members of the National Assembly, Chairmen of Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics and indeed members of the public who showed varied interests in the matter.

Census will Not Consider Religion, Ethnicity, Says NPC

Aig-Imoukhuede Loses Mother

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Former Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, has lost his mother, Mrs. Emily Aig-Imoukhuede.

In a brief statement sent to THISDAY last night, the family said she died on Tuesday in London.

The statement added that funeral arrangements in her honour would be announced soon.

The statement read: “Our family is deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved wife, mother and grandmother, Pastor Emily Aig-Imoukhuede returned to her heavenly home, having passed away in her sleep at night on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in England.

“We are relieved that her passing was peaceful and painless. Funeral arrangements to honour this grand lady’s life and her unselfish contributions to us all will be announced soon.”

Mrs. Aig-Imoukhuede was born in Sabongida-Ora, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The National Population Commission (NPC) yesterday disclosed that the population census will not take into consideration the number of adherents of any religion or the number of members of ethnic groups.

It, therefore, denied including a religious category in the questionnaires being distributed in the first pre-test exercise for the next population and housing census in the country.

She was educated at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan, from 1959 to 1961 and later attended the University of Ibadan from 1961 to 1964.

Mrs Aig-Imoukhuede was a history teacher at St. Anne’s Secondary School, Ibadan in 1966.

She served as a member of the healthcare financial committee, Federal Ministry of Health; board member, National Universities Commission (NUC) 1986; Director, Nigeria Cargo Handling Company, 1987.

She was also the President of the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS).

She was appointed the Secretary of State for States and Local Government Affairs, by the then military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).

She is survived by her husband, Frank AigImoukhuede, and four children.

Her son, Aigboje AigImoukhuede, was also Founder and Chairman of Coronation Capital Limited.

The statement noted that following an appraisal of the report indicating the gradual implementation of the items contained in the MoA, the union has resolved to suspend its 65-day-old industrial action with effect from June 10, 2021.

The statement, however, added that the suspension is for a period of three months to enable the government complete the execution of the items contained in the MoA signed with the union since April 27, 2021 The union said that it considered the efforts being made by the Federal Ministry

The Director, Public Affairs of the NPC, Udi Joseph, said this in a statement yesterday while reacting to viral Whatsapp messages claiming the NPC had made two separate categories for Muslims and one category for Christians in its questionnaire.

In a statement titled, ‘NPC Refutes Fake News on Religion in Census Questionnaires’, the organisation said even in previous population census exercises, religion and ethnicity were not considered.

The statement read in part,

“The attention of the NPC has been drawn to a misleading WhatsApp message circulating to the effect that the population census questionnaire has questions on religion.

“The message alleges that there are some parts of the questionnaire where respondents need to tick the religion for every citizen but Islamic religion has been divided into sects while Christianity has not, the objective being to say that Muslims are small in the country.

“For the records, the two

recent censuses of 1991 and 2006 respectively had no provisions for religion and ethnicity. And this was deliberately given the emotive nature of these two issues in Nigeria.”

The NPC stated that religion and ethnicity, unarguably, are important indices like any other that are very relevant for purposes of understanding the population demographics of any country but due to the volatile nature of two items in Nigeria’s national discourse, it would not be wise to do so now.

Glo Launches New Prepaid Outfit to Help Keep Subscribers’ Lines ActiveGlo subscribers and is especially the menu. “Upon confirmation, Total telecommunications or SMS. solutions provider, Globacom, has launched a new prepaid tariff which allows subscribers to retain their phone numbers for one full year even if they do not use the lines during the period.

With the plan, which is called ALWAYS ON, Glo customers do not need to worry about their lines getting suspended or disconnected even if they have not made calls, used data

The company announced the introduction of the plan in a press statement released in Lagos on Tuesday. It explained that with a token payment of just N500, “the customer will enjoy the assurance of 365 days of continued service, even if the customer does not make or receive calls, text or browse”.

According to Globacom, “ALWAYS ON is available to all existing and new prepaid

beneficial to customers who travel out of the country for long durations without access to the network or customers whose handsets got stolen or damaged but do not have immediate means of replacement. They can now be rest assured that their lines will not be disconnected due to inactivity”.

Customers can subscribe to the plan by simply dialing *777# and selecting ALWAYS ON from

a one-time fee of N500 will be deducted from the customer’s main account after which he or she will be subscribed to the plan and given 365 days of uninterrupted access to the network”.

ALWAYS ON customers can still purchase any Glo products and services as normal and they can subscribe to any other GLO tariff plan at any time via *777# or via Glo Café.

THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSEXTRA

Buhari, Jonathan, Abdulsalami, Tinubu, Others to Feature in Democracy Day Documentary Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari; former President Goodluck Jonathan; a former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, and the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu will feature alongside other prominent Nigerians in a documentary produced in commemoration of 2021 Democracy Day holding on Saturday.

The one-hour documentary will be titled, ‘Nigeria: Consolidating democracy and national unity’.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, disclosed this yesterday in a statement titled ‘Celebrating

Democracy Day, 2021.’

According to the statement, the documentary will be aired on some TV networks on Saturday from 8pm to 9pm; and Sunday from 4.30pm to 5.30pm.

The statement read, “The film features President Muhammadu Buhari and dignitaries who were central to the annulled June 12 election and the events that followed, including General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Kola Abiola, Hafsat Abiola-Costello and Mohammed Fawehinmi, son of legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi who along with Amb. Babagana Kingibe, was also recognised with a Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger national honour.

House Investigates Disbursements of N275bn Agric Loans to Farmers Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The House of Representatives has ordered an investigation into the disbursements of N275 billion agricultural loans to farmers from 2009 till date.

The House ordered the probe following the adoption of a motion moved at the plenary yesterday by Hon. Chike Okafor.

Moving the motion, Okafor said between 2009 and 2021, the federal government has approved the disbursement of funds to farmers in various schemes to the tune of over N275 billion.

He stressed that the scheme ranges from Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme (CACS) to Nigeria IncentiveBased Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), meant to help farmers improve agricultural production and guarantee food security in Nigeria.

The lawmaker said apart from increasing food supply, the scheme is aimed at granting agricultural loans to large and small scale

commercial farmers to lower the prices of agricultural produce, generate employment and increase foreign exchange earnings.

Okafor, however, lamented that since the approval, most farmers have not been able to access the loans due to stringent requirements being demanded by banks from prospective borrowers and the alleged siphoning of over N105 billion meant for farmers by management of NIRSAL. The lawmaker expressed concern that food production has not attained the expected level despite the approval of over N275 billion facilities for farmers.

Okafor pointed out that the projected diversification of the economy from oil production to agricultural production and increase in agricultural output, food supply and promoting low food inflation would not be achieved if farmers are unable to access loans meant to increase agricultural production.

Police Confirm Death of 18 Persons in Jigawa Auto Crash Tragedy struck along Birninkudu-Kano road in Birninkudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State yesterday following an auto crash, which claimed the lives of 18 persons.

Acting spokesman of Jigawa State Police Command, ASP Lawan Shisu, told journalists yesterday that the incident occurred at about 6:30 a.m., close to Alu Farms.

According to him, the two vehicles that were involved in the mishap had a head-on collision which resulted in a fire outbreak.

He said that 12 of the passengers were burnt beyond recognition while six of them died on the spot.

The PPRO however added that only one of the drivers of the vehicles survived the accident, saying he is currently

receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Birninkudu.

He also said that the remains of the deceased were deposited at the FMC mortuary.

“Today, being June 9, 2021, at about 0630HRS close to Alu Farms Birninkudu LGA, two hummer buses had a head-on collision which resulted in the outbreak of fire.

“Twelve persons were burnt to death and their remains couldn’t be identified. A mass burial has been conducted for their remains.

“Six others died instantly while their remains were taken to FMC mortuary. But a driver survived the accident with a fracture on his leg,’’ Shisu said.

The police spokesman said that investigation into the accident was ongoing.

