FRIDAY 3RD JULY 2020

Buhari Drops Oguntade, Nsofor, Renews 12 Non-career Ambassadors Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday dropped Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Justice George Oguntade, and the Ambassador to the United States, Justice Sylvanus Nsofor.

He, however, renewed the

appointments of 12 other non-career ambassadors, promising to uphold the principle of fair representation and inclusiveness in all governance affairs.

A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, stated this, explaining that the president felt

compelled to give the assurance following recent complaints, which trailed the appointments of 41 non-career ambassadors that some states were left out.

According to the statement, the appointments were renewed following a satisfactory performance

evaluation, adding, however, that the president would still decide if the ambassadors would retain their current postings or be transferred.

Shehu listed the ambassadors whose appointments were renewed as Mrs. Uzoma Emenike (Abia); Mr. Yusuf Tuggar

(Bauchi); Mr. Muhammad Madugu (Bauchi); Mr. Baba Jidda (Borno); Mr. Uyigue Oghogho (Edo) and Dr. Eniola Ajayi (Ekiti).

Others are Ms. Deborah Iliya (Kaduna); Mr. Mohammed Rimi (Katsina); Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (Kebbi); Dr. Modupe Irele (Lagos); Mr.

Adeyinka Asekun (Ogun) and Senator Goni Bura (Yobe).

The president congratulated the ambassadors on the renewal of the jobs and admonished them to continue to uphold and promote the values of stewardship to Nigeria, while bridging good relations with other nations.

NLC, PDP Reject Petrol Price Hike, Demand Reversal... Page 6 Friday 3 July, 2020 Vol 25. No 9216. Price: N250

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Military Targets Boko Haram Sponsors Nwezeh Kingsley in Abuja

SEARCHING FOR PEACE...

L-R: Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello; Secretary, All Progressives Congress Caretaker Committee, Senator Akpan Udoedehe; Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni; National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, during the committee’s visit to the APC national leader in Lagos…yesterday

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said intelligence agencies, including the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS) have launched a manhunt for the sponsors of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) terror groups to speed up end to the insurgency.

It, however, noted that it is not part of the responsibilities of the military to uncover the sponsors of terrorist groups but to fight and defeat them.

Continued on page 8

In Peace Drive, APC Caretakers Meet Tinubu, Akande, Others PDP screens Ondo deputy gov, eight others

Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday reached out to two leaders of the party in the South-west, Senator Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, as part of efforts to resolve the crises in the party.

The committee, chaired by Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, first met with Akande at his country home in

Ila-Orangun, Osun State, and few hours later, the delegation was in Lagos to see Tinubu at his Ikoyi home.

The meeting came just as the party raised a 49-member committee, headed by Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, to lead the campaign for the election of its candidate, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in the September 19 governorship poll in Edo State.

Also, the opposition

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday screened nine people, including Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Ajayi Agboola, who recently defected from the APC ahead of the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State.

THISDAY gathered that at the meeting with Akande, a former Interim National Chairman of the party, who heads the party’s National Reconciliation Committee, the

committee solicited his support in its efforts to reposition APC. The delegation, led by Buni, also sought insight into the work of the reconciliation committee chaired by Akande to serve as a guide for the caretakers in resolving the crises in the party.

The meeting, which held behind closed doors, was attended by Secretary of the committee, Senator Akpan Udoedehe; Osun State

Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, and his Niger State counterpart, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, among others.

From Ila-Orangun, the caretakers moved to Lagos and met behind closed doors with Tinubu, the national leader of the party.

Tinubu described Buni as a man of integrity fit for the task at hand.

Buni told journalists after the meeting that they were in

Lagos to consult the party's national leader on how to realise their assignment of repositioning the APC. He said Tinubu promised to support them in their assignment.

Ganduje Leads 49-member APC National Campaign

FG Laments Astronomical Rise in COVID-19 Cases... Page 5

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

FG Laments Astronomical Rise in COVID-19 Cases Says Madagascar herb majorly anti-malaria

Olawale Ajimotokan and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government has raised the alarm over the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, charging Nigerians to brace up for higher numbers.

The country yesterday recorded 626 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 27,110 the number of confirmed cases in the country.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Lagos recorded 193 new cases; Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 85; Oyo, 41; Edo, 38; Kwara, 34; Abia, 31; Ogun, 29; Ondo, 28; Rivers, 26; Osun, 21; Akwa Ibom and Delta, 18 each; Enugu, 15; Kaduna, 13; Plateau, 11; Borno, eight; Bauchi, seven; Adamawa, five; Gombe, four; and Sokoto one case.

It said: "Nigeria has recorded 27,110 cases of COVID-19. 10,801 persons have recovered and discharged, while 616 persons have died."

Federal government is, however, stepping up efforts on public enlightenment to check the rising rate of infection by engaging the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle.

The Sultan and Ayokunle, along with other religious leaders, are to spearhead the task of sensitising the public on the need to comply with the protocols and guidelines on the control of COVID-19, particularly on the mandatory use of face masks in the public, social distancing and washing of hands with soap and sanitisers.

The federal government also said preliminary findings from the analysis of Madagascar’s herb called ‘COVID Organics’ showed the mixture contains largely anti-malaria constituents.

Speaking yesterday at the bi-weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, the Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, said the federal government was striving to build a synergy with both the Sultan and Ayokunle, who incidentally

are the Co-chairmen of Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) on the spiritual intervention in the control of the virus.

Mustapha warned that the daily rise of the disease was on the upscale in the country and could only be slowed down provided all the guidelines and protocols were followed. ''I am almost running out of words as to how I can drive the message off because I see the figures and I see the people and as I often say on the podium that the 603 is not a statistic. I can place faces to the substantial number of that 603 that have died,'' he said.

Mustapha said the former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, paid him a visit in his office before he died, adding that for anybody to say that coronavirus is not real is the height of insensitivity.

He said: ''When Governor Ajimobi came for the last meeting of the National Working Committee of the APC, he visited me because he is a very good friend. He was here in this building; we shared pleasantries.

The Chief Judge of Kogi has been a friend of 44 years, same with the Chief Judge of Yobe, a friend and a classmate for 44 years. I can place faces on these figures. For anybody to say COVID- 19 is not real is the height of insensitivity. ''Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the early days of the extension of the second phase of eased lockdown and we shall always remind ourselves of the reason for these uncommon times facing humanity. This is the time to comply with the guidelines, it is the time to be vigilant and to take responsibility. ''In furtherance of the synergy being built, the Co-chairmen of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), His Eminence, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, the Sultan of Sokoto/President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and His Eminence, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The NIREC will announce the details and we urge all Nigerians to participate in this effort to seek divine intervention.''

Also speaking, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, urged Nigerians to brace up for an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases as a result of the easing of the lockdown nationwide.

He said more cases of the virus were expected, especially as a result of the lifting of the ban on interstate travels, urging Nigerians not to assume it is safe to move about yet.

According to the minister, “The COVID-19 statistics are expected to rise further with improved testing, but also as a sign that COVID-19 is actually expanding faster than our systems are handling it."

Enahire said: “I have directed the deployment and activation of GeneXpert machines to treatment centres at National Hospital, Abuja and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, so that they can now conduct testing on site. The GeneXpert machine allows results within one hour.

“Over the last few days, I have also received reports of

very sick persons being rejected at our hospitals. Many have died outside or on the way, having been denied attention in more than one hospital.

“It is not acceptable that persons lose their lives to health conditions, which could possibly have been cured, or may not even have been COVID-19 related."

Madagascar Herb Majorly Anti-malaria, Says FG Ehanire also said findings from the analysis of Madagascar’s herb called ‘COVID Organics’ showed that the mixture contains largely anti-malaria constituents.

He added that although the plant component of the herb grows in Nigeria and is of a higher efficacy for treating malaria, relevant government agencies will continue the process of evaluation to determine its effectiveness in treating COVID-19.

He said: “Preliminary

results of the analysis of so-called Madagascar herbs by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) show that it is the same as the plant Artemisia anua, which is grown in the NIPRD farm. Further research on its efficacy will be conducted when the grants for research is approved.

“The so-called Madagascar herb is one component of the malaria treatment medicine.

Some years ago, the government actually imported this plant and has a plantation of it in trying to develop its own production of the artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT).

The plantation is still there but the process has not gone that much further.

“We are looking into seeing what has held it up but the plant is here; it was intended for producing anti-malarial, and the type we have here has a very high yield of artemisinin – which is actually the active ingredient.”

NCDC Issues Health

Advisory for Elderly At the briefing, the DirectorGeneral of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the emerging concern in the efforts to contain COVID-19 pandemic in the country was how to protect the elderly and those with underlying diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma from being infected by the virus during this community transmission phase.

He stated that NCDC had published additional guidelines and health advisory against COVID-19 for the elderly and vulnerable people.

According to him, the advisory is contained in a four-page booklet obtainable at the hospitals and treatment centres.

On whether the NCDC will be able to meet its earlier set target of 50,000 sample testing in three months’ time, Ihekweazu said the target was not set for NCDC as a body but for Nigerians to help the country to scale up testing for COVID-19.

RUMINATING OVER THE DISPLACED...

L-R: Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Senator Basheer Mohammed; Senate Whip, Senator Orji Kalu; President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; and Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, during the visit of the federal commissioner to the Senate in Abuja…yesterday

Church: We Lost 8,370 Members FG: Plea Bargain Enhances to Boko Haram in North-east Quick Return of Stolen Assets

Daji Sani in Yola

The largest indigenous Christian denomination in the Northeast, Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, known in Hausa as Ekklesiyya Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), has said that it lost over 8,370 members to Boko Haram attacks in the North-east.

The EYN, an Adamawabased denomination with headquarters in Kwarhi, Hong Local Government Area of the state has 1.5 million members in branches mostly across the North-east.

President of the EYN, Rev. Joel Billi, told reporters at a press conference in Yola yesterday that the EYN is the worst-hit Christian denomination.

He said apart from more than 8,370 members and eight pastors of the EYN killed by Boko Haram, over 700,000 members were displaced.

He added that 53 of the

60 district church councils of the EYN were directly affected by insurgency with 300 of the church’s 586 branches either burnt or damaged by Boko Haram.

“Uncountable number of houses of our members were either burnt or looted,” he said.

The EYN president added that many members had been abducted while 217 of the abducted 276 Chibok school girls were members of the EYN. He urged President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States to ensure the rescuing of the remaining Chibok girls as well as Leah Sharibu, Alice Loksha and hundreds of other people abducted by Boko Haram.

He added that many communities, especially communities in Gworza Local Government Area of Borno State, are still deserted after repeated Boko Haram attacks.

The EYN president also appealed to Buhari to station a battalion of soldiers there so that residents who fled from attacks and are now in refugee camps in Cameroon or IDP camps across Nigeria could return home.

He also called on the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, marshal out plans to evacuate the over 47,000 stranded IDPs in Cameroon camps back to Nigeria by the end of this year.

Billi also pleaded with the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to come to the aid of the church to reconstruct houses, schools and worship places destroyed by insurgents.

He said the church was yet to feel the presence of NEDC in the area, adding that the government should end the current incessant killings, abductions, rape, and all forms of criminality nationwide.

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The federal government yesterday said that the mechanism of a plea bargain if well deployed is capable of fast-tracking the return of stolen assets to the nation.

Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata (SAN), who described plea bargaining as an important component of the administration of criminal justice was also of the opinion that the concept when fully accepted is capable of reducing litigation costs and time.

Apata spoke in Abuja, while receiving a plea bargaining manual on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami. The manual was developed with the support of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) in partnership with prosecutors and other officials of the Ministry of

Justice as well as members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Apata, who was represented at the occasion by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mr. Umar Mohammed, seized the opportunity to correct the misconception that plea bargaining is deployed to give soft landing to looters of the nation's treasury.

He said the standardisation of guidelines for the implementation of plea bargaining will promote consistency of practice and enhance public confidence in the process.

"Plea bargaining is an important component of the administration of criminal justice. It helps in the management of the caseload of prosecutors and enables the state to concentrate its limited resources on the cases considered more deserving of full prosecution. If carefully applied, plea bargaining can enhance the quick return of stolen assets. It can also aid the decongestion of the facilities of

the Correctional Services," he explained.

Also speaking, legal consultant to RoLAC and President, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN), noted that for any plea bargaining application to be effective, it must be approved by the AGF. While he stressed that the manual does not place any limitations on the prosecutorial discretionary powers of the AGF, Akinseye-George, however, stated that any agreement reached based on the manual shall be legally binding.

He noted that the manual covers virtually everything that is required to have a successful plea or sentence bargain.

"Article 7.0 outlines a set of 12 guiding principles which must govern plea and sentence bargains.

"Article 8 describes specific factors which must be considered before recommending a plea or sentence bargain.

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NLC, PDP Reject Petrol Price Hike, Demand Reversal

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday kicked against the new fuel price of N143.80k announced by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

They described the fuel price hike, which PPPRA announced on Wednesday, as inhumane and unjustifiable.

NLC, in a statement yesterday, said: “This might just be the last straw that would break the camel’s back.”

The congress demanded a reversal of the pump price to the old price, saying that the prices of crude oil in the international market had only slightly increased from the previous price before the downward review was announced two months ago.

The NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, in the statement, described the hike in the fuel pump price and the proposed electricity tariff hike as a “potent threat to run millions of Nigerians under.”

He asked the federal government to rehabilitate the refineries and disclose the timelines for this.

Wabba berated the PPPRA Executive Secretary, Mr. Saidu

Abdulkadir, for the fuel price hike, noting that “he did not even feign pretence that government has abdicated its responsibility to protect Nigerians from the cut-throat tendencies of neo-liberal market forces.”

Wabba said: “Nigerians would recall that the last downward review in the price of petrol was at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The economic benefits of the so-called “downward” review were hardly enjoyed by ordinary Nigerians who were mostly indoors.

“Just as the lockdown is being eased out and as soon as the interstate travel ban was lifted, the government decided to hike the petrol price. Nigerian people and workers are forced to interpret this move as grand mischief and deceit.

“It is clear even to the blind that the crisis in our downstream petroleum sub-sector is ‘self’ nay government-inflicted.”

