FRIDAY 18TH JUNE 2021

Kyari: Rising Oil Prices Will Create Problems for Nigeria IMF laments re-emergence of fuel subsidy Welcomes CBN’s measures to unify exchange rates Obinna Chima in Lagos, Francis Ndubuisi and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, has warned that rather than being a positive development, the rising prices of crude oil in the international market could

cause major challenges for resource-dependent nations like Nigeria.

He spoke just as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed concern over

the re-emergence of fuel subsidy in Nigeria in the face of the country’s low revenue mobilisation.

The Washington-based institution, however, welcomed

recent moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to unify exchange rates, certifying Nigerian banks as being liquid and well-capitalised.

Kyari, at the virtual Citizens

Energy Congress, tagged: “Securing a Sustainable Future Energy System through Strategy, Collaboration and Continued on page 12

Drop Press Regulation Bill, Media Leaders Tell House... Page 5 Friday 18 June, 2021 Vol 26. No 9566. Price: N250

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Air Peace congratulates Nigeria as the third of the 13 brand new planes the company ordered arrives Lagos…yesterday

Buhari in Maiduguri, Vows Not to Rest Until Peace is Restored Urges military to ramp up fight against insurgency

Deji Elumoye and Michael Olugbode in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday assured residents of Borno State of the federal government's readiness to fight terrorism to the end, telling the military not to give criminals a breathing space to undermine Nigeria’s interests.

The president, during a visit to Borno State, commended troops for their loyalty and selfless service to Nigeria and urged them not to relent in their efforts to end the insurgency in the North-east.

He promised support for the families of fallen security personnel, saying he would ensure all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) return to their Continued on page 12

BOOST FOR YOUNG ATHLETES...

L-R: National Trade Marketing Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Mr. Funso Ayeni; President, Nigeria School Sports Federation, Ms. Olabisi Joseph; Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare; Overall Best Athlete, Demilade Ajayi; and Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Ms. Sade Morgan, at the celebratory breakfast for all Lagos State gold medalists from the just concluded 2021 Maltina School Games in Lagos…yesterday

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

Drop Press Regulation Bill, Media Leaders Tell House No court can stop us, lawmakers reply

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), yesterday called on the House of Representatives to step down a bill seeking to amend the Nigerian Press Council Act as the matter is sub judice.

The media organisations and other groups also criticised the various clauses in the bill, saying that they will discourage freedom of speech and the press.

The representative of the NPO, Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene, who is also the Editor-in-chief of Leadership Newspapers, said at a public hearing on the Bill for an Act to Amend the NPC Act, organised by the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, in Abuja, that there is a matter before the Supreme Court on the Act. But the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Olusegun Odebunmi, said no court could stop the National Assembly from performing its constitutional role.

Ishiekwene said: "There is a matter, and I am sure as the stewards of the people and stewards of the law you are aware that there is a pending matter between NPO and some parties being called in this legislation.

"There is a matter pending before the Supreme Court between NPAN and some parties involved in this bill that is being amended. And as stewards of the law, I'm sure you are constrained just as I am to make any further conversation on this matter because it is a pending matter and it is before the Supreme Court."

Ishiekwene said the case had been in court since 1999.

He stated that the last time the matter came up in 2010, 17 of the 39 clauses contained in the bill being considered in the new amendment were declared unconstitutional by the court at that time.

Ishiekwene added: "Of course, the federal government has appealed the ruling and the matter is currently before the Supreme Court. So, I will rest my case by appealing to the honourable members of this committee to refer to the conversation that was had on a similar matter in 2018 when this matter came up before the Senate and the pendency of this matter before the court was canvassed and the 8th National Assembly at that time agreed that the prudent thing to do was to step it down. I urge this House to also, consider a similar step."

However, Odebunmi said the committee had the mandate of Nigerians to amend any law.

He added: "And that is what we are doing. It is not about the matter being in court or not.

"To the best of my knowledge, constitutionally, we are doing our own job and I am very sure no court will restrain us from doing the job."

He stated that the amendment does not prevent the parties involved from pursuing the case in court, adding: "This is the position of the National Assembly."

Earlier in his opening remark, Odebunmi had said the committee tried its best to get all stakeholders to attend the public hearing of the bills.

He said: "I want to categorically state that we tried to do our best in getting all the stakeholders invited, but some said we couldn’t reach them.

Notwithstanding, we are all human beings and we are bound to make mistakes. It was published in the daily news and announced on Radio Nigeria that cut across all the federation and even on social media platforms.

And I’m sure that’s why we have this kind of audience.

I’m sorry if anybody thinks we didn’t invite them but it's not by intention."

However, media development organisations expressed worry that the proposed amendment to the Nigerian Press Council Act falls far short of the

expectations of the type of legislative paths Nigeria would pursue to expand the frontiers of press freedom.

Presenting a joint memorandum on behalf of various organisations, including International Press Centre (IPC), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Centre for Media Law and Advocacy, and Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, the Executive Director, IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said it was not that regulation was not necessary, especially in this age of fake news and hate speech.

He stated that regulations must not erode media independence or freedom and are not unduly punitive.

According to him, the regulator must also be free of the stranglehold of the powers that be, political or other interests, so that it can judiciously adjudicate in matters bordering on the infringement of the code of ethics of journalism.

He added that the amendment seeks to restrict freedom of expression.

Arogundade added that the amendment attempted to do what other laws have

done like the Cybercrimes Acts which Sections 24 and 38, which in no fewer than 10 instances have been used to clamp down on bloggers or journalists for expressing opinion antagonistic to politically or economically powerful elites.

He stated that bodies like Amnesty International have documented 50 cases where the law had targeted, not cybercrime suspects, but bloggers and journalists for writing on what they “know to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another."

He described the penalties for offences as stipulated in Section (3) i & ii of the proposed amendment, including a fine of N5 million or three years imprisonment, as being too punitive, saying it will threaten media independence and freedom.

Arogundade also criticised Section 17 (3)( a & b), which provides that a journalist could be held liable for the offence committed by his or her organisation and

can be made to pay a fine of N250,000, saying that it is punitive.

He decried that Section 33 (3) and (4) does not give room for retraction or apology where fake news is mistakenly published but recommends a blanket sanction of up to N10 million or closure for a period of one year or both.

Arogundade recommended that the committee should take a cue from the Ghanaian constitution by recommending the inclusion of the provision for press freedom in the constitution while it should also recommend that government should not appoint managers of the public (state) media.

He added that the board should have management control over the commission, including the executive secretary and the appointment should be made by the President through the confirmation of the National Assembly Arogundade said the composition and functions of the Council and the philosophy of the bill all run counter to international best practice and urged the

committee to treat it by rejection.

He suggested that the provision relating to revocation of licence for alleged publication of fake news should be removed from the Act, adding that decisions for appropriate sanctions in relation to such offences should be vested in the court.

In his presentation, the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Press Council, Mr. Francis Nwosu, commended the section of the bill that seeks to empower the executive secretary of the council to issue a summons, saying it would enhance the council's effectiveness and efficiency in handling complaints.

He suggested that the name executive secretary should be changed to director-general to be in tandem with other agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Information and Culture.

He added that the inclusion of fake News was a welcome development but that the proposed amendment should define what will constitute fake news for easy interpretation.

Y’ELLO VISITS THE GOV...

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, MTN Group, Mr. Ralph Mupita; Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele; and Chairman, MTN Nigeria, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, during a courtesy visit by the MTN Group to the governor in Abuja…yesterday

Naira Stages Recovery, Strengthens to N483/$ on Parallel Market Obinna Chima The naira, which has been under pressure at the parallel market, staged a major recovery yesterday to close at N483 to a dollar.

Yesterday's rate made the naira stronger than the N502 to a dollar it has been trading at the black market in the past few days.

Forex dealers attributed the gain at the parallel market to improved supply of the

greenback, resulting in speculators losing their shirts.

The President, Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, had last week warned that forex speculators might lose over N100 billion in the next one month as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sustained funding for Bureaux De Change (BDC) operators.

Gwadabe had said the CBN

was committed to improving funding for over 5,000 BDCs nationwide in a new move to deepen market liquidity and protect the naira against speculators.

He had called for the return of normalcy to the market, saying speculative behaviour hampering the market operations and stability would come at a huge loss to speculators.

He had also warned those hoarding dollars to profit from

the currency crisis to desist.

“The ABCON and CBN have observed with disdain the speculative behaviour currently beclouding the market with the misinformation that the CBN has adopted the I&E window as its official rate,” he had said.

The CBN had a fortnight ago increased forex allocations to banks to meet the requests of customers, particularly travellers, seeking forex for

travel allowances, payment of tuition and medical fees, among other Invisibles.

The moves followed the warning by the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, at a weekend meeting with bank managing directors, cautioning them to desist from denying customers, particularly travellers, the opportunity to purchase forex for Personal Travel Allowance (PTA), Basic Travel Allowance (BTA),

tuition fees, and medical payments as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) transactions or for the repatriation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proceeds.

Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department at the CBN, Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, had said in a note that the CBN remained committed to ensuring liquidity in the forex market to meet genuine and legitimate demands of customers.

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Police Comb Forests for Abducted Kebbi Pupils Launch manhunt for kidnappers Ismail Adebayo in Birnin Kebbi The police have launched a manhunt for bandits who yesterday invaded Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, in Kebbi State and

kidnapped 40 pupils as well as some teachers.

The bandits killed a policeman during the raid on the school.

They were said to have raided the school in the early morning hours of yesterday

Osinbajo: NEC to Review Reports from #EndSARS Judicial Panels Deji Elumoye in Abuja Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the National Economic Council (NEC) will convene a special session to consider all the reports that are ready from the judicial panels set up late last year to address the concerns of Nigerians on allegations of police brutality and other related issues.

This, he said, was one of the resolutions reached yesterday at the council’s meeting held virtually and presided over by him. The meeting was attended by state governors, ministers, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, and other top government officials.

Osinbajo said the council would also consider the implementation of the reports, including remedies, redress and compensations.

At the meeting, the vice president also inaugurated the 29-member National Road Safety Advisory Council as a demonstration of government’s continued commitment to addressing the challenges of road safety.

According to him, the advisory council, which comprises six governors representing the six geopolitical zones will be chaired by him, with the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr.

Boboye Oyeyemi, as secretary.

Other members of the council include the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, representing the Southeast zone; Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, representing the South-south zone; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, representing the South-west zone; Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, representing the North-east zone; Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, representing North-west; Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq, representing the Northcentral zone; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, and Minister of Transport, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, among others.

Also, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba, briefed the council on the federation's finances.

According to him, the nation’s excess crude account (ECA) as at June 16, 2021, stood at $60.8 million.

For stabilisation and development of natural resources accounts, the minister said the balance as of 16th June 2021 stood at N24.8 billion (24,802,716,416.22) and N28.2 billion (28,215,689,963.31),

and conveyed their victims in a bus belonging to a parent after killing a policeman and injuring one pupil.

The heavily-armed bandits were said to have come from the neighbouring Rijau forest on motorcycles and overpowered the mobile police unit that was guarding the school.

A teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said prior to the attack, they had received information on a plan to invade Birnin Yauri community.

He said to prevent an attack on the school a detachment of riot policemen was deployed in the school.

The teacher said when the bandits finally struck, they were engaged by the policemen on guard, who,

however, were overpowered by the outlaws.

He said after abducting the victims, the bandits used a bus belonging to the parent of a pupil, who came to the school to pick his child that was to write matriculation examination on Saturday, to evacuate the victims.

He stated that in the confusion that ensued after the attack, the school authorities were unable to conduct a headcount to ascertain the number of the abducted students.

“Three or four teachers of the college were abducted. Out of the abductees, there is a vice-principal and a female teacher. Two students, male and female, were said to have been shot by the bandits. The boy was shot on the buttocks

while the girl sustained a gunshot injury on her arm,” he added.

But the state police command said it had raised a special team to comb the forests with a view to rescuing the pupils and apprehending their abductors.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nafiu Abubakar, a deputy superintendent of police, said operatives from the Police Mobile Force, Anti-kidnapping and Counter-terrorism units were combing nearby forests, routes and suspected hideouts of the bandits to rescue the pupils.

The statement said: "The Commissioner of Police, CP Adeleke Adeyinka, while condemning the attack, which resulted in the unfortunate

death of a policeman and gunshot injury to one of the students has assured parents and guardians of the students that the command is following credible leads and intensifying efforts to track the assailants and ensure the rescue of the missing students and teachers."

The statement added that three teachers and a yet-to-be ascertained number of pupils were still missing.

Adeyinka appealed to residents of Kebbi State to assist the police with information that would help to apprehend the abductors.

He said the command would do everything within its power to ensure that the pupils were safely reunited with their families while perpetrators of the crime would be brought to book.

SEEKING PROGRESS...

L-R: Governors Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), during during the Progressives Governors’ Forum meeting in Abuja…recently

PDP Govs Tackle Presidential Spokesman, Says He’s Ignorant Party: Our govs don’t peddle falsehood Chuks Okocha in Abuja Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors yesterday berated Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, for accusing them of not helping to find solutions to the problems bedevilling the nation.

The party also said it was appalled by the unwarranted attack and name-calling by the presidency against its governors, stressing that the governors elected on its platform do not peddle falsehood like the presidency.

The PDP governors and the party were reacting to Wednesday’s statement by Shehu, in which he said the decisions made at the Monday meeting of the governors, including the call on the federal government to reconsider the suspension of Twitter's operations in Nigeria showed that the party could not be trusted with national leadership in the future.

He also accused the governors of leading efforts to frustrate moves by the federal government to reinstate the local government system as the third tier of government.

But in a statement by the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Hon. Cyril Maduabum, the governors said the statement from the presidency betrayed the abysmal ignorance and the lack of appreciation of the issues raised in the PDP governors' communiqué after a meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

The PDP governors added that it is unbelievable that such a low-quality response could come from Nigeria's seat of power.

They described as a pity the presidency’s comments on the non-remittance of funds by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the Federation Account.

"The duty and responsibility of NNPC to pay revenues into the Federation Account is not a matter of discretion

by NNPC. It is an imposition of law,” they said.

The governors cited Section 162 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as altered to support their position.

They said: “It was a demonstration of impunity and gross abuse of the law for NNPC to continue to disregard the unmistakable mandatory constitutional provisions of the law.

"It is even more shocking for the presidency as to embody the desecration of our constitution in such a flippant, brazen and unserious manner as portrayed by the presidential spokesman."

The governors stated that the president could not change the constitution at his pleasure.

“Perhaps, these matters are too complex for Garba Shehu to comprehend,” the governors stated.

The governors noted that Shehu celebrates the fact that naira is now over N500 to a dollar in the parallel market.

They said: "If his statement represents the thinking of the APC federal government, then we are in more trouble than we think. The implication of the fall of the naira for the cost of goods and services, including the price of food and basic needs of Nigerians are becoming unbearable for the average Nigerian.

"Perhaps the most insensitive is on the issue of Twitter suspension. How can a presidential spokesman be so stone-deaf? He is unable to see the grave assault of freedom of speech embodied therein. He doesn't see the need to motivate our youths.

He trivialises serious matters of state. It is very unfortunate.

"He repeats his assault on the sensibility of Nigerians in the way he addresses the herder – farmers’ conflict.

Calling the legitimate request for ramping up ranching as a denial of the right of Nigerians to live and work anywhere in Nigeria is perhaps the most illogical of the entire

response."

The PDP supported its governors, saying that it was appalled by the unwarranted attack and name calling by the presidency against them.

The party described as not presidential and pedestrian, a statement by Buhari’s aide, in which he described the PDP governors as peddlers of fake news, just because they pointed to his failures and proffered solutions to the challenges facing the nation.

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said: "For the avoidance of doubts, the PDP insists that our governors are responsible and responsive leaders, who have always shown concerns towards the plight of Nigerians.

"It is on the record that they attend to the wishes of Nigerians in their respective states and do not by any whim, recourse to the peddling of fake news and lies like the Buhari’s presidency and his All Progressives

Congress (APC)."

The PDP said Nigerians would not forget how the president and his party came to power by means of fake news, lies, falsehood, fake promises, deceit, beguilements and negative innuendos, a scope they had widened and deepened in the last six years.

It added that it was on record that never in the history of Nigeria had Nigerians had a presidency that so thrives on lies like to the extent that Nigerians have even given one of its ministers the appellation of a “liar.”

PDP said Buhari openly resorted to false claims when he told Nigerians that his administration has pulled 10.5 million Nigerians out of poverty in the last two years only for the World Bank to do a fact-check and discovered that, to the contrary, 7.8 million Nigerians have rather been dragged below the poverty line in the last 12 months.

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APC Seeks Buhari’s Approval for Convention Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Caretaker/ Extraordinary Committee has submitted a proposal to President Muhammadu Buhari, seeking approval to conduct the party's congresses and convention.

The Progressive Governors' Forum (PGF), a forum of governors elected on the platform of the party, confirmed this to THISDAY yesterday, saying the committee has submitted the proposal to the president.

Rising from a meeting of the

22 APC governors in Abuja on Wednesday night, the Chairman of the forum and the Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said once the president approved the proposal, the committee would announce the date.

Buhari, in an interview with ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, aired last Thursday, had said that he gave the party’s caretaker committee up till end of June to submit its report on the convention.

“We should allow the party to decide (on his successor), I have just told you that we

have started from bottom-up and I gave the acting chairman the end of June to submit a report on the convention we are going to conduct and then arrange the general election, all elections till 2023. We have started this from the bottom up so that members of the party will feel they are involved in decision making,” Buhari had said.

The meeting of the APC governors’ forum was attended by 22 of its members, while the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ivara Esu, represented Governor Ben Ayade.

Bagudu said the governors started the meeting by commending the committee it assigned to oversee talks on the autonomy for the legislature and judiciary.

He stated that the governors considered the timetable for the congresses and convention of the party and also made recommendations, particularly on the need to comply with the electoral law and the party's constitution.

Bagudu said: "Remember we (PGF) are just one organ of the party, though a very important organ, but we advised the caretaker committee to ensure

that they consult with all. So that at the end of the day, the final output will be such that all party members will be happy.

"The PGF met this evening and reviewed a number of issues relating to the assignments given to committee members, which participated in party affairs, national security and economy.

"There is a proposal before Mr. President and once he approves it, the National Caretaker Committee will announce the date."

He added that the governors commended the leadership of the party on the achievements

recorded and recent defections of high-profile politicians to the party.

He stated that in the last few months, former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniel; the Governor of Ebonyi, Chief Dave Umahi and Ayade, among others, have joined the ruling party.

Bagudu said this was a testament to the fact that APC had become Nigeria's preferred party.

According to him, the forum also acknowledged the constraints of the economy and the successes that have been achieved.

administration would continue to make concerted efforts towards guaranteeing energy security to all, adding that Maiduguri could not, and would not be left out.

He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had been directed to expedite the delivery of 50MW power plant in the state towards ensuring the restoration of electricity to Maiduguri and its environs.

"Furthermore, in the light of the current improvement of security in the state, I have also issued directives for the immediate resumption of oil & gas exploration activities in the Lake Chad Basin. This is part of our overall effort to restore the state back to normalcy,” the president explained.

The president applauded Zulum's efforts at providing facilities that directly impact the livelihood of people, particularly building educational and health institutions and constructing roads.

He also commended the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, as well as all the other royal highnesses and Bulamas at all levels for their very exemplary leadership, patience, determination and wisdom during the past decade of ravage by insurgency and terrorism.

According to him, the fact that royal highnesses now operate from their domains was evidence that peace was being restored to the communities despite the challenges that remain to be overcome.

"The elders, statesmen, Muslim and Christian community leaders all over this state and region also

deserve our thanks and warm appreciation for their resilience, moral leadership and support for the federal and state governments during these trying times.

"I will never forget in my life that during my career as a politician, Borno State is where I got the highest percentage of votes, more than 90 per cent! The least I can do for you is to continue the relentless effort to fully restore peace to this state, the North-east region and the country as a whole," he said.

He urged the military and security agencies to continue to make Nigeria proud.

Buhari also interacted with some of the wounded soldiers assuring them that the government was committed to their recovery and welfare.

In his remarks, the Commander of Theatre Operations HADIN KAI, Maj. Gen. Felix Omoigui, assured troops of the president’s confidence and commitment to their welfare, especially in ending the war.

He thanked the president for the visit to the troops, which he said would greatly boost the morale of all those fighting to keep the country in peace.

Governors of Borno and Yobe State, Zulum and Mai Bunu respectively; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Leo Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo; Chief of Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao, and National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), were also at the event.

In his remarks, Zulum thanked the president for the relative peace in the state, buoyed by the heavy presence

of military and security men who have been engaging the terrorists.

"We have witnessed the gradual return of peace to Borno State and it is our sincere hope that insurgency will soon be brought to an end," he said.

The governor appreciated the president for various developmental interventions, which include infrastructure, particularly the approval of 10,000 units of housing for IDPs of which 4,000 had been completed.

of about 5.8 million barrels a day that the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) still has offline since the pandemic, due to the curbs in production quota imposed by the oil cartel.

He said adding that number to demand will stabilise and probably bring oil prices down to about $60 level or a little below $60, stressing that that's a comfort zone for every producing company or country.

“I don't see them (Nigeria) having any difficulty agreeing to add additional volume to cushion the effect of these high prices for this period,” he said.

He stated that Nigeria is already producing well below its capacity, because in early 2020, the country actually

produced up to 2.4 million barrels of oil per day for both oil and condensates.

With declining investments in the oil sector, Kyari stated that in a short time, most likely the next five years, the world may experience an energy crisis if the current situation is not properly managed.

“But we know that a number of things are going on in the transition journey at renewables. Many oil companies are transiting to renewables in the future. And that means that emphasis will be on gas and I see a very turbulent next five years and potentially some stability in the next 10 years,” he said.

He described the transition

BUHARI IN MAIDUGURI, VOWS NOT TO REST UNTIL PEACE IS RESTORED homes.

He also commended the state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, for his resilience and relentless efforts in rebuilding the state.

Buhari, during the visit to appraise the security situation in the state and to inaugurate some development projects attributed the recent successes recorded by the military against the insurgents and terrorists at Dikwa, Damboa and Gwoza to careful planning, infusion of new equipment and other war materials as well as quality military leadership.

He, however, acknowledged the enormity of the task ahead of the military.

"The attacks launched by cowardly terrorists against military and civilian targets last month and in previous months were a pointer to us that the work of defeating insurgency and terrorism and of restoring permanent peace to this region is not yet over,” he said, adding: “We will not rest until all the millions of Internally Displaced Persons are able to return and resettle in their homes and rebuild their shattered lives."

He expressed the hope that the service chiefs would bring to bear on the war, their experience as commanders in theatre at various times.

The president said: "All of them are, therefore, personally familiar with the challenge of insurgency. I fully expect them to bring this wealth of personal experience to bear as we move to end this scourge once and for all.

"No doubt, these successes owe a lot to the role played by volunteers of the Civilian JTF, hunters and vigilantes.

These good people include women, who are making huge sacrifices and patriotic

contributions to our peacerestoration efforts."

He stated that many servicemen and women, as well as volunteers, had been killed in the fight to rid communities and the country of terrorism and insurgency and thanked all those involved for their gallantry and sacrifices.

Buhari assured their loved ones that their sacrifices will not be in vain: "I must also acknowledge the very important role and the sacrifices made by parents, guardians and other loved ones amongst the people of Borno State, the North-east region and the country as a whole, who support their sons, daughters, husbands, brothers and sisters in going to battlefields to defend Nigeria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and peace.

I thank and commend them for their resilience and assure them success is in sight.”

He said it was a mark of appreciation for the sacrifices made by Borno State’s volunteers that the Nigerian Army was authorised to enlist hundreds of them into the Army.

He urged the people to sustain the cooperation with the military and the other security services.

“Both must see each other as being on one side in order for us to succeed," he said.

Buhari said the late President Idris Deby of Chad played a major role in the fight against terrorism in the Lake Chad region and urged his successors to work hard in restoring democracy to the country and support the processes of bringing peace to the region.

He said the recent appointment of Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as special

envoy to Chad and the Lake Chad Basin was intended to accelerate the restoration of democratic stability in the Chad Republic and enhance cooperation among all the countries of the Lake Chad Basin.

He assured the people that the federal government had taken decisive measures to safeguard IDPs and refugees who recently returned from Cameroon and the Niger Republic, adding that it was engaged in the task of rebuilding their communities after more than a decade of war and terrorism.

According to him, "It was part of these measures that I gave approval for the federal government to build 10,000 resettlement homes in Borno State. Four thousand of these homes have already been completed. Furthermore, I approved for constant release of food intervention by the Nigerian Customs Service and the North East Development Commission in order to support displaced persons.

"I have directed these agencies to sustain and deepen this support. I also wish to specially commend His Excellency, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, for his tireless efforts in directly supervising the distribution of food and economic empowerment to IDPs in all local government areas." He expressed the belief that the efforts at alleviating the suffering of displaced communities will hamper attempts by terrorists and insurgents to recruit fighters and spies from IDPs and other vulnerable populations through the use of paltry material incentives.

On electricity supply, Buhari said his

President Thanks Nigerians for Opportunity to Serve In the meantime, the president has expressed his gratitude to Nigerians for the opportunity given to him to serve them.

He said under his watch, efforts would be made to improve the livelihood of Nigerians, starting with adequate security.

He said at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai ElKanemi, that he started his administrative career as a military officer in Borno State as a governor for seven months, under Gen. Murtala Muhammed, before he was appointed Minister of Petroleum by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was then a military head of state.

He added: "My commitment to serve Nigerians is a payback for the love shown to me. I started my political adventure in Maiduguri and I always look forward to coming here."

In his remarks, El-Kanemi thanked the president for consistent response to the plight of the people in the state, saying that the security situation has improved.

KYARI: RISING OIL PRICES WILL CREATE PROBLEMS FOR NIGERIA Innovation,” yesterday described the rising price of crude oil as a “chicken and egg” situation.

He added that oil prices had started exiting the comfort zone set by the NNPC, and becoming a burden.

The forum was organised by DMG Events, a London-based Public Relations company, which said the occasion was to provide an opportunity for players to reset the energy agenda post- COVID-19 and connect the divergent and polarising perspectives.

Kyari put the comfort zone globally at $58-$60, saying that for the NNPC, anything above $70-$80 will create major distortions in the projections of the corporation and add more problems to

the company.

Brent crude, Nigeria’s oil benchmark, is currently selling for over $74 and is likely to increase further in the coming days as the NNPC continues to battle the dilemma of shouldering the payment of petrol subsidy, which has made it unable to contribute to the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) on two occasions.

Kyari expressed the concern that as the commodity prices rise, buyers of Nigeria’s crude may be compelled to accelerate their investment in renewable sources of energy, thereby leaving the industry in a quagmire.

He said: “In a resourcedependent nation like Nigeria when it gets too high, it creates

a big problem because your consumers shut down their demand. Demand will go down and obviously even as the prices go up, you will have less volume to sell.

“So, it's a chicken and egg story and that's why in the industry when people make estimates for the future, they always make it about $50 to $60. Nobody puts it beyond $60.

“But for us as a country, as prices go up, the burden of providing cheap fuel also increases and that's a challenge for us but on a net basis, you know, the high prices, as long as it doesn't exceed $70 to $80, it's okay for us.”

According to him, Nigeria will have no problems supporting the restoration

Continued on page 42

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN CHAMPBREW 0.18 1.98 CORONATION 0.05 0.58 LASACO 0.11 1.50 BERGPAINTS 0.55 7.70 MBENEFITS 0.03 0.49 TOP LOSERS NGN CHI PLC 0.06 0.61 UNITYBANK 0.02 0.55 STERLBANK 0.03 1.54 INTERBREW 0.10 5.40 LINKASSURE 0.01 0.55 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,420.00 Volume: 160.439 million shares Value: N1.395 billion Deals: 3,260 As at yesterday 17/6/2021 See details on Page 38

% 10 9.4 7.9 7.6 6.5 % 8.9 3.5 1.9 1.8 1.7

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COMMENT

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

THE JUDICIARY: NOW THAT THE STRIKE IS OVER It’s time to enthrone financial autonomy across the states, writes Kesiena Igho Oghoghorie

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collective sigh of relief is now audible across Nigeria following the suspension of the industrial action by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) which paralysed judicial activities across the federation for over two months.

The industrial action was called by the JUSUN to demand for the implementation of financial autonomy for the states, as per Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the consolidated revenue fund of the state shall be paid directly to the heads of court concerned.

The judiciary, clearly, occupies a significant position in the country, as it is saddled with the role of stabilizing democracy based on the fundamental principle of state governance. Yet the judiciary has, sadly, not been able to meet up with expectations in carrying out its constitutional functions, which could be partly attributed to its constant dependence on the executive for funds. Whilst discussing the present, it is, however, important to relive the battles of the past, as it will aid in navigating the future. The circumvention of the constitutional requirement of disbursement of funds to the judiciary by the states, over time, led to several suits filed against the government, and judgments given in favour of financial autonomy in 2014. These were largely disregarded, thus leading to the industrial action of January 2015.

The non-compliance with the judgment of the court later led to the invocation of the Presidential powers under section 5 of the constitution, culminating in the Executive Order 10 of May 2020. The order made it mandatory for all states in the country to include the allocations of the judiciary in the first line charge of their budgets. The order was, however, not implemented following objection by the state governors on the premise that the president acted ultra vires his powers. The state of affairs led to the JUSUN ordering its members to shut all courts in the country from April 6, 2021 to press home its demand for implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary.

The government, in response, held several reconciliation meetings with the leadership of JUSUN aimed at hashing out resolutions to end the strike, with a Memorandum of Action signed between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, after initial hesitation, and JUSUN on June 4. The agreement required the state governments, amongst others, to credit the accounts of each state judiciary with the pro-rata amount due to them, with the monthly allocations to the judiciary, in the event of any shortfall, reflecting a percentage of the appropriated sum or an irreducible minimum amount to be allocated every month for the purpose of meeting its costs whichever is higher.

Each state is also required to set up a State Account Allocation Committee (SAAC) to be given legislative teeth in the various fund management laws, charged with the responsibility to oversee the distribution of available resources to the judiciary. Modalities and timelines for the full commencement of full financial autonomy at

THE CONCEPT OF ‘AUTONOMY’ WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE RECONCEPTUALISED, SO AS TO BE VIEWED BEYOND THE LENSES OF FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE. SUCH MOVE WOULD REQUIRE BROADENING ITS SCOPE TO INCLUDE OTHER AREAS SUCH AS THE MODE OF APPOINTMENT, REMOVAL, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, SECURITY OF TENURE IN OFFICE, OF JUDGES

the state level were subsequently drawn up, with agreement reached between JUSUN and the government, thus leading to the eventual suspension of the strike on Wednesday 9th 2021.