“Also featured are President Goodluck Jonathan, children of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the country’s first and only Prime Minister, those of Chief

Obafemi Awolowo, the first republic opposition leader and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first President as well as Amb. Shehu Malami, nephew of

Sir Ahmadu Bello and son of Sultan Abubakar III.” The documentary will contain sections dedicated to the annulled 1993 elections

and the evolution of Nigeria’s democracy and continuing quest for its consolidation and national unity from Independence in 1960.

FOOD FOR ALL…

L-R: Representative of Awolowo Family, Mr. Olumide Oyediran; Oyo State Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperative, Mr. Adeniyi Adebisi; Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde; Onido of Ido, Oba Muritala Gbolagade; and the Speaker, State House of Assembly, Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, during the inauguration of rehabilitated/refurbished Ilaju Garri Processing Factory, Ilaju in Ido Local Government Area…yesterday

NDLEA Arrests Two Drug Suppliers in Kwara, Seizes 24kg Diazepam, Codeine Michael Olugbode in Abuja Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two suspected drug dealers, Martins Okwor Ejiofor, 31, and Bala Mohammed, 33, with a total of 24.450 kilogrammes of assorted substances.

These substances were suspected to be delivered in Gwada, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, where bandits in neighbouring forest buy their illicit drugs. Gwada has one of the two functional markets

bordering the forest where bandits and kidnappers hide in the state.

Drugs seized from the suspects include Codeine (7.100kg), Diazepam (6.400kg), and Exol (5-10.950kg).

The Kwara State NDLEA Command highway patrol team on the Okolowo (Ilorin)Jebba highway intercepted the consignment in a Hiace bus, with registration number: Niger 14 B.40NG, belonging to the Niger State Transport Authority on June 5, 2021.

Ejiofor had travelled to

Lagos with the second suspect to procure the drugs to be delivered to dealers in Gwada. During interrogation, he confessed that he had been arrested with over 50 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa and charged to court by the Niger State Command of the agency in 2020. He completed his one-year jail term in March this year, and resumed his nefarious illicit drug business again.

Meanwhile, one other suspect, Usman Abass, 38, was arrested with 6.8kg cannabis

sativa concealed in a sack containing used clothes, which the suspect bought at the Alaba International Market in Lagos.

The suspect, upon interrogation, claimed that one Baba gave him the exhibit to deliver to one Lawali in Daura, Katsina State, before his arrest by a team of the operatives attached to Jebba Area Command on a routine stop-and-search operation. The suspect confessed that he had transported cannabis sativa once to Katsina and that the latest trip was his second.

Don’t Play Politics with Insecurity in South-east, Ekweremadu Tells Politicians Deji Elumoye in Abuja Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has warned against playing “extreme and dangerous politics” with insecurity in the South East.

Ekweremadu described charges of silence against South-east leaders over the rising security concerns in the region as “sheer blackmail and out of place,” noting that the region’s leaders had always spoken up

and that the present situation could have been avoided if the suggestions made to the federal government over the past years had been put to use.

The ranking senator, who is also the leader of the South-east Caucus of the Senate, bared his mind yesterday in a personally signed statement titled “Playing Extreme Politics with South East Insecurity.”

He said: “I have noted with concern the growing and wellchoreographed attack on the

South-east opposition leaders for allegedly not condemning the rising insecurity and agitations in the South-east of Nigeria and the activities of non-state actors.

“I believed initially that those were genuine concern about the security situation in the Southeast. However, I have come to the realisation that those making and inducing the statements are only playing politics with a very serious matter. The objective is to lay the foundation for

the harassment and possible destruction of the opposition in the South-east ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“It is on record that the South-east leaders have at various times individually and collectively stated their positions on the challenges in the region, the concerns and demands of the South-east people of Nigeria.

The South-east leaders have also reiterated their opposition to the use of violence to resolve problems.

Dangote Volunteers Initiate Tree Planting Campaign To help realise the global objective of a better and safer ecosystem, the Dangote Group has initiated a tree planting campaign through an Employee Volunteering initiative. This move is in line with the culture of sustainability embedded in the organisation’s operations.

The campaign, aimed at creating awareness and preserving the environment, which aligns with the United Nations 2021 World Environment Day theme ‘Ecosystem Restoration’, kicked off on Monday, June 7 in some

public and low-income private schools around Ikoyi, Lekki/ Ajah and Victoria Island, Lagos.

At the designated school premises, Dangote Volunteer employees drawn from the Head Office in Falomo, Ikoyi, in collaboration with officials of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), planted trees to ensure a healthier environment for current and future generations.

The environmental initiative, led by a team drawn from the Sustainability, Environment and HSSE Departments of the

Dangote Group, is in line with the organisation’s focus in giving back to the society, especially the host communities and the less-privileged.

Dangote Volunteers visited include Ilasan Community Secondary School, Ilasan (Lekki); Gbara Community Senior Secondary School, Gbara, Jakande (Lekki), and Ikota Primary School, Ikota (Lekki); Aunty Ayo School, Ikoyi; Falomo Senior High School, Falomo; and Government Senior Secondary School, Maroko, Victoria Island;

where they also planted trees to help boost the restoration of the environment.

Among the Dangote Volunteers were the GM/Head of Sustainability Dangote Cement, Mrs. Eunice Sampson SGM/ Head, Community Affairs and Environment, Dangote Cement, Engr. Tukur Lawal and Yetunde Ogunnowo of Branding and Communications Department; while Abidemi Balogun, Lead Environmental Education, Nigerian Conservation Foundation represented the Foundation.

THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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24 HOURS...

24 HOURS...

House Passes Bill Seeking Legal Backing for Amotekun, Ebubeagu, Others Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives at the plenary yesterday passed for second reading a bill seeking to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution to give legal backing to states’ security outfits.

Some zones in the country have adopted regional security outfits to curtail the worsening security challenges facing the country. While the South-west region has established its security outfit as Amotekun, the South-east region recently created Ebubeagu, as its own regional security outfit to tackle the rising unrest.

Leading the debate on its general principles, the sponsor of the bill, Hon.

Oberuakpefe Afe (PDP, Delta), said the security agencies are saddled with enormous responsibility of maintaining law and order, hence the proposed legislation, and if passed, would complement the Nigeria Police Force to tackle insecurity in the country.

He said the country can no longer deny the fact that the state or local police are performing the function of the Nigerian police force.

According to him, ‘’Each state is now coming up with different security outfits, and there is need for us to structure it so as to ensure proper coordination. If passed, the states security outfits would help in intelligence gathering.

The duty of maintaining

law and protection of lives and property would be complemented as well.’’

Afe added that the amendment would regulate the local policing in order to

have a structural operation.

When put to a voice vote by the Deputy Speaker, Hon.

Idris Wase, the bill got the support of majority of the lawmakers.

My Husband’s Death Not a GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY… Group Head, Client Coverage and Financial Institutions, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Kashetolulope Lawal; Baale of Eleko Town, Chief Surprise, Says TB Joshua’s Wife L-R: Gbadebo Fatau Labiya; Chief Executive Officer, Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe; and Group Head, Oil and Gas, Power and Segun James

As Christendom continues to mourn the demise of Prophet Temitope Joshua, his wife, Mrs. Evelyn Balogun, yesterday said his death did not come to the family as a surprise.

She disclosed this to the Lagos State Government delegation sent by the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to commiserate with the family of the deceased cleric.

According to Mrs. Balogun , the departure of her husband wasn’t a surprise to her, as she has been used to him saying his ministry is what he would die for.

She said: “On behalf of myself and the entire synagogue family, we are grateful, and thankful for your presence here today (Wednesday).

“What happened is an act of God. There is time for everything-like my husband did say. That is the word I knew from him very well. This is the job he was known for. That is

what he lived for, that is what he died for.

“So, it didn’t come to me as a surprise. I wasn’t surprise when it happened. As we all know, he was in service that day. So, that’s it.” The late prophet’s wife said the arrangement for his funerals would be made public, even as she appreciated the governor’s support for the family and the church in the hour of sorrow.