The NLC attributed the crisis in the downstream sector to the refusal by successive governments to fix the nation's oil refineries.

“Government simply wants to transfer the cost of its own inefficiencies to the Nigerian people. Nigerian workers

AMCON Takes over Pan Ocean’s Assets over N240bn Debt

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has taken over all assets belonging to Pan Ocean Group and its subsidiaries.

A statement yesterday from AMCON said the takeover followed the order of Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court.

Pan Ocean Group is promoted by Dr. Festus Fadeyi, a Lagos-based oil and gas businessman whose total indebtedness to AMCON, according to the statement, was over N240 billion.

The statement explained that the court had also granted an order appointing AMCON as a receiver manager (in accordance with its 2019 Act as amended) and its designated human nominees (Mr. Kunle Ogunba Esq. SAN) its privies and assigns over the assets of Pan Ocean, their corporate guarantors, cronies and cohorts to take over a number of prime assets of Pan Ocean over some irreconcilable huge debt owed AMCON by both Everest Nominees Limited, Pan Ocean Group and their promoters as well as directors.

“The court in suit No. FHC/L/CS/722/20 ordered AMCON and its assigned designate to take over several oil mining and oil prospecting licences that are exemplified

by OML 147 (formerly OPL 275), OML 152 and OML 98 respectively.

“The order also mandated AMCON to take over the property lying and situate at No. 33b, Adebayo Doherty Street, off Admiralty Way Lekki Phase One in Lagos State as well as the property lying and being specifically known as FF Towers, Plot 13/14 Ligali Ayorinde Avenue, Victoria Island, Lagos.

“Others include another property lying and specifically known as No. 8, Modupe Alakija Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos; the properly lying and specifically known as No. 10/12, Modupe Alakija Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos christened and identified as Grand Villa; No. 14, Modupe Alakija Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos; another property lying and known as Ark Towers situate at No. 17, Ligalli Ayorinde Avenue, Victoria Island, Lagos as well as Plot 5 and Plot 822, Samuel Manuwa Street, Victoria Island, Lagos,” the statement added.

According to AMCON, aside from these prime assets of the obligors, Justice Liman also ordered AMCON to take over any other assets, businesses, affairs, undertakings, interests, among others, belonging to the defendants wherever the same may be found.

“He also directed the Inspector General of Police and his commissioners to assist AMCON and its designates as well as the court bailiffs in taking over the assets on behalf of the corporation,” it stated.

say ‘No’ to such. There is no way Nigerians would accept a situation where we are charged international rates for a product which Nigeria is the sixth-largest producer in the world.

“The extra costs that the PPPRA wants Nigerians to pay in order to promote ‘growth’ and ‘investment’ are actually the cost of profits made by countries that we ship our crude oil to, the cost of sea freight of the refined products, the cost of demurrage at our seaports when the refined

products arrive, the cost of the frequent devaluation of our national currency, and the cost of official corruption by gatekeepers managing the downstream petroleum sub-sector,” the NLC added.

On its part, the main opposition party described the hike, despite the decline in the price of crude oil in the international market, as grossly unjustifiable, saying that it has further exposed the insincerity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its administration.

According to a statement

by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, the party noted that in directing a fuel price increase at the time Nigerians are facing the economic and social trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buhari-led administration showed a total lack of human feelings to the plights of our citizens.

"Our party challenges the APC-led federal government to present to Nigerians the indices and parameters it used to determine the price increase, which obviously

cannot be in tandem with the prevalent situation in the global industry.

"The actions of the APC administration have continued to confirm that the party has never been pro-poor but only relishes in imposing hardship and heavy taxes on already impoverished Nigerians, while running an over-bloated government through which resources meant for the welfare of Nigerians are frittered by corrupt officials and the cabal in the presidency,” PDP stated.

EDUCATION FOR THE PEOPLE...

L-R: Army chiefs, Maj- Gen. F. O. Agugo and Maj-Gen. Lasisi Adeboye, and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, during the inauguration of primary school blocks at Amakohia-Ubi, Owerri West LGA of Imo State…yesterday

Buhari Inaugurates FCC, FCSC, RMAFC Boards’ Members FG charges agency to shore up non-oil revenues Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday swore in members of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

The ceremony, at the State House in Abuja, was graced by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Kwara State Governor, Mr. Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman.

Speaking at the event, the SGF said the federal government expected the appointees to live up to their constitutional responsibilities, charging members of the RMAFC, in particular, to explore revenue opportunities of the non-oil sector and mobilise revenues for the country.

He also spoke on expectations from the FCC and FCSC, saying that members are expected to

perform their responsibilities creditably in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

Mustapha said: “Basically, they have some constitutional responsibilities because all these commissions are mentioned in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and so that presupposes that already the constitution has provided for them a mandate. More especially as we are notching towards the end of the president’s tenure.

“We have just spent a year and we have three years to go but there are so many things that we want them to begin to do in terms of reenergising the system. The Federal Character Commission particularly has the responsibilities in the constitution which is very fundamental to ensure equitable distribution of not only offices but even of amenities and benefits and welfare to the people of the country.

“The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is very critical, particularly now that we have a very serious shortfall in our earnings.

The essence of the revenue mobilisation is to look at the non-oil sector particularly in terms of mobilising revenue for the country. I believe that now that they have a full complement of their membership, they should be able to give it the necessary drive.

“The Federal Character Commission (FCC) is an institution that has the responsibility of looking at the federal civil service in terms of employment, promotion, capacity and we need a new civil service to take us to the next level."

Members of RMAFC sworn in were Ahmed Yusuf (Taraba); Bello Wamakko (Sokoto); Oladele Gboyega (Osun); Adamu Dibai (Borno); Alfred Egba (Bayelsa) and Salamatu Bala (Adamawa).

Also sworn in were FCC Chairman, Muheeda Dankaka and 36 other members of the board. The members are Henry Ogbulogo (Abia), Salihu Bello (Adamawa), Dorah Daniel (Akwa-Ibom), Ibeabuchi Uche, (Anambra), Mohammed Tijjani, (Bauchi), Tonye Okio (Bayelsa) and Silas Macikpah (Benue).

Others were Abba Ali

Monguno (Borno), Nsor Atamgba (Cross River), Moses Anaughe (Delta), Tobias Chukuemeka (Ebonyi), Imuetinyan Festus (Edo), Sesan Fatoba (Ekiti), Ginika Tor (Enugu). Hamza Mohammed (Gombe), Diogu Uche, (Imo) and Lawan Ya’u Roni (Jigawa).

Also sworn in were Hadiza Muazu (Kaduna), Mohammed Na’iya (Kano), Lawal Garba (Katsina), Abubakar Atiku Bunu (Kebbi), Idris Bello (Kogi), Are Bolaji (Lagos), Nasir Isa Kwarra (Nasarawa), and Suleiman Barau (Niger).

Others were Abiodun Akinlade (Ogun), Olufemi Omosanya (Ondo), Adeoye Olalekan (Osun) Adeniyi Olowofela (Oyo), Stephen Jings (Plateau), Wokocha Augustine (Rivers), Abdullahi Tafida (Sokoto), Alhaji Armaya’u Abubakar (Taraba), Jibril Maigari (Yobe), Sani Garba (Zamfara) and Adamu Sidi-Ali (Federal Capital Territory) Two members of FCC sworn in were Dr. Jonah Madugu to represent Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa States and Dr. Fredrick Ekwem from Imo State to represent Imo and Abia States.

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Fitch: Nigeria’s Insurance Sector Growth Constrained by Widespread Poverty Obinna Chima Fitch Ratings, one of the global rating agencies, has identified the “low average earnings and widespread poverty” in Nigeria as some factors weighing on insurance affordability and the growth of the sector.

The rating agency stated this in its latest Nigeria Banking and Financial Services Report for the third quarter of 2020, which THISDAY obtained yesterday.

According to the agency, these factors have continued to limit the outlook for premium and even the more affluent middle-class consumers tend to avoid purchasing insurance, which also hampers the growth of compulsory basic insurance lines such as motor vehicle insurance.

“Nigeria's potential consumer base needs to

be educated more about the benefits of both life and non-life insurance coverage to support more robust growth in the sector,” the agency added.

It, however, predicted that with a market supported by the country's steady economy and large population, Nigeria's insurance sector will enjoy a period of growth and development over the medium and long term, albeit interrupted by a slower pace of growth in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We forecast premiums in the smaller, life insurance market to increase by a downwardly revised 4.8 per cent in 2020 to reach a level of N179.81 billion amid a weaker economic backdrop and higher inflation.

“We see strong growth in life premiums over the medium term to reach

N217.96 billion by 2024.

We forecast premiums in the larger non-life insurance market to increase by a revised 2.9 per cent rate in 2020 to reach a level of N248.85 billion.

“We expect this trend in growth trajectory to continue over the medium term with non-life premiums reaching N321.53 billion by 2024,” it stated.

According to Fitch, in spite of Nigeria's large population, only a small proportion purchases life insurance whose premium currently accounts for 41.9 per cent of the overall insurance spending in the country.

Low income and a lack of understanding of the benefits of life insurance remain the most important obstacles facing life insurers, it stated.

On the other hand, Fitch anticipated that Nigeria's non-life insurance market

was set for a strong performance over the medium term.

However, as is the case in most other countries where non-life insurance is at an early stage of development, Nigeria's motor vehicle and property insurance lines dominate the overall non-life segment, it added.

It said: “Nigeria's insurance market is highly fragmented in both the life and non-life segments, with just four companies holding over five per cent market share in the life sector and six within the non-life sector. The market is highly competitive and we expect this to continue as more foreign players capture more market share.

“The Nigerian insurance industry is structured around four types of players: insurers and reinsurers, insurance brokers, agents, and loss adjusters. Brokers

are thought to control about three-quarters of all insurance premiums in Nigeria.

“Specific segments that remain intensely competitive include investment products, life risk products, general insurance and health insurance (not medical scheme business). Currently, the industry consists of approximately 57 companies, compared with 140 registered insurers in 1994.”

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) last month extended the deadline issued to insurance companies to raise their minimum paid-up capital to September 2021. The recapitalisation deadline had earlier been fixed for December 31, 2020, which became not feasible following the economic disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Insurers now have up to

September 30, 2021, to fully recapitalise in a two-phased plan.

The commission had explained that the pandemic had made it difficult to proceed with the December 31, 2020 recapitalisation deadline, adding that a review of the recapitalisation timeline has become imperative in order to mitigate likely negative consequences of COVID-19 on the exercise.

The Director, Policy and Regulation, Mr. Pius Agboola, extended and segmented the recapitalisation process into two phases.

Insurance companies are requested to meet 50 per cent of their minimum paid-up capital for insurance and fully comply with the remaining 50 per cent approved minimum paidup capital not later than September 30, 2021.

say that they are sponsored and heavily funded?

“But like I said, it is not the duty of the military to uncover the sponsors.

Our duty is to remain in the frontline and defeat terrorism and other criminality and that is what we are doing."

However, while giving updates on ongoing military operations, he noted that “in the North-east, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) recorded commendable results in the past two weeks.

During the period under review, troops conducted several operations at various locations, which led to the neutralisation of terrorists, destruction of their equipment and structures as well as recovery of various items.

“Between 18 and 30 June 2020, the Air Task Force of OPLD conducted intensive

air strikes to mark the launching of its subsidiary Operation Long Reach along the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State following concerted intelligence surveillance reconnaissance missions.

“The air operations led to the destruction of a BHT tactical command centre housing some of their high-value leaders and neutralised several of their fighters at Garin Maloma and Yuwe villages.

Additionally, airstrikes conducted at Buka Korege, Bula Bello, Ngoske, Tongule, Bukar Meram and Warshale villages led to the destruction of several BHT locations and gun trucks while scores of fighters were effectively neutralised.”

In addition, the military chief stated that troops on operations in Borno State repelled terror attacks between June 24 and 25,

killing two of them and recovering two AK-47 rifles, two hand grenades, some ammunition, two rocket-propelled guns and unexploded ordnances.

“While the Armed Forces of Nigeria reinvigorates and intensifies her operational activities in the theatre in the North-east, it has not relented in its nonkinetic operations. These activities are evident in the civil-military cooperation activities provided at various quarters by the Nigerian military, including the continued provision of medical outreach to IDPs by the military. These activities led to improved civil-military relations, thereby enhancing the provision of information to security agencies, which resulted in the remarkable successes recorded in the recent past in the North-east zone,” he said.

In another development, the NWC of the PDP yesterday dissolved the South-west Zonal Caretaker Committee of the party and announced a new Caretaker Committee.

The National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said that the action of the NWC was pursuant to Sections 29 (2) (b) and 31(2)(e) of the PDP Constitution 2017 as amended.

The newly constituted South-west Zonal Caretaker Committee has Mr. Dayo Ogungbenro as Chairman and Hon. Daisi Akinniran as Secretary.

Other members of the Committee are Chief Taiwo Kuye, Chief Adeola Ogunrinde, Mrs. Oyebola Awolowo, Prince Nekan Olagbegi, Mrs. Funmi Oguns and Hon. Owokoniran Wahab.

According to the party, the new Caretaker Committee is to pilot the affairs of the party in the South-west Zone for a period not exceeding three months (90) days as prescribed by section 32(2)(e) of the PDP Constitution pending the conduct of elective zonal congress.

The NWC enjoined all

leaders and members of the party in the South-west zone to continue to work together in harmony especially as the party joins forces with the people of Ondo State for a successful governorship election in September.

MILITARY TARGETS BOKO HARAM SPONSORS The 10-year-long insurgency is believed to have lasted this long due to financial and logistical supports offered to Boko Haram and other terror franchisees by sponsors from within and outside the country.

There have been allegations that some stakeholders in the war have turned it to a booming business thus making it difficult to end the hostilities.

Briefing journalists yesterday in Abuja, Coordinator of Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj-Gen. John Enenche, said intelligence agencies had launched a manhunt for sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria and other foreign collaborators.

Eneche said even though the military was aware that the groups were being sponsored, it would not

shirk in its duty to defeat the terrorists, adding that its priority is not to uncover their source of funding or sponsorship.