Yet while the strike may have been suspended, the whole situation has clearly lit the blue touch for a wider discussion on the subject.

Clearly, one swallow does not make a spring, but the resolution of the industrial dispute is an indication of a small flock of birds of good omen hovering around the subject of financial autonomy.

The battle for financial autonomy is, clearly, not going to be achieved on a platter of gold, as whoever wants to make an omelet will have to break eggs. There is, therefore, the need to create a long-termist and forward-looking framework to deal with the issues already agreed.

A five-man committee has already been set up by the judiciary’s regulatory body, NJC, to monitor the implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary in the various states of the federation. This, indeed, is the right step to take, given that the road up the mountain is, given the challenges ahead, steep and winding, and likely to be strewn with obstacles, tricky traps and veiled in a lot of mist. So what now?

Moving forward, consideration would need to be given to the report of the Presidential Implementation Committee on compliance with the Section 121 (3) provisions, as currently obtains at the federal level, with a view to enthroning uniform modality across the country.

The concept of ‘autonomy’ would also need to be reconceptualized, so as to be viewed beyond the lenses of financial independence. Such move would require broadening its scope to include other areas such as the mode of appointment, removal, promotion, discipline, security of tenure in office, of judges, so as to ensure non-interference from the other arms of government, etc.

The remuneration and welfare of judicial officers should also be in the mix, given that the salaries of judges were last reviewed a long time ago under the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2008. This, clearly, has since passed its use-by-date, with the level of inflation and currency devaluation over the years. Urgent steps would therefore need to be taken to remedy the situation, so as to make the remuneration of judges to be in sync with the current economic realities.

Finally, adequate safeguard would be required to ensure that “financial autonomy” is not abused or misused. Adequate checks and internal monitoring tools would therefore need to be created within the judiciary to ensure the proper utilization of its funds.

These are, clearly, trying times for the judiciary, and the teething problems are not going to be solved with the same thinking we used when the problems were created. This is therefore a moment in history when we have a chance to think outside the box. There is not just the responsibility to do better for now at least, there is now the opportunity.

Oghoghorie, a policy writer & public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

FEES IN KADUNA STATE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS Shuaibu Idris Miqati urges the state government to review the fees downwards

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couple of weeks ago the government of our great state was reported to have announced a review of school fees payable by various students in the state government-owned tertiary institutions by a significant

proportion.

It was reported that the said fees in Kaduna State University (KASU) for indigenous students were reviewed upward from about N27,000 to between N150,000O and N200,000 per student annually; depending on the programme of study.

Indigene medical students as well as students from other states are now to pay N305,000 respectively annually. This is apart from hostel accommodation, feeding and other sundry expenses.

While education cannot and shall never be said to be expensive, at a time like this when and where citizens are facing serious excruciating economic challenges and other related hardships, various efforts of government to alleviate poverty are hardly making any positive impact. These increases are, to say the least unwarranted, ill-timed and ill-advised particularly coming from a government that promised compulsory, qualitative, free at some levels and affordable education at other stages especially at the tertiary levels.

Parents and children particularly of the less privileged citizens had welcomed this promise with enormous joy and happiness particularly when they saw one of the Governor’s son being enrolled in a state - ran school.

Citizens of the world are just coming out of the economic meltdown occasioned by the vagaries of the Covid-19 pandemic as a result of which Nigeria’s economy went into recession. Our state has been sadly ravaged by bandits and killer herdsmen. The source of livelihood of the citizens, which is majorly from farming, in recent years is badly affected due to the incessant security challenges, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery, cattle rustling. Thefts have been all-time high to the

extent that a member of the State Executive Council in charge of Security and Home Affairs while doing well to inform citizens about development to avoid misinformation, has transformed into an obituary announcer!

Trading, which was another major source of income to many has been badly affected also either through payment of ransoms, which depletes the capital of traders or the urban renewal projects of the state capital and major towns, which have resulted in the demolition of several markets, corner shops and other places of businesses by the government without appropriate alternatives.

With the above-mentioned scenario, one would have expected that the state government would temper justice with mercy and delay the impending increase of the fees to a later date to assist parents most of whom either have fallen victims to the recent right-sizing exercises by the government, lost their businesses from the modernisation project of the capital city, or have paid through the nose huge sums as ransom to kidnappers and or the economic crisis occasioned by Covid-19 pandemic.

Indeed, some of these parents have become vulnerable and highly indebted with many already adjudged to have gone bankrupt. As a parent myself with children and wards in various schools, I feel the pains of parents and guardians in our state who have children in schools currently, affected by the economic hardship and the high cost of living in our society, and now burdened with ill-timed school fees increase.

No doubts one may not fault the desire or the rationale for the increase in the fees. Yes, N300,000 may seem too insignificant for those who depend on the government or work in the private sector but this amount is huge sums of money for most of the vulnerable citizens in our society.

Paradoxically and axiomatically, in the schemes of funding of and significance of tertiary education in national development and human capacity development and mobility, these amounts cannot be

said to be too much and cannot and never be said to be excessive or expensive irrespective of income levels of parents.

Yet, it is unaffordable in the reality of the economy of our time. Truly, teachers, lecturers and other staff must be paid, facilities for teaching and research have to be provided and above all, standards have to be maintained at all cost as required by regulatory bodies of tertiary education.

Luckily, the schools have been doing well with the production of quality manpower comparable to anyone one can find around. To this I say Bravo to the students, the teachers and the administrators of the schools.

Government alone cannot and would never be able to single-handedly fund these costs and expenses if the truth must be told. Somehow, parents must augment government’s efforts in bearing the costs, particularly given the long term benefits to be derived from the qualifications to be obtained by the students. We are (His Excellency inclusive) evidences of such benefits of free education in the past somewhat at all levels, which unfortunately is not feasible now.

Increases or review of fees by whatever name is not new at all. Massive or one-off increase at a time is the issue. Moreso looking at the current environment as stated earlier.

Over the years, the government failed to implement a gradual increase in the school fees. I was once a Council Member of KASU and several efforts were made during our time to actualise an increase in the fees but due largely to political reasons such moves were blocked and rejected by the government. Could this be blamed on parents who could have adjusted over the years had the fees being gradually reviewed in phases? To my mind no! Indeed, if in two years there was 100 percent increase, parents may not cry much, a further increase by another one hundred percent say in another three years and so on may have helped the situation.

As always, it would be most unfair not to see reasons with the government’s actions but the scale of the increase needs to be reviewed urgently particularly in the light of our current challenges.

The Governor of our dear state should have listening ears and see reasons to adopt a gradualist approach to the increase in the fees. Such action would engender trust and confidence by those being governed.

Shock therapy or massive increase at once will exacerbate the already difficult and precarious situation we are in today. It’s akin to one blow seven die! Many children may drop out of the schools as many may not be able to register to continue with their studies and the consequences of such unpalatable development may further worsen our already terrible security condition and poverty level.

In the light of the foregoing, in my capacity as an ordinary citizen of the state, I wish to call on the governor to kindly in the name God Almighty and with empathy to our teeming vulnerable citizens, to see reasons to review the position of government as regards the increase in fees recently announced. Let there be a gradual increase in the fees. The increase may be achieved over a period to ease the suffering of students and parents.

Government should consider the immediate implementation of a workable student’s loans scheme which can augment parents’ efforts and serve as an alternative source of funds for the school fees of our children. Such a scheme will prevent children from dropping out of schools arising from this neo-liberal attitude at a time the government has not developed any recovery plan from the economic meltdown.

Furthermore, just as the school fees are being increased, the government should immediately review and announce new amounts to be given to students as scholarship grants to serve as usual government’s token contribution to low-income families.

Miqati mni, wrote from Kaduna

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EDITORIAL THE END OF SHEKAU’S REIGN The war on insurgency is still far from over

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he death of Abubakar Shekau, the brutal leader of Boko Haram, is the end of a chapter on the insurgency in Nigeria. His death was first confirmed by Abu Musab alBarnawi of the breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s branch in West Africa Province (ISWAP). In an audio recording, al-Barnawi said Shekau, “killed himself instantly by detonating an explosive” when offered to repent and join them (ISWAP), adding that Shekau “preferred to be humiliated in the afterlife than getting humiliated on earth.”

In the latest and most authoritative signal that Shekau is finally gone, there was another short video on Wednesday by top Boko Haram commander, Bakura Modu, also known as Sahaba, urging his faction’s members to remain loyal despite the loss of their leader. That the Nigerian military was not involved in the power struggle that led IF NIGERIA HAS TO RID THE to Shekau’s death is an indication COUNTRY OF THE TERROR of the strength GROUP, THIS IS THE TIME of the insurgents TO PILE UP PRESSURE ON in the Northeast.

THE TERRORISTS WITH For several years, SUPERIOR FIRE ARMS whenever Shekau was reported to have been killed by the military, he would appear in a new video, taunting the authorities and boasting of kidnapping security women and using them as slaves.

Shekau was best known for the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014, with several other cases of kidnapping, killing, raping of women and robbing of several thousands of people as well as many cases of suicide bombing. His death should not be seen in any way as a triumph over the insurgency, but a mere elimination of a leader of a rival group. The Al- Barnawi’s new militant group has

Letters to the Editor

pledged its loyalty to a more sophisticated foreign support. It is the beginning of a new era, in which ISWAP takes new territory, after getting rid of its chief rival, with renewed confrontations.

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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

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

he supremacy of ISWAP over Boko Haram could reopen a new era in insurgency backed by foreign powers. It should therefore not be seen as reduction in the terror attacks as the al-Barnawi-led group has lately posed the greater threat to the Nigerian military.

It means that the terror group which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq, that has been decimated in the Middle East, is shifting its energy to insurgencies in Africa. This bodes ill for Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Cameroun and other neighbouring countries of West African region.

In the last few months, there has been a dramatic upsurge in violence with the insurgents unleashing vicious and gruesome attacks on civilians as well as members of the armed forces, particularly in Borno State. The series of brazen attacks and killings by the militant group in recent months have shown that the insurgents are still very much in business. Although security agencies have managed to foil some of these attacks, it is all the same somewhat bogus to still hawk the impression that the war against the insurgents is “technically” over.

There is no doubting the fact that the military has whittled down the striking powers of the violent group which has in the last 10 years led to the death of over 30,000 innocent Nigerians.

But the militant group still constitutes mortal danger to their immediate and outlying communities and indeed, to members of the armed forces. Now that the military authorities have a single enemy to deal with, it doesn’t make the war against insurgency less difficult. But it should help in planning their strategies. If Nigeria has to rid the country of the terror group, this is the time to pile up pressure on the terrorists with superior fire arms. It can be done.

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.

DON’T RELOCATE LASSA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

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umours have been making the rounds of plans to relocate Technical College Lassa in Borno State allegedly as the result of insurgency in the North East. The rumour is apparently being orchestrated by some mischief makers who don’t see anything good in Borno State recovering from the over onedecade destruction by the Boko Haram and the Islamic State West African Province. If there is anything Borno State needs at the moment, it is peace and support for the government of Professor Babagana Zulum.

Our people have really suffered, hence the appeal of our people against any form of disruption. We want to categorically state that if there is any form of insecurity in Lassa, where the Technical School is located, it is not more than those in other parts of the North East. As a matter of fact, Lassa is comparably one of the safest parts of the North East despite occasional attacks by displaced insurgents.

It should also be noted that the Technical College, Lassa is the only institution of higher learning in the whole of the Margi area in Borno State. Lassa for those who care to know is the center of Western Education that has produced several professors, army generals, security chiefs and educators of various cadre. These were the very reasons that informed the

citing of the Technical School in the town.

Many people have argued that if there is fairness by successive governments, Lassa deserves the citing of an Advanced Teachers College. It is not surprising that even education authorities in the state have in recent years argued that Lassa is the most deserving and suitable place for a higher education institution in the state.

Those orchestrating the rumours of relocating Lassa Technical College are therefore mere enemies of progress bent on sabotaging Professor Zulum’s efforts to bring good governance to the people and ensure even spread of development in a state ravaged by insurgency.

The rumour of a plan to relocate Lassa Technical College is not only an act of sabotage but an act of distraction in a state that has enjoyed relative calm despite the insecurity foisted on the peace loving people of the state.

We urge the hardworking Governor of the State, Prof.

Babagana Zulum to stand resolute against the machination of mischievous makers. The Governor should be rest assured that the people of Lassa and Askira Uba will always stand by him and President Buhari at all times.

A. A. Gadzama OFR, mni, Chairman, Governing Board, National Institute for Security Studies, Abuja

CAN HE WALK ON WATER?

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ost people think of the great soccer player Ronaldo as having god-like skills and maybe that includes walking on water although so far, we have just seen his preference for drinking water over soft drinks. A

wise choice.

His moving of two display bottles lowered the value of the company by about $4 billion although only temporarily.

What would those $4 billion dollars be able to do to provide safe, drinkable water to many people? Most people like an occasional soft drink but all people need to drink water.

Maybe there could be a few big, maybe billion dollar, donations given to solving the worlds water shortages. Then more people would have the time to watch him play rather than walking great distances to bring back water that is probably not that clean.

A simple message from Ronaldo but a particularly important one.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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POLITICS

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

Constitution Amendment, National Assembly and Hypocrisy of the Elites Mon-Charles Egbo, Print Media Aide to the Senate President posits that Nigerians may have lost the chance to campaign for a repositioned National Assembly for classical performance

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y their expressed passions and in some cases, desperation, Nigerians are unanimous that tinkering with the 1999 constitution is not only timely but long overdue.

Particularly with Nigeria’s diverse peculiarities, the constitution is largely defective and shallow to guarantee peaceful coexistence, mutual tolerance and accelerated national development. Having operated for over two decades, it is no longer in tune with most of the contemporary realities.

There are systemic opportunities for powers and processes abuses because rather than strong institutions, the constitution favours strong individuals.

One of the unfortunate fallouts of these fundamentally flawed laws is the recent introduction of the “rubber stamp National Assembly” into Nigeria’s political lexicon.

Though a creation of the elite, this phenomenon is validated by the hollowness of the constitution. It is a socio-political invention to distinguish between the Bukola Sarakiled 8th National Assembly and the present one under Ahmad Lawan. The former was adjudged ‘vibrant’ because it was major opposition to the executive arm. It turned down requests and proposals from the Presidency. Among others, the 8th Senate declined approval for President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow money for some capital projects, and also twice rejected his nomination of Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Again, it made a resolution compelling the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service to wear official uniforms. While the face-offs arising from those actions lasted, the legislators were roundly applauded as being alive to their constitutional responsibilities. But in the final analysis, the actions amounted to mere motions without movement. Magu served for over five years, though in an acting capacity, and the Customs CG is still dressed in civil attire even to date. Equally, those celebrated hostilities did not in any way enrich the economy or improve the living standards of the citizenry. Even those projects that necessitated the borrowing proposal were as well not executed, sadly to the disadvantage of the masses.

Then came the 9th assembly.

Guided by a sense of foresight informed by experience, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, had impressed it on everyone that he would not work merely for applause but a cause. He recognized that the constitution places the national assembly in a precarious situation where it is practically powerless. And towards saving the masses further deprivation, the 9th assembly opted for collaboration with the other arms, while preserving the relative independence of the legislature. It rather chose to argue, only when necessary, relying on its minimal strength within the constitution. Again this parliament recognized that it is the prerogative of the President to appoint whoever he deems fit, while the Senate in certain cases, only confirms, upon establishing that the nominees have high school education and also belong to political parties. In other words, senators are to care less about the character, competence and capacity of nominees.

Then remarkably, and unlike its predecessor, the 9th Senate approved President Buhari’s loan requests, albeit with reasons.

According to Lawan, “the situations are not the same. In 2016 there were no details.

I think the presidency has learnt its lesson.

This time, the presidency brought the requests with every possible detail. If we don’t have money and you have projects to build, how will you provide the infrastructure that you need? But one thing is that,

we are going to be critical that every cent that is borrowed is tied to a project. These are projects that will have spill-over effects on the economy and we will undertake our oversight so well to ensure that such funds are properly, prudently, economically and transparently applied on those projects. I

want to inform this gathering and, indeed, Nigerians that the letter conveying the loan request of the executive came with every possible detail and, in fact, we will ensure that we are getting the right information from the executive arm of government…. you will agree with me that some projects

Why Ogbebor’s Claim on NDDC Board is False Akpoebide Okotiene and Edet Ekpenyong , President and Secretary respectively of Niger Delta Integrity Group dismiss the false claim that the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission which was screened and confirmed by the Senate was dissolved by President Muhammadu Buhari as deliberate misrepresentation of facts

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ur attention has been drawn to the statement credited to one B.J Akomolafe, acting on behalf of Rita Lori Ogbebor wherein false and dubious claims were made in her call for the reconstitution of the NDDC Governing Board.

The statement wherein her agent claimed that the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which was nominated by the President, screened and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5, 2019, was dissolved

by President Muhammadu Buhari is a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts to further her and her cohorts’ fraudulent agenda.

The facts are very clear and indisputable. What happened in the case of the Board is that after the nominees were screened and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5, 2019, Mr President asked that the inauguration of the Board should be put on hold pending the completion of the forensic audit, for which an Interim Management Committee was appointed for the NDDC. The Federal Government announced during the inauguration ceremony of the IMC that the Senate-confirmed NDDC Board will be inaugurated after the forensic audit. The decision to step down the inauguration of the Senate confirmed

Board was not due to any non compliance with the NDDC Act. It was strictly to make way for the “Forensic Audit” to be undertaken. There was no dissolution of the Senate confirmed Board as it had not been inaugurated.

People like Rita Lori Ogbebor have deployed falsehood to build a nest of unearned and undeserved privileges over the years by feasting in falsehood, acrimony and division. A decent society cannot allow her to continue to spew lies to deliberately interfere with the legitimate process of governance.

Rita Lori Ogbebor claimed that the Governing Board on standby was stood down on account of the false claims made by her clique following lawsuits launched by them. This is capital falsehood. The truth is that the so-called claims made by her and her cohorts have not been upheld anywhere because they are false claims.

All her claims do not hold water and are intended to fraudulently ambush the legitimate process. Her strategy is to throw up inaccurate, unfounded claims with the aim of misleading the public and institutions.

We call on President Buhari to disregard these unwarranted, puny selfish agendas whose sole aim is for the perpetrators to attempt to introduce some confusion into an orderly and legitimate process.

are time- bound, so such projects suffer.

Where revenues could not be enough, definitely not every aspect of the budget will be implemented. But it is our desire that every aspect of the budget will be implemented.”

Even without these explanations, Nigeria’s President is the most powerful in the world, going by the constitution. With a clear-cut military mindset inspired by the tradition of idolizing the Commander-inChief the framers of the constitution vested overwhelming influence with the presidency. This was seamlessly achieved because there was no legislature in place to embody the pulse of the people. Consequently, there is a fairly little touch of democracy about the constitution, beyond few ceremonial rituals.

As an instance, it is the exclusive role of the Presidency to make proclamations for the inauguration of the National Assembly.

Again, it is not binding on the executive to honour the National Assembly’s directives, by way of resolutions and even reports of legislative probes. It is purely discretionary.

Also, if the National Assembly withholds approval for executive requests including budgets and confirmation of nominees, it makes no difference because the constitution protects the executive immensely.

There are cases in point. The legislators passed several resolutions for the removal of the then over-stayed service chiefs and also advised on how to productively implement the special works and social investments programmes but the executive disregarded them.

Granted, the legislature can constitutionally override the executive or refuse to even pass the budgets. But how will the ultimate aims be achieved given that the executive controls the treasury and law enforcement agencies? Again, if the National Assembly for any reason issues a warrant of arrest against any individual, especially a presidential appointee, who enforces it?

What if the Inspector-General of Police decides to withdraw all the policemen in the service of the National Assembly? Does the constitution empower the National Assembly to question the personalities of presidential nominees? And above all, what if the President refuses to direct for the inauguration of the National Assembly? Of course, there would not be a legislature in such dispensation.

These and some other potentialities for anarchy are the reasons constitution review is now inevitable. Thankfully, the 9th National Assembly made it a cardinal goal of its legislative agenda.

Advancing its citizens’ participation and inclusiveness ideology, the senate organized well-publicized two-day public hearings in twelve locations across the six geo-political zones of the country and later held an additional two-day national hearing in Abuja. From the consolidated legislation reflecting the desires and concerns of their constituents and other interests that submitted memoranda, the lawmakers itemized all the raised issues for legislative interventions. They were “gender equity/increased participation for women and the vulnerable groups in governance, the federal structure in governance and devolution of power, local government administration/local government autonomy, public revenue, fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, constitutional provision for the establishment of state police, judicial reform-adjudication of election and pre-election matters and other judicial delivery concerns.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2021

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PERSPECTIVE

Biden, Putin and Games Nations Play

What Do Fulani Herders Do to Get Meat to the Market at the Cheapest Cost?

Glenga Olawepo-Hashim believes the federal and state governments may have ignored very important lessons from Fulani Herders, who are the Chido Nwangwu, Publisher, USAfricaonline.com best local experts in cattle rearing and management reviews the first meeting between American s a businessman and one with President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart a passion for Economics, I have always believed that price could be Vladimir Putin and concludes that both men retained a signal of the best economic policy choices. In my secondary school, some of my their personal honour and respect for their countries classmates called me ‘Baba Econs’. For the

A

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ussian President Vladimir Putin’s complimentary assessment of the U.S President Joe Biden — reflecting on their meeting on Wednesday June 16, 2021, near Lake Geneva, Switzerland: “I can say that he is a very constructive, balanced person, as I expected. It seems to me that we generally spoke the same language. This doesn’t mean at all that we must necessarily look into the soul, into the eyes and swear in eternal love and friendship. Not at all, we are protecting the interests of our countries and peoples. These relations are primarily pragmatic.”

Those carefully and strategically deployed words of international relations reminded me of my Political Science class at my great alma mater, the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) where I was taught the existential dynamics, strategic and material interests determine, substantially, “the games nations play.“ There’s an international relations magnum opus with the same name ‘Games Nations Play: Analyzing International Politics.’ It was published in 1972 by John W. Spanier. It was updated with additional contributions by Robert L. Wendzel. The book’s summary notes points to its value as a “study of the shifting balance of power in the world today, and the domestic factors and varying perceptions of reality that influence policy decisions. The authors also reveal the disturbing continuation of the dangerous adversary games that nations play.”

For most nations, the propellers of international engagements are anchored and focused on pragmatism and the core national interests of the country. But for a few but important countries, the banner of its values are like beacons of moral conscience in the continuing battle for dominance among nations, in the battle between authoritarianism and freedoms.

Coming some months after impeached ex President Donald Trump’s complicated, questionable and curious relationship with Putin, Americans were pregnant with understandable anxiety about the likely outcome of Biden’s first tangle with Putin. Putin, to put it bluntly, governed and owned Trump’s deferential mannerisms especially Trump’s inexplicable comment that he trusted Russia’s security statements more than the American security/intelligence following their meeting in Helsinki in 2018. Remember when he asserted to the media “My people ... said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

For this unbecoming act and subjugation of

American dignity, the late, straight-talking Sen. John McCain rated Trump’s action as ”one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”

Biden is the fifth American President to sit across the table or chair for a meeting with the controversial Putin. Biden is one of the three most experienced foreign policy persons in the United States elected President.

Overall, I believe that both men returned with the dignity intact and with both sides looking better. For Putin, the clout and prestige of Russia always gets an advantage whenever it is placed on the wall footing with those of the United States of America.

For Biden, he had a commendable International trip to the G7, and then the high-wire engagement with Putin.

Biden, clearly not beholden to the Russians spoke clearly, precisely and in direct condemnation of some of the excesses and abuse of human rights including Putin’s alleged murderous attacks of opposition and pro-democracy activists/candidates.

On the issue of cyber attacks on U.S private business organizations and some government and public facilities, president Biden warned that “If in fact they violate these basic norms, we will respond cyberly.

He knows. In a cyber way.”

Even as he spoke strongly, Biden’s measured and realistic sense of the historic opportunities and challenges ahead let him to establish common ground for the two militarily very powerful countries: “This is not a ‘Kumbaya’ moment … but it’s clearly not in anybody’s interest — your country or mine — for us to be in a situation where we’re in a new cold war.”

Similarly, Putin who had the first press conference said “What’s the point of keeping score? It makes no sense to try to scare one another.”

Only time will tell, as much as the digital trails of any cyber attacks.

I recall it was the former President Ronald Reagan who insisted that in dealing with the Russians and the old Soviet Union, America must follow one principle: trust but verify!

Both men returned with the dignity intact and with both sides looking better. For Putin, the clout and prestige of Russia always gets an advantage whenever it is placed on the wall footing with those of the United States of America. For Biden, he had a commendable International trip to the G7, and then the high-wire engagement with Putin. Biden, clearly not beholden to the Russians spoke clearly, precisely and in direct condemnation of some of the excesses and abuse of human rights including Putin’s alleged murderous attacks of opposition and pro-democracy activists/candidates

fun of it, I took the O’ level WAEC examination in Economics as an external student in my Junior class, and I was glad with the result; I had A1 .When I attended University of Buckingham in United Kingdom for my Masters’ Degree, I was grateful to God that I obtained Distinctions in International Economics and International Finance to be sure that the Secondary School performance was not a fluke. Sounds boastful and immodest but it has become necessary in the Nigeria heavily self-opinionated atmosphere to make such introduction on this emotive subject matter. After all, I am just another politician; one of those expected ‘not to know anything’.

Back to the real question; what are the things that Nigerian herders do that has kept the beef price in Nigeria one of the lowest in the world, precisely $4.85 per kilogram, compared to higher prices obtainable in countries where most western oriented commentators want us to switch our livestock production pattern to; such as the United States where the price of beef is five times the Nigerian cost, a whopping $24.18 per kilogram, Netherlands $24.19 per kilogram, Israel $21.49 per kilo.

I reproduce below a global index of beef prices.

What will be the consequence when we change the method of raising cattle? Pretty simple stuff.

The first is that, he takes his cattle to the grass, he does not pay for the price of bringing the grass to his cattle.

The second is almost similar, he takes his cattle to water, and he does not bring water to his cattle through a complex irrigation system that needs to be paid for in hard currency and needs to be maintained by experts from overseas.

The third and most important, most times he is the pharmacist, nurse and doctor of his cattle through a deep understanding of plants in the forest, passed to him by his ancestors from generation to generation, now lost to most sedentary people. This may not be an exactly preferred veterinary medical practice, but it helps him keep his cost low.

He’s also the social worker and the security personnel to his cattle like David in the Bible that would puts his life at risk to save one of his sheep, fighting physically with bare hands against the Lion.

Most of us today ridicule that commitment to a work culture that has endured for generations. We say in derision that some people prefer cows to life. The truth of the matter is that for any enterprise to succeed and endure, there must be passion even before money.

Perhaps that is why the herder is reluctant to embrace a system that would put his cattle in the hands of civil servants that have been designed to manage the national livestock transformation plan.

I am not a Fulani, but I grew up in NewBussa Niger State and in Kwara, surrounded

by Fulani settlements. I did not grow up with the consciousness of seeing Fulanis’ as oppressors seeking to grab anyone’s land, as is now the narrative, because of the almost abject poverty of most of them I know while growing up. As a matter of fact, we had a lot of them as our helps, we respected them and learnt a lot from their wisdom and simplicity.

We all agree that the open grazing must go for it sundry limitations even though sometimes exaggerated through a general stereotyping that confuses the criminal activities of some foreign nomads who have

infiltrated our forest with the generally peaceful and lawful activities of local herders that have done their business peacefully for ages.

Some of these well adumbrated ‘sins’ of open grazing include; destruction of farm lands, violence against sedentary farmers and sometimes resulting in death, trespass on private properties, land grabbing, ambition of the Fulani ethnic group even though unsubstantiated.

My economic instinct tells me that we may have ignored very important lessons from the best local expert in cattle rearing and management – the Fulani Herder in our emotionally driven path to create a new livestock management system.

Agro-Economic policies should not be a function of sentiments and politics but sound economics. Ranching which some governor’s favor will deliver beef to the market at a higher cost than that of U.S. if finally adopted, because the landing cost of equipment and services will make the price of beef completely unreachable for most households.

The last time I checked the cost of fairly used 18,000 acres ranch in Argentina was a whopping $10M (N5billion). Hundreds of such ranches would be needed, plus landing cost, cost of corruption, cost of delayed delivery, ports congestion, etc.

I understand that some people don’t mind higher cost of beef as long as we ‘deal with the Fulanis’.

I discussed this with a couple who replied me in Yoruba ‘Aani tori pe a je eran, ka pe malu ni boda’ (meaning literarily - we won’t pass the respect normally reserved for humans to a cow on account of our desire to eat beef). That may be true and maybe in sync with prevailing sentiment, but an enduring National Agricultural Policy cannot be determined by base sentiments but on the numbers.

I am persuaded, a policy that confines the herders to a grazing reserve where they will still be in control of their cattle but will not be in a position to trespass on other people’s land would be superior choice to a plan that hopes to put experienced pastoralists under the management of civil servants who lack any experience in cattle breeding and who are advised by imported specialist with zero knowledge of the local environment.

The policy of developing grazing reserve must however not be imposed on any state that does not want it; after all, ‘Land-Use’ under the Nigerian constitution is under the jurisdiction of state government. Those who want to breed their cattle at 5 times present cost have the fundamental human right to choose that, and those who want to breed their cattle at low cost also have rights to do so; that is what true federalism means.

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FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

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REPO 22.33 % 22.93 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

22 % 23.50 % 25 %

J U N E

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08024557078

1 1 , 2 0 2 1

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

515.40 % 0.01 % -1.42 %

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE -7.76 % YEAR TO DATE -23.11 %

EXCHANGE RATE N410.80/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes

‘No Political Interference in Aircraft Operations’

MEDIA BRIEFING

L-R: Co- Managing Partner/Head Financial Advisory, Comercio Partners Limited, Mr. Steve Osho; Co- Managing Partner/ Head Investment, Mr. Tosin Osunkoya; and Co-Managing Partner/Head Trading, Mr. Nnamdi Nwizu, during a media briefing to commemorate the company’s fifth anniversary held in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Economic Free Zones May Bring about Aerotropolis, Experts Say Chinedu Eze Aviation experts have said if the federal government properly executes the plan to designate four major airports in the country to economic free zones it may give birth to an aerotropolis in the country.