“I appreciate you all. This is my message to the governor.

I’m also pleading; we need you, and we need your presence,” she said.

The leader of the state delegation was the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi.

The delegation also included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale; the Presiding Chaplain, Chapel of Christ The Light, Venerable Ezekiel Oluwadare; Directors of the state’s Ministry of Home Affairs, and other state officials.

2023: Northern Group Rallies Support for Southern President Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia A northern political group, Progressives for Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, yesterday rallied support for a southern presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.

Consequently, the political group revealed that for fairness and equity, the 2023 presidency should be zoned to the southern part of the country.

This was even as the group also drummed support for the immediate-past Governor of Nasarawa State and Senator representing Nasarawa South in the National Assembly, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, to emerge as the next national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, leader of the group, Hon. Makpa Malla, maintained that the presidency of the country should always rotate between the northern and southern parts of the country.

Malla, who was accompanied

at the press conference by a member of the House of Representatives representing Awe/Keana/Doma federal constituency of Nasarawa State, Hon. Hassan Nalaraba, and former members of the state House of Assembly, called on Senator Al-Makura to step out and vie for the national chairmanship of the party.

According to him, “We, therefore, stand firm on our belief that a Al-Makura’s chairmanship of the party would further solidify and consolidate the party’s gain so far; create a strong atmosphere of trust, unity and inclusion, which are crucial elements the party requires at this moment to expand its horizon and make further gains going forward.”

He, therefore, appealed to the national leaders and critical stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to see reason to zone the national chairmanship position of the party to the North Central with a view to encouraging the feeling of inclusion among the party ranks.

Renewable Energy, Sterling Bank, Mr. Dele Faseemo, during the cleanup of Eleko Beach as part of activities marking the 2021 World Environment Day...recently

APC Names Seven-member Committee to Screen Anambra Governorship Aspirants Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed a sevenmember Screening Committee for the party’s 2021 Anambra State governorship aspirants.

The National Secretary of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, in a

statement issued yesterday said committee is expected to conduct the screening exercise in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution and guidelines for the nomination of candidates.

He said: “The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC),

Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni, has approved the appointment of a sevenmember Screening Committee for the party’s 2021 Anambra State governorship aspirants.”

Akpanudoedehe said the committee has Chief Ikechi

Emenike as its chairman; Hon. Augustine Utuk as secretary, while Hon. Eugene Odo, Prof.

Ben Angwe, Mrs. Kemi Nelson, Mr. Ahmed Aliyu, and Prof.

Adeolu Akande are members.

He noted that the committee would be inaugurated today at the APC national secretariat in Abuja by 2:00p.m.

Imoke Confident in PDP’s Ability to Regain C’River in 2023 Nseobong Okon-Ekong Former Governor of Cross River State and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Liyel Imoke has expressed confidence in the ability of his party to regain control of the state in 2023 from the All Progressives Congress (APC), which became the ruling party following the recent defection of the state Governor, Ben Ayade, to the

APC. The PDP had an unbroken reign of 21 years in Cross River State between 1999 and May 2021 when Ayade joined the APC. Ayade, who previously served as a senator between 2011 and 2015, was a member of the PDP until he defected to the APC last month.

Fielding questions from THISDAY, Imoke maintained that Cross River “has a history

of being a PDP state.”

Making a veiled reference to Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, where their former assumedly influential governors, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Mr. Rotimi Amaechi respectively, could not convince the majority of the electorate in their states to move with them from the PDP to the APC, Imoke said: “In the past, you would see that states that have that type of strength irrespective of a

defection tend to remain strong at all times.

“There’s a reason for that.

What you perceive as power will determine how you lead.

If you perceive power to be a political party, then you will be moving from one political party to another, but if you understand that power ultimately is the people and that it belongs to the people, you will appreciate that it is not about the party.”

Bauchi Gov Dissolves Cabinet Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has approved the immediate dissolution of members of the State Executive Council (SEC) and other political appointees.

The affected political appointees included the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the Chief

of Staff (COS), Government House, and all Special Advisers except the Special Adviser on Security, Special Adviser on National and State Assembly Liaison, Special Adviser on Social Investment and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

This dissolution was contained in a statement signed by Special Adviser,

Media and Publicity to the state governor, Mukhtar Gidado, which was made available to journalists yesterday in Bauchi.

According to the governor, “All commissioners are to hand over the affairs of their ministries to their respective permanent secretaries, while the SSG, the Chief of Staff, Government House, and other

affected Special Advisers are to hand over to the most senior permanent secretary in the Government House, who is equally directed to take inventory of government property.

Mohammed, while thanking the affected political appointees for their meritorious service to the state, wished them the best in their future endeavours.

FG Partners Stakeholders in Fight against Malaria The federal government, through the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), has partnered stakeholders in the health sector to fight malaria.

The National Coordinator of NMEP, Dr. Perpetual Uhomoibhi, in a statement yesterday said concerted effort was needed to win the war against malaria.

She said: “The NMEP has made several concerted efforts

in reducing morbidity and mortality rate caused by malaria in the country through malaria vector control interventions, and a lot of milestones have been achieved through several interventions. Similarly, other disease vectors such as flies, bugs, fleas and cockroaches are being controlled in the country.

“In the bid to reinforce these efforts, the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Public Health Department of the

Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with Olomitutu Kalt Limited is commencing a pilot trial of Aragon Insecticide for Malaria Vector Control in Nigeria. The trial is an open label, controlled, multiple application, multi-centre design to take place in Ebonyi and Niger States.”

Uhomoibhi noted that the objectives of the trial included gathering of baseline information with respect to

species composition, relative abundance, room resting density, human biting rate, and feeding status.

Other objectives, according to her, is to determine the insecticidal efficacy of Aragon as an aerosol spray against malaria vectors in the selected communities, and to determine the peoples’ perception and acceptability of Aragon insecticide for malaria vector control.

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PDP Targets 100m Members in Online Registration Chuks Okocha inAbuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday inaugurated its committee on online e-registration, with a target to register over 100 million Nigerians as members.

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who chairs the PDP e-registration exercise, said the party would leverage on the over 180 million online users to achieve an over 100 million online membership for the party during the exercise.

He said the committee, which he heads, would take advantage of technology and telecommunications facilities in the country to achieve the target of maximum e-registration of new members According to the governor, “With over 180 million GSM users, we will endeavour to capture over 100 million new members through the e-registration process.”

In his speech during the inauguration of the exercise, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said records from the 36 states and the Federal Capita Tertiary (FCT) showed that the PDP has more registered members and supporters across the country.

Secondus said the foundation of the party is solidly laid on the people hence the name, Peoples Democratic Party, with its Motto: Power to the People!

The PDP leader said: “When we stated that PDP is the largest party on the continent of Africa, we are not grandstanding, but stating the obvious. Every nook and cranny of this country has PDP members.

“In 2019 general election, the PDP was the only political party that fielded candidates in all the positions-presidency, governorship, Senate and House of Representatives, and in all the

ASUU Kicks as Gunmen Kidnap another UNIJOS Lecturer, Demand N10m Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The University of Jos (UNIJOS) branch of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) has lamented continuous threat to lives and property of citizens and its members across the country, warning that government must take proactive measures safeguard lives and property of citizens.

The warning followed the kidnap of another lecturer with the Department of Theatre Arts of the university, Dr. Dan Ella from his Haske Quarters residence by unknown gunmen.

THISDAY gathered that he was abducted in the early hours of yesterday by the gunmen who attacked his residence located in Lamingo community, Jos North Local Government Area of the state.

Last month, a female professor of Medical Microbiology and her husband were abducted from the same Haske Quarters, and later released after ransom was paid.

A neighbour of the lecturer,

Mr. Moses Bature confirmed that the gunmen who invaded the community at about 2am yesterday headed straight to the apartment of the lecturer and took him away after breaking their door while shooting to scare away residents.

“It was the sounds of gunshots that woke us up around 2am. But we could not come out to his rescue for fear of becoming victims.