He said that it is the duty of the NIA and the DSS to find out and disclose the identities of those sponsoring the terrorists and other criminal gangs in the country.

"Our focus has been on arresting them and handing them over to intelligence agencies. We provide kinetic support.

"For sponsors, I would not say much because that is being handled at a higher level. Logical intelligence shows there are sponsors but that is beyond the military," he explained.

Enenche stated that collaboration between the military and other security agencies would ensure the capture of terror sponsors.

"We don't know their

sponsors. If it is possible, we will know. It is for the NIA and DSS. For us, the military, we are concerned with the trenches and frontlines.

"But however long it takes, I know we will get them. I know there are intelligence processes that are ongoing to track them down," he added.

Responding to a question on why the military had not flushed out insurgents from Sambisa Forest, Enenche said: "The collaborators, a good number of them, are our people. That is how they will remain until they are mopped up. It is just like saying when will all diseases be eradicated?

"The kind of weapons these terrorists are using like the gun truck and other sophisticated weapons are expensive, and how much are they stealing to procure those arms that we have to

IN PEACE DRIVE, APC CARETAKERS MEET TINUBU, AKANDE, OTHERS

Council Meanwhile, Ganduje has been appointed by the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the APC to chair the party’s National Campaign Council for the Edo State governorship election.

Former national chairmen of the party, Chief John Oyegun and Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, are also members of the committee.

The spokesman of the caretaker committee, Mr. Yekini Nabena, in a statement yesterday said the appointment followed the approval for the constitution of a National Campaign Council for the September 19 election by the chairman of the committee, Buni.

He added that Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, will serve as deputy chairman, while Hon. Abbas Braimoh will be the secretary.

Nabena added that the council would be inaugurated on Monday at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja.

Other members of the committee are Deputy Senate President, Senator

Ovie Omo-Agege; Mr. Inuwa Yahaya; Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Sen. Aliyu Wamakko; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Senate Whip, Senator Orji Kalu; former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha; Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva; the former deputy governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu; Senator Degi Biobarakuma and former governor of Edo State, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor.

Ajulo Demands Amendment of APC Constitution In another development, a member of the APC, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, has demanded an amendment to the constitution of the ruling party, and also called for an administrative tribunal should be set up to hear and determine any grievance of any aggrieved member of the party.

The constitutional lawyer, who was recently appointed as the Secretary of the Appeal

Committee for Edo State governorship primary election said it was unfair to castigate members of the party for venting their grievances in a court of competent jurisdiction where there is no adequate provision and procedures in the party’s constitution.

Ajulo, in a letter, dated July 1, 2020, addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari; the party’s National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu; and the Chairman, APC Caretaker Committee, Buni, reminded the party of the harms that are caused when meritorious claims go unaddressed due to systematic inequalities or lack of adequate mechanisms for members of the party to vent their grievances.

The letter, which was made available to journalists pointed out that there are no constitutional mechanisms to guide the modality for venting grievances by any aggrieved aspirants in the party.

PDP Screens Ondo Deputy Gov, Eight Others The PDP yesterday screened eight other aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket for Ondo

State governorship election.

The National Working Committee (NWC) also dissolved the South-west Zonal Caretaker Committee of the party and announced a new Caretaker Committee.

The other PDP aspirants screened are Chief Eddy Olafeso, who until recently was the Deputy National Vice Chairman in the South-west; Chief Bamidele Akingboye; Prince Godday Erewa; Chief Olusola Ebiseni; Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), who flew the party’s flag in 2016; Mr. Adebanji Benjamin; Dr. Bode Ayorinde and Senator Kunlere Boluwaje.

The PDP screening, which commenced yesterday afternoon, was concluded around 9.30 pm.

The committee is expected to submit its report to the NWC before it is made public.

Other members of the screening committee are Senator Zainab Kure, Hon. Fred Agbedi and Mr. Ndubuisi Agwuama and Rev. Bunmi Jenyo, who is the secretary.

PDP Dissolves Southwest Zonal Caretaker Committee

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FRIDAY JULY 3, 2020 • T H I S D AY

SOUTH KOREA SHARES ITS COVID-19 ELECTION MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE WITH INEC

Amb. Lee In-Tae signs the visitors’ book at INEC

Amb. Lee In-Tae discusses with Prof.Yakubu

The Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E Lee In-Tae (Rtd. Maj. Gen.) on Wednesday July 1, met with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to share Korea’s experience on election management in times of COVID-19 and discuss ways of providing practical support for the upcoming Edo and Ondo states 2020 governoship elections in Nigeria The envoy disclosed that along with facial masks, a brochure on ‘Responding to COVID-19’ was specially designed and distributed to INEC in order to provide a clear picture of Korea’s successful factors on the general elections.

“Nigeria is considered one of the strongest democracies in Africa, and under your leadership, I believe that Nigeria’s voting system has been growing strong and stable,” Mr. Lee In-Tae commented during the meeting with the Chairman of the INEC. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the Republic of Korea successfully held its 21st general elections on April 15. Being one of the first countries to hold national elections during the pandemic, many countries showed great interest in Korea’s election management policy and a number of foreign media covered the country’s elections. The overall turnout stood at 66.2 per cent, recording the highest in 28 years with over 29 million voters at the polling place.

The election successfully ended leaving zero cases of suspected or new infections of COVID-19, derived by the election.

Referring to the guidelines on COVID-19 prevention measures, the 21st general elections was held under strict and systematic voting procedures, handled by the National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea to block and prevent the spread of COVID-19 through mutual cooperation with related

Amb. Lee In-Tae explains Korea’s election methods with the displayed election equipment

Group photo with the staff of INEC

agencies such as, the Korea Centres for Disease Control (KCDC) and the Ministry of Interior and Safety(MOIS).

The NEC set out various measures, including the establishment of voting and counting procedures, disinfection of polling stations and ensuring the suffrage of persons in quarantine or those with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Wearing masks and disposable gloves, using hand sanitizers and getting a temperature check was obligatory at polling stations. Also, various stickers and collapsible belts were used to guide voters to keep distance of at least one metre from each other.

Last but not least, separate polling stations were established for voters with symptoms or high temperature for precautionary measures.

Voters with a temperature higher than 37.5°C received a special envelope for the ballot and voted in a temporary polling station. After voting, if the voters had any symptoms, they were guided to contact the public health centre for next steps. For confirmed COVID-19 patients, they were eligible to vote from home or visit special polling stations installed at facilities where COVID-19 patients were isolated.

Quarantined voters were able to vote after the closing of general voting at 6:00pm, at a temporary polling booth installed in a well ventilated location.

These people were temporarily allowed outside from 5:20pm to 7:00pm, to allow themselves to vote and immediately return back to their residences afterwards.

During all these processes, staff were also requested to strictly follow the precautionary guidelines. All staff were to wear masks and gloves at all times and make sure that the total number of voters waiting inside the polling station was limited in order to

Amb. Lee In-Tae holding a commemorative plaque of INEC

maintain social distance. Unnecessary conversation was minimized and election equipment including polling booths, marking devices and ballot boxes were disinfected on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, overseas voting was held at Korean diplomatic missions worldwide and over 40,000 Korean expatriates had voted from abroad. Strictly complying with the safety regulations, Koreans residing in Nigeria voted from April 1-3, 2020 at the Embassy of Korea.

Thus, to protect the people’s right to vote, the election was expanded into five different methods to make voting more accessible. First, home voting (March 24-28) was provided for people who were unable to move freely. This enabled them to vote at the place they were residing. Then, overseas voters or sailors on board vessels had the chance to do overseas voting (April 1-6) or shipboard voting (April 7-10). Early voting (April 10-11) was provided for voters not able to vote on the election day. A total of 3,508 early polling stations were set up across the country, and could be accessed without prior registration. Finally, on the election day voting (April 15), a total of 14,330 polling stations were installed and operated from 6:00am to 6:00pm.

“The success of Korea’s elections was possible because the Korean people trusted and voluntarily followed the guidelines provided by the government,” Mr. Lee In-Tae declared, adding “Voting procedures were informed in advance so that people will feel safe to vote, and Korean authorities continued to provide upto-date information transparently so that the people will trust the government”.

Winding up the meeting, the Ambassador concluded by expressing his hope to continue close and friendly relationship in the future with the INEC.

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍąËœ 2020

COMMENT

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

THE GROWING ABUSE OF THE ELDERLY Theodore Ihenetu argues the need to give more attention to the elderly in society

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ccording to World Health Organization (WHO), elder abuse is defined as “a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person�. The abuse of the elderly is either an act of commission or omission and can be described as abusive, neglectful or exploitative either intentionally or unintentionally but in most cases result in unnecessary suffering, injury and pain, loss or violation of human rights and a decreased quality of life for the elderly person. It can be of various forms – physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, financial exploitation, deprivation, cultural, structural and institutional or can simply reflect intentional or unintentional neglect. It equally has different ways for which it is perpetrated depending on the circumstance and background of the elderly involved, but in all forms of the experience, they all have elements of neglect which consists of abandonment, isolation and social exclusion which is common today due to the declining role played by the social support from the family and the society.

Aging is a natural process and the right to live in dignity free from all forms of abuse and exploitation are all that are required from the society. The isolated lonely life triggered probably by illness makes the elderly vulnerable as targets for fraudulent schemes and violent crimes. It is not a crime to grow old, in fact it is a privilege with the life expectancy of Nigerians put at 49 years for men and 53 years for women. Until now, the level of awareness on the plight of elderly persons in Nigeria is very low yet history about the development of Nigeria can never be complete without mentioning the contributions of the elderly persons. Despite this they are the most abused in the society by the immediate family members, trusted caregivers and different governments in Nigeria through neglect and abandonment.

Abuses experienced by the elderly include human degradation of which issues of deprivation of human dignity/rights, pension allowances and gratuities are inclusive; they are made objects for welfare and a burden on the family. They are marginalized when it comes to the distribution of the common national heritage and entitlements.

Besides, there are inadequate laws to protect them.

When these abuses are weighed in line with the rights of the elderly which include but not limited to the right to respect and protection by the government against all forms of deprivation and abuse, right to be seen as people with preferences and prejudices. We notice that denial

AGING IS A NATURAL PROCESS AND THE RIGHT TO LIVE IN DIGNITY FREE FROM ALL FORMS OF ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION ARE ALL THAT ARE REQUIRED FROM THE SOCIETY

of their rights is a form of abuse and this hinders the achievement of their optimal potential. There is therefore the need to direct the attention of the society and the government to the phenomenon of elder abuse, especially on the occasion of this year’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day celebrated on 15th June, 2020.

In Nigeria, the issue of elder abuse has not been adequately addressed because it was not recognized as a serious matter. The acts of abuse are usually regarded as normal behavior in the society as it was being perpetrated by the same institutions, agencies, organization, faith communities and individuals that were supposed to fight against it. As a result of this, there has been a ‘dead’ silence on the issue of abuse of the elderly and due to ineffective implementation of laws protecting the abused or because some abusers are presupposed to be above the law. This in turn makes the abused to continue to suffer in silence.

Alleviating and defending the rights of the elderly can be achieved if these few steps can be taken: provision of basic and essential needs of the elderly such as food, adequate housing, healthcare, security, love and access to income in old age especially prompt payment of pensions as at when due; formulation and implementation of policies with proper resource allocation should be made for the elderly wellbeing by government; deliberate and concerted effort to educate and change the attitudes of individuals and the society to the special needs and challenges of the elderly should be made using the media as a tool; bringing in of some elderly persons in policy discussions committees so they express their feelings, and how to address the issues. Changing attitudes and behavior of people is a fundamental preventive strategy; this can be achieved through public enlightenment programs and regular talks such as seminars in schools, public and private establishments, radio and television programs, etc.

Prevention starts with awareness; an important aspect of awareness is training those saddled with the responsibilities of providing professional healthcare and social services both in the community and in institutional settings and we appeal that advocacy groups should join hands with Raphe Adultcare Center to achieve these and seriously fight for attitudinal change especially among the youth. These groups should also enlighten the society on the consequences of the breakdown of the family support system.

Rev. Fr. Ihenetu is Director, Raphe Adultcare Center, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

CAN THIS PLAN HELP NIGERIA?

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t is quite notable that in the welter of the crisis that has engulfed his party, Professor Yemi Osinbajo managed to stay aloof and concentrate on his work as the nation’s chief economic technocrat. While Bola Tinubu, Adams Oshiomohole, Dr. Femi Kayode and other APC chieftains spent the last six months scheming for soul of the governing party and how to position themselves for 2023, the Vice President was hard at work hammering out an economic emergency plan for the country. Dubbed National Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP), the initiative was unveiled mid-June and approved by FEC a few days after. The NESP is developed as a 12-month, N2.3 Trillion a ‘Transit’ Plan between the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) which expires this December and the successor plan to the ERGP, which is currently in development. I commend the Vice President for the thoroughness, comprehensiveness and detailed articulation of the Plan. I can only hope that its implementation will receive the same level of care.

The NESP has eight key intervention priority areas: Cultivation of 20,000 ha – 100,000 ha of new farm land; public works and road construction program; mass housing program to deliver 300,000 homes every year; solar electricity for five million households and support for the informal sector.

Others are business support for MSMES and expansion of the Social Investment Program. The federal government is proposing to pump N2.3 trillion into these focal areas in the next one year in order to minimize the extent of our plunge into recession. The NESP seeks to achieve the following key objectives: stimulate the economy by preventing business collapse and ensuring liquidity; retain and create jobs in labour-intensive areas like agriculture, housing development, public works, etc., and investing heavily in infrastructure.

The plan will be funded as follows: N500 billion from Special FGN Accounts; N1.1 trillion from the CBN in the form of structured lending; N334 billion from external bilateral/multilateral sources and N302.9 billion from other funding sources.