The experts said with that, international companies would come to the airports and set up businesses and from Nigeria distribute to other countries in West and Central Africa, as DHL is presently doing.

Managing Partner, TMSS Logistics, Alhaji Nuhu Adam, told THISDAY that the economic free zone would open a new vista for aviation logistics, e-commerce, equipment leasing, real estate,

AVIATION warehousing of aircraft spare parts and maintenance facility, if implemented.

Adam said aerotropolis would emerge from the economic zones because international companies, which would otherwise not come to Nigeria would invest at the airports, as Customs are not supposed to have access to the zone as what is produced in the zone is tax free and Nigeria being the biggest market in Africa would become a hub for distribution of goods and services to other countries in the continent.

He said private airlines and charter service providers that build fixed-based operation

would find a home in the economic free zones, adding that same would apply for e-commerce where companies like Amazon, Alibaba and Konga will warehouse goods and distribute to Nigeria and other countries.

“You know that an aerotropolis is a metropolitan sub-region whose infrastructure, land use, and economy are centered on an airport. The economic free zone designated at the major airports by the federal government, if well implemented, will serve as booster for economic development.

“It will provide aviation value chain; it will enhance technology transfer and create thousands of jobs. It will also promote e-commerce because

companies like Amazon will come and warehouse their goods, as they will not be subjected to Customs scrutiny or pay taxes. From the free zone in Lagos they will supply goods to other parts of Africa,” he added.

Adam said the current space at the Lagos airport would not be enough by the time the economic free zone will blossom so government could extend it to Ibadan airport because it would take the whole of Mafuluku area at the airport.

Adam who was former General Manager, Business Development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Continued on page 22

FG Urges Shippers to Be Involved in Policy, Trade Negotiations Eromosele Abiodun The federal government has enjoined shippers nationwide to unite and take part in policy formulation and trade negotiation in Nigeria as well as globally as key players in the nation’s economy.

The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, stated this at the Election and Inauguration of the National Shippers Association of Nigeria (NASAN) in Lagos.

While stressing the need to focus on exports, he said export cargoes still suffer 20 or 24 days delay before gaining access into the port, while imported cargoes suffer 21-days cargo dwell time at the port.

Bello urged NASAN to speak with one voice so as to boost their bargaining power

MARITIME nationally and internationally.

According to him, the purpose of establishing the national body of shippers association apart from enhancing the bargaining power of the associations to negotiate with their stakeholders, locally and internationally was to increase their visibility in the shipping industry.

He lamented that for so long, the Nigerian shippers have neglected their roles in the hands of freight forwarders adding that as cargoes owners, they are supposed to be engaging government directly and even to issue instructions to the NSC. “They need to have strong voice, be organised and that is why the councill is here to bring them together,, have the capacity to negotiate freight

trade, shipping procedure, shipping instrument like bill of laden, incoterms – International Commercial Terms, the contract of affreightment, contract of carriage of goods,” he said.

NASAN, Bello added, should ensure its members participate actively in the newly established African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to ensure that they benefit optimally in all relevant sectors of the regime.

He said in other neighbouring ports, cargoes spend just 7-days dwell time at the port.

He assured stakeholders that the Council was already in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the need for Nigerian shippers to have access to finance, information and connections on the international market.

He said: “There are many shippers, who are exporting

now, and one of the problems is access to the port, we have cargoes that spend 20-days and 24days before they gain access into the port, we have struggled so much to ensure that this is not done.

“We need exporters who are shippers to also have free access to the port, they should have access to information about the market, and they should also have access to finance. The same situation is with importers, there are issues at the port, cargoes have 21-days dwell time, meanwhile it is 7-days at our competing neighboring ports” The NSC boss said it was the duty of the newly inaugurated NASAN to engage the government and ensure reduction in dwell time of cargo.

“You should also ask for the Continued on page 22

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to maintain the critical separation between politics and aviation safety issues. The call followed an incident when Ryanair FR4978 was intercepted over Belarus Airspace and forced to land in Minsk.

On June 2, EASA replaced its recommendation (Safety Information Bulletin) for European airlines to carefully assess the risk of flying in Belarus airspace with a blanket prohibition (Safety Directive) on European aircraft entering Belarus airspace.

“Aviation safety must never be politicised. IATA condemned the actions oftheBelarusgovernmentandcalledforanindependentinvestigation.

BanningEuropeanaircraftfromusingBelarusianairspacewithaSafety Directive is also a politicization of aviation safety.

“This is a retrograde and disappointing development. EASA should rescind its prohibition and allow airlines to manage safety as they do each and every day—with their normal operational risk assessments.

“Two wrongs do not make a right. Politics should never interfere with the safe operation of aircraft and politicians should never use aviation safety as a cover to pursue political or diplomatic agendas,” IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh said.

In May 2021, Ryanair flight FR4978, while overflying Belarus en-route from Athens to its final destination, Vilnius, was made to divert and land in Minsk by Belarusian authorities. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, EASA had issued a Safety Information Bulletin advising airlines to avoid operations in Belarusian airspace.

United Begins Non-stop NYC-Joburg Route

United Airlines said it has inaugurated its nonstop daily service between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to United Airline, the new service is operated with stateof-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, featuring United’s award-winning United Polaris business class cabin and United Premium Plus premium economy seats. Together with the airline’s seasonal, three-times weekly service between Cape Town and New York/Newark, United said it will offer more non-stop services from South Africa than any other US airline and would be the only airline providingadailynon-stopservicebetweenJohannesburgandNewYork.

South Africa Minister ofTransport, Fikile Mbalula, said, “The aviation sector worldwide has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Our Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has not been an exception.

Though we have not recovered to pre-covid numbers, the indications are that we are on a recovery path and South Africa is still a destination of choice for economic and tourism travellers.

“The return of United Airlines to South Africa is one of the important indicators that we are on a recovery path and the aviation sector will see growth. We welcome and celebrate the return of United Airlines back to our open skies.”

Also, South Africa Minister ofTourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, stated: “We are excited to welcome United Airlines as it will definitely boost South Africa’s efforts to continue to grow business and leisure tourists’ arrivals out of North America.

“South Africa is ready to welcome back visitors from across the world and is certainly open for business.”

Air Cairo Receives First Airbus A320neo

Air Cairo said it has taken delivery of its first A320neo aircraft. The new aircraft will join Air Cairo’s all Airbus fleet of seven aircraft.

According to Air Cairo, the aircraft is on lease from ICBC Leasing and is equipped with CFM LEAP-1A engines. With improved levels of efficiency, the new aircraft will be deployed on Air Cairo’s regional and international network to serve countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East – demonstrating the operational flexibility of the A320neo.

AirCairosaiditsfleetexpansionandmodernisationstrategycoincides with its decision to open more routes, fostering closer links with countries across continents.

Offeringtheairlineexceptionaltechnical,economicandenvironmental performance,AirCairorevealedthatitsA320neoisconfiguredwith186 seats in an all-economy class cabin. Passengers onboard the aircraft will benefit from the widest cabin of any single-aisle aircraft and the latest generation in-flight entertainment system.

TheA320neoFamilyincorporatestheverylatesttechnologiesincluding new generation engines, Sharklets and aerodynamics, which together deliver 20 per cent in fuel savings and CO2 reduction compared to previous generation Airbus aircraft.

“Nigeria is for all of us. The bigger Nigeria is the best thing ever that can happen to Nigeria” Chairman/CEO, Air Peace,

Allen Onyema

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BUSINESSWORLD ECONOMIC FREE ZONES MAY BRING ABOUT AEROTROPOLIS, EXPERTS SAY (FAAN), however noted that the free zones would only succeed when they are professionally run, just as he recalled the free economic zone at Onne, which experts were invited to develop and today is successful.

“The free zone will witness rapid growth that if not well managed it will be another Apapa, so government will have to extend it to Ibadan airport. The Lagos Airport economic zone will grow faster than the ones in Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt because it is the commercial hub of the country.

“FAAN revenue will be boosted by the free economic zone and it will also benefit airlines because the zone will house aircraft maintenance facility, aircraft spares and even equipment leasing companies,” Adam said.

Speaking in the same vein, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Handling Company Plc (NAHCO), Mr. Bates Sule, told THISDAY that the economic free zones is a welcome idea because it would boost revenue to the federal government through FAAN. He recalled that NAHCO established the free zone but was yet to maximise the benefits before he left the company, adding that with government’s designation of such zone it would become economic hub in a short time.

“Free economic zone will give rise to airport city. The federal government through FAAN will be the major beneficiary,” he said.

FG URGES SHIPPERS TO BE INVOLVED IN POLICY, TRADE NEGOTIATIONS simplification of processes and procedures, we should ask for digitalisation of our ports. I am happy to inform you that digitalisation of our ports has gotten to a very critical stage where most of our terminals have really grown up, we are insisting that they must have 90percent compliance, the banks must come in, so that you can transact even without coming to Lagos, the freight forwarders, truckers and shipping lines must be online, this would stop the corruption going on at the port,” he said.

NEWS

Electricity Consumers in Akwa Ibom Allege Poor Services by PHEDC Okon Bassey in Uyo Some residents in Akwa Ibom State have continued to lament what they termed the poor electricity supply in the state by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC).

They alleged that the attitude of the PHEDC, and the staff on electricity supply to consumers could be to frustrate efforts of the state government in ensuring constant power supply across the state.

Residents including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), particularly expressed concern over the inability of the PHEDC to provide prepaid metres to their customers which they said was an illegality and a deliberate ploy to exploit residents with outrageous bills.

They fumed that power supply has remained epileptic with many consumers and communities being forced to pay exorbitant bills for power not supplied.

A civil society group in the state, the Foundation for Civic Education, Human Rights and Development Advancement ( FoCERaDA) recently tasked the electricity distribution companies on the need to ensure that all her customers are metred in order to guarantee justice and fairness in the billing and pricing of electricity.

In an interview with journalists in Uyo, a human rights lawyer, activist and FoCERaDA Executive Director, Clifford

Thomas, frowned upon the alleged continued display of impunity, arrogance and insensitivity by PHEDC staff in carrying out their duties.

He opined that the Disco was deliberately refusing to supply metres to customers in order to continue fleecing them through crazy estimated and bulk bills.

Thomas maintained that the company was taking undue advantage of the ignorant of the people to force high bills down their throats and blamed helpless members of the public for not wanting to pursue their rights.

“PHEDC has been stealing from the people, because they know the people don’t know their rights, and very unfortunately the people themselves don’t want to fight for their rights, I don’t know, either they are docile or they are afraid of seeking justice for the unfair treatment they are getting from PHEDC. “I can’t also tell if they are enjoying the suffering. How can someone who has been paying a bill of N6,500 before, and suddenly PHEDC brought a bill of N45,000 and you agree to pay, yet you are complaining,

yet, you don’t want to fight against such deliberate act of stealing by PHEDC in the name of estimated bills.

“We have received several complaints and in the next two weeks, we are going to convene a stakeholders’ forum to address the issues. We are sending letters to the police, the SSS, and many other groups, and the management of PHEDC will be invited, the public should come out and air their grievances,” he said.

Also, a civil society organisation, COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peace Building has decided to wade into the issue

following series of unending complaints from the residents.

The state executive director and human rights activist, Mr. Saviour Akpan disclosed that the organisation was launching a campaign against the anomaly in the system.

But in its response, the PHEDC said it has increased efforts to address challenges faced by its customers regarding unavailability of prepaid metres, epileptic power and overbilling, while describing the allegations of deliberate metre bypass by its staff to exploit customers as unfounded.

STRENGTHENENING PARTNERSHIP

L-R: Head, Corporate Marketing, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr. Hari Elluru; Country Manager, ViacomCBS, Mr. Bada Johnson, and Head, Showroom Operations, Fouani Nigeria Limited, Mr. Souhad Achour, at the official announcement of LG/ VaicomCBC media advertising and sponsorship deal held in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ABIODUN AJALA

Zafar: Nigeria Remains Important Market in West Africa Eromosele Abiodun The Managing Director, West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), Onne Rivers State, Naved Zafar, has stated that Nigeria remains an important market in the West African region.

Zafar, who was recently appoint Managing Director of WACT, expressed readiness to contribute to the economic aspiration of Nigeria.

Zafar who until his new appointment was the Managing Director of APM Terminals Cotonou, said he was ready to expand the frontiers of service delivery to numerous customers in Eastern Nigeria.

According to him, he is ready to work with critical

stakeholders in the maritime sector towards expanding the frontiers of the sector.

“I am happy to be back in Nigeria to contribute to the realization of the country’s economic aspiration. Nigeria, which is the largest economy and most populous country in Africa, remains an important market in the region.

“I look forward to working with relevant stakeholders towards the successful implementation of our strategic priorities in WACT. I also look forward to expanding the frontiers of service delivery to our numerous customers especially in Eastern Nigeria,” he said.

WACT in a statement said Zafar in his new role, will be

responsible for the expansion and transformation of the global terminal operator’s strategic gateway terminal in Eastern Nigeria.

“Zafar will report to Klaus Laursen, the Country Manager of APM Terminals in Nigeria and will work closely with the senior management team in Nigeria and the regional team in Dubai.

Zafar joined Maersk Group in 1997 as a Maersk International Shipping Education (MISE) trainee in Pakistan and spent his early years in commercial and operations functions for Maersk Line in Pakistan and Germany.

“With a passion for new challenges, Zafar has spent the last 13 years in sub-

Saharan Africa in various leadership roles in Nigeria, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Benin. Before joining APM Terminals, he had also worked as CEO for Damco West and Central Africa area,” the statement said.

It added: “Prior to working for Damco, he served as Head of Operations for Maersk Line for the Central West Africa cluster comprising Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana as well as Country Manager for Maersk Line in Ghana and later in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With deep knowledge and passion for Africa, Zafar has shown strength in his people leadership – building and growing

the business he has led, whether it is deployment of WAFMAX vessels for Maersk Line in West Africa, pushing for double taxation treaty between Denmark and Ghana, setting up new intermodal corridors between the two Congos thereby connecting Pointe Noir to Kinshasa by land or establishing a new inland office in mines rich Lubumbashi region in the Eastern DRC, Zafar has been in the forefront of pushing the boundaries and delivering solid results while improving engagement with the stakeholders of Maersk Group. He holds a Masters in Commerce from University of Karachi and has attended leadership development courses at IMD.”

‘Improved Regional Navy Cooperation in Focus at Gulf of Guinea Forum’ Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

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) Ë×ÏÝ ×ÏÔÙ (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) ××ËØßÏÖ ÎÎÏÒ (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

The Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum and Shared Awareness and De-confliction conference (GOG-MCF/SHADE) has identified cooperation at sea between regional and international Navies as the focus at its inaugural plenary meeting scheduled to take place in July this year.

This was disclosed in a joint communiqué signed by the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Inter Regional Coordination

Centre (ICC) Yaoundé.

The online meeting, the communiqué stated, would be hosted by the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute (GOGMI) in Accra, Ghana, and would be by invitation of the SHADE Co-chairs, the ICC, and the Nigerian Navy.

“There will be two sessions at the meeting: the morning session, which would formally open the historic plenary and include welcome addresses by regional and international dignitaries; and the second session in which the plenary

co-chairs would set the vision and plan for what GOG-MCF/ SHADE will seek to accomplish, “it stated.

The ICC Yaoundé and Nigeria noted that the meeting would be to produce meaningful actions and measures that translate to a significant increase in the cooperation at sea between regional and international navies, the international shipping industry, and the maritime stakeholders in the Gulf of Guinea.

“These actions would be delivered by three working

groups: Cooperation at Sea (Operations), Reporting and Information Sharing, and Air De-Confliction, with each working group chaired by a regional representative and supported by a Subject Matter Expert.

“The maiden GOG-MCF/ SHADE plenary will be an invitation-only working meeting initially focusing on implementing the framework by bringing together stakeholders who have committed to tackling piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, “it added.

The co-chairs said they

would provide a full report of the activities of the forum on an on-going basis and consequently review and adapt the meeting as required to achieve its intended goals.

Nigeria and ICC Yaoundé recently floated the GOG-MCF/ SHADE following discussions between the Director General of NIMASA, representing Nigeria, and Executive Director of ICC Yaoundé, Admiral Narciso Fastudo Jr. The forum aims to galvanise regional and international efforts for security in the Gulf of Guinea.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

23

Airtech, NAAPE Launch Database for Manpower Devt Chinedu Eze

Airtech Aviation Support Services in partnership with the National Association of Airline Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has launched a database.

The database would serve as a single resource point for manpower availability, aviation information and data in the Nigerian aviation sector.

The database, Avian QDB, is the first of its kind in the country’s aviation sector, and according to Airtech, would also provide a platform for industry’s professionals to register their profiles and upload certificates and licenses, making them visible to prospective employers.

Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Airtech Aviation Support Services, Mr. Bukola Nzegwu, assured that information on the database are secured, stressing that the company would make the platform accessibly with a token fee.

According to him, the certificates and

licenses uploaded on the database platform would be secured in Digital Ocean’s cloud and can be retrieved online for personal use by the professionals when needed.

He said, “The database will provide visibility for aviation professionals to prospective airlines and aviation companies.

Employers will access the database for a token fee. The database will provide skill gap analysis between what the industry needs and available manpower. It will also help track job market trend.

“AvianQDB also has a unique feature that will send an email prompt to remind registered professionals when licenses will expire so as to ensure aviation professionals always possess updated licenses to operate.

“The platform will also serve as depository of relevant local and international aviation information through feeds and links to aviation agencies.”

Nzegwu, however, emphasised that the

initial launch of Avian QDB would start with manpower availability for pilots and engineers, adding that work was ongoing to add the other skills to the database platform.

In his comment, President, NAAPE, Abednego Galadima expressed delight at the launch of the platform and the association’s partnering with Airtech.

He said that AVIANQDB would serve as one-shop for aviation manpower solutions, noting that the development of the database was in line with the association’s mandate to promote and protect the welfare and well being of its members.

He encouraged all aviation stakeholders, especially pilots and engineers in the country to patronise it the platform and assured that the application would provide tremendous benefits for both employers and employees, stressing that it would also serve as a good guide for policy and decision makers.

Examining Stiff Competition among Airlines Chinedu Eze In 2018, there was a voice recording trending then that was allegedly attributed to the leader of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Suleiman.

The message had prophesied impending doom on various transport companies and had urged members of the public not to fly one of the airlines then.

The message was all over social media, as people who received the message broadcast and sent it to friends and family and soon it went virile. This continued until Apostle Suleiman discredited and disowned the voice in a press statement.

A couple of days after, another message started trending. This time it was another airline. The report was allegedly made by a pilot warning the public not to fly the airline, alleging that it had technical challenges.

The message was passed around that the airline was not maintaining its aircraft.

This continued until it was also discredited.

Later it was found that the two obnoxious messages were sponsored by another airline that unscrupulously wanted to increase its market share.

THISDAY also learnt that ground staff of airlines run one another down, by misinforming passengers about rival airlines.

This phenomenon has been in the aviation industry over the years.

Few days ago, the Governor of Akwa Ibom claimed in a video that it acquired two Airbus A220 brand new, but there was earlier report about how the two aircraft were leased from Air Sinai by the airline.

Industry stakeholders have frowned upon such claim, saying that it should be discouraged by the regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The claim prompted the Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs. Toyin Olajide to clarify that the aviation industry in Nigeria and globally was aware that nearly a decade now it is only Air Peace that has acquired brand new aircraft in Nigeria.

Olajide said it is public knowledge that Air Peace made firm order for 13 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft and the new aircraft, which Embraer showed the world when it was in the production line has started arriving.

“The first one arrived in January 28, the second came on March 18 and the third one is coming in on June 17, 2021. They are flown directly from the manufacturing facility in San Jose, Brazil. The 13 aircraft we ordered will be brought into the country by the manufacturer, Embraer. I don’t understand the tendency to deceive the public by claiming an aircraft that was leased from another airline is brand new,” the Air Peace COO said.

Industry stakeholders have also acknowledged that what would guarantee the success of Nigerian carriers is if they work together and forget the ongoing backbiting, which many attribute as the reason why Nigerian airlines go under after 10 years.

Industry stakeholders have also acknowledged that what would guarantee the success of Nigerian carriers is if they work together and forget the ongoing backbiting

Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina, AON Chairman The operators have also admitted that such cutthroat competition cannot benefit any airline; rather, it leaves so much animosity and bitterness to exist among them, noting that it is one of the reasons why Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) is not strong and influential as it should be.

The stakeholders noted that why the USbased airlines are very successful is because of their collaboration, stating that codeshare and interline became very successful in the US and they have become eternalized.

Aviation consultant who is also the Chief Executive Officer of African Aviation Services Limited and the President of African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), Nick Fadugba had spoken extensively about collaboration among Nigerian airlines and had noted that it would be difficult for Nigerian airlines to go it alone and compete on international routes with foreign carriers; unless they work together.

He had said the key for survival of the domestic carriers is partnership.

“First of all, I am very passionate about aviation in Nigeria, I believe we are not where we should be today, given our resources.

There is no market in Africa that is comparable to Nigeria. Whether you are a market lady or a board chairman, we travel; we are a nation of traders.

“Many foreign airlines are coming into Nigeria making good profit and yet most Nigerian airlines, to the best of my knowledge, are not making a lot of money,” Fadugba noted.

He also said, “In fact, some airlines are quite poorly financed, so we need to do better. You know the international aviation industry has changed dramatically since the days of Nigerian Airways; today no airline can succeed working alone. “Therefore, I want to once again appeal to airlines in Nigeria to come together, to work together in operations, training and maintenance. We need to partner. Even if we don’t merge we need to partner with one another,” he said.

Fadugba also observed that if airlines don’t have a critical mass in terms of size, in term of good management, in terms of fleet, in terms of good network, it would be very hard for them to succeed.

“So we have the market in Nigeria, we are very fortunate but the fact is that our airlines are at the moment not of the size that can compete effectively against the big airlines coming into Nigeria”.

This was why the industry commended the collaboration between Ibom Air and Dana Air which recently signed code-share agreement and other airlines have been urged to do the same because working together has invaluable benefits, which would be taken away by the current competition style full of bitterness and animosity.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Strides, Challenges of Ports Economic Regulation Francis Ugwoke

T

he job of an economic regulator is no doubt a formidable task.

It is even more so in a sector like the maritime industry. This is considering the setting and practitioners. Some would describe the environment as having a mafia setting and therefore a sector to beware because of the activities therein. Although, this is not to smear the good image of the providers and consumers of shipping services, the truth is that the sector is not one for cosy practitioners, so to say.

It is a sector where everyone is in the habit of hustling to maximize profit in a peculiar way. It is an industry where some would often circumvent trade rules for maximum profit.

It is also a sector where government has over the years continued to wage war against all forms of trade malpractices.

This is not just about the shippers (importers and the exporters), terminal operators and multi-national shipping agencies, but also government’s own personnel who are supposed to be gate-keepers in the system. In effect, what the shippers do is of interest to the gate-keepers without which the latter is out of business.

For instance, it would be recalled that the former military President, Rtd. General Ibrahim Babangida, while in office decades ago tried to reduce the number of security agencies at the ports to no avail. The security agents would get a directive to leave, but would have a way of remaining put, enjoying the spoils of the sector. The security agents would insist on being part of examination of goods at the ports, or mount their own roadblocks if not involved for extortionist tendencies with the excuse of protecting national security interest.

That was before the concessioning of the nation’s ports in 2006. Since then and in line with the ease of doing business at the ports, the agencies have had their numbers cut down. Yet, those affected, like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), among others, have not stopped lobbying to come back.

The scenario is that even some personnel not posted to the ports among the approved agencies have devised new means of finding their way into the ports, or staying few meters away to the ports.

Operatives of the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) are part of this. Surprisingly, they even engage the services of freight forwarders to justify their being on the road.

In Apapa port, for instance, one can find operatives of the FOU stationed permanently near Flour Mills/Area B Police Station waiting for containers that have been cleared at the ports. The FOU operatives also have a check-point at Otor Wharf, near Mile2 waiting for containers from Tin Can Island, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal and Sifax terminals at Coconut. Owners of such containers and other goods leaving the terminals must settle the operatives or they will seize or delay movement of such goods on flimsy excuses.

The situation has even become so embarrassing to the resident customs commands whose personnel wonder why such vigil few meters away from the gates of the ports where these consignments had gone through scrutiny. The operatives have had to claim that they have information on the containers as their excuse for stopping any truck. They have the backing of some highly placed customs officers at the headquarters who undoubtably may be part of the ‘deal’.

Again, the truth is that the resident customs officers are also involved in their own deal in which they extort so much from the erring importers and allow them to go. So, he irony is that the importer is faced with a double tragedy in which he settles the resident customs officers and again settles those waiting for him few meters away from the gates and others

Bello

on the high way. At the end, it is the final consumers of the goods that suffer the costs involved. To observers, the situation in the ports is therefore one of conspiracy in what some shippers and customs officers are potential beneficiaries in trade malpractices.

For the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) as the ports economic regulator, the task of addressing such ills in the system could therefore be herculean. Indeed the maritime industry is a major economic zone which operations could be likened to a mild war arena. And this is with poor infrastructure leading to unending gridlock. The ports economic regulator will no doubt with the sad scenario in the ports environment give credence to this view. Saddled with the task of leading other agencies in implementing the National Ports Process Manual (NPPM) announced by the federal government in December last year, the Council no doubt has sad experience to share about the activities of the security agencies.

One example is the efforts to eradicate bribery involved in boarding of vessels on arrival at the ports. In the past, some agencies were in the tradition of boarding separately until the Council decided that this should be done jointly by all the representatives of agencies assigned to the ports. The old system was prone to corruption in which some of the operatives collected large sums of bribe from the ships. Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Hassan Bello recently threatened to expose corrupt officials of government security agencies demanding bribe to carry out their functions at the nation’s seaports.

Condemning such attitude, Bello said this has negative effect on the ports as it sends bad signal to the international shipping community. He appealed to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and other agencies to support the joint inspection to work at the ports. Bello believes that seven days cargo dwell time can be achieved with joint boarding of vessels and joint inspection of cargo. He argues that 21 days cargo dwell time as has been the case was because there has not been joint examination.

He said, “What kind of country or port do we want if agencies responsible for joint examination don’t report on time?

Examination of cargo should be done at a given time and people should abide by the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as far as clearance of cargo is concerned” Bello had disclosed that through joint boarding of vessel, the Committee recovered $20,000 being bribe money by people who go onboard vessels. He warned that boarding of vessels in the ports is being monitored, adding that any agency or individual frustrating this process would be exposed. “We are going to name and shame them publicly and we will arrest them,” he threatened.

However, Bello disclosed that a lot of progress has been made as far as compliance with the ports process manual was concerned. Many of the agencies, he added, have been complying with the

NPPM, though some were yet to fully comply with the new SOPs. Under the mandate given to the Council as a lead agency in ports process manual is to create a port environment that is very efficient and comparable to what obtains in other global ports. The Council in a bid to carry out the assignment has been involved in sensitizing of the ports community on ending trade malpractices and creating an environment for trade facilitation. The Council has carried out equipment audit on terminal operators to ensure that they provide latest cargo handling equipment that can ease trade.

In effect most of the terminals can boast of providing enough cargo handling equipment to position containers for examination as required by the Customs. The result has been impressive, but the other side is that most times the Customs has been overwhelmed. Enough cargo handling equipment has made it possible for improvement on ship turn-around time as vessels are not delayed in discharge of cargos. What the ports economic regulator however is championing is the introduction of scanning machine which will fasten examination of goods at the ports.

Incidentally, the Customs has insisted that all containers must be examined 100

percent physically in what is not cheering news. But it would appear the NSC is in a dilemma when the Customs argues that it is targeted at checking smuggling of arms and ammunition.

As the ports economic regulator, the NSC sets this month June to attain high level of automation in ports services. In April, Bello had given a score card of the efforts to achieve automation at the ports.

He had disclosed that some terminal operators and shipping companies have attained between 50 to 90 percent level of automation. As at April, PTML BUA and Grimaldi were leading in automation.

Bello is full of commendation for the terminal operators and believes that this is the way forward for the industry to attain global attention in trade facilitation. The push for automation is to end the era of human contact at the ports with associated corrupt practices.

He said, “We shouldn’t forget that we have competition. Nigerian ports should be the hub in the West and Central African region. However, we can’t achieve this without ports that are fully automated and operating 24 hours daily.

“Most ports across the world are digitalised. Human contact is dangerous, it brings delay and extortion. A port isn’t a place for contact. We are trying to achieve 100 per cent automation. To do this, we need full integration with banks, Nigeria Customs Service, terminals and shipping lines, among other stakeholders.”

If the ports which are already linked with rails attain 100 percent automation soonest, perhaps what remains is the issue of gridlock at the ports. The federal government is targeting between end of this year and early next year to fix the Tin Can Island port road. For Bello, with good roads in and out of the ports, rail network, multi-modal transport system such as deployment of barges, Nigeria would be among other global nations having efficient trade facilitation which impact will have multiplier effect on the national economy.

-Ugwoke is the Publisher/Editorin-Chief of Shipping World, an online platform in Lagos

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Weather, Precautionary Measures and Air Safety Besides human error, the weather has been identified as major cause of air accidents. Chinedu Eze writes that recent weather-related incidents in flight operations call for another review of agencies and airlines collaboration on flight safety

B

y way of comparison, do you think the indigenous personnel in aviation in Nigeria are doing well and do you prefer an expatriate especially in technical areas to Nigerian personnel?

Recently there was a virile video where passengers who disembarked from one of United Nigeria Airlines flight knelt down at the foot of the aircraft to thank God for saving their lives.

At first, many industry observers saw it as the usual exaggerated reaction of passengers who tend to go over drive over air incidents.

But THISDAY investigations revealed that bad weather gave rise to severe turbulence that might have led to accident if not for the dexterity of the pilots.

While some of the passengers who reacted publicly on the incident on social media could not explain exactly what happened, a statement issued by the airline indicated that the flight was exposed to severe turbulence and was lucky to make air return and landed safely to the excitement and relief of the passengers.

The statement signed by United Nigeria Airlines Head of Corporate Communications, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu explained that on June 4, 2021, a United Nigeria flight from Port Harcourt to Abuja, departed the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa with “clear and good weather forecast,” but on approach to Abuja, the flight experienced moderate turbulence, which necessitated diverting back to Port Harcourt, “as weather conditions were below our operating requirements. The crew took the required and correct decision to return to Port Harcourt.”

The statement also said that there was no time the flight was in any danger because, “our experienced crew acted with utmost professionalism, which the passengers highly and profusely commended and complimented.”