“This morning when we came out, we discovered that they had taken Dr. Dan Ella away after breaking into their house. It’s really painful because this thing is happening again in the same place where a professor and her husband were kidnapped in similar circumstances last month, and Dr. Ella, who is their neighbour was the one running around to make sure that they were rescued. Now, he is the one that has been abducted and no one knows where they have taken him to. “

Suspected Herdsmen Kill Four Local Hunters in Kwara Hammed Shittu in Kwara

No fewer than four local hunters were killed by suspected herdsmen on Tuesday night at Faje community in the Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The fourth victim, who sustained gunshot injury from the attack, died yesterday morning.

THISDAY gathered that five hunters were riding on two motorcycles before their alleged attackers pounced on them at about 7:00pm on a bush path few metres away to the village.

While the suspected herdsmen shot dead three of the hunters, two others escaped and ran back to the village to inform members of the community of the incident.

However, the alleged attackers were said to have bolted away with the hunters’ two motorcycles, abandoning their own bike.

According to a source in the village, “one of the motorcycles used by the attackers was recovered by the members of

the vigilance team and had been deposited at the Otte Divisional Police station.”

Another member of the community also said that the suspected herdsmen had earlier abducted one of the hunters in the community.

The source said that the abducted villager raised the alarm by using his phone to call his colleagues to relate to them what had happened, including the location of the attackers.

“Then five of the hunters mobilised in two motorcycles to the place. But as they approached the vicinity, the herdsmen immediately opened fire on them killing three instantly on the spot who were on the first motorcycle. The deceased names are Muri, Segun and Laide.

The other two on the other motorcycles sustained bullet wounds and one of them has been taken to the hospital for treatment while the other who was initially taken to a tradomedical home to remove the bullet later died this morning.

36 states Houses of Assembly.

“Even in states where we are not in power, our members still outnumbered even the ruling party in such states.”

Secondus maintained that PDP

is the only party since 1998 that has been consistent in name, motto, manifestos and logo.

He stated that reports reaching the national secretariat across the country showed

that many more Nigerians want to belong to the party, “and this programme (online exercise) will provide them such opportunity.”

Secondus specifically told

Obaseki that he was appointed chairman of the party’s e-registration “because the party took into consideration his background and his love for data and record keeping.

SET FOR ANAMBRA 2021…

L-R: Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) , Anambra State, Mr. Obinna Okoli; APC governorship aspirant, Senator Andy Uba and Director General, Andy Uba Campaign Organisation, Mr. Paul Chukwuma, during the submission of interest and nomination forms at APC national secretariat in Abuja…recently ENOCK REUBEN

House Steps Down Bill Empowering AMCON to Seize Debtors’ Assets

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The House of Representatives at the plenary yesterday stepped down the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Amendment (AMCON) Bill, which was transmitted to it by the Senate for concurrence.

The Senate had on April 28 passed the bill after considering the report of its Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other

Financial Institutions.

The amendment bill would empower the AMCON to take possession, manage or sell all assets traced to debtors, whether or not such assets or property were used as security/collateral for obtaining the loan.

The House Leader, Hon. Ado Doguwa, who presented the bill on behalf of the Senate for concurrence, said the legislation has been discussed and have

undergone public hearing at the Senate, hence as a bicameral legislature, the House members should reason and concur with the Senate and allow the bill to pass for second reading.

Contributing in support of the bill, the Chairman House Committee on Banking and Currency, Hon. Victor Nwokolo, said the legislation was not asking AMCON to just acquire people’s assets, rather it sought to get people

to be honest with their business by liquidating the loans they have taken.

Nwokolo said: ‘’What this amendment seeks to achieve is very important. Basically, we are looking to extend the consolidation fund which has expired. As of today the liabilities unpaid is overwhelming. Without the extension the banks are no longer contributing because there’s no legal backing for the contribution.

Lawan Restates Commitment to Women’s Rights, Pledges Support for GEO Bill Sunday Okobi The Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, yesterday reiterated his commitment to advancing women’s right and full participation in governance, just as he pledged support for the revised Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (GEO Bill).

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday by

Women Rights promoter and Radio Entrepreneur, Toun Okewale, Lawan made the commitment during a high-level advocacy visit by a group of UN women in Nigeria, to seek his support as co-sponsor of the revised Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOBill) The team presented the revised GEO Bill, which has adopted recommendations that

addressed initial objections.

The GEOBill was revised by a Technical Working Committee established under the auspices of the office of Senator Abiodun Olujimi and United Nations Women chaired by Saudatu Mahdi.

The Senate president, who gave his support in principle, commended the team for strategically making the visit

while the constitution is being reviewed.

He further assured them of his support and commitment to advancing women’s right and full participation in governance.

According to Lawan, “Women make up half of Nigeria’s population; therefore, they should not be denied the opportunity to serve government at all levels”

Ondo Engages 3,000 Unemployed Graduates in Digital Training James Sowole inAkure Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), yesterday kicked off a Digital Training Programme tagged: ‘Ondo-engage’ for 3,000 unemployed graduates in the state.

The ceremony was part of the activities to mark the first 100 days of the governor’s second term in office.

The training programme is

organised by the state government through the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) in partnership with Envivo Communications Limited and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

According to the governor, the training, which would last for nine months, would be focused on digital economy.

He said participants would be paid monthly stipend

throughout the period of the training, and would get laptops and subscription.

Akeredolu said one of the major ways to address Nigeria’s insecurity and other socio-economic challenges is through the dignified engagement and empowerment of the youth population.

He noted that building the digital skills of the young graduates would go a long way to equip

them with relevant skills for IT jobs.

According to the governor, “Undoubtedly, ICT has turned the world into a global village, as it has assisted in automating government processes; using technology to solve common problems in the society; entrepreneurship development; proffering digital solution to problems of unemployment, insecurity and economic challenges, and improving production.

FG Urges NEPZA to Designate Four Major Airports Special Economic Zones Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, yesterday stated that plans are under way to ensure that Special Economic Zones would help reduce the tax burden on aviation companies.

This he noted would enable them to compete internationally and create around the airports a more efficient and businessfriendly trade environment

comparable to other countries.

To this end, the minister requested the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) to designate the four major international airports under NEPZA Act. Sirika in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja by the Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, yesterday highlighted the inherent benefits of the

designation and operation of the airports as special economic zones.

According to the statement, “Recently, the Minister of Aviation, Sirika, announced the designation of four international airports-the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; PortHarcourt International Airport, and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airports-as special

economic zones.

“The announcement followed the approval granted by President Muhammadu Buhari to that effect. The Ministry of Aviation in its desire to address issues concerning taxation, custom duties and fiscal issues in the Nigerian aviation industry which require a holistic solution, had requested the NEPZA to designate the four major international airports under NEPZA Act.

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Iwu: Nigeria’s COVID-19 Vaccine Undergoing Clinical Trials Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof.

Maurice Iwu, has disclosed that the COVID-19 vaccine, which his group presented to the federal government few months ago, is currently undergoing clinical trials at the University of Lagos.

According to him, the government of Thailand had accepted the active constituent of the vaccine as their national response

for COVID-19, adding that the vaccine is doing well and it is going to be successful.

He said: “It is good to let Nigerians know that there is a new product based on the anti-malaria that my group is developing with the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

We are currently having a debate about the new product, which is normal, because it is a healthy debate that will help NAFDAC to subject it to clinical trials.

“The ongoing clinical trials

of the COVID-19 vaccine that we presented to NAFDAC may be slow, but we are not offended that the trial process is slow and we are not angry that NAFDAC is conservative because the bottom line is to ensure the safety of lives after administration of the vaccine.”

Iwu, who spoke yesterday on the Morning Show of the Arise News television, the broadcast arm of THISDAY

Newspapers, said the production of the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria by his group was private sectordriven, and that the group has not received any financial support from the government.