In terms of local content and domestic production, the plan promotes local production of goods and services, local innovation, and the use of local

materials, in line with the Mandate of Presidential Executive Order 5 of 2017, on the Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts and Science, Engineering and Technology, and also based on President Buhari’s mantra to “produce what we eat and consume what we produce.� It ensures liquidity, prevents business collapse, and staves off the worst impact of a potential recession. The NESP recommends labour-intensive programmes in key areas like housing, roads, agriculture, facility maintenance, and direct labour interventions – all heavily utilizing local materials. In addition, the NESP will also extend protection to vulnerable groups, including women and persons living with disabilities. It recognizes the need to cater to the sectors of the economy that have been worst hit by the pandemic.

On agriculture, the plan recommends Mass Agricultural Programme (MAP) which intends to ensure the cultivation of between 20,000 hectares and 100,000 hectares of new farmland in every state, as well as supports agro-processing, with lowinterest credits. This will create millions of direct and indirect jobs, in addition to boosting food supply. A minimum of 1,000 young Nigerians will be recruited in each local government into what will be the largest public works programme in the history of Nigeria. This will amount to 774,000 direct jobs. It is therefore important that the altercations between the Labour Ministry and the National Assembly on this programme be halted immediately. Nigerians are anxiously waiting for the take-off of this scheme.

There will also be extensive focus on the construction and repair of major and rural roads using locally available materials like limestone, cement and granite. The roads component will include the acceleration and expansion of scope of the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme (RITCS). There is also the Mass Housing Programme (MHP) that will deliver up to 300,000 homes every year. Young professionals and artisans will organize themselves into small and medium scale co-operative businesses within the construction industry to develop these houses, which will be based on a set of standardized designs. This programme will also prioritize the use of local labour and materials. Doors, windows and other materials will be produced, finished or assembled at mass housing construction sites. There

will also be Installation of Solar Home System (SHS) which targets five million households, serving about 25 million individual Nigerians who are currently not connected to the National Grid. Solar equipment manufacturers will be required to set up production facilities in Nigeria to provide the materials required.

Another important component of this Plan is investments in healthcare infrastructure. This will be done through a special intervention fund, as well as by tapping into an existing World Bank facility (REDISSE Programme), to support COVID-19 interventions in the states. The informal sector, which is the largest component of the Nigerian economy, is receiving a special attention in the plan. Support to this sector will take the form of low-interest loans, and the easing of procedures for registration, licensing, obtaining permits, etc.

Mechanics, tailors, artisans, petty traders and all other informal business people will be supported to grow their businesses.

Business support for MSMEs will comprise payroll support to designated sectors so that they can keep their employees and help maintain jobs; and also loan restructuring and moratorium for existing debt. Also, low-interest loans to boost local manufacturing and production across critical sectors, including but not limited to the pharmaceutical, aviation, hotels and the hospitality industry, private schools, road transportation, technology companies, and the creative industry, amongst others. A Guaranteed Off-take Scheme for MSMEs will function by making government a key purchaser of specific priority products made by MSMEs, like PPE, face masks, face-shields, processed food, pharmaceuticals, etc.

Underpinning the implementation of the NESP will be a focus on digital identification of every Nigerian. It is imperative that every Nigerian has a unique digital identity. The Public Works Programmes for example will, apart from the focus on providing employment, also help advance the financial inclusion and digital identification agenda.

Broadband connectivity will also receive a boost, helping to create jobs and opportunities especially for young people. Also, a national programme will be launched to identify and create job opportunities in digital outsourcing.

Very important also is the expansion of the national social investment programmes. NESP envisages an increase in the number of cash transfer beneficiaries, N-Power volunteers and sundry traders enjoying small and micro loans through the MarketMoni and TraderMoni schemes. The pre-existing conditional cash transfer will also be extended to cover a larger number of extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

Cost reduction is also covered by the NESP. It is notable that the President has already approved the implementation of the Report on the Rationalization of government agencies (The Orosanya Report).

The NESP will also target a reduction in average production costs of crude oil. Also, the Integrated Personnel and Payment Information System (IPPIS) will be expanded to cover all federal government MDAs. Non-critical and administrative capital spending will be eliminated, including purchase of vehicles (except for ambulances, fire-fighting vehicles and other essentials). The government should further implement radical and far-reaching measures like a constitutional amendment that will eliminate one chamber of the National Assembly.

The NESP offers opportunities for state governments to collaborate with the federal government on Affordable Mass Housing, Agriculture, Off-Grid Power Projects and other projects in the Plan. It also provides for the negotiation of suspension of ISPO payments by states, moratorium on deductions in respect of bailout loans, and encourages states to attain the conditions outlined by SIFTAS and other World Bank programmes, in order to access external support.

This is one of our most well-designed economic agenda in recent years. If it is well executed and funded, the NESP will cushion the nation against another recession and set us on the path of growth. Prof Osinbajo has shown a full grasp of the macroeconomic issues in designing this plan, and it is also to his credit that he worked with a cross section of relevant stakeholders. It is therefore fitting that it is the Economic Sustainability Committee which designed the NESP that will also monitor implementation of the Plan while the Vice President will regularly brief the President on progress made.

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2020

EDITORIAL ENDING THE VIOLENCE IN THE NORTH President Buhari must do more to secure the country

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espite the repeated claims by the military that Boko Haram has been degraded, the dreaded terror group has continued to unleash a reign of terror on lives and property in the North-east.

The increasing wave of bloody violence, particularly in Borno State, heightened within one week in June, where 17 attacks were reportedly carried out, most of which were fatal. For instance, Boko Haram killed 81 in Faduma Kolomdi in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State on 9th June and barely four days later, the extremist Islamic group launched another attack, killing 29. Last March, 29 soldiers were killed by the insurgents in a single attack. As a result of the deteriorating security situation, even the hitherto supportive Northern Elders Forum (NEF) led by Professor Ango Abdulahi came out recently to accuse the president of not doing enough to safeguard lives and property.

Indeed, that the security situation is getting out of hands is perhaps an understatement.

WE TASK PRESIDENT BUHARI TO DEMONSTRATE According to many reports, Boko Haram HIS COMMITMENT TO insurgents have killed SECURITY MATTERS no fewer than 40,000

BY PUTTING IN PLACE Nigerians since 2009 MEASURES THAT WILL while 2.4 million RESTORE CONFIDENCE other citizens have OF NIGERIANS THAT THEY been displaced. Sadly, ARE INDEED SAFE most of them can no longer reunite with their families.

Meanwhile, the activities of the terror group have brought Nigeria into a group of extreme countries as it was ranked 12th on Open Doors World Watch List 2020 released recently. Nigeria was ranked among “extreme” countries where there is the highest level of religious intolerance, and where many are exposed to unnecessary deaths.

Nigeria, as highlighted by the group, was in the same league with Syria (11th); Saudi Arabia (13th); Iraq

(15th); Egypt (16th) and Sri Lanka (30th). The development generated concerns in the United Kingdom as a group of over 100 British parliamentarians from different political parties from both the House of Lords and the House of Commons on the platform of AllParty Parliamentary Groups (APPG) on International Religious Freedom or Belief on June 16, said it was worrisome that Nigeria, a Commonwealth country, could be ranked among “extreme” countries. The group, in a 56-page report, decried the level of killings in Nigeria without any appropriate response from the authorities.

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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 DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA

s the reign of terror continues unabated in the North-east, bandits have also continued to unleash mayhem in the North-west where herdsmen are killing, raping and maiming innocent people. Last month, bandits hacked over 70 citizens to death in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, while scores of others were killed in Southern Kaduna and their communities burnt. To underscore the unbearable level of killings and destructions being meted to Nigerians in various parts of the country, Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, has become a protest ground in recent times. Last week, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) organised a massive protest and threatened to mobilise yet more protesters to carry out rallies over insecurity across Northern Nigeria.

As things stand, it is not enough for the president to threaten security chiefs as he did during a recent security council meeting. The real news is that the president acknowledged the failure of the service chiefs, yet still refused to do what is needed. He must yield to popular demand to relieve the security chiefs of their duties and inject fresh blood into the armed forces. We therefore task President Buhari to demonstrate his commitment to security matters by putting in place measures that will restore confidence of Nigerians that they are indeed safe. Without that, faith in our democracy and commitment to core national values will be permanently jeopardised by the state of insecurity.

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Letters to the Editor

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Can CP Salami Be Fair?

M

r Bolaji Salami is the Ondo State Commissioner of Police who was seen in a viral video preventing the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon Agboola Ajayi, from moving his personal belongings out of the government house.

The deputy governor didn’t stop asking the CP if he was a police officer or a member of a political party in the video. As if that was not enough, Mr Bolaji also withdrew his police escort for days.

You won’t discern why Bolaji Salami prevented Agboola Ajayi from moving his personal belongings out of the government house if you’ve not been following the long-time face-off between the State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and Ajayi which would later serve as the reason why the deputy governor left the All Progressives Congress, APC, which under the platform the duo was elected, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Instead of Mr Salami as the Commissioner of Police to conciliate using the worldwide police integrity of justice, fairness and honesty, he took side which presented him to be partisan.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have affronted Agboola when he wanted to move his personal belongings

out of the government house nor would he have withdrawn his police escorts. CP Salami must not feign ignorance of the danger of withdrawing police security details of a deputy governor in a country like Nigeria that is facing insecurity challenges. He went ahead to put his life as well as that of his family and staff in danger.

However, judging by Ajayi’s partisanship, it is uncertain that he would be fair and honest to the opposition parties in the forthcoming Ondo State’s gubernatorial election, slated for 10th October 2020. Of course, using police officers and other law enforcers to rig elections and scare electorate is not a recent phenomenon in Nigeria’s politics. It has been one of the tools Nigerian political actors for a long time.

Thanks to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, for his timely intervention of ordering CP Ajayi Salami, to restore the security details of the deputy governor. However, this is a call to the IGP to as a matter of urgency swap or supplant CP Salami with another state’s commissioner of police so as to prevent the uncertainty which might rear its head from the CP end in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State.

Aremu Lukman Umor, Lagos

University Education And Covid-19

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hereas the dire outlook of the COVID-19 pandemic should be treated as an impending national emergency knowing that Nigeria is lagging in the international efforts to develop an effective vaccine against this infection, and knowing also that the awuf route of eventual cheap vaccine importation to be subsidised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is all but shut, the federal government of Nigeria considers it at the present time a “smart move” to rubbish the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by “virtaulising” university education with inducements, threats, and coercion to striking lecturers.

ASUU’s demand are basically “contra-virtualisation:” adequate classrooms, equipped laboratory spaces, enough and airy office spaces for university instructors, vistas for

practical demonstrations for students, etc. All these require funding injection into the university system at a cost that would be relatively miniscule in relation to the national budget. But, no, the government is having none of it. Why is this so? Now, the federal government thinks the best way to circumvent ASUU’s demands is to inaugurate “online teaching” in full gear and throttle, recruit compliant hands through the flawed IPPIS platform, and bamboozle the general public that “all is well” with tertiary education. As I recall, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president, has sent four of his brood to universities in England to complete their tertiary education since he was sworn in as the head honcho to continue to fix all sectors of our national life, including tertiary education. Talk of a “massesloving man of spartan disposition.”

Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JULY 3, 2020

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Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

POLITICS

Email: nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

Can Ize-Iyamu Avenge Obaseki’s 2016 Defeat?

Nosa Osakpomwan, a political analyst who writes from Benin City tips the All Progressives governorship candidate in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to defeat Governor Godwin Obaseki by a slim margin in the impending governorship contest

B

etween 2016 and 2020, a lot has taken place in the murky waters of politics in Edo State. The changes are so dramatic that some of the gladiators are going under or may have their political career eclipsed.

Among the victims of the sudden change in the political clime of the state is the former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who lost in a battle initiated by Governor Godwin Obaseki, his estranged political godson. Even though he has lost the leadership of the APC, which he would have used to demolish Obaseki’s political structure, He is still a major decider of the winner or loser of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

The woes of Oshiomhole and followers could, however, be compounded in September if the APC does not deliver its candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in the Edo governorship election.

For the humiliated Oshiomhole and other Edo APC chieftains, victory in the election is sacrosanct and iIf Obaseki is re-elected, it would be a double humiliation for them.

It would be recalled that Oshiomhole and his die-hard supporters helped the incumbent Obaseki to succeed him as a governor in 2016 against all the odds. That fierce contest was between Ize-Iyamu and Obaseki on the platforms of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APC respectively.

Oshiomhole and Obaseki fell apart, fought for the control of APC in Edo State and then Oshiomhole got suspended at his ward, apparently through Obaseki’s prompting, which led to his eventual sack from office as the APC chairman by the court and the party leadership.

Both Obaseki and Ize-Iyamu went through a tough time to secure the governorship candidacies of the two major political parties in Nigeria. The two men even had to switch party, dramatically Ize-Iyamu moved from the PDP to APC, while Obaseki left APC for the PDP. In 2016, supporters of APC rooted for Ize-Iyamu before Oshiomhole turned the table against him, despite the fact that IzeIyamu led his 2012 re-election campaign.

Obaseki was considered an outsider in the APC but was recruited into Oshiomhole’s administration as a technocrat from the banking sector.

Obaseki, who was once a darling, has become Oshiomhole’s worst political enemy. He was eventually disqualified from contesting in the APC governorship primary, thereby forcing him to defect to the PDP. Already exhausted Obaseki, after his battle with Oshiomhole and the APC, entered the PDP, only for him to encounter another challenge – the uncertainty about him getting the PDP governorship ticket – with some of the aspirants who were already in the party before him vowing that they would not step down for him.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State who initially backed Obaseki’s defection to the PDP, angrily pulled out of the process, accused other PDP leaders of trying to blackmail him because of Obaseki. He labelled the unnamed PDP leaders as “tax collectors”. Wike said that he was no longer interested in getting the Edo governor to secure the PDP ticket for his re-election.

However, the spokesman of Obaseki, Crusoe Osagie, reaffirmed that the governor did not pay any money to anybody in the PDP. The PDP had in the past described Obaseki’s educational certificates as being fake.

“He claimed that he entered the uni-

versity the year he left secondary school.

How could he have gained admission with such result? The result was not even good enough for any form of preliminary

studies.