But further investigation disclosed to THISDAY that what happened was more severe than the statement painted and that the claim by the passengers who said they feared there was going to be an accident if not for the experienced management of the emergency by the pilots should not be dismissed.

Weather Update So the question that arises is: was the flight crew not updated on the weather situation en-route and at destination? THISDAY learnt from informed source that the pilot in command of the flight said he followed the advice of the air traffic controllers in his effort to avoid the turbulence, but the severity of the turbulence forced him to return to base.

The Director General of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Prof. Bako Matazu, told THISDAY in a telephone interview that he was aware of the United Nigeria Airlines incident from what he read from the media, as there was no official report about the incident.

However, he said NIMET Annual Prediction for 2021 issued in February, had already alerted that starting from April to June, weather in the Central area of Nigeria would be characterised by adverse weather, including thunderstorm, lightening, high winds, hail, downburst and rain with attendant low visibility for flights.

He said NIMET has offices in all the airports where pilots take weather briefing and updates are done every 30 minutes, noting that like driving automobile, flying depends on how the pilots manage it.

Matazu said there could be localised and widespread rainfall, which also affect flight operations.

“While approaching landing, pilots can experience turbulence during the rains and every cloud can potentially cause turbulence and there is also clear air turbulence, but pilots collect briefs from our offices and these are updated for them by NIMET. We are relating effectively with the control tower and working effectively with our sister agencies. So we advise that pilots should be cautious and passengers should have patience in case of delays caused by bad weather,” he added.

Air Traffic Control Some industry sources told THISDAY that

Matazu, NIMET Director General

at a critical point the pilot in command of a flight should take his final decision, relying on his own judgment, not on the advice of the traffic controller, for example.

This is because pilots, controllers and others constitute the human error attributed to be responsible for the many accidents in air transport.

For example, the crashed ADC Airlines Flight 86 on November 7, 1996 was attributed to controller’s error. The crew of the Boeing 727-200 operating the flight was reported to have lost control of the aircraft while avoiding a mid-air collision (with Triax Airlines’ flight) on approach; the aircraft crashed at a very high speed, killing all 144 passengers and crew on board. Investigators determined the primary cause of the accident was an air traffic control error.

Also in 2008, this writer was in Afrijet flight from Enugu, which was about to land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos Runway 18R when the domestic runway was still under rehabilitation. As the flight approached to land, the pilot saw Arik Air flight taking off and he quickly powered the aircraft, disengaging the landing mode and gained altitude immediately and suddenly, banking away from the take-off position of the Arik Air flight. The passengers were gripped by fear, some cried and one of the passengers regretted why he listened to his relation who advised him to travel by air. When the flight stabilised and repositioned its approach to land, the Ukranian pilot in his smattering English explained that the controllers directed Arik Air flight to take off while also directing his to land.

But reacting to the incident, the President of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Mr. Agoro Yomi told THISDAY that the Air Traffic Controller by his training and the rule that governs his operations might vector the pilot to a location, taking cognisance of the traffic in the airspace, but pilots have the right to either accept or reject, but the controller must agree with the pilot on the decision taken and it is his responsibility to give the pilot the level or altitude to fly.

“In case of emergency, the pilot takes the final decision,” the NATCA President said.

Weather Projection He went further to explain that controllers may not even have knowledge of the weather situation at the upper airspace at that point in time, adding that it is the duty of the controller

to advise the pilot.

Yomi also explained that there could be projections in weather situation because the weather condition at any moment could change in the next few or more minutes.

For example, if there is a flight from Lagos to Kano and at the time the flight is about to take off from Lagos it might be raining in Kano but by the time the flight would reach Bida, the rain might have stopped and the weather very clear for landing, “So such weather situation ought not discourage pilots from flying. You cannot say because the weather is like this at the beginning of the flight you decide not to fly,” he said.

On collaboration among agencies in the delivery of safety in the airspace, the NATCA President said the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and other agencies are culpable in the challenges facing the sector because old equipment is not replenished, the right personnel are not employed and the necessary upgrades are not done, adding that industry stakeholders have allowed politicians to hijack the sector.

“NIMET and other agencies are culpable because the industry is not improving. Stakeholders are leaving the industry to politicians, so the system is not working optimally. We need certain workers who are skilled but instead of such skilled personnel, you are bringing people the agencies do not need. The kind of personnel NIMET needs is not the people they are bringing to the agency. You have to put the right people in place if you want the agencies to grow and improve,” the NATCA President said.

Vagaries of Weather Industry operatives said in the past, thunderstorm usually characterise the beginning and end of the rains, but due to what they attribute to global climatic changes, weather has been changing so unpredictably and in the middle of the year, the weather has remained unstable, causing disruptions to flight operations.

Although bad weather if not well managed could lead to accident, but so far pilots have said that the NIMET has effectively been delivering accurate weather reports that have helped airline to operate safely. Airlines also explained that delays and diversions occur during sudden weather changes when the flight is already airborne because weather could change suddenly without notice. A major example is the low level wind shear, which is known as very devastating to flights, could occur suddenly within few minutes.

NCAA Warning On Wednesday, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) cautioned all pilots over severe thunderstorms and other hazardous weather, which hampers flight operations, now that the rainy season has set in. NCAA said this warning was a follow up to the Advisory Circular (AC) with reference no AC: NCAAAEROMET – 31 addressed to all pilots and airline operators and signed by the Director General, Capt. Musa Nuhu.

“This is coming on the advent of the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) for the year 2021,” NCAA explained.

It noted that NIMET had predicted early/late March as the commencement of rainy season in the Southern states while late April/June 2021 was the commencement of rainy season in Central and Northern parts of Nigeria.

“Consequently, this weather advisory circular is necessary to bring forth the evolving weather information associated with commencement of rainy season and the effects on safety and efficiency of flight operations; and to elicit cooperation of the following stakeholders to ensure safety air transport at all times,” NCAA said.

So the regulatory authority cautioned pilots, airline operators and Air Traffic Controllers and directed to observe series of responsibilities which include that Air Traffic Controllers might temporarily close the airspace when any of the severe conditions are observed or forecast by NIMET; flight crews/operators and Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) must ensure adherence to published aerodrome weather minima; pilots must exercise maximum restraint whenever adverse weather is observed or forecast by NIMET and pilots/flight crew members to obtain adequate departure, en-route and destination weather information and briefing from NIMET Aerodrome Meteorological Offices prior to flight operations.

“While the authority enjoins all passengers to exercise patience and understanding during this period of heavy downpour, strict compliance to this warning is expected from all stakeholders as maximum sanction shall be imposed for non-compliance,” NCAA said.

Precautionary Measures Airlines told THISDAY that they have stuck religiously to their standard of operation on issues relating to weather and safety, noting that most often when flights are delayed due to weather, many passengers express anger, but now they are beginning to understand that it is for their safety.

The Head of Communications, Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa told THISDAY that although the airline has not recorded any incident due to weather recently but the airline’s pilots take precautionary measures in accordance to its standard of operation to ensure that its operations are safe.

“We have not really have much delays occasioned by bad weather. We take precautionary measures to ensure we fly safely. We also have not recorded many delays due to bad weather.

Our pilots take safety issues very seriously.

We communicate to our passengers and I am happy they are now beginning to understand that whatever we are doing is for their safety and comfort,” Ezenwa said.

In 2019, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency decried escalating weather conditions, which it said, had been ravaging the country as a result of climate change.

The agency, however, said it would install additional 100 weather stations across the country to reduce the consequences of escalating weather conditions.

THISDAY gathered that in the last seven years, NIMET has enjoyed good reputation for being accurate in its weather forecast.

Before that time, foreign airlines used to rely on satellite and weather forecast from agencies outside Nigeria that provided weather reports to flights going and leaving Nigeria.

But it is expected that aviation agencies and airlines must rally together to ensure that the current weather issues are effectively managed.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

As FG Moves to Battle Corruption at Ports Eromosele Abiodun writes on the need for the Nigerian Shippers Council and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency to implement the promised joint measures to minimise delay and corrupt practices at the nation’s ports.

R

ecently, the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) launched a collective action aimed at improving container tracking information technology (IT) systems, promoting an e-governance system for cashless export licences; integrating whistle blowing into existing procedures; establishing a stakeholder forum for discussion; and raising awareness about laws and regulations in the maritime sector.

The project resulted in improving transparency of the regulation for importing goods in selected ports around the world. As a result many of these institutions have improved the accountability of key government stakeholders towards the private sector. That is not all.

The shipping industry operating in Africa is facing specific challenges regarding the inspections of holds and tanks, custom declarations, and on board-practices. Data from shipping companies highlighted a systemic issue with demands for payment, including cases of extortion. Due to this, experts have called on Nigeria to draft new regulations to improve specific areas: approval of a vessel’s holds or tanks for the loading of agricultural products, development of new IT system for processing and registering holds/ tanks inspections.

“Specifically, the new regulations must limit the inspector’s discretion by having more precise definitions and objective criteria for holds or tanks rejection introduce inspectors’ rotation in ports and terminals to hinder collusion and development of proper arrangements in certain ports and client interactions increase the timeframe allowed for remedying hold’s deficiencies strengthen control mechanism by creating a new Technical Appeals Tribunal develops a risk matrix on the basis of which inspections will be supervised establishes a trustworthy whistle blowing hotline,” maritime lawyer, Mr. Godwin Omose said.

Corruption in Nigerian Ports Nigeria is considered one of the most challenging countries to do business due to systemic corruption. Recently, Maritime Anti-Corruption Network supported a pilot project implemented together with local authorities and the United Nations Development Programme.

The aim was to identify and address vulnerable elements in vessel port call processes where corruption is prone to take place. Measures taken included improving and harmonising public officials’ port clearance procedures, establishing a new complaint mechanism that enabled companies to file a complaint when faced with improper demands from government officials, conducting anti-corruption training of selected officials and developing anti-corruption policies for all relevant agencies.

This effort has not really changed the reality on ground that much. Late last year, a report

by Integrity Organisation Limited GTE and its private sector facing arm, Convention on Business Integrity (CBi), revealed that corruption and exercise of discretionary powers by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and port officials has had huge implications for ease of doing business in Nigerian seaports and terminals, leading to revenue loss of as much as about N2.5 trillion corporate revenue in the ports industry annually. Integrity Organisation Limited is an anti-corruption research, advocacy and consulting organisation concerned with issues of accountability and transparency in public and business life. It was founded in 1995 during the late Sanni Abacha’s regime as a direct reaction to the corruption and poor governance of Nigeria represented by that era.

The report, which was jointly funded by ActionAid and UK Aid, revealed that the negative operational elements have pushed many customers to now use ports and terminals of neighbouring countries thereby leading to loss of foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria.

The report said capacity utilisation stands at 38-40 per cent, adding that approximately 40 per cent of businesses located around the ports communities have either relocated to other areas, scaled down operations or completely closed down.

According to the report, “Customs officials have enormous discretionary power and this

Jamo

Amaechi

can easily be exploited for pecuniary gains including gratifications and bribes. Customs officials and port officers have influence on ports operations by law and function in the bureaucracy, which they can manipulate as either enablers or disablers depending on interests per time. For custom officials for instance, the fact that they have full information on shipments, shippers and have the powers of assessments and valuation make them able to manipulate ports processes if they so desire.

“Custom officials and port operators function at the supply side of the system and are very influential in manipulating the system for and/ or against the demand side of port users. Even though not as statutorily discretionary as customs officers, port officials like port gate officials, stevedores, document clerks, and scanner agents also have influence on the demand side and can manipulate the system in manners that trade-off efficiency.

“Ports and terminal officials enjoy exercise of wide discretionary powers even when these are in conflict with the legal procedures and processes. These discretionary powers are sometimes indiscriminate, bridge port processes, lead to bottlenecks and create fertile ground for corruption and graft and the procedures become convoluted. Often, such exercise of discretion creates opportunities for outright graft and extortion of port users. Poor infrastructures and inefficiency cause delay in port processes and create administrative and clearing bottlenecks which make the ports/terminals prohibitive to legitimate businesses.”

The report pointed out that grievance mechanisms are available at the ports but some customers are not aware of these mechanisms.

It stated: “For those who are aware of the availability, most of them have never used the mechanisms. Even in the case of grievances, customers often choose not to complain because they perceive the process as subjective. There is perceived weak enforcement and poor investigative structures and ineffectiveness in the case of complaints/feedbacks. Port users do not have total trust in the complaints/feedback mechanisms as they consider the mechanisms part of the problematic processes. There is also the belief that the mechanisms will always lead to backlashes.”

“The problem is not about relevant policies, frameworks or government order and pronouncement but compliance. Even when authorities put relevant policies in place, compliance and enforcement is poor. Port officers/officials appear too strategically and creatively powerful that they manipulate the system and port operations with unwavering exercise of discretions against the rules even when this makes doing business at the ports difficult,” it stated.

The report recommended that the federal government empower Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to be able to maintain effective oversight on all officials and officers at the port.

“The NPA should be able to sanction noncompliance and exercise of discretions directly

and indirectly. There is also the need to empower customers to report corruption and inefficiency directly to the highest level beyond the ports in way that will prevent witch haunting and backlashes. Customers should become strategic partners in enforcement/compliance and driving anti-corruption. Officials still exercise discretionary powers and perpetrate corruptions without fear of consequences, “it stated.

Economic Loss In another report on the performance of Nigerian ports released recently, it was revealed that the country loses over N1trillion every year to inefficiencies, process failures and corruption in the cargo clearing process.

“The report titled: Nigeria: Reforming the Maritime Ports,” which was inaugurated by the Centre for International Private Enterprises in collaboration with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Financial Derivatives Company, was publicly unveiled in Lagos at the LCCI public-private discussions on port reforms.

The report stated that while the efficiency of port processes is a major driver of trade and economic activities across countries, Nigeria’s case has been rather gloomy.

It said over the years, users and operators at the Nigerian ports have been facing lingering challenges and bottlenecks which include infrastructure shortcomings, policy and regulatory inconsistencies, overlapping functions and duplicity of roles among government agencies operating within ports across the country.

The report also pointed out that a lack of clear legislation, ports governance remains prone to inefficiency and corruption. It added that under such condition, companies in the Nigerian ports have to deal with bureaucratic red tape, constant delays; high costs, harassment, and demands for illegal charges by representatives of government agencies operating at the port.

These, according to the report, diminish the seaport’s potential to create about 10,000 new jobs annually and about 800,000 jobs on the long run. The reforming the Maritime Ports report claimed that Nigerian seaports remain the most expensive in the West African sub-region attributing this to the cumbersome Customs documentation requirements and double charges imposed on importers and exporters.

Using a semi-structured survey, respondents of the study listed the documentation processes, requiring 25-33 different papers from multiple agencies as the biggest issue contributing to time and cost delays.

About one-fourth of the respondents sampled by the report also complained about the duplication of functions of the multiple agencies within the ports while 29 per cent of those surveyed in the report say multiple cargo inspections are the most critical of operational bottlenecks at the nation’s gateways.

It was, however, not all doom for the industry according to the report, as it stated that Nigeria’s ports continue to see substantial increment in gross tonnage by 3.3 per cent – Compounded

Annual Growth Rate – to 144.2 million tons between 2010 and 2015. The annual growth rate of 1.8 per cent is expected to rise until 2021 despite the challenges in the sector.

However, the growth projections were premised on the assumption that the nation’s ports will continue to be the preferred means of transporting goods in and out of the ECOWAS sub-region.

In its recommendations, the report pointed out that authorities should embark on immediate port reforms.

These reforms are expected to lead to faster clearance of goods, shorter waiting times for ships awaiting berth, and eliminating redundancies in the functions of the several regulatory government agencies in the ports.

It also called for the adoption of an Integrated Advance Cargo and customs clearance system, with scanning, sealing and tracking capabilities; the establishment of a National Trade Data Centre and implementation of a Single Window platform.

The report also called for more private sector investment in Nigerian ports, reduction in the number of government agencies to 6 from 14. From the policy end, the report called for immediate passage of certain legislative bills that will aid port reforms and improve performance. These bills include the National Transport Commission Bill and the Port and Harbour Bill (PHB).

NSC, NIMASA Declaration As part of their contribution to the effort to eliminate corruption in the ports, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have agreed to implement joint measures to minimise delay and corrupt practices at the nation’s ports.

Both agencies reached the conclusion when the Executive Secretary of NSC, Hassan Bello paid a working visit to the NIMASA headquarters.

Both agencies of the federal government noted that full automation of processes at the nation’s ports would go a long way to curb human interface, delays and corruption at the ports.

NIMASA and the NSC thus agreed to harmonise the implementation of Port and Flag State Administration to minimise human direct contact onboard vessels, calling at the nation’s ports in line with provisions in the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM).

The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, noted the agency’s operation was close to 85 per cent automated, adding that NIMASA has undertaken an in house harmonisation exercise to reduce human interface and now fully ready for inter-agency harmonisation.

He also commended the management of the NSC for its commitment to ensuring the success of the introduction of cargo tracking notes in port operations.

“We thank you for obtaining approval for the cargo tracking note. This will reduce loss of man-hour and assist in exposing non-declaration or under declaration at the nation’s ports. Thus, improving revenue generation for the federal government,”he said.

Commenting on the Secure Anchorage Area, Jamoh noted that since the Deep Blue project took over security working closely with the Nigerian Navy, the nation has witnessed a reduction in the number of security breaches at the anchorage.

“We are beginning to record a reduction in attacks in our waters, and we hope to sustain this and later demand a change in status of cost of insurance of vessels visiting Nigerian waters.

On his part, Bello said that cost of port operations in Nigeria could be reduced by over 35 per cent when standard operation procedures contained in the Nigerian Port Process Manual were fully implemented.

“Our Ports are in competition with other Ports in the Region, so we need to strengthen collaboration on the establishment of indicative freight Rates, ”the NSC Executive Secretary said.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo launched the manual on December 9 last year in Abuja, during the 2020 International Anti-Corruption Day. It is a collection of processes taken from the Standard Operating Procedures of stakeholders in the port sector, and it aims to improve operations, service timelines, efficiency, and accountability at the ports.

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 07010510430

Andrea Ekpenyong: How Dating in Marriage Strengthens Homes

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COVER

Andrea Ekpenyong: How Dating in Marriage Strengthens Homes Andrea Ekpenyong is an architect who also doubles as the co-founder and lead partner of Antora24 Limited, a construction firm. This certified Life Coach, Neuro Linguistics Programming and Emotional Freedom Techniques Therapist, also wears the hats of an author, relationship and marriage strategist. Her passion is about nurturing marriages from belligerent chaos to happily ever living. In this interview with MARY NNAH, she talks about the launch of her new book titled, “Whimsical Date Nights”, and why she feels marriages need to take dating as therapeutic solutions

Ekpenyong

Y

ou are the latest author around. How long have you nursed this dream?

Writing has always been a passion from as long as I can remember, so much so that when the neighbourhood needed a child to write to the authority for our children’s park, I was unanimously chosen.

So you wrote a book about dating in marriages. Why? By the 4th year in our marriage, I realised that we had gotten so busy being married but there was a gap. Something was missing. We found that dating before marriage was fun and easy but had become consumed by life and starting a family at the detriment of our marriage so I started reading and researching simple ways to bring back the sparks.

You are postulating that married people invest more in their dating games, why?

I often get asked; “why should we date in marriage? Why not just reserve it for special occasions instead?” When people come with me using these arguments, I usually counter them by asking; “Why do you think you found it easier to go on dates before you got married?” It is disheartening to see that we find it necessary to date to get married but can’t find the time to date to stay married. Marriage is meant to be enjoyed not endured and what you will learn in the pages of this book will show you how best to enjoy

and have fun in your marriage.

You seem to have a hat in many industries. How do you manage?

Construction, Coaching, e.t.c They are not mutually exclusive as the key in both coaching and construction, supporting the client towards attaini n g t h e i r d e s i re d o u t c o m e .

What prepared you for this assignm e n t ? Wr i t i n g a b o o k o n m a r r i a g e , re l a t i o n s h i p a n d d a t i n g i s q u i t e a road for the experienced and called.

I b e l i e v e y o u a g re e w i t h m e .

Years of training, lots of research, life experiences, using my marriage as the testbed. I also had the experiences of others I leveraged.

How long have you been married a n d w hy d o yo u t h i n k t h a t w i t h that number of years of marriage yo u a r e q u a l i f i e d t o a dv i s e o n relationships and marriage?

My husband and I have been together for 18 years and married for 10 years, being with someone for that long comes with years of experience c o u p l e d w i t h y e a r s o f re s e a rc h a n d qualifies me to advise on relationship and marriage.

Th e r e a r e m a ny o u t l e t s a n d online resource centres these days. YouTube inclusive, why should someone bother buying this book when they can get dozens and tons of counsels free online?

Most online resources are for dating

not married couples and they more often leave you with more questions. This book is an answer to dating in marriage.

How best does this book work? To read as a couple or read as separate individuals or how exactly do you prescribe this book as a medication for a lot of needing marriages?

This is more or less a dating manual.

It includes activities you’re advised to practice as often as required until dating becomes your preferred lifestyle.

What’s the most romantic date you had with your husband?

There are too many to choose from but we both had a really intense day sometime in February and we decided to play a game to wind down, we literally ended up staying awake all night gisting and laughing so hard reminiscing on our dating years. We ended up at work with puffy eyes but it was well worth it.

Tell me one great thing that came out from that date?

It was a reaffirmation that positive thoughts and actions to life’s curveball and pitfalls results in a better and much happier outlook. Also you don’t need to break the bank to date your spouse as sometimes simplicity and spontaneity are all the fun you need.

What’s been the feedback from those that have read the book?

The feedback has been fantastic. The general feedback is the timeliness of the book and how something often considered

simple or inconsequential as dating can be the bedrock to a happily ever after.

Your book is published by Worital.

What was the experience with the publishing company like?

Working with Worital was an absolute delight and a very professional experience, so much so that though it is my first published book I understood everything that was required at every step and the published book came out fantastic.

Tell us when the book is hitting the book stands, where we can get them and if possible how much is a copy?

Pre-orders are currently ongoing online. The book would hit the stands on the 19th of June. The book would be available to order online from https:// shor.by/marriageNurturer The ecopy can also be purchased from Bambooks Okadabooks and Amazon both prints and ebook And what else would you like to share with the readers?

Majority of couples got married after dating for a while. It is disheartening to see that we find it necessary to date to get married but can’t find the time to date to stay married. Dating in marriage is about creating new memories while on the old. It’s about connecting with your spouse irrespective of how busy life gets, dating has been proven to improve intimacy among couples so it shouldn’t be a special occasion activity but a lifestyle geared towards building a happy home.

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Amaechi Bemoans Damaging Effects of COVID-19 on Transport Sector Stories by Mary Nnah The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic stalled a lot of activities and crumbled several economies globally, stressing that the transportation sector in particular, was one of the worst hit as the sector was the greatest vector of the disease.

He said in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, the transportation sector became straddled with restrictive safety measures aimed to preserve lives and properties, adding however, that Nigeria is gradually weathering the storm and would totally overcome this deadly pandemic with the aggressive approach of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the doggedness of the health workers.

Speaking during the public presentation of the 2019/2020 edition of the “Nigerian Logistics and Supply Chain Industry Report” during the 9th the African Centre for Supply Chain (ACSC) Fellowship Investiture and Induction ceremony, held in Lagos recently, Amaechi who was represented by the Director, Transport Planning and Coordination, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. (Mrs.) Mercy Ilori, stressed

L-R: Chairman Covenant University Conference on E-government and E-Business, Prof. Samuel Oni; Chairman, Governing Council, ACSC, Prof. Abdulganiyu Sumaila; Director, Transport Planning and Coordination, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. (Mrs.) Mercy Ilori; Director General ACSC, Dr. Madu Obiora and Group Chairman GMC Logistics, Mazi Sunday Allison at the event

that though Nigeria is gradually winning the war against the deadly virus, its impact on the economy, particularly the transportation sector have been damaging.

“The road sub-sector which is considered as the most prevalent and extensively used mode of transportation in Nigeria encountered massive loss of workforce as some transport companies reduced their staff strength to ameliorate the effect of the pandemic on operational cost.

“The negative toll of the sharp reduction in the global demand for crude oil further shrunk the economy and led to a hike in the cost of living”, the minister noted.

Amaechi lamented further that the rail sub-sector was not left out in the scourge as it led to compulsory reduction of passengers on the train which led to loss of revenue for the government while in the maritime subsector, the application and implementation of various restrictions imposed by national and sub-sovereign authorities negatively affected shipping and port operations activities, as it became very challenging for stakeholders in the shipping industry to fulfil their contractual obligations.

The minister noted that as the impact of COVID-19 spirals across the Nigerian economy while the supply chain industry has also faced some associated

challenges, adding that one of such challenge was the inability of manufacturers of finished goods to source for raw materials from international suppliers thus disrupting the wholesale, retail and distribution operations chain and resulting in the reduction of volume of goods distributed across the value chain and increased inflation rate.

He said therefore that the theme of this event, “Impact of COVID-19 on Transportation System in Nigeria”, reflected the practical experiences transport operators are encountering at this peculiar time in human history.

Speaking at the event also, the Director General, ACSC Council, Obiora Madu,said there was a need for collaborations amongst all stakeholders.

“Any company that refuses to collaborate will die. For instance, you run a fertilizer company and transport fertilizers to the North and the truck returns empty. Collaboration means going to a company in the north and they have something to send down to Lagos, the company can collaborate with another company here in Lagos and they can both share the profits. We just have to get strategic, that is the only way”, Madu noted.

PwC Announces New Strategy: The New Equation PwC has unveiled The New Equation, PwC’s landmark global strategy which responds to fundamental changes in the world, including technological disruption, climate change, fractured geopolitics, and the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New Equation is based on analysis of global trends and thousands of conversations with clients and stakeholders.

It builds on more than a decade of sustained revenue growth and continued investment.

The New Equation focuses on two interconnected needs that clients face in the coming years.

The first is to build trust, which has never been more important, or more difficult.

It is believed that organisations increasingly need to earn trust across a wide range of topics that are important to their stakeholders and that success depends on fundamental shifts in the way executives think, organisational culture, systems and ambition.

The second is to deliver sustained outcomes in an environment where competition and the risk of disruption are more intense than ever and societal expectations have never been greater as businesses need to change faster and more thoroughly to attract capital, talent and customers.

Too often, however, narrowly conceived transformation initiatives do not deliver the

outcomes they promise. A new approach is needed.

“The profound changes in the world mean that to succeed, organisations need to create a virtuous circle between earning trust and delivering sustained outcomes. By bringing our unique combination of capabilities together and matching it with serious investment and our commitment to quality, we can help them do that. In doing so, we will help clients unlock value for shareholders, stakeholders and wider society”, Chairman of PwC, Bob Moritz, Global, said.

PwC will help build trust and deliver sustained outcomes in that PwC’s multidisciplinary model is the foundation for the

strategy, bringing together a passionate, diverse community to help organisations build trust and deliver sustained outcomes.

The model enables investment at scale in the combination of capabilities that is essential to delivering quality and impact for clients, stakeholders and society. PwC firms will invest US$12 billion over the next five years, creating over 100,000 net new jobs across PwC, as well as continuing to develop the skills of PwC’s partners and employees.

PwC’s approach to building trust¸ Moritz said, is designed to meet rising expectations of transparency and stakeholder engagement.

UK Prosperity Fund, AREAi Hold Stakeholders’ Roundtable to Promote Digital Equity Fostering digital equity in rural communities requires putting systems and structures in place to strengthen the ability of communities to understand, know how to use and drive technology and its outcomes to solve local problems and support local innovation.

Therefore, it has become pertinent, especially on this path to the new normal for the focus to be on digital equity, which will include prioritising public infrastructure investments, public-private partnerships, deep community engagement and multi stakeholders consultations which are significantly pivotal towards deploying the right processes and policies to optimise the use of technology for educational purposes, even in the most remote communities.

This and many more were the highlights of the series of

Participants at the AREAi event

Regional Education Digital Equity Workshops organised by Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi).

The initiative was part of activities to end months of community surveys, stakeholders’ consultations and grassroots engagement and information materials development within the Education Digital Equity Initiative funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Common-

wealth and Development Office under the Prosperity Fund’s Digital Access Programme.

The regional roundtable events, held in four states including Kwara, Kano, Adamawa and Ebonyi states, provided the opportunity to facilitate exchange of new understanding on strategies and solutions to the challenges of education digital equity in rural communities and remote

schools.

At the end of the event, over 10,000 copies of output materials including the Learning Manual for Students, Access Toolkit for Teachers and School Leaders and Policy Guide for Education Administrators were distributed to the event attendees as well as to the beneficiary states.

Speaking on the essence of the event, Chief Executive Director,AREAi, Prince Gideon Olanrewaju, stressed the need to leverage the contributions of all stakeholders to bridge the gap in education digital equity in rural communities and remote schools across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The organisation also announced the launch of a series of initiatives which includes STEM training for girls and a digital skills training for teachers.

GroupSolicitsGovernment InterventiontoCurbHungerinNigeria

L-R: Founder/CEO, RichLife Africa Project, Modestus Bernard; GM, RichLife Africa Project, Mr Promise Egbujor and Communications Manager, RichLife Africa Project, Mr. Chris Okoro at the event

RichLife Africa Project Limited Project, a social enterprise with a primary aim to identify societal challenges such as hunger, poverty and insecurity and then proffers solutions has solicited for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari to curb hunger in the land which has push a lot people into various vices, which include kidnapping, ritual killing, armed robbing and so on.

Speaking during the launch of its recent projects, “Students Against Hunger Online Contest (SAH)” and “Drop That Gun (DTG)”, fashion label, designed to solve the problems of insecurity, hunger and poverty in Nigeria, Chief Executive Officer RichLife, Modestus Bernard, called for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari through the intervention of relevant ministries and office of the Vice President, Prof Osinbajo to collaborate with the organisation for a successful implementation of the projects.

“The escalating hunger and poverty in Nigeria has given rise to high criminal activities while sophisticated guns are now freely used like toys in the streets of Nigeria. Nigeria is gradually becoming a war zone. The citizens are living under the grip of fear of uncertainty and are running away for safety and greener pasture”, Bernard lamented.

He said therefore that “At RichLife Africa, we feel obliged to provide a solution that will not just provide food and economic relief but also guarantee adequate security for all Nigerians.”

Bernard said “Mr President, the current state of insecurity is escalating and about to get out of hand, a case for sincere concern as Nigerians are being killed like animals on daily basis”, stressing further that the Police, Army and every other security agency were overstretched and therefore can no longer secure Nigeria with guns.