He added: “My group, which produced the COVID-19 vaccine that is currently undergoing clinical trials, has been consistent in developing drugs that will

address emerging diseases like Ebola, COVID-19, among others. We also developed substance for Ebola disease based on the usual bitter kola, and we extracted a compound from it called Colaviron, which my group used to develop anti-viral agents. We are also working with the Raw Material Development Council to develop another anti-viral product from

mushroom.”

The former INEC boss explained that the group would continue to develop anti-viral products that would cure emerging diseases, adding that there are several of the emerging diseases that are living in people, yet the people are not aware of them.

He, however, said the group was tracking such emerging diseases.

Tight Security as Buhari Visits Lagos Today Barring any last-minute change in his official schedule, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to visit Lagos State today to inaugurate some projects.

Buhari last visited Lagos on April 24, 2019, during the tenure of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

THISDAY gathered that in preparation for the visit, security has been beefed up in the state.

Also as part of the preparation, the InspectorGeneral of Police, Usman Baba, arrived Lagos yesterday, to receive the President and tighten security before his arrival.

The police chief, who is on a three-day visit, told officers and men of the state police command yesterday that they should no longer allow

hoodlums to attack police stations.

Confirming the visit, a presidential aide, Mr. Bashir Ahmad, yesterday wrote on his Facebook page that: “President Muhammadu Buhari will tomorrow (Thursday), commission the 156km Lagos—Ibadan standard gauge railway line in Lagos, the first double-track standard gauge rail in West Africa, and the first Nigerian railway line to be started and completed by the same administration, since 1960.

“Construction started in March 2017, and test-running commenced in December 2020.

“The Ebute Metta Station, known as the Mobolaji Johnson Station, is the largest railway station in West Africa with a holding capacity of 6000 passengers.

Resign If You Can’t Perform, House Tells FIRS Boss Udora Orizu in Abuja

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Account (PAC) yesterday asked the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, (FIRS) Mr. Muhammad Mamman Nami, to tender his resignation from office if he is not capable of discharging his constitutional responsibilities.

The committee, which is currently probing the huge dwindling revenues of the federal government as reported by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAGF), gave the order following the failure of the FIRS boss to honour its invitation.

Nami, who was billed to appear before the committee

on the nonpayment of taxes by three foreign firms, sent an official to represent him.

His representative, Mr. Olusegun Olatunji, apologised to the committee for his absence, which was attributed to the lateness of the letter of invitation.

But the lawmakers insisted that he must appear in person.

In his ruling, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Wole Oke, expressed dismay over the lukewarm attitudes of the Heads of Ministries Departments and Agencies of the federal government to their constitutional responsibilities.

Oke gave the FIRS’ chairman 18 hours ultimatum to appear in person or be sanctioned in line with the constitution of the country.

Buhari Presented with Made-inNigeria Cell Phone Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, yesterday presented a made-in- Nigeria cell phone to President Muhammadu Buhari.

He did the presentation of the phone named ‘ITF Mobile’ shortly before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Buhari It is the second of such phones manufactured in the country after the product launched by AfriOne Limited

in Lagos in 2017.

According to Adebayo, the phone is one of the 12 produced by the Electrical/ Electronics Technology Department of the Industrial Training Fund’s (ITF) Model Skills Training Centre using locally sourced components.

“12 indigenous mobile cell phones produced by the Model Skills Training Centre of the Industrial Training Fund, an agency under Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment was launched.

“It gives me great pleasure Mr. President, to present you with one of the phones.”

INDEPENDENCE DAY HEROES…

L-R: Group Corporate Communications and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju; Executive Permanent Board Member, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Dayo Israel; Head of Marketing, Indomie, Sukhman Kaur; and Managing Director, BDC Communications, Mr.Tola Bademosi, during a press conference for 2021 Indomie Independence Day Heroes’ Awards in Lagos… yesterday ETOP UKUTT

Nobody Should Pay Ransom If I’m Kidnapped, Says El-Rufai’s Wife John Shiklam in Kaduna One of the wives of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Mrs. Asia El-Rufai, has declared that she would rather die than accept that ransom be paid to kidnappers for her release if she ever gets abducted.

Mrs. El-Rufai, who addressed participants at a peace and security training yesterday that was organised

for women by the Equal Access International (EAI), aligned herself with the position of her husband who has consistently maintained that no ransom should be paid to bandits.

She said that the solution to ending kidnapping is to stop payment of ransom, adding that she was ready to die in the hands of kidnappers if it will bring peace to the country.

She argued women have a great role in ensuring that

Nigerians got back their once peaceful country.

“We must sacrifice to bring this (kidnapping) to an end. I am ready to die in the hands of kidnappers if it will bring peace to this country.

“For as long as you continue to pay ransom, it is like you are adding kerosene to fire. It is giving bandits and kidnappers money for ammunition to continue to haunt you.

“We should not pay ransom.

This is my personal opinion. I have said it before and I will say it again: if I am kidnapped don’t pay any ransom. Rather pray for me that if it is death, I go in a good way (sic) and if I am going to be released that I am not violated.

“Collectively as a country we have to say no. We cannot continue to give them our hard earned money to buy weapons and drugs to kill and maim our children,”, she said.

Top Govt Officials Involved in Illicit Financial Flows, EFCC Alleges Nigeria loses $18bn annually Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has accused Nigerian leaders and top government officials of aiding the Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) activities in the country.

The EFCC also revealed that corrupt government officials and their private sector collaborators used fronts and ownership structures that do not provide sufficient information about the true identities of the natural persons behind the title to hide

illicit money and transferred same to safe havens abroad.

The Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Abduralsheed Bawa, disclosed this during a one-day conference that was organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CSLAC) on IFF on Corruption in Arbitration in Abuja Bawa, who was represented by the Head of Research Unit, Department of Policy Research and Statistics, EFCC, Mr. Abiodun Adebanjo, said: “The IFFs in Nigeria is perpetrated by

corrupt leaders and their foreign accomplices and multinational companies.

“Investigations by the EFCC and other international law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Crime Agency (NCA) whom we work very closely with at the EFCC revealed that the massive flow of illicit money out of Nigeria is facilitated by the Global Shadow Financial System (GSFS) comprising tax havens, secrecy jurisdiction, disguised

corporations, anonymous trust accounts, fake foundations, trade mispricing, multinational asset stripping and money laundering techniques.”

He stated that the practice of concealing the real owners of companies manifests in different forms and that in some jurisdictions includes chain of ownership, which “is a situation where many companies, including those registered in tax havens and secret banking jurisdictions, end up owning a particular company.

Kidnappers Shoot Hotel Worker, Abduct Four in Ekiti Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Suspected kidnappers stormed a hotel in Ayetoro-Ekiti in Ido\Osi Local Government on Tuesday and abducted four persons.

It was gathered that about 30 kidnappers who rode on motorbikes to the hotel around 9:30 p.m. shot and whisked away a staff of the hotel alongside unidentified three persons.

The attack was said to have sent panic around the agrarian community.

A source in the community revealed that the bandits came

into the community from the route where a traditional ruler, the Elewu of Ewu-Ekiti, Oba Adetutu Ajayi, was shot in April.

He further explained that they shot sporadically into the air and in the process a staff of the hotel was shot in the arm and kidnapped.

He said: “The guards with the hotel received machete wounds severally on his head from the gunmen and now is in critical condition at the hospital.”

The Ekiti State Police Command said that it has launched an aggressive search for kidnappers.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sunday Abutu, confirmed the attack.

Abutu said the police command has come up with strategies that would put the activities of these bandits at bay and ensure security of lives and property in the state.

He said: “We heard about the pathetic occurrence and our men and officers are combing the surrounding bushes for these criminals.

“We solicit the support of the locals as well. Information from them will also help us to track down these criminals who

are disturbing the peace of our nation.”

Also, the commander of the Amotekun Corps in the State, Brig. Gen. Joe Komolafe (retd) said the attack on the hotel was carried out by unknown persons but could not confirm whether some persons were abducted.

Komolafe further explained that the security guard at the hotel was wounded while a lady was raped.

He said: “When we got the distress call last night at about 9:30 p.m., we drafted our men to the hotel but on getting there the attackers have had left.

THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021 ˾ THISDAY

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THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Super Falcons, Reggae Girlz in Summer Series Showdown in Houston Duro Ikhazuagbe

Nigeria’s Super Falcons who arrived Houston, Texas on Tuesday morning to participate in this year’s Summer Series– a four-nation Tournament involving hosts USA, Jamaica and Portugal are to take on the Caribbean nation today.

Media Officer of the ninetime African champions Nigeria, Mrs. Oluchi TobeChukwu, confirmed that the Super Falcons had feel of the BBVA Stadium for the first time at 9.30 am local time yesterday.

The Stadium is the home ground of Houston Dash, one of the teams in America’s National Women’s Soccer

League.

Super Falcons players who featured in the morning training session supervised by Head Coach, Randy Waldrum, an American, include; Dimehin Oluwatosin, Ibe Abidemi, Ogbonna Akudo, Ogbonna Glory, Etim Inyene Sunday, Ikechukwu Vivian, Bokiri Joy, Monday Gift and Mbadi Uju Amanda all from the domestic NWPL. Foreign-based players like Yewande Balogun GK (USA), Onyinyechi Zogg ( FC Basel, Switzerland), Rossa Ariyo ( Finland), Nicole Payne (USA), Ordega Franny, Toni Payne (USA) and Ifeoma Onomonwu.

(GOTHAN, USA) also featured in the morning work out.

Nigeria’s top professional

players all based in Spain who missed the morning session arrived the team’s Marriott Hotel in Houston to be part of the evening training.

They include; Rashedat Ajibade, Tochi Oluehi, Chidinma Okeke, Charity

Adule, Rita Chikwelu and Captain of the team, Asisat Oshoala.

Onome Ebi and Chiamaka Nnadozie also arrived from France.

Three days after today’s clash with Jamaica’s Reggae

Girlz, the Falcons, one of only seven teams to have featured in every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals since the competition was launched 30 years ago in China, will tackle Portugal at the same

BBVA. Their last match is against the USA squad, four-time winners of the FIFA World Cup and four-time winners of the Olympic football gold, at the Q2 Stadium on 16th June in Austin, Texas.

NPFL: Leaders Pillars Crumble in Garden City to Leave Top Spot Open Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) leaders, Kano Pillars FC, suffered setback in Port Harcourt yesterday with hosts Rivers United snatching a 2-0 victory at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.

MATCH DAY 26 Plateau Utd 2-0 Katsina Utd Enyimba

2-1 Adamawa Utd

Rivers Utd

2-0 Kano Pillars

Jigawa GS

1-1 Wikki

IfeanyiUbah 2-1 Kwara Utd Sunshine

1-0 Dakkada FC

Lobi Stars

1-0 Rangers

Nasarawa

3-1 Warri Wolves

MFM FC v Abia Warriors (PP) TODAY Akwa Utd v Heartland

The defeat for the Sai Masu Gida has now created another window for second placed Akwa United to assume top spot today when they host Heartland in Uyo. Nasarawa moved a place up to No 3 with a 3-1 defeat of Warri Wolves in Lafia.

The Pride of Rivers climbed into the top four bracket on same points with Nasarawa United but with inferior goal difference.

Kwara United dropped out of the top four as Enyimba step up to sixth spot.

Warri Wolves are back among the bottom four with Wikki Tourists out of that zone.

FC IfeanyiUbah, Sunshine Stars and Adamawa United remain in the drop zone.

AFN President Promises Free, Fair Election

As the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) elections slated for Monday, 14th of Junedraw closer, the incumbent, Engr Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, has assured all contestants of a free and fair electoral process.

Gusau who is also vying for a second term in office as President said in the spirit of unity and oneness, interests of all contestants will be protected before and during the election.

Having suffered persecution for the better part of his first tenure due to unnecessary meddlesomeness within the sports family, Gusau said that he knows what it means to suffer injustice.

“Let me assure all participants and contestants in the AFN election that it will be free and fair. The screening and electoral committees have been given a free hand to conduct the electoral process without fear or favour.

“AFN is one big

family where all genuine stakeholders have a say. If we want to hit the ground running and avoid all unnecessary distractions, everybody must be on board”, Gusau said.

Gusau who doubles as the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Region II President, promised more events for home-grown athletes to aid their rapid development.

Following the conclusion of the CAA Region II championship, U-20 meet, National trials and Grand Prix in Zaria recently, he promised more local and regional events with a promise to continue prioritising their welfare.

With the continued revival of athletics in Nigeria in the face of paucity of funds from the Ministry, he assured that efforts are in top gear to have a concrete plan to attract private sponsorship similar to the Puma deal.

Super Falcons at first training since arriving USA on Tuesday morning. The nine-time African champions are to take on Jamaica this evening in their first game of the four-nation Summer Series

IBB Golf Club to Parade 350 Golfers for New Committee Inaugural Tourney Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

No fewer than 350 golfers and tennis players will compete at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja beginning from today to usher in the newly elected executive committee headed by Senator Emmanuel Anosike.

The Chairman Organising Committee Olabanjo Obaleye, said yesterday that arrangements have been made for a successful tournament.

He said a lot of trophies and consolation prizes would be won while the committee, which was inaugurated in April has worked hard to put

the golf course in good shape within a short time.

The tournament will tee off today for in-house professional players while it will feature Handicap 19-36 players the next day.

The grand finale comes up on Saturday for handicap 0-18 players in addition to guests and sponsors. Obaleye said all the captains of golf clubs have been invited while the tournament format on Saturday would be a shotgun start to enable everybody start and finish at the same time.

He also noted that the tournament has been structured in a way that all COVID-19 protocols on Non-

Pharmaceutical Interventions would not be violated.

“That is why we are doing shotgun and that is why registration commences from Thursdayso that we don’t have crowd. And if I should stress it further, golf is one of the sporting events that can not in any way violate COVID-19 protocols. If you look at the field of play-so expansive- and when you talking about spacing, if you have four in a team on a hole that is 500 metres long, you will be rest assured that between you, your caddie and your partner, you can have more than four metres distance. And again you play under the sun as well which

is equally good as a very good protection from COVID-19. In some countries during the serious COVID situation, you still see people playing their golf but ensure that they comply with safety protocols.

We have put strategies in place to ensure everybody is safe,” Obaleye said.

The IBB Club Social and Welfare Officer, Michael Nwachukwu noted that the inaugural tournament should be looked forward to from the quality of the prizes, sponsorship and the make- up of the field adding the committee has done a lot to ensure a successful tournament.

...South West Athletics Sad Over Dissolution of Ekiti Sports Associations The South West Athletics Association has said it is disturbed by the news of the dissolution of Sports Associations in Ekiti States few days to the elections into the board of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Chief Falilat Ogunkoya, chairperson of the association said Ekiti State government is setting a pattern of working against its citizens who are vying for positions in various national sports federations. ‘’We are particularly disturbed that for the third consecutive election cycle a

member of our association is being denied the chance to contest to be the representative of the South West zone,” says Ogunkoya who made history in Atlanta, USA in 1996 as the first Nigerian track and field athlete to win an individual medal at the Olympics and the first and only one to win two medals at the same Olympics. ‘’It happened in 2013 when the Chairman of Ekiti Sports Council assumed the role of the chairman of the state athletics association and voted for the candidate from Ondo

State even when he knew an Ekiti indigene was on the ballot for the same position. ‘’History was repeated four years later when a commissioner was allegedly sponsored to Abuja to vote against the candidate from Ekiti State,” said Ogunkoya who conceeds the state has the right to dissolve its sports associations but should remember their action has, once again denied the candidate from the state who has signified interest in contesting on June 14the opportunity

to become the South West zonal representative. ‘’Our worry is that it is becoming a pattern and we call on His Excellency, Governor Kayode Fayemi to halt this dangerous trend and give Ekiti State indigenes the opportunity to aspire to national positions.”

It was learnt that the dissolution is instigated by the need to stop the Ekiti State Athletics Association boss, Mr Samuel Fatunla from contesting the elections into the board of the AFN.