“This can only mean that Obaseki forged the certificates to gain admission. It is obvious that the man has no academic

The Odu that I Know

Bayo Ojo, a former Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice eulogizes Ambassador Arthur Mbanefo, Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations on his 90th birthday

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erhaps there is no better time than on the occasion of his 90th birthday to pay tribute to a man who has become a legendary tributary that has watered and nurtured the blossoming destinies of many young people and touched countless lives in very impactful ways - His Excellency, Ambassador (Chief) Arthur Christopher Izuegbunam Mbanefo, MFR, CON, FCA, Odu of Onitsha.

The Odu that I Know and whom I am very proud to be associated with is someone from whom I have derived much inspiration and mentorship. Perhaps, it could be safely said that there are very few men of his generation who not only made great impact in building and developing the Accountancy profession in Nigeria but also in building the nation’s economy and in shaping and influencing public policy and political directions of this era. He is so regarded on account of his admirable personal attributes of character nobility and refinement; unalloyed commitment and passion for the public good; forthrightness, integrity and courage of conviction. He is by every standard, one of the most respected and regarded public figures of his generation on the nation’s socio-economic and political canvass. Odu’s essence, is perhaps one that symbolizes the greatest measure of commitment to patriotic ideals, loyalty and commitment to the Nigerian dream and the good of mankind in general.

For me, I consider the values he espouses and his personal legacies as worthy reference and inspirational model of the highest ideals and impeccable service to his community, the country and the society in general; which should serve as a veritable guide and inspiration to this generation and the ones to come in living a life of positive impact that is steeped in uncompromising and deep-seated love for the good of the country and advancement of the society.

Odu is a genial and jolly good fellow, a brilliant and greatly resourceful Nigerian statesman who excelled in the corporate world as a boardroom guru, in the political space and as a public intellectual whose philosophy and values border largely on a deep passion for the pursuit of an egalitarian Nigerian society, social order and wellbeing, human dignity and national integration.

The Odu that I know, is a recipient of the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR), Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), Commander of the Order of Merit, Republic of Italy and a Grand Officer, National Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil and Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. The Odu of Onitsha and Oluwo Adimula of Ile-Ife, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW), past president, gold medallist and fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He is a renowned Chartered Accountant who has served on the boards of many publicly quoted bluechip companies in Nigeria. Odu holds the uncommon record of serving Nigeria for an unbroken period of nine years as a former pro-chancellor of my alma mater, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU), and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU). He is the proprietor of the Arthur Mbanefo Charitable Foundation that donated the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre to the University of Lagos.

-Chief Bayo Ojo SAN, CON, FCIArb, FNIALS, is Former Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

qualifications as he had only three credits,” Mr Dan Orbih of the PDP had said.

However, the APC, which defended Obaseki’s certificates in 2016, latter deployed the same controversy to disqualify him in 2020, and the PDP, which started the controversy, made him its governorship candidate for the forthcoming September election.

“If you remember, Pastor Ize-Iyamu was the DG (director-general of my campaign organisation) in 2012, (my) second term,” Oshiomhole proudly said in December 2019 after a rally to welcome him back to APC. “I won in all the 18 local government areas, I won all the wards in Edo South. I scored 74.6 per cent in the total votes cast.

In 2016, the man left us and stood against us, we only managed to defeat him with about 50,000 votes.

“So, if he is bringing on board as he has done, that his goodwill, his energy, his resourcefulness, and his own electoral base to join the APC, I am much more confident now about APC continuous hold on the governance of this state than ever before,” Oshiomhole said.

On the part of the PDP, the last of the three governorship aspirants to step down for Obaseki was Kenneth Imasuagbon, a legal practitioner who said he used the past 16 years to work on his ambition to “serve” the Edo people and it would amount to a political coup if Obaseki is given a waiver.

Imasuagbon said before the party primary, “If there is anyone who should step down for the other, it is Obaseki.”

Imasuagbon eventually stepped down at the venue of the primary saying “Obaseki is a performing governor, he has worked hard for the state, he was distracted by the godfathers while he was in APC.” The Chances Of Obaseki And IzeIyamu The sacking of Oshiomhole as APC chairman could be tagged an advantage for Obaseki but this could propel Oshiomhole to fight with all his might and with everything he could possibly deploy to his advantage in the election.

Also, incumbency factor could work for Obaseki, but Ize-Iyamu would be anticipating the ‘federal might’ based on the ruling party.

Another big factor for Ize-Iyamu is PDP chieftain in Edo, and former spokesman to the party’s 2019 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Prince Kassim Afegbua, who vowed to support Pastor Ize-Iyamu against Obaseki who he said the PDP had branded a failure only to come round to appoint him as the leader of the party in the state.

Peeved by Obaseki’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, he explained how the governor who while in APC accused party faithful of corruption but allegedly came to the PDP with money bags to get waivers “We will join hands collectively with the APC candidate to ensure that Godwin Obaseki does not return. I am a PDP member, but I will vote APC. A man with the humility of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is better than a governor who fights everyone who disagrees with him.

“Edo has become too polarised over avoidable and needless battles. Let us have a new leadership that will usher in quietness and peace to everyone. The noises from the Obaseki aspiration have become too polluted and cannot be in the best interest of anyone,” Afegbua said.

Afegbua who backed Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama for the governorship ticket said that he (Ogbeide-Ihama) ought to have stuck to his guns by running in the primaries.

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

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JULY 3, 2020

17

PERSPECTIVE VIEW FROM

AMERICA

chido@usafricaonline.com@Chido247

EPISTLES of ANTHONY KILA

Pastor Oyakhilome’s Tinubu Should Note Evangelism, Racism and 5G Sukumus Riranmus Chido Nwangwu, Founder and Publisher of the first African- Anthony Kila disagrees with the notion canvassed by a former owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline. Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu that Senator Abiola com, deconstructs recent statements on global issues by Ajimobi who passed on recently was the best governor of Oyo State leading preacher, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome ear Asiwaju Bola Ahmed

T

he man’s contradictory and controversial statements, especially with due regard to his revered position as a Witness for Christ, are increasingly sounding like the Tower of Babel: discordant, cacophonous, confusing and confused!

Secondly, I believe that any realistic and responsible assessments of the latest dives into public policy and civil rights issues by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy Church are troubling. That is, putting it politely.

Third, it is as clear as the Texas sky that, unwittingly but sadly, I think the man is bent on establishing residence in the makeshift city of hypocrisy and lies; the city where discredited right-wing fiction and fabulistic nonsense are spread; and flourish….

Here’s the latest, toxic example — from only three days ago, last weekend of June 2020.

To the stinging amazement of the longsuffering and discriminated against Blacks, Pastor Oyakhilome falsely claimed the current worldwide protests against the killing of George Floyd by police officers in the U.S. “It’s not about the guy that died; it’s not about ‘Black Lives Matter’, It’s part of the game. They want to come in with the alternative method for security – total control with microchips. That’s what it’s about….

Look at the people rampaging on the streets – they are not black people… It is not about racism…. Wearing face masks is dangerous for your health. How can we know this and prescribe it? I have told you of the dangers of social distancing. It’s inhuman… There is no science behind it.”

Fourth, to be sure, permit me to repeat the obvious: it’s all about 400 years of Racism!

And Police killing Black boys as if they are children of a lesser God!!

Hence, the Pastor, like many others in Nigeria, speak in Trumpian convoluted and misguided distortion of the historical mission and civil rights trans-generational achievements of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Fifth, contrary to Pastor Chris’ claims, The Black Lives Matter movement cannot be said to be fighting for the implanting of chips RFDs into human bodies so that the security agencies can monitor the movement of every person or group of people.

It would have been funny were it not so revealing and serious. The fact is the Black Lives Matter movement is fighting and protesting against such Police State monitoring!!

No amount of spin can alter the fact that the Black Lives Matter movement created a juggernaut across multi-racial groups in the United States and around the world;

more than any other person has done and more than any organization has shown the capacity!.

Sixth, the Nigerian-born religionist and businessman, born December 7, 1963, became globally notorious for arguing and preaching that Coronavirus and related viruses (biological) were generated from the telephony towers of ultra-fast devices (wireless) radiation. I think it’s the maddening equivalence of yelling at the village square that your radio caused you diabetes!

With neither science nor the Bible offering him any validation of his first, major conspiracy theories, released via his April 5, 2020 video, Oyakhilome piously but misleadingly claimed 5G was the effort of unnamed “powerful forces” to build a “new world order”. and to “create the Antichrist and go after the church of Jesus Christ.”

Seventh, without mincing words, increasingly and before our own eyes, we have witnessed and continue to see the sad spectacle of what I will call a pastoral self immolation! But I ask: who from his circle of close friends or within the congregation can muster the courage to tell the telegenic and gifted speaker the honest truth?

Eight, as a student of power, social communications and political economy, it is my position that you should not fund the preachers and politicos who sing songs of anti-science and ideological backwardness . Those; singers of swine gospels of deceit and minimization of our people and our heritage. Mindlessly, they parrot the toxic agenda of white supremacists moonshine!

Finally, I am sure you’re asking the same question that I’m wondering: Why would any Nigerian or African Pentecostal, Anglican, Catholic priest, rabbi or imam champion messages of lies against the 21st century’s progressive anti-racism network and vanguard for the freedom and dignity and respect for persons of African heritage?

It’s all about 400 years of Racism! And Police killing Black boys as if they are children of a lesser God!!

Hence, the Pastor, like many others in Nigeria, speak in Trumpian convoluted and misguided distortion of the historical mission and civil rights trans-generational achievements of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Fiifth, contrary to Pastor Chris’ claims, The Black Lives Matter movement cannot be said to be fighting for the implanting of chips RFDs into human bodies so that the security agencies can monitor the movement of every person or group of people

D

Tinubu, Lest we become guilty of what we accuse others of doing it is important that we address today’s epistle to you as an opportunity to remind all of us that even amidst tears, we should still keep focus. Yes, this epistle comes at an awkward time but matters relating to tears, loss, pain and death tend to come at awkward moments.

Understandably, you are currently more concerned about and rightly more focused on the very important task of working towards becoming the party we were intended to be.

Yet, we must call your attention to the statement attributed to you in your eulogy of the immediate past governor of Oyo state, the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi. The headlines of most newspapers in the country were along the lines of “Ajimobi was Oyo’s best governor in history- Tinubu.

My instant reaction to such headlines was Sukumus Riranmus. Sukumus what? I can hear you say. O ye uninitiated reader, stress not thy pure and faraway Latin, Sukumus Riranmus is just an offbeat and irreverent Latinization of the saying “Bí a bá n súkún a máá ñ ríran” which means “even amid tears we still need to see.”

Asiwaju, understandably the pain of the loss of our friends and associates tend to magnify their greatness and goodness whilst reducing their flaws and limits. Sadly, with the current COVID-19 pandemic and its collateral social-economic consequences, death has become closer to all and most of us have lost some close friends and associates. Notwithstanding that however, in fact exactly because we don’t know who might be next, history must remain sacred.

Oyo State was the state governed by Chief Bola Ige, the bigger Oyo State to be precise not the abridged version of Oyo State that we have today. Chief Bisi Akande will bear me witness as he was fully involved in the accomplishments of their fifty months administration in that State.

Asiwaju, it is not my place to teach political history to a lead gladiator like you, for the benefit of the uninitiated or absent-minded readers however, let us remind ourselves that in those fifty months, with very limited resources, larger than life personalities to manage and an unfriendly Federal Government, the government of that Oyo State provided free education for a whole generation of young people and it provided free health facilities to all in the State. It was also the era of cogently aiming for employment opportunities as well as pursuing rural integrated programmes.

Whilst at it, permit me to use this opportunity to call on my fellow teachers at all levels as well as colleagues in the media to dedicate more time and platforms to the discovery and learning of modern and contemporary history.

I refer to proper history, the one that will teach to identify facts, in all its complexities, and save the willing from the intoxicating and blinding googles of hagiographies and outright fables.

Let us be clear, there is a lot to praise about the immediate past Governor

Ajimobi and his place in history will never be overlooked. In terms of political gains, he was the first Senator to become a governor in Oyo State, and the first person to occupy the seat of governor twice and in succession.

In terms of governance, his success in leading the task of cleaning the city of Ibadan will always be remembered. His contributions to the infrastructure will also be remembered.

His clumsy management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology crises will also be remembered as well as his colorful but unbecoming encounter with students of that same institution. It is not easy to combine the badge of being the best Governor ever with the blemish of keeping a tertiary institution closed and then “unlucky” enough to be caught in public and on video saying “…This is not the first time a school will be shut; so what?...” and in the same context, focusing more on being respected rather than the plight of the students and solutions to their problems. It is worth noting that students were not begging for money nor were they seeking contracts or appointments; those students just wanted to study.

By the way, I also think that those academic leaders “unlucky” enough to be the ones in charge when learning institutions remain closed so long to make students miss a session not to talk of an academic year, have big blemish on their names too.

In our times, death has lost its magic, it is no more exceptional. The long-held idea that anyone regardless of age, status or ways can die at any moment is now a reality. So Sukumus Riranmus, death or the pain it causes is no more an excuse to create untrue myths about the dead or to forget their flaws. The living and the unborn deserve to know the truth so they can lead a better life.

The late Governor Senator Ajimobi was a cosmopolitan Muslim (that in itself was an achievement) and in Islam, death is explained as the termination of worldly life and the beginning of the afterlife, a mere separation of the soul from the body. That is a big solace for those who believe.

Times have changed, whether we believe or not, our duty whilst alive is to lead a good life that needs no embellishment after we are dead because amidst the tears of our loved ones, our victims and beneficiaries will remember the truth and someone will say it.