Bernard said therefore that RichLife Africa has taken time to study the problem facing Nigeria in the area of security, unity and economy and have come up with workable solutions which it considers as the cheapest, easiest and efficient way to save Nigeria.

Maison Martell Makes Davido New Ambassador Maison Martell has announced singer, songwriter and record producer, Davido as its new “Standout Swift”.

He will become an international ambassador for the Cognac House, with which he shares a sense of freedom and audacity, as well as the will to pave the way for others and create a legacy for future generations.

Over the past decade, Davido has raised the bar by shifting from the norm, Maison Martell Makes Davido New reaching milestones that have Ambassador brought the Naija music scene to international prominence. His roots in both the United States and Nigeria help to create a link for cultural tolerance amongst its fan base, making him particularly influential among the emerging leaders who are shaping the future.

For Martell, a “Standout Swift” is someone who challenges convention and opens the way for others and Davido certainly has that power.

Speaking, CEO of Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët, César Giron, said, “Davido and Martell are above all the story of an encounter.

Davido is fired by the same creative energy as Martell. His songs are a way for him to express his unique talent and his bold personality and – above and beyond that – to speak for his generation.”

Davido launched his own production company DMW (Davido Music World) to inspire creativity by paving the way for talented young musicians. Like Martell, he is creating a legacy that starts – but does not end – with him.

Speaking on his new responsibility, Davido said, “I am proud to go on this incredible adventure with Martell, as I know we are pursuing the same goal: opening the way for others, each within our own creative field. We share the same idea that we rise by lifting others. Through my songs, I want to show the new generation that anything is possible. That’s what I love about Martell’s history and expertise: the capacity to continually reinvent tradition.”

“For Pernod Ricard Nigeria, the collaboration with Davido represents a major step that will contribute to further raising the profile of contemporary Nigerian culture and bringing it to a worldwide audience,” the Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Nigeria, Sola Oke said.

The new Martell Blue Swift campaign featuring Davido will be unveiled later this year.

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E-TRENDS

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

…Your weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

The Voice: The Battle is Over. Meet the Finalists They came, they fought with their vocals and now, are ready to conquer the grandest stage in music reality TV shows.

The race to the grand finale of The Voice Nigeria’s third season took another hue last week after Kitay, Anu, KPee and Esther were saved by their coaches to advance to the live shows. They join Dapo, Inioluwa, Eazzie and Naomi Mac for the live shows where the eventual winner will be crowned.

But, four of the talents evicted also stand a chance to return to the love shows if saved by the viewers.

The Voice Nigeria introduced a new element in the show that allows viewers to save their favourite talent to earn a spot at the live show. They can do so by visiting the show’s website where voting instructions are detailed. Voting for last week’s performance will end today.

For the moment, a brief history of the finalists’ journey so far and some fun facts about them.

Kitay: Kitay was the last person to win a spot in The Voice Nigeria. By the time he performed, the other coaches had filled their teams except for Yemi Alade. He was also the last performer for his team during the Knockouts round. His favourite colour is black and he spends more time on Instagram than any other social media platform.

Born Okiemute Okotete, the talent revealed he loved singing because he loves music and can’t do without a necklace. He is also a sneaker boy.

Kitay edged out Vanilla in the Battles to claim a spot in the live shows.

Anu: During the blind auditions, Anu got three chair turns but eventually picked Waje as her coach.

However, Yemi Alade would steal her during the

Nigeria. She wowed the coaches at the blind auditions and pitched her tent with Falz. Her vocals sailed her through to the battles where she and Tamara gave one of the most memorable performances.

She started singing at age nine and uses music to relax. Naomi Mac is an extrovert and will always be caught wearing heels over sneakers.

Dapo: Initially on Darey’s team, Dapo joined Falz’s team during the Knockouts round. At the Battles, Dapo defeated Peace in their performance of Beyoncé’s ‘Already’ featuring Shatta Wale and Major Lazer. Dapo started singing at 23 and his first music concert experience was The Experience.

The Voice Nigeria S3 finalists

Knockouts round. Anu started singing at the age of 12 and recognises Beyoncé as the best artiste in the world while Wole Oni is her best music producer. An introvert, Anu’s vocal power was greatly admired when she performed ‘God is a Woman’ in the Knockouts round. However, her memorable performance yet the show would probably be the Battles where she and Toeseen gave an emotional rendition of Rihanna’s ‘Stay’ featuring Mikky Ekko.

Eazzie: Born Elizabeth Osesiameh, the 24-year-old singer has been a favourite of coach Waje. She stole her heart in the blind auditions with her performance of ‘Love on the Train’ by Rihanna.

Full of nerves during the Knockouts round, many thought that she would be out of the show, but

surprisingly, Waje picked her over Teslim. At the Battles, Waje favoured her again over Nuel Ayo after their performance of Ed Sheeran’s’ Perfect’.

Eazzie described herself as an extrovert and if she wasn’t singing, she would probably be dancing.

Inioluwa: The Afro-soul singer got Falz and Waje turning for him at the blind auditions, but chose Waje. He got an automatic ticket to the Battles where he edged out Ayomikun. Inioluwa is a lover at heart and expresses this through his music, and rings are one of his fashion obsessions.

Naomi Mac: The fashion designer and singer is not a stranger to music competition shows but is perhaps shining her best on the stage of The Voice

KPee: From the blind auditions, KPee displayed his creativity. He gave a melodious twist to Kizz Daniel’s ‘Sofa’. Picking Falz as his coach, KPee would later join team Darey at the Knockouts round. For the Battles, the 20-year-old gave an entertaining performance while fighting vocally with Rachel as they sang D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’. KPee would have been a football player if he wasn’t singing.

The first concert he attended was Sound Sultan Carnival. His favourite music producer is Sarz and when tense, he writes music to relax. One thing to know about him is that he’s a vibe, and that is clearly seen each time he picks up the mic.

Esther: From the blind auditions, Esther showed her vocal prowess, getting four chair turns with her performance of ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day. She was among the talents who got automatic tickets to the Battles on Darey’s team. At the battles, she outshone Jeremiah in their performance of Teni’s ‘Uyo Meyo’. Fun facts about her include her love for sneakers and the Holy Spirit is the most important person in her life.

Del-York International Lands Partnership with US Conglomerate Following its recent partnership with the Lagos State government to train youths in the art and business of filmmaking through its film academy, Del-York Group has sealed another deal with an international conglomerate Huffine Global Solutions (HGS). The announcement was made recently

by HGS’ Chief Executive Officer, Edwin Huffine.

“HGS is looking forward to partnering on projects with DelYork that strengthen the growing commercial and trade relations between the United States and

Africa,” said Huffine.

The US conglomerate is a group of cultural interpreters and pioneers that employ the most modern technologies to transform the natural resources of nations into sustainable health and prosperity for their people and supports US-based businesses that wish to increase the scope of their activities and international sales. Its projects have so far yielded success in 21 nations on six different continents.

Del-York Group, on the other hand, is known as a global

HCG CEO Huffine and Idahosa of Del-York Group

syndicate providing world-class innovation in technology, mass communication, education, and sustainable energy while also facilitating market entry for companies and institutions around the world interested in doing business in Africa. In the film industry, its academy is among the highest-rated in the country. “We are excited about the possibilities that this partnership brings to the vast majority on the African continent, and our partners with whom we share this common vision of sustainable prosperity.

Ibejii is Back with ‘Gonto’

First Bank Takes Ayinla to the Big Screen Priding itself as a custodian of Nigerian arts and culture, First Bank of Nigeria collaborates with filmmakers Tunde Kelani and Jadesola Osiberu to resurrect the life and times of the legendary singer Ayinla ‘Omowura’ Waheed Yusuf in the full-length feature film ‘Ayinla’ that debuts in cinemas today.

The film, which arrives 41 years after his demise and captures Ayinla in his prime, highlights his contributions to amplifying the apala genre into the mainstream in the ‘70s across the South-west.

The plot’s timeline kicks off after he visits Mecca on a holy pilgrimage (1975). As it progresses, the beginning to his end surfaces – a tour to perform in London. What would have been a milestone in his career turned around to feed the greed,

Mr Macaroni, Adeduntan and Lateef at Ayinla movie

ego, and ambitions of all parties involved, thus revealing the fragile bond between him and manager Bayewumi (Debo Adebayo, aka Mr Macaroni).

Beyond the tour, the plot introduces the audience to a character who finds pleasure in the company of beautiful women, a competitive musician who thrives on feuds, and an extrovert who is quick to express his emotions.

Set in Abeokuta in the mid-70s, it is a time capsule that offers a panoramic view of the social setting of the Egba people in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The rich culture of the people manifests through fashion, lifestyle, food, music, and architecture.

“We are very proud to be the sponsor of ‘Ayinla’ the movie, MD/CEO FirstBank, Adesola Adeduntan said to a crowd of

select personalities at the screening recently at EbonyLife Place in Lagos. He continued: “Over time, we have been involved in the sponsorship of several socio-economic initiatives in the creative arts industry. The bank’s sponsorship of ‘Ayinla’ affirms its support for the development of arts under our First@arts initiative.

We believe that our culture and art are essential parts of who we are and should not perish. That is what this movie emphasises a lot.” Rendered solely in Yoruba vernacular, it retains authenticity through language.

‘Ayinla’ vividly showcases Ayinla in his most proper form to a new generation. The film starts new conversations around the singer, opening doors to creatives to draw influence from his work, thus extending his legacy.

We believe that this collaboration will, in no small measure, accelerate the development of project opportunities across key sectors that are critical to Nigeria and Africa’s development,” added Linus Idahosa, CEO of Del-York.

The partnership will see HGS and Del-York working together to conceptualise and execute projects in Nigeria and across Africa, building on the strength of both companies in fostering excellence and promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly development.

Ibeji

The mysterious afro-soul artiste Ibejii recently released a new single ‘Gonto’.

The track is an afro-orchestral anthem that takes the listener on a journey of the insensitivity of the powerful in society while daring a new generation of believers whose defeat of fear makes confrontation inevitable.

A reputed storyteller, poet,

thinker and romantic, Ibejii relays ‘Gonto’ as a victory of tiny masquerades in the face of a selfish big masquerade that will not let other voices rise. It is his celebration of the ultimate victory of ordinary people over those who oppress and silence us.

The song is coming off his yet to unannounced fifth project. His last body of work was the ninetrack ‘Ilu Ilu’, released last year.

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Online Entrepreneurship a Plus for Nigeria’s Economy, Says Bricks to Cribs CEO Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja As many economies of the world are gradually recuperating from the effect of COVID-19, the CEO and GMD of Bricks to Cribs & Bar, Akarah Ebenezer Ulochukwu has urged the nation to embrace online entrepreneurship to boost the nation’s economy.

He made this call during a virtual interview with journalists in Lagos.

“Online entrepreneurship will definitely be a plus to Nigeria’s economy. This is because everyone can do it. It is not secluded to the elites or the enlightened anymore,” he emphasised.

Akarah Ebenezer Ulochukwu

He said if this path is towed, it would be a relief

for the nation and ensure that so many youths em-

ployed.

He further implored the government to consider such new age ventures, create more opportunities for people to learn, and enact policies that would aid people to give room for more entrepreneurs to emerge.

As the founder of the Royal Niger Green Farms foundation, Akarah, described online entrepreneurship as every other kind of business opportunity.

“It is time-taking, risky, requires dedication and hard work. It is definitely not a get-rich quick scheme as some people have been made to believe,” he emphasised.

For the CEO, today’s world

is different. Hence, with a new age comes a new way of doing things. He stressed that the internet has taken over, and it is only right that they exploit opportunities that it offers them.

“The world is now connected globally, giving you access to the other parts of the continents in just a click,” continuing that this globalisation is one of the main ingredients in this sort of entrepreneurship. “You can buy, sell, trade, discuss, and sign deals almost immediately.”

In a swift switch, he shared an insight into BTCBARS, which is a group of companies invested in making impacts in various sectors

including real estate, agriculture, entertainment, logistics, finance, and a few other industries.

With an aim to create a stable market that offers high-quality and reliable services and products, he enthused, “Our main goal is to be a pathway to financial freedom in Africa”.

Its group of companies include BTCBARS, a real estate firm; Afri D Ltd, a courier and logistics company; ZL Empire Ltd, the entertainment arm of the group; Afri Festival Ltd, African Financial Revolutionary Innovators (AFRI); and Royal Niger Green Farms, an agricultural investment firm.

TIWI LaunchesTEN for Poverty Alleviation, Youth Empowerment Yinka Olatunbosun In Lagos, a world-class platform for charity and humanitarian services, The Isaiah Wealth Initiative (TIWI) in partnership with Joint Church Action (JCA) and LIFTED recently launched a strong body called The Empowerment Network (TEN) to tackle poverty and empower less privileged youths.

TIWI was founded by Dr. Isaiah Wealth and his wife, Liana to fast-track the operation of 14 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the needs of women, children and the vulnerable in the society.

Thus, TEN is a project that is born out of TIWI’s concern for the harsh social reality in Nigeria. Although Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil exporter with the largest natural gas reserves on the continent, it is reported by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2019 to have 83 million people living in below the nation’s poverty

line. Still, unemployment and underemployment are on the increase.

In his introductory speech at the launch of TEN, Wealth shed more light on this with reference to available statistics.

“According to a 2010 Harmonised Nigeria Living Standard Survey (HNLSS), 70.3 per cent of Nigerian children lived in poverty while 23.2 per cent lived in extreme poverty.

“Despite a national mandate for compulsory education, a survey conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) indicates that the population of out of school children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5million to 13.2million,’’ he said.

The problem of poverty in Nigeria is a recurring subject of concern by public analysts and well-meaning Nigerians.

While some have blamed the government for its inaction, others point accusing fingers at the church for milking the

less privileged.

As part of his interest in solving problems, Wealth started an initiative called The Isaiah Wealth Initiative (TIWI) in 2012 to render top notch and cutting-edge humanitarian services through interventions in the areas of health, education, human empowerment, amongst others. TIWI boasts of 15 specialised NGOs catering for specific needs of the lessprivileged in the society.

Hence, there is a dire need to provide a working programme that has education of the future generation integrated to it, as many Nigerians slip deeper into poverty.

That prompted LIFTED, an arm of TIWI to bring special initiatives to help in combating poverty in Nigeria. One of them is The Empowerment Network (TEN) is a poverty alleviation and empowerment initiative structured to lift 40 million Nigerians out of poverty and return 16 million

children back to school over the next ten years. TEN provides skill-sharpening training to its beneficiaries and thereafter provide the first phase of financial empowerment. Beneficiaries are monitored closely by volunteers to ensure that they utilize the grant as intended and also make compulsory savings before qualifying for the next round of empowerment.

TEN is currently providing these services to the unemployed in Nigeria targeting all 774 local governments in Nigeria with a minimum of one empowerment centre in each local government.

With the first phase, each of the beneficiaries gets N20,000 each while undergoing the test of business viability and savings. Afterwards, they stand the chance of receiving N30,000 each at the second phase of the empowerment programme.

The first five beneficiaries include an unemployed polytechnic graduate, Annabel

HowWinnersEmergedattheFaniceGetInTheMixDanceChallenge

Dr. Isaiah Wealth

Iroro Onoriode (Edo); Destiny Felix (Abia) who is an orphan with four siblings; Goodness Patrick (Niger) who has five dependents; Richard Yongube (Abuja) with a monthly income of N7000 as well as Tracy Imishaka (Lagos).

One of the lead collaborators in the TEN Project, Freda Utake called for public support on this humanitarian cause.

Moreplex TV Introduces Lease Option Mary Nnah

Fanice, one of the ice-cream brands under FanMilk Nigeria Limited, has rewarded 10 lucky winners of the #GetInTheMixDanceChallenge competition which concluded recently via their Instagram page.

The challenge kicked off on #WorldDanceDay Thursday, April 29, 2021 and ran for five weeks till Sunday, June 6, 2021.

Ten winners were selected on a weekly basis for the duration of the competition with a winner and runner up announced each week and rewarded with cash prizes of N100,000 and N50,000 respectively.

Participants of the challenge were asked to reproduce a dance routine by @ggbdanccrew while playing the themed tune in the background.

The cash prize winners are: Kolawole Kolade, Markus Blessing, Chidubem Goodluck, Tiamiyu Babatunde, Yinoluwa Ajiboye, Cyril Oscar, Igbinoba Priscilla, Adekolu

Israel, Ogbu Jennifer and Victor Dennis.

According to a statement by the brand manager, the #GetInTheMixDanceChallenge competition was set up by Fanice with the objective of bringing Nigerians together, celebrating happiness through dance and exciting the dance community across the country.

They also added that Fanice are proud to say that every winner

that emerged from the #getinthemixdancechallenge displayed competitive energy levels, passion and dance skills which yielded in their selection for voting and them eventually winning for each week.

Some winners when asked what they will do with their winnings said they will use it to further their tertiary education while some said they would invest it in self-development and their content creation careers.

“We are using this opportunity to call on all well-meaning Nigerians, corporate bodies, NGOs and charity organisations to consider partnering with us towards the actualization of these first of its kind poverty alleviation programmes,’’ she said. The students of the Bethesda School for the Blind added colour to the event with music, dance and electrifying

In its bid to further demystify the pay tv industry and to make it’s TV decoder available in every home, Moreplex TV has come up with Lease Option as it also embarks on a promo which commenced from June 15, 2021.

The Lease Option package enables customers to get a Moreplex TV decoder with N1, 000 nonrefundable fee and start paying installments for the decoder over a period of 16 months at N1, 000 per month.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Moreplex TV, John Okorocha, “Moreplex TV is for us in Nigeria and it must be available for every Nigerian that’s why we are coming up with different customer friendly promo that enable our brand of pay TV decoder gets to every home”, he said “Aside the Lease Option, there is a 50 per cent discount on instant purchase of our decoder, instead of N16, 000, customers pay N8, 000 and go home with the decoder. Also the customers

get the dish and LND at N4, 500 instead of N6, 000”, he noted.

“Our decoder is a free to air sports dedicated channel named Top Sports TV, the sports TV is bringing top matches into Nigeria homes, it has started broadcasting live matches of Brazilian Championship Serie A since May 29 and it will continue to broadcast live Euro 2020 tournament till July 11 when the tournament comes to an end”, he added.

Okorocha said the company is also extending the promo to all its plans.

“Our JARA plan has promo price of N1,000 per month, N300 per week, N100 per day and N8,800 per year; KORECT plan has promo price of N2,450 per month, N750 per week, N300 per day and N26,950 per year; AREA has N2,700 per month, N750 per week, N300 per day and N26,950 per year and FLEX has promo price of N3,450 per month, N950 per week, N500 per day and N37,950 per year”, he added.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

ART WEEKEND

…For pure art enthusiasts

Broadening Perspectives on Nigeria with Sanusi’s New Book The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is undoubtedly one of the mostrespectable intellectuals from Nigeriawhosenewbook,‘ForTheGoodofTheNation:EssaysandPerspectives’isapotentialcatalystforcreativearguments,saysYinka Olatunbosun

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his is not a kind of book you want to read in a hurry. Although the prints are very legible, the worldview that created every article is a potpourri of Islamic ideology, western philosophy, global politics and other cultural leanings that manage to defy a category. Surprisingly tilted towards being a near-academic writing, with credit to his two-year stint as a graduate assistant at the Department of Economics, Ahmadu Bello University, Sanusi’s book is multi-dimensional in its analysis of issues. It’s also safe to say that the concern of the writer seems to be targeted at making the reader develop an open mind towards understanding certain fundamental truths about the Nigerian state and how religion plays a very instrumental role in the scheme of things.

A critical reader of the book may have been given a soft landing with its introduction written by the patriotic Nigerian-Canadian Professor, writer and satirist, Pius Adesanmi who wrote his contribution before his death in 2019. The foreword, written by one of the most controversial figures in Nigerian politics, Nasir El-Rufai is a foregleam of the framework within which the writer created each piece-some of which

Book Cover

were originally published in Weekly Trust around a very turbulent mo-

Master Composer and Guitarist, Femi Sofela Plans Another Homecoming

Femi Sofela and the Inrhythms Band

Yinka Olatunbosun The Nigerian-born British musician and producer, Femi Sofela is set for another homecoming to record his new album in Lagos and hit the stage at Nigeria’s longest music festival, Felabration 2021. The multi-instrumentalist with a special affinity for bass guitar is the in-house music director for Joyful Noise Productions and had produced two albums. In 2012, he formed his band ‘Femi and the Inrhythms’ which is an afro-funk embellished with African traditional jazz.

Sofela had his first homecoming recently in April when he returned to Nigeria for the international Afro-fusion night alongside friends and other music contemporaries. The show which was performed at the Freedom Park in Lagos was an introduction of the familiar yet new music to the Nigerian audience who were witnessing his first tour in the country.

“The problem with touring is the cost,’’ he said in a short televised interview. “You have to make sure that you recoup the money. Festivals usually cost a lot of money. It takes a lot of planning.’’

His taste in music is widely accepted in the western world especially in the Europe. After a successful outing in Europe, he decided to bring the music flavour back to its roots.

“My music is a combination of Yoruba and English language so that everyone can flow with it,’’ he said. Produced

by Joyful Noise Records, the international Afro-fusion night also featured Ace Trombonist Femi Slide, Adunni Nefertiti & DJ Raymond Brown.

Though he is master guitarist, he started out with drums.

As early as age 16, he had his first band. In his later years, he explored funk, jazz, fusion and afro-beat. His music stature had since burgeoned into a great music export from Nigeria.

ment in Nigeria’s political history.

The annulment of June 12 elections

caused deep-seated rivalry between the Northern and Southern Nigeria whilst the nation was heading towards restoring democratic rule.

The elections were held and President Olusegun Obasanjo became the President. It was during this period that Sani Yerima declared full implementation of Shariah in Zamfara state which sparked heated debate in the polity. That action largely accounts to why many Southerners believe that Northerners are to blame to the regressive laws that govern certain parts of the country.

What Sanusi did was to compile all his publications of this period, albeit his views have evolved between then and now. Certainly, his views on Islamic facts will be a constant because he wrote passionately and from a place of sound knowledge of the Quran which also hinges on his study of Islamic jurisprudence. In the book, he examines the negative stereotypes and misrepresentation of the Islamic North while exploring the possibilities of mutual understanding between the group and the Christian South.

Sanusi believes that the tragedy of Nigeria lies in its lack of nationalist and visionary leadership. He maintained that no nation can be built on the platform of inequity, intolerance and selfishness. For him, the murky waters of politics in Nigeria cannot be cleansed by only self-righteous indignation but by active involvement in politics to

‘Evening of Classics’ Sets Ikoyi Club Aglow Yinka Olatunbosun Lagosians are set for bedazzling moments as music maestro, Lanre Delano, CEO, CHOPiN, Church Organ Projects in Nigeria, and the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938 have concluded plans for an ongoing show called Evening of Classics.

The maiden edition held on Sunday June 6, 2021 had set the tone for the July edition to be held at The Rotunda, Ikoyi Club. The inaugural EoC began with an organ recital of Amazing Grace by Victor Asaolu, with a befitting kick start from the Entertainment Chairman Bolaji Martins.

Ademola Mumuney, Chairman, Ikoyi Club, in his opening speech, said, “This Evening of Classics is part of what we felt we should bring up so that every Ikoyi Club member enjoys their membership. There are a great deal of innovations we have for you, entertainmentwise. We want to step things up a little bit higher and try to bring back what used to happen such that even if it’s not the same, it’ll be very close to it.”

He also acknowledged the presence of Nollywood icon, Olu Jacobs, and Ex-Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Femi Pedro.

Taking back the microphone, Delano expressed his pleasure at the EoC which he labeled as music for matured minds and then introduced the first official performance, Jesu Joy of Man’s

ensure the triumph of good over evil.

While making a case for Shari’ah law, he posits that the law creates an environment that is conducive to all Muslims who wish to live according to their faith to do so without temptation, distraction or trepidation. He cited several examples to buttress this point of view which is quite unpopular in the Southern part of Nigeria. For him, it is only criminals who should live in fear of the law not law-abiding citizens. Other arguments against the law includes the allegation that it infringes on the rights of others. That is why most of the arguments raised in the book are subject to dialogue and debate to broaden perspectives on both sides of the discourse.

It is critical to note too that Sanusi explores the impact of Marxist philosophy on Islam citing the example of Ali Shari’ahti. He regarded it as a progressive ideology aimed at not just imposing morals and laws but actualizing Islam’s objective of establishing justice and equity in human relationships. However, his position on feminism is not very clear but he acknowledged that many nations had prospered under female leadership. His love for humanity is unmistakable throughout his writings as he repeatedly made reference to poverty, oppression and the general welfare of the people- the latter he considers as sacrosanct if any law in Nigeria will serve its purpose.

Elizabeth Chioma Ekpetorson’s Second Solo Exhibition, Hits Lagos Tomorrow Yinka Olatunbosun

Olu Jacobs

‘Desiring’ by Biodun Falode on the organ and BiodunAdebiyiBatik on the trumpet.

Their set moved the EoC along at its exciting pace which was sustained by the artistic director, Angela Loks. Agoosepimple moment it was with a vocal solo by the beautiful and charismatic soprano Lady Ifunanya belted ‘Climb Every Mountain’ from the popular musical movie, ‘Sound of Music,’ and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ the Liverpool Football Club anthem.

John Eclou delivered a near flawless My Way by Frank Sinatra and O Sole Mio. Inbetween Ifunanya and Eclou’s solos, there was a medley of three classical hymns by Batik and Falode including the evergreen, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy.’

Asaxophone solo of the smash hit, Duduke by Simi prepared the way for the artistic director, Loks to also perform with Delano introducing her as a worthy soprano. Living up to the billing, she delivered a captivating rendition of ‘I Feel Pretty’ which was followed by the beautiful duet ‘Time to say Goodbye’ performed by

One of Nigeria’s contemporary artists, Elizabeth Chioma Ekpetorson is set for a solo exhibition tomorrow Saturday June 19 at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. The exhibition which runs till June 25 is titled ‘Different Shades of Being.’ The show is Ekpetorson’s second solo exhibition and it is organised by Affordable Art Online, the promoters of the Annual Ibadan Art fair.

Ekpetorson, also known as Eleez, is a non-binary artist from Nigeria. Born in April 1991, she holds her BA in Fine Art and Design from the University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers state. After her Internship at the Universal Studios of Art, Lagos, Nigeria, the Lagosbased artist embarked on an independent studio practice.

She has participated in various art exhibitions in Nigeria and abroad.

In creating the works for ‘Different Shades of Being’, the artist who was coping with depression created the works as a diary of how she felt, manifesting in the series ‘duality of nature’ and ‘two seasons’. With this exhibition, the artist preaches acceptance of each individual’s unique nature and being because as humans we are blessed with variety and different ways of

One of the works at the exhibition

thinking and of living.

“What I do isn’t an integral aspect, or a percentage, rather it is me in entirety. It is safe to say it does not start at one point to end at another, but present in all facets. My experiences in life inform my artistic practice in the same way the art in itself continues to have tremendous influence over my existence. In rendering my compositions, I employ human forms as muse, thereby harnessing my feelings, conjuring memories and putting a stamp on the feeling resident in my work.

“In the past, I have encircled my works within an impressionist – cubist root, right now, all art movement labels are stripped off. The motive is to not be boxed up within an identity that does nothing but inhibit artistic possibilities.

For a spontaneous practice as mine, it has proven to be not just a box, but a cage. “

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Lanre Jaiyeola: Passionate about Creating Growth of Sustainable Value for Stakeholders For the Managing Director of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc., Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola, who is passionate about creating growth of sustainable value for stakeholders, he has also been able to build, sustain and improve the tradition of success as MD. Among many factors that set Honeywell on the path of success, Jaiyeola in this interview revealed that by future-proofing the capital value of the business, it will ensure transfer of responsibility, ownership of key business processes and knowledge to the next generation of leadership. Chiamaka Ozulumba brings excerpts:

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ongratulations on the success recorded by the company - N109.5 billion in revenue for the 2021 financial year, a 36 per cent increase from the previous year - how was this feat achieved despite the pandemic and other issues?

Thank you very much. It was indeed a tough year affecting people’s health and the national economy significantly. Our thoughts go out to all those that have been impacted by the pandemic.

As a major food manufacturer in a critical industry, we were convinced that once our people are safe and motivated, the business would be able to overcome any challenges that the pandemic brought. We implemented a wide range of protocols across all our manufacturing locations to prevent the occurrence and spread of the virus and thankfully, we did not have to shut down any of our locations due to the outbreak.

The peculiarity of the period enabled us to deepen our customer relationships which enhanced our ability to sell and offer competitive trade terms. We pioneered new ways of selling and developed relationships with new customers all over the country across the traditional and modern trades.

This and many other strategic initiatives implemented led to a high single digit volume growth year-on-year. Our B2C category comprising Ball Foods [Semolina, Wheat Meal], Pasta and Noodles delivered a strong performance on the back of 40 per cent-plus growth in Pasta and over 20 per cent growth in the Ball Foods category. The Pasta performance was driven by increased capacity at the Sagamu Pasta factory.

I would particularly like to acknowledge the support of our people, our business partners and our customers. Without their commitment, resilience and contributions, we would not have achieved meaningful results during the period. I am extremely proud to have led the team during these challenging times.

What are the factors you considered to set Honeywell on this path of success?

We worked collaboratively towards the execution of our corporate goals and were guided by a clear strategy that was effectively communicated across business functions. A clear understanding of our strengths relative to the competition and how to maximise them was another key success factor.

We benefit from a highly skilled and engaged workforce, who range from people with years of experience to young, dynamic talents with fresh ideas. Our investments in organic growth and expansion were also central in meeting the expectations of our growing customer base.

Our capability to measure market trends and collate customer and consumer insights enabled us to respond with speed to rapid changes occasioned by the pandemic. Lastly, our investment in digital transformation helped us to become data-powered, thus enhancing our insights, speed and execution.

From a consumer perspective, what should be expected from Honeywell Flour Mills in the rest of 2021?

food items to their Emergency Food Response programmes and COVID-19 relief packages.

In addition to all this, our Sagamu factory, in Ogun State now directly employs about 450 people with an additional 1,000 indirectly engaged in and around the community.

What are your expectations for Honeywell Flour Mills over the next few years?

In the medium term, we are pursuing category expansion plans based on commercialisation of locally available raw materials for food production. We have identified 5 scalable food categories that will be developed over the next 10 years. These categories have both consumer and industrial food processing applications and provide us with potential for export.