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THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021 ˾ THISDAY

ThursdaySports FRENCH OPEN 2021

Vintage Nadal Outclasses Schwartzman to Reach S’final in Paris Defending champion Rafael Nadal reached a record-extending 14th French Open semi-final after outlasting Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman in a tricky battle played in front of 5,000 fans in Paris.

Spanish third seed Nadal, who has won a record 13 titles, won 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-0 against 10th seed Schwartzman on a buzzing Court Philippe Chatrier.

Nadal, 35, will face the winner of Serbian top seed Novak Djokovic and Italian ninth seed Matteo Berrettini.

Djokovic, 34, avoided a shock fourth-round exit when he fought back from two sets down against teenager Lorenzo Musetti, leading 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-0 4-0 when the 19-year-old Italian retired.

Berrettini, 25, has not played since Saturday after he was given a walkover following

Swiss 20-time major champion Roger Federer’s withdrawal.

Nadal is still deemed the favourite to land the title on Sunday, where a 14th victory would move him clear of Federer in terms of most men’s Grand Slam triumphs.

Up to 5,000 spectators were allowed on Chatrier after France’s coronavirus restrictions were loosened yesterday, providing an increased buzz as Schwartzman looked to create an upset at the place where Nadal has dominated since 2005.

Even though Nadal cruised through the fourth set, it was a far cry from straightforward afternoon for the Spanish left-hander.

After serving out the opener for his 36th successive winning set at Roland Garros, most would have backed Nadal to complete another three-set win

to equal his personal record of 38 in a row.

But there was a twist.

Schwartzman, playing with aggression and without fear, levelled at one-set all and became the first player to take a set off Nadal at Roland Garros since the 2019 final.

Schwartzman continued to cause problems and, for a short while in a tense third set, it looked like the Argentine could achieve an even rarer feat: leading Nadal by two sets to one on the Paris clay.

The last time that had happened was back in 2011

when Nadal trailed John Isner in the first round before recovering to win in five sets.

Schwartzman looked more comfortable on serve than his opponent, with Nadal showing a few signs of uncertainty.

Then, from 4-4 in the third set, Nadal suddenly upped his

level to leave Schwartzman reeling and swing the match back in his favour.

Nadal broke for 5-4 and served out to edge ahead, then dropped just five points in a one-sided fourth set as Schwartzman - now sapped of energy and belief - wilted.

SUMMER MOVEMENTS

Lazio Confirm Sarri, Wolves Appoint Former Benfica Coach, Lage Lazio have confirmed the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as their new manager.

Sarri, who led Chelsea to the 2019 Europa League title, has been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in August, despite guiding the Turin club to the Serie A title in his only season in charge.

He replaces Simone Inzaghi, who won three trophies in five years at Lazio before leaving for Inter Milan.

Elsewhere, Wolves have also appointed former Benfica boss Bruno Lage as their new manager.

Lage was previously assistant to Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea before joining Benfica, where he won the Portuguese title in 2019.

The 45-year-old succeeds fellow Portuguese Nuno Espirito Santo, who left Wolves at the end of the seasonafter four years at Molineux.

“I’m happy, excited, with a big ambition to do great things for this club,” said Lage.

Nuno, who took charge at Wolves in 2017, won the Championship in his first season before guiding the club to successive seventhplaced finishes in the Premier League.

He stepped down last

Bruno Lage...now Wolves Manager

monthafter the club finished 13th despite only signing a three-year contract extension to 2023 in September.

Lage has been out of work since leaving Benfica last June after 18 months in charge.

He took over the Lisbon club at the start of January 2019 and they ended the season as champions. However, the following campaign was not as good and Lage was dismissed in June 2020.

Lage never played football professionally and began his coaching career at Vitoria Setubal’s academy at the age of just 21 in 1997.

Spells at Estrela Vendas Novas and Sintrense followed before he joined Benfica in 2004, where he managed at every youth level.

He first moved to England as Carvalhal’s assistant at Sheffield Wednesday in 2015, following him to Swansea in December 2017, before returning to Portugal at the end of the 2017-18 season to coach Benfica’s B side.

“I’m very happy. It’s a big opportunity. I’m very happy because I’ve returned to this country, and to be the manager of a big team,” added Lage.

“I want to create a good dynamic with all the departments of the club. I have tried to link all together to start to build up the new cycle.”

Nadal (left) has dominated his meetings with Schwartzman, with the latest win yesterday extending his record to 11 victories from their 12 matches

Premier League Fines Six Breakaway ESL Clubs £22m The six Premier League clubs involved in the European Super League (ESL) have been fined a combined total of £22million.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal wanted to form a breakaway league A further fine of £25million each and a 30-point deduction will be applied should they attempt a similar project again.

Meanwhile, UEFA has temporarily suspended disciplinary proceedings against Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid who are yet to renounce the ESL. They are the only three clubs among the original 12 that signed up for the rebel competition that are yet to accept any punishment, with European football’s governing body opening disciplinary proceedings against them in May. The FA and Premier League

Logos of the six ESL teams from England

are the latest to determine a punishment, although the £22m was described a “a gesture of goodwill” from clubs.

In a joint statement the league and the national governing body confirmed the money “will go towards the good of the game”, which includes “new investment in support for fans” and will help fund grassroots and community projects.

“The six clubs involved in

proposals to form a European Super League have on Wednesday acknowledged once again that their actions were a mistake, and have reconfirmed their commitment to the Premier League and the future of the English game,” the two bodies said in a statement.

“They have wholeheartedly apologised to their fans, fellow clubs, the Premier League and the FA. “The Premier League and

the FA have worked closely together throughout this process and this agreement brings both investigations into the matter to a conclusion.”

BBC Sport understands Manchester United’s owners the Glazer family, Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, Arsenal’s majority shareholders Kroenke Sports Enterprises and Tottenham’s owners will pay the fine rather than their clubs.

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, who has been a vocal critic of football’s governance and the ESL,tweeted that the punishment is “an absolute embarrassment”.

Nine of the ESL clubs - the six Premier League sides, plus AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid - were fined a similar amountby European governing body UEFA last month.

Enzo Zidane Signs for French Ligue 2, Rodez Enzo Zidane, the oldest of Zinedine Zidane’s four sons, has signed for Rodez, the French Ligue 2 club said on Wednesday.

Enzo Zidane, a 26-year-old midfielder, came through the youth system at Real Madrid where he made his debut for the B team in 2014. he has been at several clubs without ever succeeding in establishing himself: Alaves in the Spanish second division, Lausanne in Switzerland and

most recently CD Aves in the Portuguese second division.

“Enzo joins Rodez Aveyron Football with humility and the desire to get back to enjoying himself,” said Rodez.

The club has links with the Zidane family.

Zinedine has been a shareholder since 2012 and his wife Veronique, Enzo’s mother, is originally from the town.

Enzo Zidane has signed a one-year contract and will wear the number 5 shirt, the

Enzo Zidane

same number that his father wore throughout his career at

Real Madrid, where he has just resigned as coach.

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MISSILE Wole Soyinka to ‘Unknown Gunmen’ “I hold no brief for those who resort to burning down police stations, slaughter their occupants simply for the crime of earning a measly monthly pittance, torch electoral offices and assassinate politicians in calculated effort to set sections of the country against others in the promotion of their own political goals. These are largely nihilists, psychopaths and/or criminal lords, soul mates of Boko Haram, ISWAP, and company, not to be confused with genuine liberators” – Nobel Laureate on Southeast killers

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26 years

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Behold, Thou Shall Not Tweet!

N

othing speaks to a time like this in Nigeria better than a Yoruba adage that could be considered obscene, so I crave the indulgence of readers: “Ohun tí a ni kí òkóbó bo, kò ni bo ibe; ó ní ohun lè bo igba abere lójú orun.” (An impotent man would leave what he was asked to ‘attend to’ and begin to tell tales of how he could, even with his eyes closed, thread a needle two hundred times without a single miss).