-Prof. Kila can reached at @anthonykila

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FRIDAY JULY 3, 2020 •T H I S D AY

19

T H I S D AY ˾ JULY 3, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 15.20 % 16.10 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

15 % 16 % 18 %

J U N E

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

2 6 , 2 0 2 0

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

544.73 % -0.02 % 5.17 %

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 16.98 % YEAR TO DATE 13.21 %

EXCHANGE RATE N361/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes SAHCO Holds AGM, Declares Profit

STOCK-TAKING

L-R:Managing Director, Prestige Assurance Plc, Mr. Sarbeswar Sahoo; Non-executive, Mrs. Funmi Oyetunji; Chairman, Dr. Doyin Salami, and Non-executive Director, Mr. Sidharth Pradhan, at the 50th annual general meeting of Prestige Assurance Plc held in Lagos…recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Customs Agents Seek FG’s Intervention in N500m Demurrage Waiver Stories by Eromosele Abiodun

MARITIME

Licensed customs agents in the country have called on the federal government to order terminal operators to refund an estimated N500 million that the operators collected during the 35 days the government suspended the collection of demurrage and rents as a result of the lockdown in some states recently.

This is coming more than two months after the federal government’s directive to waive demurrage and rents on imported cargoes.

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had directed that all terminal operators should suspend all applicable terminal storage fees (demurrage) on consignments for an initial period of 21 days effective March 23. It also extended the demurrage-free period by another 14 days from April 13.

In another memo issued on April 8, NPA had said it would “grant credit notes commensurate to the rental reliefs granted by the terminal operators to importers within the 21-day free storage period.”

Also, the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) had directed all shipping companies to suspend demurrage charges on cargoes during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown effective March 30th.

However, in a petition to the federal government through the NPA, the agents claimed that the shipping companies and terminal operators continued to collect the fees and have refused to refund them.

National President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs

Agents (NCMDLCA), the umbrella body of customs agents in Nigeria, Lucky Amiwero, said: “We hereby bring to the attention of your management in respect to the date of the suspension of demurrage by the federal government, which is clearly stated as 23rd of March 2020 as contained in the Presidential letter reference ECD/P/251/ IV/T/14 OF 6TH April, 2020 , Paragraph 2, that suspends the demurrage.

“After series of letters attaching the invoice of the illegal collection by the terminal operators, to the NPA without response, we sent 10 batches of various terminals invoices and request that the amount should be refunded in line with the directive being an agency to coordinate the implementation as contained in paragraph 2 of the Presidential letter, without response.”

The agents decried the delayed

the implementation of the directive by issuing the circular after allowing the total collection by terminals.

They alleged that one of the terminal operators, A P Moller Terminal informed the NPA of a software problem by 14th of May 2020, “and have illegally collected all importers / Licensed Customs Agents (LCA) approved money from 23 of March , which is supposed to end in May 4th and letter was issued by NPA on 14th May 2020 frustrating federal government directive.”

The federal government’s directive, he added, is of national emergency that draws it strength from the Presidential letter and a pandemic declared globally, “which falls under force majeure- Act of God and frustration of contract nationally and presidential, which has serious economic implication.”

Nigerian Divers Blame FG for Unregulated Practices, Foreign Dominance Nigerian divers have blamed the stagnation of the sector on unregulated practices and increased foreign dominance allegedly fuelled by the failure of the Ministry of Labour and Employment to establish a Diving Advisory Board in line with the nation’s 2018 Diving at Work Regulations.

A Chief Diving Inspector, Mr. Julius Ugwala stated this in an interview on a television station monitored in Lagos.

According to Ugwala, in order to harness the potential in the sector, the nation would have to inaugurate an advisory board as stipulated by exiting regulations to oversee the activities of diving including safety,

MARITIME education, remuneration and local content development.

The diving expert lamented that despite Nigeria’s 853km long coastline that runs through several states and the numerous maritime activities requiring services of professional divers, the federal government is yet to the see the enormous potential in the sector.

He said: “The government isn’t aware of the viability of the diving sector and how much it could contribute in terms of revenue for government and job opportunities for the teeming youth in the country. I think the practitioners in the country should take up the onus of

convincing the government about the need to regulate the profession.

“Setting up the Advisory board would see the diving sector become a duly regulated one in Nigeria. It would also lead to an influx of people into the profession.

People will be more willing to pick a career in diving and experts would no longer have to travel out of the country to be trained.”

He disclosed that the diving sector has capacity to put an end to youth restiveness across Nigeria by catering for over 10 per cent of the nation’s unemployment margin.

“The board would ensure proper regulation leading to the establishment of quality

schools in the country to train professionals. This nation is facing a serious unemployment gap but this diving sector could reduce the margin of unemployment drastically by more than 10 per cent,” he said.

He also decried the high mortality rate of divers in the nation, noting that unsafe practices have become the norm following the absence of a regulator.

Ugwala opined that the inauguration of an Advisory Board would bring uniformity to diving practice and guarantee safe operations, insurance for divers and appropriate remuneration to curb the paltry wages given to Nigerian divers unlike expatriates.

The Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC (SAHCO) has conducted her2020AnnualGeneralMeeting(AGM)inLagos.

TheAGMwasconductedinaccordancewiththeguidelinesissuedbythe CorporateAffairsCommission(CAC)aspartofthemeasurestomitigate thenegativeeffectsoftheCovid-19.

Duringtheevent,SAHCOannouncedadividendofN223,340,700at16.5 kobopersharewhichispayablelesswiththeappropriatewithholdingtax atthetimeofpayment.

Speaking during the AGM, Chairman of the company, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi saidhewasdelightedtoaddressalargerpoolofshareholdersforthefirst timeevenifitwasviatheweb.

According to him “You will recall that SAHCO became a publicly quoted companyafteritslistingontheNigerianStockExchange(NSE)inthelast quarterof2018,thelisting,anaturalprogressioninourpost-privatisation strategicgrowthplan,isalsoinfurtheranceofthevisiontobecomingthe preferredgroundhandlingcompanyintheWestAfricansub-regioninterms ofrevenue,clientelebase,qualityofservice,customersatisfaction,innovation andreturnoninvestment.”

AfolabiemphasisedthatwhenSIFAXGroupboughtSAHCO,onlysevenper centofthemarketsharewascontrolledbySAHCObutthathasincreased to 55 per cent over the years for ground handling while in cargo handling SAHCOcontrols70percentofthemarketshare.

Inhisremarks,ManagingDirector/CEO,SAHCOPLC,BasilAgboarumisaid theSingleAfricaAirTransportMarketinitiativecontributedtothegrowth oftheNigeriaAviationindustryandGroundHandlingsub-sectorin2019.

Qatar Airways Reinstates 11 Destinations

Qatarhasannouncedthere-launchingof11moredestinations.Bymid-July, theairline’snetworkwouldexpandtoover430weeklyflightstomorethan 65destinationswiththeadditionofflights Qatar Airways said it has continued to work closely with governments aroundtheworldtoresumecommercialflightsinlinewithentryrestrictions.

Theairlineishopefulfurthercommercialflightrestrictionswouldbeeased throughoutJuly,withthecarrierplanningtoresumealmosttwothirdsof its pre Covid-19 network by the end of the month. The airline expects its number of flights to almost double in July with close to 3,500 flights scheduled,comparedtojustunder2,100inJune.

Qatar Airways stated that it led the industry during these challenging timesaccumulatingunrivalledexperienceincarryingpassengerssafely and reliably, especially in comparison to those airlines that have fully groundedtheiroperations.

The airline continues to provide network that can be relied upon and trustedtooperate.Bymaintainingaglobalnetworkthatneverfellbelow 30destinations,QatarAirwayshasremaineduptodatewiththelatestin international airport procedures and implemented the most advanced safetyandhygienemeasuresonboarditsaircraftandinHamadInternational Airport (HIA), recently voted the Best Airport in the Middle East for the sixthyearinarow.

US Airlines Announce Schedule Changes

ThethreeUSlegacypassengercarriershaveannouncedchangestotheir schedules after a four-month period in which capacity and demand had hitall-timelowduetothecoronaviruspandemic.

FlightGlobalreportedthatUnitedAirlinesandDeltaAirLinessaidtheyare raisingtheircapacitytobetween35and40percentofnormalduringthe 2020summertravelseason.Onitspart,AmericanAirlineshasannounced a “reset” on its international network, utilising more partners in order to increaseprofitabilityforwhatitexpectswillbeaprolongedperiodoflow demandtothoselong-hauldestinations.

“Covid-19hasforcedustoreevaluateournetwork,”American’schiefrevenue officerVasuRajasaid.

“Americanwillhaveasignificantlysmallerinternationalnetworkintheyear ahead,butweareusingthisopportunitytohitresetandcreateanetwork usingthestrengthofourstrategichubsthatwecanbuildandgrowupon andbeprofitableoninthisnewenvironment.”

Someflightsthatwouldbepermanentlyaxedfromthescheduleinclude threeconnectionseachfromCharlotteandPhiladelphia,twoeastcoast hubsthatarepopularwithtravelerstoEurope.

AmericanwillalsocutseveralconnectionsfromLosAngelestoAsia,and willshiftitsmajortrans-pacifichubtoDallas/FortWorth.Miamiwillremain the carrier’s primary hub for flights to the Caribbean and Latin America, theairlinesaid.

Chicago-basedUnitedsaidrecentlythatitwouldaddnearly25,000flights duringthemonthofAugust,triplingitsschedulesizefromJune.

“The decision to concession four out of 22 airports is the height of subterfuge.

These four airports are the live wire of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)” the General Secretary of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE),

Comrade Ocheme Aba

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Assessing Private Sector Intervention in Covid-19 Fight

Wigwe

Dike Onwuamaeze

T

he Covid-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems around the world in an unprecedented manner. It has become a global health, economic and humanitarian challenge that governments alone cannot handle.

This has prompted a “charge to duty� response from the private sector, such that has never been witnessed in history.

Without a doubt, the pandemic poses a great threat to human existence, gravely challenging lives and businesses.

However, rather than gloom, business organisations have gone the extra mile beyond the commonly known corporate social responsibility initiatives to being more actively involved in the collective effort of preserving lives and livelihoods, either individually or collectively, to save humanity from a common enemy.

In Nigeria, Access Bank Plc is leading the biggest collaborative effort in recent memory, involving more than 50 private sector corporates across the country, working with the federal government, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation for the singular objective of not only fighting the pandemic, but also eliminating it from the country.

The partnership, under the umbrella of the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), is said to be the brainchild of Herbert Wigwe, the managing director and chief executive officer of Access Bank Plc. The initiative is a practical demonstration of how an idea can translate into an unprecedented mobilisation of support across sectors for government’s efforts at preserving the lives of Nigerians in the face of a global threat.

This is seen in some circles as running in the DNA of Access Bank, an institution with a tendency to be daring, audacious and willing to take risks, as long as the objective is to impact positively on the lives of all Nigerians.

It is also in line with its belief that “doing good is good for society�.

The bank’s role in the collaboration underscores its well-known visionary and exemplary leadership initiative in times of crises. This must be viewed against the background of the fact that the pandemic is a challenge like no other, and in no way comparable to Ebola that was successfully nipped in the bud before it could cause much havoc back in 2014.

Worthy of note is the fact that all the organizations that have signed on to the project have relegated business interests to the background, focusing on the safety and wellbeing of Nigerians.

The mission of CACOVID is to work with the government and other agencies to provide direct support to the country’s health sector, both public and private, through provision of technical and operational support, as well as funding for the setting up of testing, isolation and treatment centres in the six geo-political zones for the management of COVID-19 cases.

It also seeks, through aggressive awareness campaigns, to educate the public and secure its buy-in for the fight in order to prevent the pandemic from getting out of control, as it is increasingly becoming the case in some parts of the world. It is doing this through advocacy for strict adherence to safety guidelines stipulated by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and NCDC. There is also the very critical objective of working together to ensure preservation of livelihoods during and after the pandemic.

The Coalition is working with the core values of humanity, integrity, transparency and professionalism, with activities targeted at making very significant and highly impactful social investments in the fight against COVID-19 in all its ramifications throughout the country, primarily focusing on saving lives and livelihoods. This is more so considering the fact that the fight against the pandemic is a long haul, with no end in sight.

The Coalition kick started its activities with mobilization of funds that run into billions of naira, domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria – an active participant in the initiative – followed by provision of 1, 000-bed isolation and treatment facilities in Lagos; 500 beds in Kano; 210 in Rivers, as well as 200 beds each in Enugu, Bornu and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It is currently working to set up facilities in Katsina, Ogun, Bayelsa, Anambra, Bauchi and Plateau states.

The intervention has led to significant scaling up of testing across the country, which partly accounts for the high positive cases that are recorded daily. This is a contrast to the low figures that were recorded long after the crisis began in Nigeria in February, 2020, which painted a false picture of the true situation in a country of about 200 million people – due to lack of testing. Availability of more facilities for treatment and management of patients has also provided Nigerians with relatively easy access to treatment. It can only be imagined what the situation would have been if the private sector collaboration had not come at the time it did, especially considering the country’s week health system.

Because of the peculiar situation in Lagos which is the epicenter of COVID-19 in Nigeria, CACOVID is working to set up a permanent structure in the state, which will be fully equipped with medical supplies and trained personnel to cater to the needs of those who may be affected by the virus. It also plans to bring in experts from around the world to provide technical and training support, in the event that there may be need to expand its activities.

Nigerians believe the involvement of the private sector in the fight against COVID-19 will quicken the process of not only flattening the curve of the virus, but also the ultimate goal of eradicating it in the country.

This belief stems from the fact that the Coalition has taken from the government the huge burden of finding the required resources to fund a war which end is not foreseeable at the moment – in these difficult times when the government is cash strapped trying to fund other equally important developmental projects amid falling oil prices.

It has left to the government the responsibility to formulate policies and guidelines, and also provide the necessary political backing, while it mobilises the resources required to prosecute the war. The latter is perhaps the most critical component of the war.

With the COVID-19 partnership, Wigwe has once again demonstrated in practical terms Access Bank’s philosophy – which defines its existence from the perspective of offering more than banking – as well as the far sightedness and visionary leadership for which the bank is well known.

‘My Encounter with Crash Victims’ Chinedu Eze She would never want to relive that gory experience when she saw dead bodies littered in the aircraft in different tragic pose. She felt painful pang in her stomach and came to the reality about the simple phenomenon of transition.

From the look of their rumpled clothes, now soaked in blood and waste, she could feel the sartorial essence of the highly placed persons that lost their lives. That was the Associated Aviation Flight 361, which went down on, takeoff at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on October 3, 2013, killing 15 persons.