In the longer term, our goal is to be a highly valued foods business with a diverse portfolio of brands and products, and we are determined to be at the forefront of the carbohydrate food industry providing affordable foods to a fastgrowing population.

Strategic opportunity exists for the development and commercialisation of modern formats of indigenous carbohydrates. We have already commenced the development of an exciting opportunity in the indigenous tubers category that will significantly broaden our business base and serve as a source to generate forex through export to diaspora consumers.

Jaiyeola

We remain committed to ensuring the supply of high quality and affordable nutritious staple food products to all Nigerians across the country.

We will continue to innovate and renovate our products so that they meet and exceed our customers’ expectations and increase market share. We will also leverage our expertise in research and development to introduce to the market healthier products, tailored to consumers’ tastes, nutritional needs and spending power. One of such products is the Spaghetti Mini, a high-quality single serve product at an affordable price point which we have just recently launched.

What were the major challenges the company experienced, and how are you tackling them for another successful financial year ?

In the period under review, we faced challenges with forex, high prices of manufacturing inputs and COVID-induced disruptions in global trade which affected the sourcing of raw and packaging materials. All this contributed to an increased cost of sales which grew by 41 per cent compared to the previous financial year, against a 36 per cent revenue increase over the same period. This implies that the company did not fully pass on the increase in costs to consumers, instead we looked at alternative ways to shoulder the burden.

Despite these challenges, our revenue grew

by 36 per cent, while operating profit grew by 39 per cent. This success is attributable to clear focus, teamwork, improved production capabilities, improved operational efficiencies and cost optimisation.

We will continue to focus on our competitive advantage and improve our product offerings in order to exceed our customers’ expectations, while increasing market share, and delivering value to our shareholders.

What are some of the company’s laudable projects, especially CSR-focused projects that have impacted local communities?

At Honeywell, we are passionate about creating and enabling the growth of sustainable value for all our stakeholders. Our sustainability agenda has two broad objectives – creating a positive impact as a responsible corporate citizen, while minimizing the adverse effects of business operations on the environment. This agenda thus encompasses both Sustainability and Corporate Social responsibility initiatives and is anchored on three pillars: Health & Safety, Education, and the Environment.

Our agenda also aligns with the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goals of Zero hunger, Good health and well-being, Quality education and Decent work and economic growth.

In the heat of the global pandemic, Honeywell partnered with both the CaCOVID initiative and a number of State governments by providing

Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs in the Nigerian business landscape?

My advice to entrepreneurs and business leaders in Nigeria is to always put the customer first.

Based on identified customer ’s needs, they can then fashion out how efficiently to meet those needs. This is what gives them competitive advantage in the market.

In addition, leaders and their teams must be guided by a clear strategy that is well communicated, a common purpose while pursuing corporate goals, and strong organization culture. Historically, this is what we have always been about at Honeywell, and it has served us well through the decades.

Leading a successful company like Honeywell Flour Mills Plc can be demanding. How have you been able to build, sustain and improve the tradition of success as the Managing Director?

I have been working with Honeywell for close to three decades, and in that period, I have learnt that the quality of our people is the true secret of our business success. Therefore, we continue to make deliberate investments in people development and organizational resourcing through the process of retaining, developing, optimizing and properly engaging our 2,000-plus workforce.

We are focused on retaining high performing employees, promoting employee engagement and satisfaction levels, and ensuring the development of employee capabilities and skills to drive achievement of our business goals.

We will remain successful by future-proofing the capital value of the business by ensuring transfer of responsibility, ownership of key business processes and knowledge to the next generation of leadership.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

METRO

…Your city life in print

Gbenga Adesina: I Can’t Remember Taking Loan to Run My Business Since I Started 30years Ago’ The publisher of Distinguished Nigerian Magazine and a former Political Editor of Daily Times Newspapers, Mr. Gbenga Adesina, in this interview with Adedayo Akinwale bears his mind on a wide range of issues. Excerpts: Nigeria is going, crime-wise, the pace is too high. We want a reduction, if we cannot have zero tolerance of peace, it should be low because the average Nigerian now is not safe.

There is a political angle to it. Some are arguing that it is politically motivated. Politically motivated or otherwise, Mr. President should please find a solution to this problem because I believe he still has a lot of support.

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ell us a briefly about yourself My name is Gbenga Tayo Adesina. I’m a graduate of political science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. I graduated in 1986, and served 87. After that, I did my lineage correspondent with the old Daily Times which I rose to Senior Political correspondent then and eventually political editor. I was there until I resigned voluntarily to set up my Public Relations firm called Omoronike Ventures Limited. That name may sound interesting to you, it is the name of my late mother. I set it up to immortalise her name.

Essentially my outfit is into Public Relations, printing and motor dealerships.

I was doing that until I got invited into the Presidential Villa to join the presidential crew under President Olusegun Obasanjo. I was there for about five years, I left again and I established my magazine called Distinguished Nigerian Magazine, it is an international quarterly magazine. Then, after 10 years, I also set up a sister newspaper called Distinguished Nigerian Newspaper, in short DN News.

What informed this publication?

Before we started the publication, I started the Distinguished Nigerian Journalist’ award.

I had it about four or five times. So, that metamorphosed to setting up Distinguished Nigerian Magazine. And if you ask me why Distinguished Nigerian Magazine, I just felt that there are a lot of good things in Nigeria and why should we just set up a lot of media organisations only to criticise Nigeria activities.

I felt we have many good things to celebrate in this country and setting up the magazine is to promote these values. And that is not to say that we close eyes when we see bad things happen but we concentrate mainly on the good things. Recently have just been elected as a Standing Committee member of the Nigeria Guild of Editors. This is my first interview after the election and I feel honoured by THISDAY to have been the first organisation to have this interview with me. My friends say that this election is a 60th birthday gift.

From being a journalist to a businessman, what was the transition like, what was the experience like?

When you want to do business, you can do a business that is related to your profession, if you do that, it makes it more interesting.

If you see my transition, they all have links.

From active journalism to Public Relations and printing, you can see the link. And from there to publisher - to publishing Distinguished Nigerian magazine and DN news, it has links.

So, if from there, I went to something absurd, let’s say construction, I might have a problem because I don’t know the style. But because I am doing business in line with my profession, it makes it a lot easier. I didn’t venture out my professional calling.

To answer your question in another angle, the business environment is not easy these days because you need a lot of resources. But again, I have always believed also that it is not the amount of loans that make a successful businessman, sometimes it is more of ideas, if you have ideas and you package it, it will go a long way. For instance, I can’t remember

Adesina

taking any loan since I started my business over 30 years ago. I don’t take loans because I’m scared of loans. What I do is that I do business that maybe reinvent itself. When I started the magazine, I wasn’t selling, there was no advert but I kept on doing that until we got stabilised.

We now have a specialised publication. Every edition has a focus and that focus will pay for itself. The next edition that is coming up now is going to cover the activities of the Kano state government because the Guild of Editors was held in Kano. We will use that now to showcase what the government has been doing. The same package will also involve the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola. Those are the types of things we do and we have no regrets.

How do you rate media coverage of insecurity and political developments in the country?

Let’s say it as it is, the Nigeria media are one of the best in the world as far as I am concerned. If you go out now to bring the newspapers, listen to radio and television, by the time you listen to two or three, all of them cannot be pro-this, anti-this, anti-that. You will get a balanced view.

Of course, there could be some organisations that could be biased, it is natural. But in specific terms, the Nigeria media are doing a very good coverage. I give the Nigeria media kudos. But they could do more, there is room for improvement. That is not to say we don’t have bad eggs among us. But I am saying in my profession in Nigeria, the majority are super. I’m so happy to be one of their leaders today as a member of the executive of the Nigeria Guild of Editors.

The APC administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, this year makes it its sixth year in office, how would you access his administration?

The President, Muhammadu Buhari started well, he meant well and a lot of people supported him. For the first four years he was on track. But the average Nigerian knows that something is wrong in Nigeria today. Some people blames it on those that surrounds the President, some

people say it is politicians, some people say it is not even his fault that we should go down to the grassroot, the local government and States. But the argument of this group is that you can’t just bring out a single person and start criticising, that Nigeria is too big.

But your question is direct, he is the President, Commander in Chief of the armed forces, so the buck stops on his table. That is why I also share your idea that we need a more pragmatic President. The president should come out more.

At this time we have this crisis here and there, especially insecurity challenges. I think Nigerians are expecting more from the President in terms of action and performance. We should also be careful in this analysis because we are also talking of a government fighting guerrilla warfare. It is easy for the guerillarist to hide the bomb and throw it in the marketplace, after he throws it, he disappears, lots of lives are lost. A government cannot go and say because we are looking for someone that throws the bomb, you now throw a counter bomb in the market.

These are details people don’t understand. So, fighting guerilla warfare is not easy because if care is not taken, more lives will be lost. So in the process, people think the government is not doing anything. I’m not speaking for the government, what I am saying is that the government is sensitive and issues cannot be easily handled in such a simplistic manner the way people think.

The president, being a retired general, are you satisfied with his handling of security in the country?

I’m not satisfied, just like many Nigerians are not. I expected more because in all honesty, instead of reduction in crime waves, it is escalating. So, we want the federal government to introduce new measures and a better style to handle the situation. The average Nigerian is not happy and we believe in this government that they can do it, we still believe they can do it. All we want is, we don’t want killings again, we don’t want armed robbery again. It cannot be stopped totally, no country doesn’t have crime. But If you reason, the rate at which

One of the campaign promises of the present administration is to fight corruption to a stand still, how would you rate the anti-corruption war of its government?

As I said earlier, the President started very well fighting corruption and facing the security challenges. But mid way maybe because of the handlers of this corruption war, he had a crisis.

Check the case of Magu (Ibrahim). Magu started very well, you could see the way he ended up.

Though investigation is still on, but the fact that he was removed in that manner, to me, goes to show that there must have been some skeletons. So what we are saying is, the President, I think he might have meant well in fighting this corruption war based on his own style and personality which you can visualise. Buhari is not corrupt, he is a very simple President, he is not amassing wealth. But it is like his aides, his foot soldiers, they are not as good as he is. What we are saying is that the check, the feedback is not well done. Because If the feedback is well done, the President ought to have known, that is, his second lieutenant, not all of them, that some of these bad eggs in his administration are not doing too good in terms of anti-corruption war. We have on record some of them that are very corrupt, just as we have some of them that are very good, that are very clean. I have some of them as friends in the government.

Inasmuch as I believe we cannot have a hundred percent corruption free society, but I think the temple is not as low as we ought to be. Under the Buhari administration, by now we should have a much lower corruption tendency rate but I don’t think so. That is why the solution is the citizens- you and I. What role are we playing in reducing corruption. Because corruption starts from the family level, to the school level and to the workplace level.

What’s your take on the ongoing constitution review?

My take is let them do a good job. Let them carry out their town hall meetings, let them give opportunities for Nigerians to fully participate and let us give it time and check the salient areas. What they are arguing is they don’t want a break up but they want devolution of power. And to me, people are not even cleared, what is devolution? What is break up?.

I think essentially what people want is that the old regional set up so that every region will be independent but they will be managed by a central government. People are saying this because they want to develop their own resources themselves and use those resources to develop their area, giving a certain percentage to the federal government. They believe the federal government is too powerful now and they get all the resources without distributing evenly, even to the extent that the owners of the resources are being shortchanged.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

POLSCOPE

áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

Why Nigerians Are Angry with Buhari

Y

ou don’t need to be a politician to hate or love President Muhammadu Buhari. If there is one time and season where the saying: “The rich also cry”, applies, it is now! It is so because there is no special place or market for the rich and the poor. Everybody faces the same situation across board. What differs is the capacity to accommodate the harsh vagaries thrown at us. While the poor are simply withering, the rich and not-so-rich are sweating. Everybody is crying. The difference is that those close to President Buhari are merely groaning and grumbling in silence, while those far from him, and many are they, are just wailing and screaming. The times are rough and tough!

Thomas Hobbes may have had the Nigeria of today in mind when he wrote about life being nasty, brutish and short. And those who are curious enough are asking how we got here.

High Inflation There appears to be a conspiracy of seen and unseen elements to maximally frustrate Nigerians, chief of which being the ever-rising inflationary figures.

The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), earlier this week, announced a minor drop in the inflationary figures from 18.17% last month to 17.93% this month. Perhaps the difference is too slim to reflect in the price of things in the market. Suddenly, the cost of living has spiraled upward so much that people are no longer able to afford even two measly meals in a day. They are almost now eating from the dustbin, as Umaru Dikko would prefer.

And many who cannot understand the interplay of macro-economic forces simply lament: this Buhari government na die. They really do not need to understand macroeconomics. Life should just be bearable and liveable. But the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not seem to care a hoot. The Naira is on a steady and sure fall. It is weakening almost everyday against the stronger currencies of the world like the United States Dollars, the UK British Pounds, the Euro etc. The Naira is literally on a free fall. With Naira exchanging for about N500/$, what can any average home do in an economy that is heavily hinged on importation? Nigerians can hardly see what the managers of the economy are doing. With no Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), no new companies, no financial security or easy access to capital (without a crushing interest rate), the economy is bound to flounder and flap in a tottering state.

It is true that the hungry man is an angry man. President Buhari must realize that hunger is at the base of most of the anger and disquiet in the land. The advent of the Corona Virus pandemic which fatally hit most businesses last year, still has its effects on the economy.

Jobs were lost. Companies were shot down.

Businesses shrank , if not choked to death.

The World Bank recently released a report saying that over 7 million Nigerians have been thrown into poverty by the Buhari administration, even as President Buhari claims that his administration has lifted ten million people out of poverty. Strange! We hardly can feel the latter.

Even the 774,000 persons employed by the FG have had problem receiving their N20,000 monthly stipend.

Life and living has simply become tougher.

If people can’t build houses (with cement selling for N4000 per bag) can’t they even eat at home?

President Buhari does not need to be an Economist to know that Nigerians are gnashing their teeth in his administration. They now pay more for petrol, diesel, kerosene, pay more for electricity, pay more for food items, ditto every other thing, yet income is either static or even unsure, so why won’t there be frustration? Why won’t there be crime? And every month, the CBN merely reels out jaded statistics in annoying banking jargons that neither sooth our nerves nor offer hope of a better tomorrow.

Insecurity The second most troubling concern to many Nigerians is the issue of insecurity. That the state of insecurity in the country is parlous is simply an understatement. First, it was just the Northeast that was under siege, being the operational base of Boko Haram terrorist gang. Then it spread to north Central, with Plateau and Benue states bearing the brunt of herders and farmers’ clashes. Then Banditry came over the northwest, spread to the South west, South south and even South east. There were isolated cases here and there at the beginning. Not anymore. Just everywhere appears

Buhari

under siege now. People are being killed and hacked to death right in their farms and on the highways. Many persons suddenly go missing, sometimes forever. A young man, Anifowose Opeyemi Ebenezar left his Abeokuta home for Lagos last month, and suddenly got missing before getting to Lagos. Till date, there is no trace of him anywhere. There are many such cases across board.

Farmers can’t go to their farms anymore.

Either they are killed or they are kidnapped, after their wives have been raped or kidnapped or even killed. Little wonder cost of food items have gone really high. In all cases, the suspects are “unknown gunmen”, a running epithet that has come to describe Fulani herdsmen.

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has literally shouted himself hoarse, over the reckless killing of his people by Fulani herdsmen. But nobody seems to be listening.

Two of his fellow governors, Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna) even believe Ortom is just making noise.

Everywhere, kings and plebeians are being kidnapped. There is no sacred mark on any forehead. In the north, especially Kaduna, Zamfara and Niger States, school children have become endangered species, as they get kidnapped every now and then. Right now, some Islammiya pupils, some as young as four years, have been in custody of their abductors in Niger State for over two weeks now. The other day, parents of abducted Greenfield University students raised N180 million as ransom before their children were released by their abductors.

Five of the students were shot dead by the abductors. What state of insecurity can be worse than that? We hardly remember the remaining Chibok girls or even Leah Sharibu, except on their abduction anniversaries. Cry beloved Nation, Cry! What Boko Haram and ISWAP and bandits are not able to do in the South east, IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) and ESN (Eastern Security Network) are very well filling in the gap. The amount of killings and destruction of government and private infrastructure in the South east along with the rounds of fatal attacks is astounding.

In all of these, Mr President is either seeming aloof, or indifferent or even non-committal. He hardly speaks on the issue. He’s completely ignored the call for a security summit. His rather frequent meetings with his security chiefs have led us no where in the true sense of it.

He’s given orders that those carrying AK 47 rifles should be shot on sight. But is it not a wonder that all along, no herdsman or bandit wielding these high caliber weapons has been shot? Is it that the soldiers and the policemen are not seeing these AK 47-weilding brigands? Or is it that they feel that the body language of Mr President does not accord with his utterance? Otherwise, what explains the

Emefiele

continuous killings everyday across the land?

Poor Electricity Supply Yes, this problem predates the Buhari administration. But truth is that we have not made any significant progress in six years.

Apart form increased payment for electricity service, there is also increased hours of darkness. There are many neighbourhoods that have no electricity supply for days and weeks unend. Yet they pay even more. The so-called unbundling of the PHCN has led us nowhere in terms of improved services.

Nigerians cannot understand why it appears a jinxed project for us to have steady power supply, in spite of all the huge monies poured into the project by every succeeding government. What is in the technology that is actually beyond Nigeria? The pall of darkness is choking and frustrating Nigerians. Those who live in Government Houses may not feel the pinch. But the fact is that the darkness is killing Nigerians instalmentally.

Government’s Insensitivity One thing that seems to rile many Nigerians is what comes across as government’s insensitivity. It is bad enough that a child experiences what makes him/her to cry, but it is doubly bad to forbid that child from crying when so provoked.

Some of the actions and utterances of government are indicative of not allowing the child to cry even when beaten.

The ban on twitter as well as the move towards monitoring Internet Content are seen as being insensitive by government.

Yes, some of the social media operators are reckless and mischievous, attempting to place a seal on all social media platforms as the Information Minister, Mr Lai Mohammed is attempting to do, will be tantamount to throwing away the baby with the bath water.

The other day, Mr Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, had drawn a parallel between a ban on Open grazing by Southern governors with the sale of Spare parts in the North. Such a warped and dwarfed intellectual manifestation!

The pronouncement of Mr President during the ARISE TV interview, on grazing routes smacks of great insensitivity. Here is a case of Fulani herdsmen encroaching in people’s farms, destroying their crops and even killing them, rather than speak to such barbaric and despicable act, the President talks about looking for first republic grazing routes in the 21stcentury. This is coming at a time when there is much talk about cattle ranching, but our President is still tethered to grazing routes of 1961. That is quite insensitive!.

The talk about teaching the Biafra boys some lessons and talking to them in the

language they will understand, also smacks of insensitivity. Yes, nobody supports the wanton destruction of lives and public property in the east, yet, threatening them with sulphur and brimstone hardly solves the problem. Indeed, many argue that if Mr President has capacity to speak in the language brigands will understand, he should speak same to Boko Haram terrorists or the so-called bandits raining terror on Nigerians.

He further challenges governors to work out their own security arrangements and not run to him every now and then. Does he not realize that they run to him because he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces? Do the governors control any lever of law enforcement bodies?

Yes, the governors, with their huge security votes should be seen to be doing more, yet, they would need the support of the federal government to rein in the mindless criminals in their various states.

Meeting with traditional rulers, youths and other stake holders in the state can only produce a template of operation. Without the support of Mr President and the armed forces, such a template will remain what it is: template!

Queer Politics Those who do not sufficiently understand the President and his style are wont to accuse him of being selfish.

How does he not care of what Nigerians think of his government and the political party that brought him to power?

Nigerians, largely, are not only angry with President Buhari, they are also angry, if not angrier, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) for deceiving them into thinking that the CHANGE they promised was a positive one. They have not quite seen any positive change. The indices of a defective change are all over the place. So what is Mr President doing to shore up the image o the party for the 2023 elections?

More than a year after sacking the Oshiomhole-led APC, the interim body has not been able to organize a congress for a new executive.

Presently, there appears some confusion as to which zone will produce what. Mr President, in his characteristic way, remains quiet about the raging storm. Is Mr President concerned about the future of democracy in general and his party (APC) in particular?

The above and a few other matters are those causing the anger against the sitting government. Perhaps, the presidency can commission a rating agency to assess its acceptability , if nothing else, to reset its perception and recalibrate its operations and policies. It still has about two years to redeem itself.

No politician worth itself can afford to ignore the grumblings of those who voted him/ her to power.

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FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2021 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 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 16Jun-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 154.14 155.67 4.72% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 4.26% Nigeria International Debt Fund 304.15 304.15 -23.78% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 111.40 111.40 -0.62% 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 5.56% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.19 3.35 -6.00% 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 5.95% Anchoria Equity Fund 130.65 132.09 -1.77% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 -20.04% 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 4.88% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 416.42 428.98 4.01% ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.08 1.09 -1.39% ARM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.92% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 104.66 104.66 2.90% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 129.75 130.40 2.73% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.13% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 1.96 1.96 -20.31% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.03 2.07 -20.37% mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com ; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.03% Paramount Equity Fund 16.05 16.33 0.31% Women's Investment Fund 133.51 134.91 0.27% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.99% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 116.47 117.24 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 106.83 106.83 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 4.58% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.18 1.19 -2.02% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.36 1.36 -13.98% 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 2.93% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 2.97% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,163.70 1,172.84 -2.77% 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 N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund 186.79 188.00 -0.47% FBN Halal Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.29% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Money Market Fund Legacy Debt Fund Legacy Equity Fund Legacy USD Bond Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

125.52 154.72

125.52 3.48% 156.81 2.34% fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com

Bid Price N/A N/A N/A N/A

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price 3,621.05 3,358.16 100.00

Offer Price 3,671.28 3,358.16 100.00

Yield / T-Rtn -3.30% 2.50% 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 6.84% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.83 2.89 23.32% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 149.85 150.30 -3.57% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.24 1.28 31.38% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.09 1.09 6.36% 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 1.38 1.40 1.39% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,146.20 1,146.20 3.75% 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 10.89 10.92 3.91% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.66% 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 1.62 1.64 7.35% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.45 11.50 -5.61% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.94% PACAM Equity Fund 1.62 1.63 2.14% PACAM EuroBond Fund 110.99 112.66 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 127.90 127.71 6.46% 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 3.34% 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 3,159.76 3,185.15 -1.75% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 230.42 230.42 2.48% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.19 1.12 -2.12% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 302.32 302.32 2.60% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 219.74 222.35 0.53% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.70% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,318.04 10,447.26 -1.76% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.26 1.26 2.54% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 114.08 114.08 2.70% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 101.55 101.55 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 1.36 1.38 -0.44% United Capital Bond Fund 1.95 1.95 3.01% United Capital Equity Fund 0.92 0.94 5.99% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.97% United Capital Eurobond Fund 121.08 121.08 3.41% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.11 1.12 2.32% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.05 1.05 5.36% 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 12.65 12.76 6.60% Zenith Ethical Fund 14.03 14.15 14.82% Zenith Income Fund 24.11 24.11 0.57% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.04%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

123.95 51.43

2.66% -1.85%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.91 124.66 98.12 17.28 17.46

13.01 124.66 99.92 17.38 17.56

-2.32% 2.40% -1.28%

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

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

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.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ JUNE 18 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

CBN Grants Lotus Non-Interest Banking Licence Nume Ekeghe The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted a non-interest banking licence to Lotus Bank Limited.

Lotus Bank seeks to pursue the mission of creating value and growth for all through digital innovation and best-in-class customer experience for Nigerians.

Founded & Chaired by Mrs. Hajara Adeola, who is also the Founder and Managing Director of Lotus Capital (the pioneers of non-interest finance in Nigeria), a statement yesterday explained that the bank is starting its operations on a solid foundation of experienced leadership and a strong Advisory Council of Experts (ACE).

Lotus Bank is managed by a team of seasoned professionals and financial experts led by the Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Kafilat Araoye who has over 25 years commercial banking

experience.

According to the Managing Director, Lotus Bank’s focus and guiding principle is, “to deliver an alternative option to interestbased banking and to cater to the needs of not just the banked but also the under-banked and unbanked population.”

She explained that non-Interest banking is geared towards supporting the real sector, adding that Lotus Bank aims to improve financial inclusion in the country.

“In addition, the bank will operate transparent pricing models as is the norm in noninterest banking.

“Our values are deeply rooted in partnership. A critical component of our mission is the provision of innovative solutions that drive ethical prosperity for all stakeholders.

“We pride ourselves on digital solutions that provide our customers with the convenience of unlimited access to our services

and products,” she added.

Araoye further stated that, “Our products and service offerings will include non-interest business financing, deposit products (current, savings and investment accounts) and personal financing.

“The bank aims to be a socially responsible organisation that will satisfy its customers across all touch-points.”

With its flagship branch located at Victoria Island, Lagos, the bank will open its doors to customers from July, 2021.Globally, noninterest banking is worth $2.23 trillion and is expected to grow to about $4 trillion by 2024. This type of banking is recommended to all Nigerians who desire to be involved in ethical and nonspeculative business.

“Lotus Bank is the first noninterest bank to commence operations from South-west, Nigeria with a focus to serve people of all faith,” the statement added.

MARKET INDICATORS

Kano to Boost Milk Production in Nigeria Ibrahim Shuaibu ÓØ ËØÙ Kano State government through its planned 200 Milk Collection Centers (MCCs) has the potential to add at least 50, 000 liters daily, to Nigeria’s dairy requirement.

The State Project Coordinator, Kano Agro Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, Alhaji Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, announced this during a meeting with Livestock stakeholders in Kano yesterday, regarding identification of sites for the project, to be executed by his agency.

He explained that based on available statistics, each of the

MCCs would pool at least 250 liters each day, adding that the quantity would increase significantly, when his project’s proposed artificial insemination scheme takes off.

“This will further be reinforced by our intended intervention in small and large scale fodder production schemes, which will provide more pasture for the cattle, which will lead to increased dairy production.

“In this regard, we have awarded consultancy for the design and supervision of the MCCs. The aim is to assist in improving nutrition through consumption of milk and to

curtail huge economic loss due to milk spoilage”.

“If you bring the MCCs closer to communities, the Fulani milk maids will not need to transport the milk over long distances, with the attendant risks, to sell their products. That is why we are looking for appropriate sites to build the centers”.

Ibrahim remarked that each MCC would include cooling facilities, testing kits, a tank and a fodder bank among other things, stressing that the centers would be managed by a committee involving relevant stakeholders in the communities, for sustainability.

UBA Foundation Donates Books to Schools, Others across Africa The UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, on Wednesday joined the rest of the world to celebrate African children on the International Day of the African Child.

The UBA Foundation has been focused on education as one of its main areas of development for almost two decades.

Through its Read Africa and National Essay Competition initiatives the Foundation has been impacting lives positively across the African continent.

The International Day of the African child was another opportunity for UBA to demonstrate its commitment to the communities in which it operates across Africa,

donating thousands of books to less privileged children on the continent.

In 1991, the Organisation of African Unity, now known as the AU, announced June 16th, as the International Day of the African Child, to honour the students who courageously marched for their rights to better education in Soweto, South Africa during the Soweto Uprising of June 16, 1976.

Speaking during a visit to Ignite Africa Leadership Foundation in Lagos, Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, was quoted in a statement to have emphasised the role that the UBA Foundation has been playing in the area of education.

“One of the best ways to lift people out of poverty is to educate them and at the Foundation, we understand the changes education can bring to a child’s life and to the lives of subsequent generations.

“Reading books is something never to be taken for granted as there are so many children who don’t have the privileged of access to reading materials be it educational or recreational.

“We wanted to bring smiles to the faces of thousands of children on this day of the African Child,” she added.

Founder, Ignite Africa, Kolawole Oyeyemi, who received hundreds of books donated by the UBA Foundation, commended the UBA Foundation saying,

Access Bank Rewards NYSC Members with N15m Access Bank Plc has rewarded serving members of the Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with over N15 million in the third edition of the bank’s youth business challenge competition, Accessprenuer.

The competition was held recently simultaneously across five NYSC camps in Abuja, Osun, Enugu, Nassarawa and Rivers States. A statement from the bank stated that five top winners won N1 million each, while others were rewarded with consolation cash prizes totaling N10 million

during the final business pitch of the contest for NYSC 2021 Batch A Stream II Orientation Course.

Winners of the N1 million star prize were Easngbedo Precious in Abuja camp; Nwakor Favour Alex in Osun; Olusanya Miracle in Rivers; Omoha arinze in Enugu, and Egbewole Abduljelli in Nassarawa camp.

Speaking on the Accessprenuer challenge initiative, Executive Director, Retail Banking, Access Bank Plc, Victor Etuokwu, said: “The challenge is aimed at promoting entrepreneurial aspirations

among talented corp members.

So far, the competition has proved to have a great impact on youth empowerment in the country as we received more entries during the current challenge.

“It is a way to support the young men and women who are just graduating from university to grow. We are also using this as an opportunity to imbibe the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youths whilst providing them with financial grants through this competition to grow them from job seekers to employers of labour.”

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 AS AT WEDNESDAY, 16 JUNE 2021

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $73.16 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $72.05 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

41

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Board of Capital Hotel Plc Agrees to Sell 51% Stake to 11 Plc Goddy Egene The Board of Directors of Capital Hotel Plc, owners of Sheraton Abuja Hotel, has resolved to sell 51 per cent stake in the company to 11 Plc, formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc. In a notification to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited yesterday, the board of Capital Hotel Plc said the decision sell the 51per cent stake to 11 Plc was reached at the emergency

meeting of its board held on June 14, 2021.

The board agreed to partner with 11 Plc to offer the right competition in the Abuja hospitality market, and resolved to sell 51 per cent stake in Capital Hotels Plc to 11 Plc at the price of N7.00 per share subject to Hans Gremlin Nigeria Limited (the Core shareholder) being given the opportunity to exit 50 per cent of its stake in Capital

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

Hotels Plc at the same price, and on such other terms and conditions as the Directors may deem fit subject to obtaining the approval of the regulatory authorities.

The board also agreed that in order to balance the interest of Capital Hotels Plc, Hans Gremlin Nigeria Limited and 11 Plc, the transaction could be structured with offer for sale and offer for subscription subject to obtaining approval

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

required from the regulatory authorities.

The board further agreed that if the new investor accepts the conditions , an extraordinary general meeting would be convened to get the approval of the shareholders for this transaction.

Considering the closing price of N2.40 per share of Capital Hotel Plc yesterday, the N7.00 offer price is at a premium of about 191

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

per cent. And some market analysts said it would be good for the company if the investor agrees to take the offer at the price.