That is the only way to describe last Friday’s suspension of Twitter in Nigeria by the federal government. At a period when the country is bleeding on all fronts—with the life of an average Nigerian becoming worthless and means of livelihood disappearing for the majority—the microblogging and social networking service should be the least concern of the federal government. For almost two months now, the justice administration has been paralysed by the strike of judicial workers, with Nigerians practically left to self-help in the settlement of disputes.

Whatever may be the justification (and I will come to that later), it could not have escaped the attention of Nigerians that this ‘policy decision’ came on the very day bandits killed 88 members of ‘Yan Sakai’ vigilance group in Danko/Wasagu local council of Kebbi State and injured nine people in Magami and Mayaba communities in Gusau local government area of Zamfara State. In a week in which more than 200 people, including policemen, were violently hacked down across the country and 136 students were abducted from Salihu Tanko Islamic School, Tegina in Niger State, one expected the federal government to be more serious.

All these challenges and many others, including last weekend’s mindless killings at Igangan, Oyo State, are enough to worry any administration. But the suspension of Twitter came as no surprise to me. I predicted a decision like this in my column last November.

I also predicted what the outcome would be.

Sadly, I have been proved right on both scores.

Before I conclude with my intervention on the way forward, let me seek the indulgence of readers to rehash excerpts from that piece titled, ‘From EndSARS to Clampdown’. ================================= …The clear message from that episode (the unprecedented stoppage of President Donald Trump’s live coverage by US major news networks and later removing the video from their platforms) is the responsibility the media has not only to hold people in power accountable but also to serve as a check on their excesses. Were such to happen in Nigeria under the present circumstances, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) that could penalize media houses for covering street protests would likely contemplate their permanent closure for “unprofessional coverage” of a presidential broadcast.

Since 2017, Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has been obsessed with the idea of regulating or banning social media from the Nigerian landscape. He has only just added television stations to the brief.

“When we went to China, we could not get Google, Facebook, and Instagram. You could not even use your email in China because they made sure it is censored and well regulated,”

TWITTER CEO, Jack Dorsey Mohammed said last week while rationalizing the federal government decision to ‘regulate’ social media.

Here are facts about the strict internet restrictions in China that the minister may not be aware of. In China, there are indigenous companies such as Alibaba for e-commerce (i.e.

Amazon), Baidu for search engine (i.e. Google), Weibo for microblogging (i.e.Twitter) while WeChat is their own response to WhatsApp. To counter YouTube, China has Tudou and Youku. And in case the Information Minister does not know, TikTok with which young people all over the world send short-form videos originates from Beijing. So, beyond the issue of ‘national security’, there are hundreds of billions of dollars in financial gains and millions of local jobs accruing to China for its decision on Western social media. China knows what it is doing. On the contrary, to shut out these apps in Nigeria (assuming we have the capacity) will send hundreds of thousands of our young people out of jobs and deny them the creativity that sets our country apart on the continent. And to contemplate that in a post-Covid world will be suicidal.

Beginning from October 2000 when I covered the first Sino-African conference in Beijing, I have been to China eight times and on no occasion was I unable to access emails. Besides, while China may have ‘banned’ Western social media platforms, they are not inaccessible in the country. So, if the idea is to spend billions of Naira to acquire obsolete gadgets to jam social media in Nigeria, it will be a

waste of time and money. The generation of Nigerians that the Information Minister is dealing with are decades ahead of him. Perhaps the country he has in mind is North Korea which by the way I also had the privilege of once visiting. But since he is focused on China, let me break that down: Using a virtual private network (VPN) that is available for free download, anyone can bypass the Chinese ‘Great Firewall’ and the same will happen in Nigeria. VPN not only masks internet protocol (IP) address making online actions virtually untraceable, it configures phones to show a different location. It is therefore an open secret (and the authorities in the country are quite aware) that Twitter, WhatsApp, and the likes are easily accessible and are accessed by smart people, even in China! Next time the Honourable Minister is going to Beijing he should consult me… ================================ While I wrote the foregoing seven months ago, I am also aware of ongoing conversations around the world about social media platforms and accountability. In the specific case, Mr Daniel Bwala, a United Kingdom based lawyer said to be a member of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), has made the most coherent argument for the federal government. According to Bwala, Twitter rebuffed requests to take down incendiary posts by Kanu, despite how it reacted to similar situations in other countries. He cited as example the August 2011 threat by then British Prime Minister, David Cameron to do “whatever it takes” (including shutting down Twitter, BlackBerry and Facebook) to restore order in London and other cities after days of riots, widespread destruction, looting and death.

Following the deletion of President Buhari’s tweet, Bwala claimed that the attention of Twitter management was drawn to multiple tweets that were inciting violence. “Twitter responded by saying they reviewed it and did not find that those tweets violated their rules. So clearly, by that indication, Twitter expressed and demonstrated bias. Hence the government of Nigeria decided that Twitter must respond to the takedown request or Twitter will be suspended. Twitter never honored the request of Nigeria,” he said.

Bwala did not help his case with the claim that President Buhari was treated with disrespect, by citing a widely circulated fake tweet (@ muhammadubuhari, we don’t know who you are or the country you lead. We came across a tweet that violated our rules, and we decided to take it down) to make the point. Bwala then accused Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey of showing

When the young citizens of any country are barred from socializing openly, you heighten the sense of hopelessness and push them into the numerous underground spaces that are also available, including online. When that happens, you lose the opportunity to monitor or moderate discussions. That is a dangerous place to be for a country like Nigeria

personal interest in Nigeria. “He participated at the EndSARS protest sometime in October last year by retweeting a tweet that was made to generate funds for the protest. He is not a Nigerian; he has no basis to participate in any protest in Nigeria…”

Whatever may be the merit of his argument, Bwala missed important points. One, the factor of timing. The suspension of Twitter followed the deletion of a presidential tweet. So, it was seen largely as a response to the bruised ego of one man. Two, no due process was followed prior to such an important decision being taken. India that Bwala cited has been in discussion with Twitter since February and as at today, Indians still tweet. Three, this decision will hurt the economy and impact negatively on jobs, especially for our young citizens. On Tuesday, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) weighed in on the implications of Twitter suspension saying, “small businesses that engage in digital trade will be gravely affected, raising further concerns on unemployment, poverty, insecurity and our economic attractiveness.” Four, the recourse to VPN by many Nigerians have now multiplied negative stories about our country to their new ‘virtual abodes’. Besides, with VPN, we may also witness a spike in internet fraud. Five, Twitter suspension is just the culmination of the attempt to gag the social media that started a few months after this administration came to power in 2015 with the ‘frivolous petitions’ bill, which prescribed jail terms and $10,000 fine for ‘offensive’ social media posts and was only withdrawn after widespread public criticism.

Six, if the idea is to copy and paste what happens in China, then we must do it right.

In a special report titled, ‘Leveraging Location amid Global Disruption: Which Economies Showed the Most Digital Progress in 2020?’, a recent Harvard Business Review edition stated: “China is a noteworthy outlier in this group: Its digital evolution is significantly higher than that of all other economies, due in large part to its combination of rapidly growing demand and innovation.”

In my November 2019 column, ‘Lai Mohammed and the Social Media’, I highlighted challenges with the social media and how many countries are dealing with them. I concluded that what the federal government should understand is that a nation divided along partisan, sectarian, geo-political and ethnic lines is a breeding ground for hate speech and the weaponisation of falsehood masquerading as alternative truths. As it is now quite evident, the technology of social media only makes it easier for a thousand lies to multiply. But the war against Twitter is a needless distraction.

At this period when there is an urgent need to concentrate energy in dealing with serious national challenges, fighting Twitter is akin to behaving like the proverbial impotent man. But it is also becoming typical of the current administration. From national security to the economy, we hardly see any sense of urgency when it comes to dealing with these challenges. But the moment Twitter deleted just one paragraph of a presidential statement that was already widely disseminated, that became the only priority on the federal government’s agenda.

NOTE: Piece concluded on page 14

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