Taiwo Ajayi, the first trained female accident investigator (now safety investigator) of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), recalled that accident: “I have participated in a couple of accidents and incidents. When I got in, we had senior colleagues who wanted us to get used to the job. I remember that there was an accident in Lagos and I was drafted to the site and it was a horrible scene. I couldn’t get over it for a week because there was total destruction,� Ajayi said.

Those gory images of death lingered in her mind for a long time and made her vow to make significant contributions in ensuring that Nigeria never recorded air crashes again. That was seven years ago and seven years of Ajayi’s stray into the man’s world of safety investigation. As the first female investigator she opened a vista of opportunities for other women who joined the beat afterwards and inspired them with the grit needed to do the job.

She told THISDAY how she was trained both in Nigeria and overseas as safety investigator and since then she has piled experience on the job.

While preparing as safety investigator she also trained as traffic controller and later went to Cranfield, UK for Accident Investigation Course. “In my course of study as Safety Investigator, I also trained as air traffic controller. That was very rigourous.

You will have to do a lot of practical and reading because lives are involved.

An air traffic controller can handle up to 1000 passengers because you are controlling an aircraft carrying about 250 passengers. If there is a breakdown in separation, that would cause a huge

I have participated in a couple of accidents and incidents. When I got in, we had senior colleagues who wanted us to get used to the job. I remember that there was an accident in Lagos and I was drafted to the site and it was a horrible scene

Ajayi

problem. “That is why we undergo series of rigourous training where even your emotions have to be kept in check because sometimes, some of my colleagues get overwhelmed during the stimulator training and just start crying when they are told that they have caused the crash of 200 passengers. But you have to be mentally strong and focused. “After going through that training, you have to learn how to fly a plane which is also rigourous because if you have phobia for flying, then you would have serious problems. It is after that, you will be sent to a facility for on the job training to put what you have learned into practice,� Ajayi said.

She described it as privilege working in male dominated aviation sector and thanked Accident Investigation Bureau for giving her the opportunity to actualise a career dream. “It’s a privilege to work in this situation because it gives you a high sense of responsibility and you don’t take things for granted. You try to follow information that you are given and have a cordial relationship with people around you, which makes the work go on well,� Ajayi said.

She said that within the last three years, AIB has developed high manpower capacity that it has the highest number of safety investigators in West Africa and has served as consultant and safety investigators for some African countries, especially in the sub-region. “Right now, we have 34 safety investigators on ground and we have some people on standby who have been recruited because there is always a succession plan in management. We believe that once everybody is well trained for the job, we would be able to handle any situation, not like before when we had less manpower. AIB is playing a massive role in the West Africa as we have made our services available to countries outside Nigeria. The number of accident investigators we have can cover the whole of Africa and they are well trained. In West Africa, not all of them have independent safety investigators like Nigeria, so they look up to us and we are available at any time to render help. We are trying to go multi modal which is a very big opportunity waiting for us to also engage more people,� Ajayi said.

And as the pioneer first Safety Investigator, Ajayi has led the way for other women in that area of aviation, which is a huge responsibility and at the same time a huge opportunity.

T H I S D AY ˾ JULY 3, 2020

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BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION ANALYSIS

Raging Controversy over Airport Concession While members of the labour unions have vowed to abort federal government’s plane to concession major airports in the country, industry stakeholders insist concession is the key to airport development, writes Chinedu Eze

O

ver the years attempts have been made to bring in private investors to inject money in airport development, but labour unions in the industry have always opposed it. They always argue that the development would lead to the sack of workers.

But industry analysts have always insisted that in the short-run people may lose jobs but in the long-run such airport facilities under concession would engage more workers. They also note that existing skilled manpower would not lose their jobs.

Currently the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) suffers under a bloated workforce. Many of the people who are working there are administrative personnel that were allegedly recruited without due process and sent to the airports.

Like other agencies in the sector and generally the nation’s public service, every Minister that comes allegedly recruit loyalists, including relatives, children of his friends and relatives of the members of the National Assembly and stuff the agencies.

Industry analysts explained that concession would strip FAAN of this “flotsam” and streamline the agency, as many of those staff not needed would be sacked from the airports under concession; then when the facilities are expanded by the concessionaires, skilled manpower would be recruited.

But the kernel of the controversy is that labour is opposed to concession because they believe workers would lose their jobs. But the federal government insists that if the airports must be modernised and developed, funds must come from the private sector and those who provide the funds must manage the airports for a period under the Public, Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

Controversy The butt of the current bickering is that last week, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika announced that the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) had given the Minister of Aviation the certificate of compliance to concession four major airports in the country, including that of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.

The unions kicked against it because in addition to expected loss of jobs by their members, they fear the seeming lack of sincerity and transparency about the concession.

Over the years, industry experts have alleged that the major problem with attempts to concession the airports have to do with the fact that those who want to midwife the programme usually have a mind-set, those they want to hand over the airports to without sincerely going through a transparent process of bidding and openness in order to give the airports to the most qualified.

This is what the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Alexandre de Juniac, pointed out recently as one of the problems of concession in Africa, whereby government gives out airports to the highest bidder who would up charges to quickly recover the cost of concession and the burden goes back to the passengers and raises high cost of air travel.

The unions alleged that the Minister might have zeroed his mind to a particular company that he would concession the airports to and therefore would not allow transparent and open bidding.

ICRC On Tuesday, during world press conference held at the Lagos airport, the unions faulted the process adopted by the Minister, alleging that he was using deception to handover over public utilities to designated private concerns.

Speaking on behalf of the unions, the General Secretary of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Ocheme Aba told journalists that the Minister of Aviation

MMIA

was allegedly fraudulent in his attempt to concession the airports.

He insisted that the plan to concession Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano was criminal and against public interest.

He argued that the airports slated for concession were the live wires of other 22 airports in the country, adding that several staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria would lose their jobs.

He insisted that efforts to resolve the issue with the Minster had been futile in the past and vowed that the unions would continue to kick against the attempt.

“It is highly regrettable that both the Minister and the ICRC are engaging in a ruse, and are indeed taking Nigerians for a ride. We can say with authority that everything so far about the issue of concession for the four airports have been single handedly decided by the Minister himself, and the ICRC has not carried out any due diligence on the concession exercise. If it did, the Commission would have discovered wide gulfs of deception in the exercise.

“For example, while the Project Delivery Team (PDT) – which includes the ICRC – was still discussing the issue of Transaction Adviser (TA), the Honourable Minister of Aviation was on air announcing the approval of FEC of a TA and his fees. Both the TA and the fees were apparently decided solely by the Minister. Up till date, the PDT has not been allowed to take a position on the matter, its effort in that direction is being frustrated surreptitiously”, the unions alleged.

The unions also explained, “At the last meeting of the Project Delivery Team, in late 2019, it was decided that the airports concession issue be degraded to the bottom of the list of aviation priority projects while upgrading the National Carrier, Aviation Leasing Company, and the Aircraft Maintenance and Repair Organisation for quick delivery.”

The unions insist that lack of sincerity in the whole process has confirmed that the concession programme would not serve the interest of Nigerians and therefore must be stopped.

More Opposition Apart from what the unions described as unwholesome circumstance, they said it is already in the public domain that labour vehemently opposed to the selective concession of Nigeria’s four major international airports based on the fact that privatisation, of which

concession is a form, has turned Nigeria into “a huge theatre of the absurd”, adding that the Nigerian experience in privatisation leaves a very sour taste in the mouth, “even for a person with no taste bud.”

“Check it out: Ajaokuta Steel Complex, steel rolling mills, NITEL, PHCN, and so many more. All tell tales of squander and plunder, with nothing to recommend that method of business to any Nigerian government.

In aviation, we have not been spared from concession foul odour.

“The story of the failed privatisation of the then national carrier, the Nigeria Airways, which took the airline’s life, is still reverberating since 2004. All ongoing concessions of economic activities of FAAN have only resulted in losses in revenue to the Authority.

“With all these at the back of our minds, we ask, dear God, why any Nigerian government official would choose to waste public funds in chasing shadows in the name of privatising airports when nothing whatsoever has changed about the Nigerian situation.”

They noted that, “already, the circumstances surrounding the ICRC issuance of Certificate of Compliance to the Minister of Aviation has clearly demonstrated that personal interest cannot be extricated from Nigeria’s privatisation experience.”

“The decision to concession four out of 22 airports is the height of subterfuge. These four airports are the live wires of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the rest of the airports depend on the four for sustenance.

As a matter of fact, without the four, the other airports will die automatically. Therefore, to concession these four airports is to close FAAN completely,” the unions said.

Need for Concession Besides the fear for loss of jobs and seeming lack of sincerity in the concession process, many industry analysts believe that concession may be the only reliable option to develop airport facilities in the country.

Government had made it clear that it does not want to give out the airports permanently by privatising them; so the only option is to concession the facilities so that the concessionaire would manage the airport facility for a given years, add to the infrastructure and hand it back to the government at the expiration of the concession tenure.

Analysts also believe that when concessioned, the airports would multiply the current revenue they generate and eventually double

the number of people that currently work at the airports.

Not only, the problem of decayed facilities would come to an end because the major objective for the concession is to upgrade, modernise and expand the facilities to be in tandem with better airports of the world and also meet international standards.

Industry consultant and CEO of Belujane Konsult, Chris Aligbe who said he has studied airport concession and problem faced by Nigerian airports over the years, noted that the solution to the decayed airport infrastructure is injection of private sector funds, as government would not be able to fund the modernisation of the airports because of other essential and critical needs it has to meet.

“In Nigeria we do not have an African standard airport and if we don’t create it we may never have a headway. Concessioning is mandatory for us, the labour unions may protest but that is the only solution.

“The decision to concession four international airports is the best decision because government does not have the money to invest in airports.

We have a lot more complex situation than Ghana because of our peculiarity so we need to resort to concession, government cannot do it. The idea that concession would engender poor security situation is not to be an excuse.

“If we want to join the comity of developed aviation, we must take a step. We have also not created the infrastructure and standard for tourism to grow, we cannot separate aviation from tourism, we need strong airlines and infrastructure for tourism to grow,” he said.

Aligbe said under concession, N45 billion revenue expected from the airport from the current N22 billion is a child’s play.

“That is mere $12 million; even the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) will generate more than that if concessioned. They have no idea what a concessioned airport can generate until they compare the revenues of the airports under government management and the one that had been concessioned.

“MMIA can generate more than that, followed by the Abuja airport. People do not know the magnitude of the money the airports could generate. There is a system of incompetence in the management of the airports. The system they are managing is incompetent, which is imposed on competent managers and making them look incompetent.

What will be realised will be huge – much more than N45 billion,” Aligbe stated.

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Driving EfďŹ ciency at Nigerian Ports EromoseleAbiodun writes that the Nigeria Port Authority’s investment in port equipment and infrastructure will lead to better port practices, efficiency in port operations with significant positive effect on all stakeholders

T

here is no doubt that the most common mode of transport in international trade is sea transport, this is as a result of the large amount of cargo that is transported on sea. There are more than 2000 seaports around the world, from the ones with a single berth location handling a few hundreds tons of cargo annually to huge facilities handling about 300 million tons of cargo a year.

More than 80 per cent of trade with origins or destinations in tonnage is water-borne. Ports are emerging more and more into service providers in the execution of trade and the movement of cargoes. This is aimed at enhancing the trade environment and making optimum use of port’s facility.

Smooth flow of maritime cargo not only contributes to greater development of world trade but also seeks to raise the standard of living of the people in whose domains these ports are located.

In developed countries, maritime freight cost has been observed to be decreasing in recent years. However, the bulk of maritime freight cost still remains relatively high in developing countries.

In most developing countries such as Nigeria, transport cost constitute about 35 per cent of the landed cost of products.

Apart from these costs, port service such as speed, reliability, frequencies, safety and security are of increasing concern.

The above is as a result of inefficient maritime and port operations and other issues such as management, logistics and low technological inputs in these ports, giving rise to high over-head cost and low productivity level.

According to the United Nation Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), this inefficiency can be seen in the area of long waiting time at border crossings including ports, inappropriate fees and formalities, and unclear trade and transport rules and regulations can all become serious obstacle to trade and thereby adversely affect investment and job creation.

In most developing countries, importers as well as other port users are faced with varied problem. Excessive dues at entry points at sea ports, low service level, Constant delays, uncertainty and strong bureaucracy are the norms. All these issues can adversely affect products’ channel and trade facilitation. This is because seaports are major points where a significant level of this cost can be seen. Being the case, analysts posit that better port practices and efficiency in port operations can have a significant if not a huge positive effect on stakeholders of seaports. Nigeria is however making efforts to turn things around.

Investing in Infrastructure, equipment After years of neglect and inconsistent government policies, the current management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has invested in equipment and infrastructure to ensure Nigerian ports are efficient and competitive.

In the last four years, the NPA has invested well over $300 million in equipment and infrastructure. For instance, as part of the effort to attract vessels to the eastern ports, the NPA commenced the dredging of Warri port at the cost of $44.861million (N16.150 billion).

The dredging has since been completed and vessels have started calling at the port. Aware of the perennial gridlock in Apapa as a result of increased activity at the Lagos port due to the closure of land borders by the federal government, the NPA partnered with terminal operators to acquire multimillion dollars state-of-

economy and reduce reliance on the oil and gas sector, we have identified the pivotal role that the maritime sector occupies in the actualisation of the fundamental objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of this administration. “We understand that not less than 85 percent of the country’s external trade passes through the seaports and are committed to repositioning the ports for greater efficiency. The much talked about transition from a mono-product into a diversified economy is heavily dependent on how robust we can make our maritime space and we are committed to achieving this. As you are aware, work is ongoing on President’s directive that all seaport locations must be linked up to the standard gauge rail line even as we are determined to link up the thirty- six (36) state capitals with the Federal Capital, Abuja with standard gauge rail services. “I particularly want to commend the NPA for delivering on this project nine month ahead of schedule. This is the kind of efficiency that the administration wants to entrench in the polity and I am happy that we are making progress,�he said.