Market analysts said the move is in line with 11 Plc’s expansion drive into hospitality industry which it began in 2019 by acquiring Lagos Continental Hotel.

Managing Director/CEO of 11 Plc, Adetunji Oyebanji, had then said the company

O F

planned to partner with a major international brand to provide world-class hospitality services.

“11 Plc currently owns several prime properties in its real estate portfolio fully rented to blue chip tenants and the acquisition of this asset is consistent with our desire to diversify our interests given the current challenging environment in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry,” Oyebanji said.

1 7 / 0 6 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

FRIDAY, ͹΀˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

42

NEWS

Buhari, Obasanjo, Jonathan Mourn Zambia’s Founding Father, Kaunda Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta President Muhammadu Buhari and two of his predecessors, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, have mourned the founding father of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.

Kaunda, the first president of Zambia, died yesterday at the age of 97.

He ruled for 27 years from 1964 after Zambia gained independence from Britain.

Kaunda was said to have been admitted to Maina Soko military hospital in the capital, Lusaka, where he was treated for pneumonia on Monday.

Reacting to Kaunda’s death, Buhari described the former leader as "one of the greatest

African and world leaders of all time who loved his country and people profoundly."

In a statement by his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, the president said: "I have received his passing with great shock because I knew his contributions to the development of not only Zambia but also Africa at large.

“We can't forget in a hurry how Kaunda gave shelter to anti-apartheid freedom fighters from South Africa and from former Rhodesia.

"The late Kaunda was one of the loudest voices for the liberation of Africa from colonialism and imperialism and he did so with passion and sincerity. It is impossible to reflect on Kaunda's legacy without acknowledging his

selflessness and passion for service."

Buhari extended his condolences and that of Nigeria to the family, the government and people of Zambia.

In his condolence message, Obasanjo said the death of Kaunda ended the roll-call of living pioneers and forefathers who led the struggles for the decolonisation of the African continent.

Obasanjo, in a statement yesterday, said he arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, only to receive the sad news of the death of Kaunda.

In a tribute with the caption: “Gone if the last of the Mohicans: Tribute to Kenneth Kaunda,” Obasanjo urged all Africans and friends of Africa to "take

solace in the knowledge that President Kaunda has gone home to a well-deserved rest and to proudly take his place beside his brothers such as Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia, Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, Ahmed Sékou Touré of Guinea, Félix HouphouëtBoigny of Côte d'Ivoire, Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, to name but a few."

"All of them, without exception, were nationalists who made sacrifices in diverse ways," he added.

Jonathan also paid tribute to the former Zambian leader.

In a condolence message to

his family and the government of Zambia, the former president described the deceased as a foremost pan-Africanist who was of significance to the continent’s struggle for liberation.

Jonathan also described his relationship with the late sage as cordial, adding that he visited him in Yenagoa during his time as the governor of Bayelsa State.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing on of former Zambian President and foremost Pan-Africanist, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, who died today at the age of 97 years.

“Not only was he of very great significance to Africa’s struggle for liberation he was also quite significant to me. I met him as a much

younger politician and I am glad to have maintained a close relationship with the great sage.

“Kaunda was a specimen of the highest level of patriotism.

He was also a strong promoter of pan-Africanism, an idea that has reached maturity with the African Continental Free Trade Area, which itself was a product of the vision of men and women like Mr. Kaunda,” Jonathan added.

Jonathan also recalled that Kaunda visited him a couple of times when he was in office as President of Nigeria. “We last saw each other in 2016 when I visited him while I was in Zambia as Head of the African Union (AU) Election Observation Mission,” he stated.

Govs Promise Speedy Composition of Allocation Committee for Judicial, Parliamentary Autonomy SGF unveils FG’s plan to build 38 oxygen plants Chuks Okocha in Abuja Governors have agreed to set up and inaugurate as soon as possible the State Account Allocation Committee (SAAC) in their states to ease the release of funds to the judicial and legislative arms of government in line with the terms of agreements that ended the 10-week industrial strike by workers in the two sectors.

Also, at the meeting of the governors, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss

Mustapha, unfolded plans by the federal government to bolster efforts in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic by building one oxygen plant in each state with an extra one in Lagos and Abuja, bringing the number to 38 oxygen plants.

In a communiqué after a meeting in Abuja, and signed by the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the governors said the NGF deliberated on issues of national importance, particularly the signed Memorandum of Action

(MoA) by major stakeholders and witnessed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, to address the industrial action by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).

An insider at the meeting told THISDAY that the governors agreed to immediately set up the SAACs in their respective states to ease the release of funds to the judiciary and legislature in each state.

The communiqué said the governors received an update on the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic from Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19.

The communiqué said: "To bolster the government’s efforts, the SGF informed the forum that Mr. President has approved the set-up of 38 oxygen plants in the country, with at least one plant in each state and two each in Lagos and Abuja.

A supplementary budget has also been submitted by the federal government to enable the country to access additional vaccines for its citizens."

The communiqué stated that the SGF called for continued action to maintain non-pharmaceutical interventions, including the enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines in public places and government institutions, heightened surveillance, risk communication, social mobilisation, testing and reporting of data, vaccination,

as well as sustained clinical care for patients.

The communiqué added that the governors were briefed on activities of the forum, including the meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum (NGWF), which took place on June 10, 2021 to commemorate the first anniversary of the declaration of a state of emergency against gender-based violence, acknowledging the commendable role of the NGWF and alluding to some of the appreciable milestones over the period.

GDP growth turned positive in the fourth quarter (Q4 2020) and growth reached 0.5 per cent (year-on-year) in Q1 2021, supported by agriculture and services sectors.

However, it said employment level in the country continued to fall dramatically and, together with other socio-economic indicators, remained below pre-pandemic levels.

“Inflation slightly decelerated in May but remained elevated at 17.93 per cent, owing to high food price inflation. With the recovery in oil prices and remittance flows, the strong pressures on the balance of payments have somewhat abated, although imports are rebounding faster than exports and foreign investor appetite remains subdued resulting in continued forex shortage.

“The incipient recovery in economic activity is projected to take root and broaden among sectors, with GDP growth expected to reach 2.5 per cent in 2021,” it added.

It anticipated that inflation in Nigeria would remain elevated in 2021, but likely to decelerate in the second half of the year to reach about 15.5 per cent, following the removal of border controls and the elimination of base

effects from elevated food price levels.

Downside risks to the near-term arise from further deterioration of security conditions, and the still uncertain course of the pandemic both globally and in Nigeria, it added.

“The mission commended the authorities’ measures to contain the transmission of COVID-19 in Nigeria, including the ongoing vaccination programme under the COVAX initiative, and strongly supported the authorities’ efforts to acquire additional doses from countries with surplus stocks.

“The mission urged the authorities to keep reliance on CBN overdrafts for deficit financing within legal limits, while the government continues to make efforts to strengthen budget planning and public finance management practices to allow for flexible financing from domestic markets and better integration of cash and debt management.

“The recent removal of the official exchange rate from the CBN website and measures to enhance transparency in the setting of the NAFEX exchange rate are encouraging,” it stated.

The mission recommended

maintaining the momentum toward fully unifying all exchange rate windows and establishing a market-clearing exchange rate.

On the monetary policy to strengthen the monetary targeting regime, the mission recommended integrating the interbank and debt markets and using the central bank or government bills of shortmaturity as the main liquidity management tool, instead of the cash reserve requirements.

“The banking sector remains liquid and well-capitalised while non-performing loans (NPLs) are contained. The extension of the moratorium on principal payments of qualifying credit facilities on a case-by-case basis through March 2022 should be limited to viable debtors with strong pre-crisis fundamentals.

“CBN stress tests purport that the banking system would remain adequately capitalised except in case of a severe deterioration of credit quality.

“Nevertheless, it remains to be seen what share of forborne loans may turn nonperforming as the impact of the pandemic abates. Since NPLs often rise at the later part of economic crisis, CBN’s strong oversight remains critical to safeguarding financial sector stability,” it said.

KYARI: RISING OIL PRICES WILL CREATE PROBLEMS FOR NIGERIA to renewables as a reality, adding that for Nigeria, what is clear is that the country is deficient in infrastructure and, therefore, needs resources from oil to exit poverty.

He stated that for Nigeria, to transit means to go for a low-carbon option and move towards more gas development than the liquids, adding that in the long term, the country needs to find a way out of dependence on oil.

“Renewables are real and we are making efforts to go in that direction, but obviously, our first step is to develop our gas resources.

“In this industry, you can't do anything except you have the financing and financing is now clearly constrained both in terms of available resources and the decision of some of the shareholders of some of the lending institutions,” he said.

He added that although everyone seems to be talking about peak oil, there is no reference to gas, which contains lower carbon.

Kyari said: “Everybody is saying that in the next 10 years, we will get to peak oil. But nobody has said peak gas. And it's very difficult to distinguish the two because as you get peak oil, in many cases, you know, oil is produced alongside gas.

“Yes, it's possible, it can be in 10 years time but you also know that what we are doing today in the industry is also curtailing investment and meeting the transition target in 2050.

“What that means is that in five years’ time, you could be in a situation of shock and this shock will mean that people will have to put more money into producing the liquids and that means that it will defer the date for liquid oil and potentially pushing it by 20 to 30 years.”

Re-emergence of Fuel Subsidy Worrisome, Says IMF Meanwhile, the IMF has expressed concern over the re-emergence of fuel subsidy in Nigeria in the face of the country’s low revenue mobilisation.

The IMF in a statement at the end of its staff virtual meeting with top Nigerian officials, said the views expressed in the statement were those of the IMF staff and did not represent those of the IMF’s Executive Board.

The IMF team was led

by IMF’s Mission Chief for Nigeria, Ms. Jesmin Rahman, in the virtual meetings with

the Nigerian authorities, held from June 1st to June 8th, 2021, to discuss recent economic, financial developments and outlook.

At the end of the visit, Rahman, in the statement, said the Nigerian economy had started to gradually recover from the negative effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

He said: “The mission expressed its concern with the resurgence of fuel subsidies.

It reiterated the importance of introducing market-based fuel pricing mechanism and the need to deploy well-targeted social support to cushion any impact on the poor.

“The mission recommended stepping up efforts to strengthen tax administration to mobilise additional revenues and help address priority spending pressures.”

It stated that tax revenue collections in Nigeria were gradually recovering but with fuel subsidies resurfacing, additional spending for COVID-19 vaccines, added to address security challenges, the fiscal deficit of the consolidated government was expected to remain elevated at 5.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

It added that following sharp output contractions in the second and third quarters,

FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

43

NEWS

Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa Lead in Ease of Doing Business Survey Dike Onwuamaeze in Lagos and Segun Awofadeji in Gombe Gombe State has been ranked number one by a survey on the Ease of Doing Business

(EoDB) in Nigeria, according to a report by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

Gombe State was ranked number one with an overall

Court Restrains Akeredolu from Sacking Ondo CJ Alex Enumah in Abuja A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday stopped Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of Ondo State from removing the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu from office.

Justice Inyang Ekwo in a ruling restrained the governor and five others seeking to remove the Chief Judge from office on the grounds that they lacked constitutional powers to do so.

Justice Akeredolu had approached the court for an order restraining the defendants from illegally removing her from office without recourse to the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Delivering ruling in the application, Justice Ekwo held that the powers to investigate, probe and indict any judicial officer for any misconduct in the discharge of duties is constitutionally vested in the NJC only.

According to the judge, before a state governor can unseat a judicial officer, he or she must act on the recommendation of the NJC, adding that in the instant case, the NJC had not investigated the plaintiff.

Ekwo also noted that there was no recommendation from NJC for governor Akeredolu to act upon to legally remove the Chief Judge.

Justice Ekwo consequently granted an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the governor and five others from probing, investigating or tampering with activities of Justice Akeredolu in the discharge of her official duties.

He also made an order nullifying any decisions made by the governor and other defendants aimed at suspending, sacking and investigating the plaintiff on the ground that doing so will tantamount to act of illegality.

...Rejects EFCC’s Request to Amend $9.8m Fraud Charges against Former NNPC Boss Alex Enumah in Abuja A Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday rejected the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to amend the criminal charges filed against a former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andrew Yakubu.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed rejected the request while ruling on an application by the EFCC seeking to amend the criminal charges against the former NNPC boss.

Justice Mohammed based his decision on a judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, delivered on April 24, 2020 wherein the appellate court had ordered the defendants to enter defence

on counts three and four of the charge. According to the judge, the appellate court judgment still subsists.

“Allowing the EFCC to amend counts three and four of the criminal charge is tantamount to disobeying the subsisting order made by the Court of Appeal on April 24, 2020”, the court held.

After the ruling, the defence counsel, Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN) expressed readiness to continue with the matter.

However, the prosecution counsel, Halima Shehu prayed for an adjournment to enable the lead prosecution counsel, Mohammed Abubakar be in court to handle the matter, a request the court granted and adjourned till June 30, 2021 for the former NNPC boss to open his defense.

Land Seller Arrested for Raping, Killing, Woman in Rivers A man identified as Prince Reuben yesterday paraded by the Nigerian Police Force for raping and killing a woman who wanted to buy a plot of land from him in Rivers State.

According to Force Publicity Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, the suspect and three others who are at large committed the crime together.

“Prince Reuben who hails from Eche in Rivers State had earlier sold a plot of land to one Joy Saturday, a hardworking mother of four and a petty trader who laboured so hard to put together the first N250, 000 to buy the plot of land.

“Thereafter, he (Reuben) lured this lady, pretending that there is another vacant land for sale.

“Joy Saturday accompanied Reuben to the bush side

ostensibly on an inspection.

Unknown to this innocent hardworking woman, Reuben had conspired with three other friends of his namely Nwaba, Promise and Chinedu.

“During the inspection tour, Joy was kidnapped by these men. They took her into the forest, gang-raped her, stole the only cash sum she had with her (N20, 000) and then shot her to death. After killing her, they poured acid on her body and then threw it into the forest.

“Nwaba, Chinedu and Promise are currently at large.”

Speaking further, Mba appealed to Nigerians who might have information on the whereabouts of the suspects at large to inform authorities so that they can be apprehended to face the law.

average score of 7.69, out of a maximum score of 10.

The report obtained yesterday, also showed that Sokoto State and Jigawa State took the second and third positions, respectively. These states also scored 6.88 and 6.79 respectively.

The “States Ease of Doing Business Survey Results,”

by PEBEC was prepared in collaboration with the

KPMG Nigeria. The survey also showed that the Zamfara State had the lowest score with 3.54 and ranked 37.

In addition, Edo State, Delta State and Taraba State were ranked 34, 35 and 36, respectively. They scored 4.38, 4.32 and 3.91 respectively.

However, Rivers, Kaduna and Lagos States that are believed to be the country’s economic hubs were ranked

11, 13 and 20, respectively with 5.88, 5.74 and 5.28 marks.

Also, for the South-east states, Abia State with overall average score of 4.48 was ranked 33; Anambra with a score of 6.35 took the seventh position; Imo State with a score of 5.88 took the 11th position; Ebonyi with overall average score of 5.20 took the 23rd position; and Enugu with a score of 5.02 held on to the

27th position.

PEBEC surveyed 998 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Its respondent distribution showed that the North-west, the North-central and the North-east had 157, 180 and 85 respondents respectively while the South-west, South-east and South-south had 314, 128 and 134 respondents, respectively.

CLOSING RANKS FOR 2023 …

L-R: Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye; his counterpart in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Augustine Nnamani; Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo; his wife, Mrs. Pat Nwobodo; and Nigerian Ambassador-designate to Poland, Maj. Gen. Christian Ugwu (rtd), during the Enugu East senatorial district’s mega rally on 2023 governorship position, held at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu… yesterday

Gunmen Kill Policeman, Abduct Four Chinese in Ogun Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta The Police in Ogun State has deployed a team of special tactical unit to roads and forest in Odeda Local Government Area of the state in search, of four Chinese workers handling the Ibadan-Lagos federal government standard gauge railway project.

The four Chinese expatriates were abducted by unknown gunmen dressed in black caftan, numbering about eight on Wednesday while working on the rail project.

Numbering about eight and all clad in black caftan, the gunmen allegedly invaded Adeaga/Alaagba village, site of the railway project in Odeda Local Government Area, where they shot dead, a police Inspector before abducting the Chinese expatriates handling the IbadanLagos standard gauge railway project.

It was learnt that the remains of the policeman had been evacuated by a team of police personnel and operatives of the Federal Road Sector Commission (FRSC).

The Baale of Alaagba village, a border community between Ogun and Oyo states, Chief Adekunle Olabamiji, said some residents observed that fierce looking gunmen entered the forest in the direction of the location of the expatriates shortly before the abduction.

He said it was shocking because the railway workers were always guarded by policemen and soldiers.

The kidnappers were said to have seized their victims immediately after disarming the security men and headed

to the forest with the Chinese rail workers.

It was learnt that members of the Oodua People’s Congress ( OPC) gave a hot chase to the kidnappers in the forest, searching the entire bush path in an attempt to apprehend the kidnappers and rescue the victims.

THISDAY also gathered that despite the efforts by the village youths , who mobilised OPC members into the forest, the kidnappers could not be traced as they disappeared with the Chinese expatriates.

Makinde: Those Behind Ibadan Clash will Be Brought to Book Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde, yesterday visited the scene of a clash that occured in Iwo Road Area of Ibadan, the state capital on Wednesday, and threatened to deal with the perpetrators.

The clash between some drivers who are members of Park Management System (PMS) and some telephone sellers led to the death of two persons.

In a tweet, Makinde regretted

the loss of lives as a result of the clash, promising that those involved will be brought to book.

He said he had ordered an investigation into the incident “I visited the scene of the Iwo Road incident this morning. The loss of lives during the mayhem that occurred is unfortunate and should never have happened. I give you my word that we will ensure that everyone involved in the dastardly act is brought to book.

“I have ordered investigations.

In the meantime, we will sanitise the area behind Iwo Road where cultists congregate and review the Park Management System. We have also informed the phone sellers to choose representatives who will discuss how we can assist them.”

Meanwhile, the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday asked the governor not to return the state back to the era of brigandage.

The main opposition party in the state condemned the

Wednesday’s violence and called on the governor not to return the state back to the era of brigandage.

It urged him to learn from the eight peaceful years of the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

The party in a statement by the state Publicity Secretary, Dr. AbdulAzeez Olatunde, and made available to THISDAY, condemned the violence unleashed on innocent traders and passersby at the Iwo road axis of Ibadan, describing it as barbaric and wicked.

DHQ: Military Determined to Contain Terrorism, Armed Banditry Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The military high command said yesterday it remained resolute in its determination to contain terrorism and armed banditry and other vices in the country.

It said coordinated military operations conducted across the country had abated terrorism and armed banditry in the country.

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said that the coordinated military operations across the country

had contained the activities of terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements at the end of second quarter of the year.

Speaking at a briefing in Abuja, Acting Director, Defence Media Operation (DDMO), Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko, said military operations had ensured a decrease in criminal activities across the country.

“Considering our operational activities in the various theatres of operation as highlighted in the

brief, comparatively there is a decrease in the criminal activities within the period under review.

“This is as a result of troops’ operational efforts to deny criminals freedom of operation and we remain resolute to take decisive and adequate actions to further abate terrorists and bandits’ activities as well as other vices across the country”, he said.

Onyeuko said “the military high command also lauds the

efforts of the troops for their resilience and unrelenting commitment and we wish to encourage the general public to support our efforts by providing credible and timely information that will facilitate our proactive engagements,” he said.

On the non-kinetic operations of the military in the Southeast, Onyeuko said the recent dialogue with stakeholders and leaders from the zone would lead to sustained peace.

FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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How Ahmadu Bello Moved to End Open Grazing, Says Taraba Speaker Wole Ayodele inJalingo The Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Dr. Joseph Albasu Kunini, has revealed how the late

Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, moved to put an end to open grazing in the North.

Kunini, who spoke at a twoday multi-stakeholders regional

INEC Urges Political Parties to Submit Election Expenses

peace building dialogue in Lafia, Nasarawa State, stated that Bello’s administration prepared a document for investors in 1963 that frowned at open grazing.

The speaker further disclosed that the 1963 document that was titled “The Industrial Potentials of Northern Nigeria” was prepared by the Ministry of Trade and Investment of Northern Nigeria.

The dialogue was organised by the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP), in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for stakeholders from Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States that were worse hit by herder/farmer conflict to collectively review emerging conflicts, risks and opportunities

for collaborative prevention across the three states in the Middle Belt region.

Kunini noted: “Research has shown that in 1963 the then Northern Nigeria Government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, prepared a comprehensive feasibility studies for potential investors titled, “The Industrial Potentials of Northern

Nigeria.

“At that time the regional government frowned at open grazing by the herdsmen; for instance, on page 155 of the 287-page document, the Northern Nigeria Government under the leadership of the Premier and Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, vowed to end open grazing by herders.”

Says only seven parties have complied Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday met the leaders of recognised political parties in the country to intimate them on the June 28, 2021, date for the commencement of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

The commission also reminded the political parties on the need to submit their election expenses as stated in the Electoral Act. It also told the political parties that only seven have so far complied with the directives to submit their election expenses before and after the elections.

INEC further expressed concern that it has become the vogue that courts of the land determine the candidates of the parties for elections instead of the people during their elections.

Also, the political parties at the meeting urged INEC to ensure the passage of an efficient electoral law, as the old act will not guarantee a transparent elections in 2023.

In a motion at the meeting moved by the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, and supported by the National Chairman of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Bishop Amakiri, the leaders of the political parties told the INEC Chairman, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, that his efforts in the commencement of voter registration exercise would amount to nothing if there is no new and efficient electoral law.

According to Secondus, “We appreciate what you are doing, but we state here unanimously that it will amount to nothing if there is no new and efficient electoral law to give life to it.

Man to Die by Hanging for Robbery, Gun-running in Ekiti Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced one Kehinde Olajide, 22, to death by hanging for robbery, conspiracy and illegal possession of firearms.

However, three other accused persons, Kareem Azeez, 24; Bamisile Lateef, 28, and Adebayo Basiru, 25, have been set free on the order of the court.

While delivering his judgment on a case of armed robbery and others slammed against the convict yesterday, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye ruled that the prosecution has proved ingredients of armed robbery against the first convict beyond reasonable doubt.

The Jurist said: “He is hereby sentenced to death by hanging until he is dead in count charge three; may God Almighty have mercy upon his soul.”

Olajide is also sentenced to 10-years imprisonment in count nine with an option of N20,000 fine.

Justice Ogunmoye added that there were no proof against the 2nd, 3rd and 4th accused persons in commission of the offence charged with, and they were acquitted and discharged accordingly.

According to the charge, the accused persons were charged with nine-count charges that bother on conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms and armed robbery.

NDLEA Promotes 3,506 Officers after Years of Stagnation Michael Olugbode in Abuja Approval has been given for the promotion of 3,506 officers and men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) by the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd). The promotion of the officers came after several years of stagnation on a rank. They are now to move to their next senior rank after the approval

by Marwa yesterday.

Many officers and men of the agency have stayed rooted on a particular rank for many years in what seems like a stop in promotion, a jinx now broken by the agency chief executive.

A statement issued by the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said the

approval followed a report by the harmonisation committee set up by Marwa soon after assuming leadership of the agency in January to address the issues of low morale and stagnation in the career path of personnel.

He said after due consideration of the recommendations by the committee, the NDLEA chief executive approved the immediate promotion of 2,910 officers between the rank of Narcotic Assistant I and Superintendent of Narcotics while 596 others between Chief Superintendent of Narcotics and Assistant Commander-General of Narcotics were recommended to the board of the agency for elevation to their next ranks, a recommendation that was approved by the board on June 16, 2021.

FIFTY-SIX HEARTY CHEERS…

L-R: Chairman, Chemical Allied Products (CAP) Plc, Mrs. Awuneba Ajumogobia; Managing Director/CEO, Mr. David Wright; and the Company Secretary, Ayomipo Wey, at the 56th Annual General Meeting of the company held in Lagos…yesterday SUNDAY ADIGUN

NEITI: Nigeria Generated $34.22bn from Oil Industry in 2019 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) yesterday disclosed that the country earned a total sum of $34.22 billion from the oil and gas sector in 2019, an increase of 4.88 per cent over the $32.63 billion revenue netted from the sector in 2018.

A breakdown of the earnings, contained in the just-released 2019 oil and gas industry audit report, showed that payments by companies accounted for $18.90 billion, while flows from

federation sales of crude oil and gas accounted for $15.32 billion.

From 2010-2019, the aggregate financial flows from the oil and gas sector to government, according to NEITI, amounted to $418.544 billion, with the highest revenue flow of $68.442 recorded in 2011, while the lowest revenue flow of $17.055 was recorded in 2016.

According to NEITI, the total crude oil production in 2019 was 735.244mmbbls, representing an increase of 4.87 per cent over the 701.101mmbbls recorded in 2018.

It stated that Production

Sharing Contracts (PSCs) contributed the highest volumes of 312.042mmbbls followed by Joint Venture (JV) and Sole Risk (SR) which recorded 310,284mmbbls and 89.824mmbbls respectively.

The Dr Ogbonnaya Orji-led organisation, listed others as Marginal Fields (MFs) and Service Contracts (SCs) which accounted for 21,762mmbbls and 1,330mmbbls respectively.

The report also showed that total crude oil lifted in 2019 was 735.661mmbbls, indicating a 4.93 per cent increase to the 701.090 mmbbls recorded in 2018, with

companies lifting 469.010mmbbls, while 266.650mmbbls was lifted by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on behalf of the federation.

“Analysis of crude oil lifted by NNPC showed that 159.411mmbbls was for export, while 107.239mmbbls was for domestic refining and 97 per cent of the volumes for domestic refining (104.475mmbbls) was utilised for the Direct Sale Direct Purchase (DSDP) programme while the remaining 3 per cent (2.764mmbbls) was delivered to the refineries,” it stated.

Akwa Ibom Police Arrest Cleric for Allegedly Killing Wife Okon Bassey in Uyo A cleric, 40, has been arrested by the Akwa Ibom State police for allegedly killing his wife, a mother of five, over domestic crises.

The clergyman, Ukachukwu Enoch Christopher, who is the founder of Omega World Global Ministry (Fellowship Church), reportedly committed the crime last week, but the corpse of the wife, Patience Christopher, was discovered on June 16, 2021.

The pastor was said to have

accused the wife of being the source of his numerous woes in life, as well as infidelity, hence he allegedly beat her to death on June 9, 2021.

A statement issued by the state Police Command yesterday, said the incident happened at the resident of the cleric in Ikot Abia village of Eket Local Government Area of the state.

The statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Odiko MacDon, said the cleric, who hails from Ebonyi State, allegedly

buried the wife, 40, in a shallow grave in his compound in Ikot Abia village.

The police said the arrest was effected following credible information from youths of the area, prompting the DPO of Eket Divisional Police headquarters, CSP Sunday Digha, and his team to arrest the cleric.

“The state Police Command has arrested one Ukachukwu Enoch Christopher, 49, a resident of Eket LGA, who hails from Ebonyi State, for allegedly murdering his wife and burying

the corpse in a shallow grave in his compound.

“The suspect, who said he had domestic differences with his wife, accused her of being the source of his numerous woes in life and infidelity, confessed to have beaten her to death as a result of the unresolved differences on June 9. In order to cover his tracks, he dug a shallow grave in his compound and buried her. The deceased’s corpse has been exhumed by the police and deposited in the mortuary for autopsy.” the statement stated.

Girl Arrested During #EndSARS Protest Gives Birth in Ondo Prison

James Sowole in Akure

An 18-year-old girl, Kemisola Oguniyi, who was arrested during the #EndSARS protest, has given birth in prison custody in Ondo State.

Oguniyi and three others, Ayodele Bukunmi, Ojo Samuel, and Ani Obinna, were remanded in prison custodyduring the protest.

They were charged with conspiracy to commit felony to wit: arson, riotous assembly, stealing and malicious damage.

All the accused were thereafter taken to Surulere Prison in Ondo West Local Government Area of the state.

The lady was said to have gone into labour on June 15, and gave birth to a baby boy the following day.

In a letter to the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Oluwatotimi Akeredolu, her lawyer, Tope Tomekun, argued that Oguniyi, was innocent of the crime preferred against her.

Tomekun in the letter said Oguniyi was on her way

to the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) to collect money for her mother’s treatment when she was apprehended by the Nigerian Army on random raiding, and handed her over to the police for investigation.

The lawyer said: “She was later alleged to be part of those who set APC Secretariat in Akure on fire during the #EndSARS protest that took place in October 2020.

“I write to you sir, first as a lawyer and in furtherance of

my conviction as a believer in humanitarian cause of justice, to appeal to you that for the sake of the sinless newborn child and in the interest of justice, to give directive that this matter be given an urgent hearing as this is one deserving case sir, in which the powers in this direction could be exercised.”

He also appealed to the state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Sir Titiloye Charles, to use his powers to discontinue the prosecution of Oguniyi and others.

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Okowa Submits List of 18 Commissionernominees to Delta Assembly

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has sent a list of 18 cabinet member-nominees to the state House of Assembly for due screening and possible confirmation as commissioners and members the State Executive Council.

Eleven persons in the old state executive council (Exco) made the list, including Charles Aniagwu and Fidelis Tilijie, who were the information and finance commissioners, respectively.

Others nominees, who were formerly commissioners until the dissolution of the Exco last month, are Dr. Barry Gbe, Economic Planning; Julius

Egbedi, Agriculture; Festus Ochonogor, Housing; Arthur Akpowowo, Urban Renewal; Ifeanyi Egwuyenga, Youth Development and Orientation; Flora Alanta, Women Affairs and Community Development; Churchill Amagada, Lands and Survey; Chris Onogba, Environment, and Lawrence Ejiofor, Culture.

The fresh nominees in the governor’s list are Evelyn Oboro, a former member of the House of Representatives; Noel Omordon, Rose Esenwu, Shola Ogbemi-Daibo, Jonathan Ukodhiko, Kate Oniawan, and Johnbull Edema.

The names of the nominees were read on the floor of the

Halt Incessant Killings in Plateau, Jos Monarch Tasks FG, National Assembly Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the National Assembly have been tasked to put their heads together to find lasting solution to the persistent killings and other acts of criminality bedeviling Plateau State and Nigeria in general.

Giving the charge at his palace in Jos during a courtesy call on him by the House of Representative Committee on Industry, the Gbong Gwom Jos, who is the Chairman, Plateau State Council of Chiefs, Da Gyang Buba, said it was high time Nigerians stopped dying needlessly.

The monarch said: “Just yesterday, some gunmen stormed my territory in Kuru village and unleashed mayhem

on innocent people, killing at least 12 persons. They also injured several others during the attack.

“Similar attacks keep happening in one part of the countryside or another every day. No one is spared, and nowhere is safe. Therefore, it is high time the federal executive and federal legislative councils put their heads together and found lasting solution to this national calamity.

“I’m confident that for any problem, there must always be solution, and Nigerians are eagerly waiting for the government to proffer solution to this also.

“Nigeria needs peace to develop like other nations across the world, so the federal and state governments must do something to end insecurity.”

Electoral Act: Tambuwal Urges Canada to Demand Quick Passage The Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has urged the Canadian Government to appeal to the Nigerian Government and the National Assembly to expedite action on the timely passage of the National Electoral Act into law.

He also asked the Canadian Government to weigh in on the issues of freedom of expression and sustenance of democratic values in Nigeria.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Muhammad Bello, yesterday, the governor made the statement last Wednesday when the acting High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Mr. Nicholas

Simard, paid him a courtesy call.

Tambuwal further explained that the state and the country are interested in deepening its democracy, stressing that this can only be achieved if there is free, fair and credible election, “which is only possible if you have a properly captured elections system in the Electoral Act.” According to him, “From what is discernible, the National Assembly is not doing much in that regard, thus the need to appeal to Canada to add its voice to this call and the issues of good governance and transparency in the general administration of the country.

Ubah Emerges YPP candidate for Anambra Gov Poll Deji ElumoyeinAbuja A member of the National Assembly, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, has emerged the candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the November 6, 2021, governorship election in Anambra State.

Ubah, who is the senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, emerged the party’s governorship candidate yesterday in Abuja with a pledge to defeat whoever emerged the

candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

He recalled that he defeated candidates of the People’s Democratic Party and the APGAin the last national Assembly election in his senatorial district.

He said: “We gave them a hot chase in the Senate and I am going to defeat them again.”

The YPP’s candidate absolved his party of the crises rocking the APGA and PDP chapters in the state.

Assembly by the Speaker, Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.

Okowa said the nomination of members of the state

executive council was in line with the powers vested in him by the virtue of Section 192, subsection 2 of the 1999 Nigerian

Constitution as amended.

The list of nominees represents the first batch of prospective commissioners as at least seven

more names are expected to be selected from the remaining seven of the 25 local government areas of the state.

WELL DESERVED HONOUR …

L-R: Wife of the senior Pastor of God Blessed Apostolic Miracle Church International Rev. Juliana Oyelade; her husband Apostle John Oyelade; newly elected Chairman, Lagos State Mechanical Engineering Association of Nigeria, Mr. Samson Idowu; his wife, Mrs. Bolatito Idowu; immediate past Chairman of the association, Mr. Morufudeen Arowolo; and his wife, Mrs. Folake Arowolo, during the DAN UKANA thanksgiving service in honour of the new chairman in Lagos…yesterday

Tinubu Congratulates Akeredolu on His A’Court Victory The National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, has congratulated the Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, and his deputy, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, for the Court of Appeal judgment affirming their overwhelming victory in the governorship election in the state.

In a statement issued yesterday

by Tinubu’s Media Office, the

former Lagos State governor noted that the appellate court’s verdict was emphatic and clear endorsement of the sound judgment of the election petitions tribunal.

Tinubu pointed out that the Appeal Court’s decision stands for the vital proposition that the rule of law serves to protect the sovereign will of the people when expressed in free and honest elections.

The APC national leader said by this judgment, the appellate court clearly showed that Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa were the candidates whom the people of Ondo State chose to pilot their affairs for the next four years.

He said the confidence the people reposed in the Akeredolu’s administration has been well earned and should be wholly respected.

The APC chieftain urged Akeredolu to continue to strive and do his utmost in the service of his state and for the welfare of all the people therein, political friend and foe alike.

He also acknowledged that the opposition PDP and its candidate, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), have exercised their constitutional rights by challenging the election results via the legal process.

It’s Our Turn to Produce Gov in 2023, Says Enugu East Ejiofor Alike The people of Enugu East senatorial district of Enugu State comprising leaders of political, religious and traditional institutions, yesterday converged on the popular Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, for a mega rally, urging Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to uphold the longestablished rotational template with regards to the office of the governor of the state by lending his

support for the district to produce his successor in 2023.

Speaking at the well-attended rally, themed “Oganiru Enugu East Senatorial District”, the Convener and Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi said that the only agenda of the gathering was to demand for the governorship seat of the state in 2023 in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice, stressing that it is the turn of Enugu East senatorial district going by the

long-established rotational template in the state.

The Speaker who applauded Ugwuanyi for attending the rally, stated that it was the unanimous stance of the people of Enugu East senatorial district and beyond that the governor has a major role to play in the choice of his successor since his predecessors enjoyed such privilege during their tenures as governors of the state.

“Your Excellency, your own will not be different. We are waiting

for you to take a decision on your choice of your successor from any of the six local government areas of Enugu East Senatorial District and we will support the person overwhelmingly”, Ubosi said.

Aligning with the Speaker’s speech, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye announced that his party has zoned its governorship position in 2023 to Enugu East senatorial district.

EFCC Urges Tsoho to Retain Abang for Maina’s Case The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, not to reassign the case of the ex-chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, to another judge.

The EFCC also called on Justice Tsoho not to transfer the trial of his son, Faisal, and few other cases to a new judge.

The News Agency of

Nigeria (NAN) reported that Justice Okon Abang was the presiding judge in the trial of the Maina and his son, before he was transferred to the Warri division of FHC. Justice Tsoho, had, in a March 16 circular, ordered a mass transfer of judges in the 36 divisions of the court and directed the newly posted judges to assume duty in their newly reassigned places on April 12.

While Justice D.U. Okonkwo

took over from Abang, Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo, who was transferred to Enugu, was replaced by Justice Zainab Abubakar and Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, now in Calabar division, was replaced by Justice Bolaji Olajuwon.

The EFCC subsequently applied to Justice Tsoho for a fiat to allow Justice Abang conclude some of the cases he started, including Maina’s matter.

A competent source at the

EFCC’s office told NAN that since Maina’s trial had gone far, it would only be good, in the interest of justice, for Abang to conclude the matter.

“He (Maina) has been arraigned, we have called all our witnesses and the defendant (Maina) has opened his defence.

“So it will only be proper for the presiding judge to conclude the trial to guard against delay in justice,” the source said.

Ninth House Passed 41 Bills in Two Years, Says Spokeman Udora Orizu in Abuja The Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu has said the ninth House has passed a total of 41 Bills since they assumed office in June 2019.

This is as he disclosed that the House is set to receive the long-awaited report of the ad-hoc committee on

Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) after which the legislation will proceed to passage.

Kalu who made this known in a statement, stated that a comparative analysis of the ninth House and previous assemblies, revealed that the current House performed better in bill considerations and passage.

According to him, as of June 10, 2021, the House had considered 853 bills, out of which 41 were passed, 66 awaiting action by the Committee of the Whole, and 105 passed second reading.

On motions, the Spokesman said so far, the House has considered a total of 730 motions, while 484 were taken in the first

session, with 246 considered in the second session.

On electoral reforms, he said substantial progress has been made in the consideration of the muchanticipated Electoral Act (amendment) Bill, adding that the report of the relevant committee is currently before the House as the bill awaits passage.

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24 HOURS...

WORLD OF ISLAM

Air Peace to Receive all 13 Brand New Aircraft in 2022 The Sharia of Human Interconnectedness - 1

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Chinedu Eze

Air Peace yesterday received the third of its brand new Embraer 195-E5 aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and disclosed that it would receive all the 13 aircraft it ordered from the Brazilian plane marker before the end of 2022.

The airline said that it would create about 17,000 jobs with the total of all its aircraft fleet.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema made this known in a speech just before the aircraft touched down at the Abuja airport from the Embraer facility in Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil.

“We have paid for 13 aircraft and made purchase right of additional 17. We now have three with the arrival of the

latest one. There will be two coming in August to make it five and before the end of 2021, we will have eight aircraft. We hope to have all the 13 aircraft we paid for in 2022.

“In addition to the firm orders of 13 aircraft, which we would have received before the end of 2022, we would make further commitment of 10 additional aircraft and by the time we have 30 aircraft we would employ about 17,000 personnel,” Onyema explained.

The Air Peace Chairman said that the airline would deploy the aircraft to international, regional and domestic destinations, as it has started opening new routes in Nigeria.

He said the new aircraft would hit the West Coast and African region as the domestic carrier extends its West Coast destinations to

include Douala (Cameroon), Kinshasa (Congo), Niamey (Niger), Dakar (Senegal) as well as Monrovia (Liberia).

He also spoke about the new domestic destinations and commended the federal government, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for the support they have been giving domestic airlines.

“We have new domestic routes that we want to deploy the aircraft to. We have new routes that we have just opened and more routes will still come in the coming months.

We are opening Gombe very soon and our intention is to open up this country. We will also connect North-east with North-west and other routes.

Owerri-Kaduna and other routes will be connected.

ICPC, Shippers’ Council Inaugurate Task Team for Port Harcourt, Onne Ports The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offence Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other ports agencies, has inaugurated a Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) in the Eastern Ports of Port Harcourt and Onne as part of the on-going collaboration to ensure the full

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implementation of the Nigerian Ports Process Manual (NPPM).

The PSTT, which is made up of officers of the ICPC, the NSC, the NPA and the Directorate of State Services (DSS), was charged with the primary duty of ensuring that standard procedures were followed in carrying out transactions in the ports.

The team was enjoined to strictly carry out activities that would dismantle the corruption network that has been fuelling traffic logjam within the port area.

The PSTT was also required to carry out regular operations

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Abdul Malik Mujahid/SoundVision

In Islam it is not enough for success to believe in God and worship Him. It would be just half of the test of one’s faith. The other half test is how our relationship is with other human beings.

After all, it’s so much easier to pray, fast, and contemplate without the distraction of other human beings who place impositions on our time, energy, and wealth. Yet, in Sharia, the Islamic way of life, it is only by serving other human beings that we can truly connect to our Creator. God holds the person in high esteem who tries to be just in his or her dealings, whether that is in relation to a business deal, a difficult parent or child, or an annoying neighbor.

In contrast, someone who neglects his or her duties to parents, children, neighbors, and society as a whole, even if they pray ardently, fast diligently, or contemplate daily, comes up as a zero.

The Twin Test of One’s Faith in Islam:

APC Screening Committee Clears 14 Anambra Governorship Aspirants, Submits Report

Connection with God & Connection with Humanity There is a small chapter at the end of Quran called Small Kindnesses (Almaoon).

In it, God describes the person who has lost the interconnectedness with others, and in turn has lost his faith. In this twin test of our faith God says: “Have you ever seen a human being who contradicts the faith in God and His Judgment?

That is the person who pushes the orphan aside and does not promote feeding the poor.

Woe, then, unto those who pray, but their hearts and minds are remote from the essence of their prayers, those who appear to pray, but refuse to share necessities of life with others.” (Quran 107) Connecting with God and serving His Creation are, therefore, twin pillars of faith in Islam.

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The person who meets with people and endures the harm they do is better than the person who does not mix with them or endure the harm they do” (Recorded in the Hadith collections of Tirmidhi & Ibn Majah).

That may be why a conservative South Asian scholar, Ashraf Ali Thanwi, said one cannot be a good Muslim unless he first become a good human being.

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Oneness of Humanity & Diversity

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Screening Committee has screened and cleared all the 14 Anambra State governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s primary scheduled for July 26.

The Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, who received the report yesterday in Abuja on behalf of the National Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, also commended the committee.

Akpanudoedehe said: “I received this report on behalf of the National Chairman of the Party in good faith. The report will be sent to the National Chairman immediately. The National Chairman is with the President in Borno State, I am sure you are aware of that. By what you have done, you have removed the need for an Appeal Committee. We are indeed very grateful to the committee for serving the party in the screening exercise.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the Screening Committee, Mr. Ikechi Emenike, stated that the committee approached the assignment with a patriotic spirit.

God says that human differences are for differentiation purposes only: “O Mankind, We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know one another. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you” (Quran 49:13).

From this short verse, Islamic scholars have drawn several fundamental Islamic principles which are reaffirmed elsewhere in the Quran and the Prophet’s teachings: God is addressing all of humanity here, not only the Muslims.

God says that He created us from one man and one woman, thus making us all brothers and sisters.

The verse invalidates the claims of superiority due to one’s birth by stating that all are born through a similar process, i.e. from a male and female.

God made tribes and nations as a means of identifying and differentiating. This is not meant to be a source of superiority, nor as a contributing component of tribalism, caste systems, nationalisms, colonialism or racism.

The only measure of greatness among human beings is at the individual level, not on a national or group level, based on the character of “Taqwa.” This Arabic term means a character build around God-consciousness.

This singular criterion of preference, Taqwa, however, is not quite measurable by other human beings since it deals with the inner self. Therefore, human beings must leave even this criterion to God to decide rather than using it to judge each other. At the same time though, this principle does not mean that

in the ports that would generate evidence-based infractions of the the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the NPPM and the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) policy of the federal government.

The team would engage in quick enforcement actions, including sting operations on identified areas based on regular intelligence.

The Head of Investigation at the ICPC, Mr. Hassan Mohammed, who represented the chairman of the commission, charged the team to be diligent in carrying out their duties.

we are unable to differentiate between right and wrong behavior, nor does it prevent us from acting against wrong actions. Rather, it discourages the human tendency to ‘sit in judgment’ of others.

Elsewhere in the Quran, God asserts that He created all human beings as one people (one Ummah) and it is human beings who created divisions within themselves. (Quran 10:19).

In terms of religious coexistence, the Quran says: “…To each among you have we prescribed a law (Sharia) and an open way. If God had so willed, He would have made you followers of one faith. But He willed otherwise to test you in what He has given you; therefore strive to excel one another in all virtues. Ultimately you all shall return to God; then He will show you the truth of those matters in which you dispute” (Quran 5:48).

This understanding of how human beings were created, as well as why humans are different, is built into the faith structure of Islam.

We believe that there is only One God who created all. We are asked to believe in all of the Prophets, not just Biblical Prophets but all.

We are also asked not to prefer one Prophet above others in terms of respect. We are asked to believe in the earlier scriptures despite God’s criticism of people for changing those scriptures (Quran 2:285).

Any Muslim who does not believe in the whole set of these principles is not considered a believer by God (Quran 4:136).

These principles are also a part of an Islamic social structure: justice and fairness, upholding the rights of the poor, as well as charity to those in need, extend to all people without any differentiation between a Muslim and a non-Muslim.

In the peace sanctuary of the Prophet, Madinah, the Prophet established peace between various tribal and faith groups after a hundred plus years of warfare. He negotiated and implemented a written constitution. Classical Islamic literature refers to this document in Arabic as “waseeqatun Nabi.”

What is significant about this document is that after stating the equal religious and legal rights of each of the Jewish and pagan tribes of Madinah, this document repeatedly uses the phrase “one Ummah with the believers.” This constitution implemented the Quranic recognition of the presence of multiple religions as well as other variations among people, while keeping in mind the “oneness of humanity”, and offering equal security, mutual defense, legal and civic autonomy and freedom of religion to all citizens including those who worshiped idols.

Dealings with the Theological Divisions While God insist people to follow Islam, He recognizes some will not. He, therefore, prefers that the differences in faith are to be referred back to God, Who will judge between us on a day when He is the Final Arbiter instead of quarrelling over religious differences (Quran 5:48).

In the meantime, we must learn to peacefully coexist by establishing cordial relationships of mutual benefit, thankfulness to each other, and care for the disadvantaged and neighbors, regardless of whether they share our faith or not. Muslims are required to cooperate for the good, in righteousness and piety for all, and not for sin and rancor (Quran 5:2).

The Islamic prayer called Salat literally means connection in Arabic. It connects us to our Creator five times a day. Another word derived from the same root is used for the connected phones. Another is used when referring to relations between human being, particularly family “Silatul Rahm”, with the word “Rahm” meaning the womb, giving precedence to ties that bind us through our birth.

Perhaps this is why in Islam, a person cannot give away all of their wealth even to charity without first making sure they have paid the inheritance shares due to family members.

But relations of the womb or blood are not the only ones that emphasize human interconnectedness in Islam. Neighbors are given high priority, regardless of whether they are Muslim or not. In Islam, therefore, relationships, justice, rights, and duties toward one’s neighbors are not limited to Muslims.

To Be Continued

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FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Okagbare: Now, I Am Ready for Tokyo Olympics Runs wind-aided 10.63 secs to win eighth national sprint title Duro Ikhazuagbe After scorching to her eighth national sprint title with an incredible 10.63secs yesterday, Blessing Okagbare has announced her readiness to battle for a silverware at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games next month.

Okagbare who is Africa’s previous record holder at 10.79secs in the women’s 100m created a buzz on the opening day of the 2021 National Olympic Games Trials at the Yabatech Sports

Centre yesterday when she hit the finish line in 10.63 secs to win the blue ribband event.

However, she was denied a new African recorded due to the 2,7 tail wind that aided the race.

Before the final, the University of Texas in El Paso (UTEP) graduate had given a glimpse of what to expect when she dusted the field in 10.99secs.

Another US-based athlete, Rosemary Chukwuma finished second in 11.07 while National Sports Festival winner, Grace

Gov Sanwo-Olu Empowers Schools with Sports Equipment Femi Solaja In what many see as a major step towards sports development from the grassroots, Lagos State Governor, Babajide SanwoOlu, fulfilled part of his promise to youth engagement following the donation of sporting equipment to all the six Educational District in the state yesterday.

At a colourful ceremony held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, the governor through the Lagos State Government Trust Fund (LSSTF), said all the equipment must be channelled to all the public institutions within the education districts in the state.

He said that the donation of the equipment was a demonstration of their understanding of the benefits of sports in education.

The governor who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Gboyega Soyannwo, said that the LSSTF has been playing a crucial role in assisting the government to source the fund from private sectors to improve sports infrastructure in the state.

“Lagos State Government is

fully committed to improving sporting facilities in our schools to take full advantage of the benefits of enhanced sporting activities in our public schools that cannot be overemphasized. We most certainly cannot do this alone, hence we are always ready to join hands with the private sector and notable individuals to constantly and sustainably raise funds for the promotion of sporting activities and the development of sporting facilities in Lagos State,” the governor said.

He added: “The distribution of sports equipment to the public secondary schools via the six educational districts in Lagos State today is a testament to the great work being done by the LSSTF.” Besides these equipment being distributed, LSSTF is currently reconstructing an Olympic size swimming pool, warm-up pool, training pool and a 500-seater spectator stand at Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba. These projects will soon be delivered and it is expected that the number of medals in swimming for the state will triple in future swimming competitive events,” Sanwo-Olu added.

Mikel Visits Lalong, Pledges More Investments in Plateau

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Former Super Eagles Captain and Stoke City Star, John Obi Mikel, has hinted of plans to increase his investments in Plateau State and also engage in other social development activities as a way of giving back to his place of birth and where his footballing career took wings.

Mikel who visited Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, lauded his efforts at restoring peace in the state.

Mikel attributed this move for the development and prosperity in the state.

The former Chelsea star described Jos where he was born and raised as his home.

Mikel recalled with nostalgia his upbringing in the state and the hospitality and love of the

people around him as well as the beautiful and serene atmosphere of the state which was main attraction for people from within and outside the country.

While receiving the football star, Lalong described Mikel as a pride to Nigeria, and Plateau State in particular.

The governor said Plateau remains famous for grooming stars in sports, entertainment, academia, banking, administration among others.

He therefore urged Mikel to continue to connect with the state and show more presence by contributing to the development of not only sports, but other areas of investment.

The governor is looking forward to a summit of ex internationals that have their roots in the state.

Nwokocha finished third in 11.11 seconds.

Speaking shortly after the race, Okagbare told THISDAY that she was now ready for the challenge in Tokyo 2020.

“I am now ready for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. I am happy that this time came today. I have been looking forward to something like this in front of my home fans and I am glad it came today,” gushed the Olympics, World and Commonwealth Games medalist She admitted that the last time she felt this healthy and ready was when she won double sprint gold medals at the 2014 Commonwealth

Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“Since the start of this season, I see myself as very ready,” stressed the Delta Star who won her first Olympic bronze medal at the Beijing Games in 2008.

That medal has since been elevated to silver following the disqualification of Russian athlete who won the silver based on dope infraction.

“I feel healthy, stronger and like the real Blessing Okagbare again. I am really happy that this time came down today, it will boost my confidence, my faith and trust in God. I just hope this same thing happen at the Olympics.

“I have been working on

everything and I hope it counts at the big stage, that’s the Olympics.

With so much now expected from her due to her current form, Okagbare refused to point at any medal in particular to expect from her in Tokyo.

“I was very disappointed at my last meet when I ran 11.2, I was like this is not me, so when they mentioned the trials, I said I am going to be there, not because I just want to run, but because I really want to compete and run well.

So in Tokyo, I am praying to remain in this same form and will give my best,” concludes the former long jump bronze

medalist.

In the men’s 100m final, Enoch Adegoke blasted to the title in 10.00sec and a place in the Olympics, leaving Usheoritse Itsekiri (10.07) and Okeoghene Brume (10.09) for the silver and bronze medals .

In the absence of US-based Divine Oduduru and Raymond Ekevwo, the fans were looking up to Edo 2020 Festival duo of Alaba Akintola and Enoch Adegoke winning the trials.

Akintola however cupped an injury in the semis leaving Adegoke who raced home in a new 10.00 seconds PB and in the process confirm his place in Team Nigeria’s flight to the Olympics in Tokyo.

Blessing Okagbare celebrating with the 10.63sec winning time for her eighth Nigerian sprint title ...yesterday

Edo 2020: Gov. Diri Splashes N195m on Team Bayelsa Adopts Oborodudu, Godbless for Special Funding Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has generously rewarded athletes that made the state proud at the National Sports Festival held in April this year in Edo State.

An elated Governor Diri announced a total package of N195 million for the gold, sliver and bronze medallists as well as the coaches and secretaries of the teams.

Bayelsa, for the first time, placed third on the final medals table behind Delta and Edo, a feat that surpassed its fourth place recorded since 2006 at the games held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, the governor, who received the state’s contingent inside the Executive Council

Chambers of the Government House, Yenagoa, said the gesture was in appreciation of the honour they brought to the state.

For every individual gold medallist, Governor Diri announced a cash reward of N1m while team gold medallists got N500,000 each with outstanding swimmer, Ifiezibe Gagbe, getting over N10 million reward having won eight gold, two silver and five bronze medals.

Gold medal winning coaches and secretaries were also rewarded with N500,000 each while individual silver medalists smiled home with N350,000, team silver medallists N250,000 each and silver medal winning coaches and secretaries N300,000 each.

The reward for individual

bronze medallists was N300,000, team bronze medallists N100,000 while bronze medal winning coaches and secretaries got N200,000 each.

The largesse also captured non- medal winning athletes who were appreciated with N50,000 each likewise their coaches and secretaries who got same amount.

The governor urged the athletes to reciprocate the gesture by improving on their performance in the next festival and assured that the government would not relent in promoting sports at all levels.

He said: “We appreciate you for bringing honour to the state. As you know, sports is no longer a social event. It is now a money-spinning business if you get committed to it.

“We pray that you would not end at just the national sports festival. Your Commissioner is a world champion in wrestling.

We pray that you follow those footsteps.

“Your next sports festival in 2022 began the day Edo 2020 ended. I’m sure that if you go to Asaba 2022 with the same passion, patriotism and commitment you exhibited in Edo, you would surpass your performance. That is why I charge you not to relent in order to go beyond your current position.”

The governor also announced the adoption of two Bayelsaborn athletes in line with the “Adopt an Athlete Initiative” of the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare.

Dettol Becomes Official Hygiene Partner of Super Eagles The Nigeria Football Federation and Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Limited on Thursday in Lagos signed a contractual agreement that immediately made Reckitt’s product, Dettol the Official Hygiene Partner of the Super Eagles.

At a simple ceremony inside the Studio2 of HotSports Media Group in Oregun, Akbar Ali Sha, General Manager of Reckitt Benckiser in Sub-Sahara Africa, described the union between the Football House and his company

as a ‘historical moment’, insisting the agreement aligned firmly with the firm’s purpose, which is “to protect, heal and to nurture in relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world.”

In this spirit, Dettol is primed to provide hygiene protection for the Super Eagles at every turn before and after every of their matches on the road to and at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Cameroon next year summer, and on the road to and at the FIFA World Cup

finals taking place in Qatar at the end of next year.

“We will also seek to extend the protection to millions of fans of the Super Eagles through our partnership with the Nigeria Football Federation. The world is presently going through the worst health crisis in the history of mankind and it is a glorious opportunity to underscore the importance of hygiene and best health practices around the Super Eagles and their supporters,” Ali Sha added.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, acknowledged Dettol as the household name for anti-septic globally, and expressed the excitement of the football body to welcome the muchloved product on board. “In truth, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way so many things are done, including the organisation of football itself. We are guided and guarded, and with Dettol, we know we will be the better for it.”

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“Well it is true that our problems did not start under this administration, it seems to have worsened economically and politically in these past six years” – Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, lamenting the state of the nation.

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26 years

PATUTOMI GUEST COLUMNIST

Saving Nigeria for Good of All I

f wisdom were ever desperately needed, that time is now. But reason is embattled and truth often comes with a high price in this kind of season even if it may bring post hummus tribute to those who speak them today.

Why are we caught in this gale of emotional neighbor-bashing and bitterness of spirit even as Terrorists rule our forests, innocents are murdered in cold blood, bandits kidnap at will, making the drift to a Hobbesian state of nature clear and palpable?

The absence of honest, rational, public conversation can explain the unreason of people holding on to ideas that are ostensibly advancing their interests in a narrow parochial way, whereas in reality it is worsening their condition, often at levels that should make these people Madochists of an extraordinary nature if they could glance into a future they are unwittingly subverting.

I will use four examples from ethnic jingoism in the current Nigerian experience to illustrate this dysfunction before offering some explanations for why things happen in these strange ways. Then I will turn to some problems with leadership and what Malcolm Gladwell would call talking to strangers in his enlightening engagement of how people make a mess of the world because of how prejudice affects the way they engage with people they do not really understand.

Back in the 1840s, in France, there was a Laissez Faire activist Frederic Bastiat repeatedly pointed to the nature of man who was inclined to seek gain without pain. Even more interesting, he points to the fact that those who have power encode into law the means to preserve their advantage to plunder “legally’’.

But before Bastiat wrote The Law, plunder in fields of adventure by conquistadores had brought Spain plenty of cash. The elite squandered the revenues like Nigeria’s elite currently squander oil revenues. But one or two generations down the line “rich” Spain would be much poorer than smaller countries of Europe like Switzerland and the Netherlands. These had invested in their youth to enhance their ability to produce while Spain was sharing revenues.

We learnt from them that revenues do not make sustainably rich. What makes rich is production as the case of Switzerland and Netherlands show.

When, in fact Netherlands had a revenue surge from Oil and Gas finds in the 20th century it had an effect that we have come to know as Dutch disease from that surge of cash.

In our Nigerian experience the North

Buhari

Lawan

of Nigeria was quite a production region as the groundnut pyramids symbolized, and even in processing or manufacturing, Bompai, in Kano, as an industrial estate, even before the government stimulated Kakuri Industrial Estate in Kaduna, tells the story of productive enterprise.

But when oil revenues started flowing, political power led to local government becoming a federating units and many more local governments being created further North. The sad result, following the “lottery effect” , that phenomenon in which the poor man who wins the lottery usually ends up poor a fees years after, has drained the North and made it jettison production, becoming much poorer, as a result even though it gets more revenues. But those who know better, including a former president of the Kano chamber of commerce who spoke

to me about this 15 years ago lack the courage to speak truth to the people lest they be seen as sell outs.

In the South-east there are people so angry with perception of injustice that they seen to be cutting their nose to spite the face by developing post Nigeria visions.

Same errors prevail in some in the South-west who harass prospering people from other parts of Nigeria.

You wonder if they do not wonder why how some smart countries go in search of smart foreigners with Visa policies that canvas their relocation.

Yet, these points do not come to the fore in public conversation because political actors play up emotions that make people embrace as their best interest, factors that are against their interest but provide revenue capture opportunities for a few individuals in the state capture scenario that defines

To save Nigeria from the precipice that it is, we need a leadership that thinks, works with knowledge in the way Deng Xiaoping canvassed it in 1978 and not present day Nigeria’s denigration of intellect as in China’s cultural Revolution

contemporary Nigeria Thanks to the work of Joshua Greene at the centre for moral cognition at Harvard, and others, it is easier to show how the gap between us and them comes through as emotion triumph over reason and rational public conversation which Jurgen Habermes offers as the peg of modernity.

The solution is in enlightened leadership who can see the forest beyond the trees, and can manage to rise above the emotions that prey on the fear of strangers.

Here we can learn much from a visionary thinker Malcolm Gladwell, who has some drops of Nigerian blood in his system. His excursion into the many tragedies the world has suffered because many people do not know how to engage strangers, point to how Nigeria is can profit from leaders with strong emotional intelligence. Much of the trouble in Nigeria today will be easily overcome if we could learn how to talk with strangers. If we all cannot do so, at least let those people who are leaders and exercise influence, so learn.

Whether it be the open grazing matter, which Katsina State found two decades before the current crisis, is prime driver of dessert encroachment and needed to be controlled. Ditto for the agitations in irredentist movements for the decoupling of the federation.

The naked truth is that most are working against their best interest simply because they have not learnt to talk to strangers.

Whenever I read again Hammd Bubboyi’s delightful collection of some leadership values of the Troika of the founding of the Sokoto Caliphate in the book ‘Principles of Leadership’ I wonder where the present leaders of Nigeria got their education. If the ghosts of Uthman dan Fodio (Sheik Uthman Ibn Foudaye) Sheik Abdulai IbnFoudaye and Sheik Mohammed Bello Ibn Uthman Ibn Foudaye were to run a Retreat for the leadership of today’s Nigeria, we could have more peace and progress.

To save Nigeria from the precipice that it is, we need a leadership that thinks, works with knowledge in the way Deng Xiaoping canvassed it in 1978 and not present day Nigeria’s denigration of intellect as in China’s cultural Revolution. Has leadership principles of the Utomapp Dan Fodios, has Emotional Intelligence, is compassionate and understands how to talk with strangers. r6UPNJ B QPMJUJDBM FDPOPNJTU JT UIF GPVOEFS PG $FOUSF GPS 7BMVFT JO -FBEFSTIJQ

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