Bala-Usman

the-art Mobile Harbor Cranes MHCs. Nigeria’s biggest container terminal operator, A. P Moller Terminal Apapa, April this year took delivery of the cranes valued about $80million (N33.6billion), to boost its service delivery at the Apapa Port. The investment brings A.P. Moller total investment by the company in Apapa since 2006 to N184billion ($438million).

In 2018, the NPA deployed equipment worth over $30 million in Onne Port, Rivers State.The measure, which was taken by the Managing Director of the NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, was to boost efficiency, security and make the port attractive for business. Onne Port Complex, as one of the key ports under the NPA, also got several equipment to boost activity at the port.

The port is situated on the Bonny River Estuary along Ogu Creek. It was also gathered that six pilot cutters, tug boats and 17-meter offshore patrol boats, have been deployed in the port to make the port attractive and stem the cycle of criminalities within and around the port.

Increasing Tugboats Fleet That is not all, only recently, the NPA inaugurated two multimillion Dollars

In most developing countries such as Nigeria, transport cost constitute about 35 per cent of the landed cost of products. Apart from these costs, port service such as speed, reliability, frequencies, safety and security are of increasing concern

tugboats, MT Musawa and MT Ikoro-Ekiti making it six tugboats acquired by the authority since 2017.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Bala-Usman stated that the federal government ongoing investment in port infrastructure would boost maritime sector contribution to the nation’s gross domestic products (GDP).

She added that port infrastructure being built by the government and assets acquired under her leadership are key in improving efficiency at the port as Nigeria look towards improving maritime sector contribution to GDP. She said: “To achieve our objectives, we need to have tugboats that have capacity for larger and bigger container vessels to come and efficiently berth in our port.

We have seen how towage is a critical part, we have recognized stakeholders’ contribution and comments on the need for us to provide the necessary equipment required. So, this is as a result of extended consultation where stakeholders have opined for the Nigerian ports to have the necessary equipment required. This is in addition to what we have and we will continue to provide more vessels as we seek to know what is required for larger vessels to call into our ports.�

She added that for the effective execution of its functions in all port locations, the authority is committed to the continuous upgrade of facilities and equipment that will enhance service delivery. “This commitment is to ensure that all the six functioning seaports are prepared for optimal performance at all times. This determination accounts for the purchase of these new tugboats, MT Musawa& MT Ikoro-Ekiti joining our other fleet of four namely: MT Daura, MT Ubima, MT Uromi and MT Majiya, which were commissioned in 2017,� she said.

In his speech, the Minister of Transportation, RotimiAmaechi, stated that if anyone was in doubt as to the importance of the maritime sector to Nigerian and global economy, the event of the past three months where ports across the world have remained open in spite of the comprehensive lockdown of virtually other sectors should instruct on why priority attention has to be given to the sector. “Given government’s determination to develop other sectors of the national

Improving Towage Services On May 3, 2017, the NPA inaugurated four new ultramodern tugboats acquired at the cost of $30milion (N9.15billion).

The boats named MT Daura, MT Ubima, MT Uromi and MT Majiya, with 60 tonnes bollard pull capacity, can each be used to tow the new class of ultra large containerships.

The boats have speed of 12.9 knots.

They were built at Damen Shipyard, while Rolls Royce built the engines.

Bala-Usman had, while speaking during the inauguration, said the four tug boats would help NPA improve its towage services and thus enhance the nation’s revenue as bigger vessels can now call at the ports.

She added the boats will complement existing ones in NPA fleet to provide enabling environment for smooth and efficient port services.

She said, “With the launch of these four tugboats, we are achieving not only the transport demand but also an enhancement in the required technology operations of towage services in our ports. “The new tug boats will provide the authority an avenue where we can tug in very huge vessels. A lot of our operators have been concerned about the towage services we are providing so with this new entry in addition to our fleet, we are going to be more efficient in delivering towage services in our pilotage districts. “A lot of vessels calling in Nigeria will now be comfortable to call because they know that we have good towage capacity.�

Explaining the reasons behind the naming of the tug boats, the NPA boss said: “We identified towns and communities where leaders that had led Nigeria emerge from. So that is what informed the naming of these vessels.� “Now we have a total of nine tug boats.

We are going to look at the requirement across the respective zones and deploy them accordingly,� she said.

The NPA boss said the organisation has been fulfilling its obligations to provide 13.5 metres depths at the Lagos channel under the management of Lagos Channel Management Company (LCM).

She further stated that about 100 critical wrecks have been removed in Lagos channels since the partnership with LCM began ten years ago.

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Going Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility

Nigerian Evacuees from India Commend Air Peace

With over 10 million infections, the COVID-19 pandemic is a deadly scourge that governments and corporate organisations across the world are contending with. Hamid Ayodeji examines how the Nigerian Bottling Company has gone beyond the call of duty to assist the Nigerian government in taming the pandemic.

The Nigerian evacuees, who were stranded for weeks in India due to COVID-19 lockdown, have expressed their gratitude to Air Peace for bringing them home.

The evacuees in a letter titled, ‘Letter of Appreciation’ and addressed to the Chairman of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema, was sent to the airline care of the Nigerian High Commission in India. The letter described the action of airlifting them back to Nigeria as a patriotic act by the Chairman of Air Peace.

The letter, which was signed by the coordinators of the evacuees, Martin Osa Izevbokun from Edo state and Aliyu Bello from Nasarawa state, thanked the airline for offering to bring the Nigerians home at a very minimum cost and with offer of free tickets to about 20 of the Nigerians who went for medical treatment but did not have money to pay for their way back home after being stranded for weeks.

NBC Covid-19 donation to LASUTH in Lagos...recently

K

athryn Bushkin Calvin, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Foundation once remarked that “giving is not just about donating.

It is about making a difference.�

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues on its devastating impact across the world, humanity needed individuals and corporations to rise up to the task of protecting those rendered vulnerable in the crisis. Apart from the direct effect the pandemic is having in people’s lives across the globe, the economic impact, including job layoffs, plummeting stock market, global business uncertainties, and economic recession are unprecedented with Nigeria not immune to the effects of the pandemic.

As the healthcare system continues to struggle under the additional strain of the pandemic, the economy is projected to go into a recession by the third quarter of 2020. Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, warning about the recession explained that “net oil and gas revenue input to the federation account in the first quarter of 2020 amounted to N940.91 billion, representing a shortfall of N125.52 billion. With the work the Economic Sustainability Committee is doing in bringing up a stimulus package, we believe that we can reduce the impact of that recession.� “If we implement the measures that have been proposed, we might end up with a recession that is -0.4 per cent, but in any case, we will go into recession. What we are trying to do is to make sure that it is shallow so that we will quickly come out of it in 2021.�

In a country where the government is the biggest spender and where 40.1 per cent of citizens live below the poverty line, according to the 2019 Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria Report of the National Bureau of Statistics, these projections are frightening.

Following the country’s index case on February 27, people expected the worst to come, but the government, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Covid-19 Presidential Tax Force, with noteworthy support from the private sector has been battling the pandemic valiantly.

Commendably, the private sector has been incredibly supportive of the government in these times.

One of the private sector players leading the charge against the pandemic in the country is the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC). The company which has been the franchise bottler and distributor for The Coca-Cola Company in Nigeria since 1951 says it sees the fight as a crucial one for the country, and as more than just another corporate social responsibility initiative.

The company has dedicated substantial resources to battling the scourge of covid-19 on multiple fronts.

The company’s first intervention was targeted at people on the frontline: The patients and healthcare workers. In recognising the need to keep these vulnerable people hydrated and nourished, NBC in collaboration with Coca-Cola Nigeria, donated over 13 million centilitres of its beverages, including Eva premium table water and other soft drinks to patients and healthcare workers at isolation and treatment centres across different states in the country.

In Lagos, the Onikan and Gbagada Isolation and Treatment Centres, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) whose street sweepers and medical waste workers have been working actively while the pandemic lasts, were among the first beneficiaries of the Company’s initial donations.

Other states which subsequently benefited from the donations were the FCT, Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Lagos, Anambra, Delta and Ekiti.

The company, in another laudable move, did not neglect vulnerable Nigerians who found it difficult to feed themselves because of disruptions to their businesses and jobs as a result of the lockdowns.

NBC distributed food items to thousands of households across the country to help them mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The first phase of the NBC Food Relief Intervention saw over 2,300 homes in 14 locations across the country receive essential food items, including rice, noodles and cooking oil amongst others.

The intervention, commenced with 300 beneficiaries receiving foodstuff in Ota, Ogun State and Asejire, Oyo State. An additional 150 households benefitted in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Warri, Enugu and Minna.

Two hundred families each also got relief packages in Benin City, Owerri, Challawa and Ikeja.

Commenting on the intervention, Director, Public Affairs and Communications, NBC, Ekuma Eze, said the exercise was part of NBC’s commitment to supporting its host communities across the country. “The impact of the Covid-19 has been quite unbearable for many families. As a socially responsible organisation, we believe there is no better time to identify with these people across our communities than now,� he said.

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

Chinedu Eze

The letter dated June 12, 2020 stated, “We the undersigned Nigerians who are being evacuated home aboard Air Peace flight APK 7830 on the 12th of June, 2020, after being stranded in India by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown hereby write to thank you most sincerely for the unparalleled patriotism, patience and magnanimity, which you have displayed during the long and tedious process associated with the evacuation.

The evacuees said they were particularly grateful for Air Peace offer of a total approval of 79kg of luggage allowance to each of the travellers and 20 free tickets “you gave to our less privileged members who, without that support, would have been left behind in India.� “We are further impressed because you made those offers in spite of some unwarranted and unfortunate criticism, which was directed at you by few of our members for the delays, which were not your

fault but which also caused you expenses that could have been avoided had they not occurred,� the letter stated.

The evacuees also recalled that Air Peace had, “come to the assistance of our fellow citizens in South Africa by evacuating them free of charge during the xenophobic attacks that took place there last year.� “We wish to thank our National Assembly which passed a resolution in support of giving our local carriers an opportunity to showcase their capabilities by evacuating our citizens who are stranded in different countries during this lockdown and we take immense pride in the fact that Air Peace has its stellar performance in that exercise, which vindicated the confidence that lay behind that resolution,� the letter also stated.

The evacuees assured Air Peace that they would continue to patronize the airline in future and would also support it to be one of the major air carriers in Africa and the world.

Kwara Begins Fresh Consultation with Nigeria Air Force Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Kwara state government has concluded a new consultation with the authorities of the Nigeria Air Force over the proper repositioning of International Aviation College(IAC),Ilorin.

Already, the state governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has visited the headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force to explore fresh collaboration.

This, he believes would go a long way to make the college more functional and result oriented for the common good of the state’s populace and the

Air Force in general.

Until recently, the Nigerian Air Force was training some of its officers at the Aviation College Ilorin.

The agreement it was gathered was terminated a few years ago following alleged mishandling of funds meant for training on the part of the state. The development it was learnt led the authorities of the Nigeria Air Force to switch the training of its officers to South Africa following the soured relationship with the IAC. However, a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye,

explained, “The Governor, who was received by the Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique, began with apologising to the Air Force authorities over how its previous relationship with the Aviation College went sour. “The Governor expressed his commitment to a new beginning and sought a new partnership built on mutual trust. There was a sufficient show of goodwill on both sides. The two sides are to put together a team to discuss a new partnership on training of fixed wing and rotor pilots in Kwara State, among other things.�

‘Improvement in IGR Will Drive Socio-economic Indices’ Ugo Aliogo The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has said an improvement in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), blocking tax leakages, creating new tax sources and improved efficiency in tax collection, would lead to improvement in socio-economic.

He said there is a direct correlation between tax payments, usage, economic and infrastructural development.

Fayemi, who disclosed this recently in a webinar said the NGF has set up internally generated revenue dashboard that focuses on sharing knowledge and experiences in tax collection and revenue generation across States.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) revealed that leaders need to ensure that resources generated from tax payers are effectively utilised, adding that government at all levels should ensure that tax leakages are plugged and properly utilised.

In her remarks, the Minister

for Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said low revenue remains a challenge Nigeria is currently grappling with.

Ahmed, who was represented during the webinar by Special Adviser to the President Muhammadu Buhari on Finance and Economy, Dr. Sarah Alade, said the Covid-19 pandemic and the inherent lockdown meant that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria would in its best-case scenario contract by four per cent, “and in the worst-case scenario contract by about eight per cent.�

The minister noted that up to 21 million jobs could be affected by the pandemic.

Ahmed reaffirmed that the recently launched Economic Sustainability Plan would help mitigate against the effects of the lockdown and ensure stability through the support of MSME’s, accelerate infrastructural development, deregulation of refined petroleum products, incentivizing the use of pension funds and supporting States to access external funds and others.

She reiterated that revenue

mobilisation was important, saying debt relief and external funding must be sought to achieve this.

The executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria (FIRS), Mr. Mohammed Nami, said FIRS was rewarding professionalism in its system and deploring technology in its operations to ensure the payment and collection of taxes are easier.

Nami added that the FIRS was boosting the morale of tax payers through communication portals where members of the public can engage him and other senior members on tax issues directly.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mission Chief and Senior Representative to Nigeria, Ms. Jesmin Rahman, said that it was important for Nigeria to raise trust in public institutions and services by ensuring accountability.

She said this can be achieved through increasing tax revenue, expansion of the tax base and modernization of the tax system.

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

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

Simi Vijay: Using His Lens as Tool for Social Change

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COVER

Simi Vijay: Using His Lens as Tool for Social Change Olusimi Vijay Afun-Ogidan, popularly known by the brand name, Simi Vijay, is part of a new generation of visual journalists in Nigeria. Fascinated by photography as a child, he replaced his engineering degree with a camera and hasn’t looked back. His passion for photography has taken him on a journey of self and sociocultural discovery to many parts of the world. He currently lives in New York, after relocating to get formal training as a Visual Journalist.

As a freelance photographer, Simi Vijay uses his visual narrative story telling skills to inform on the intersectionality of history, socialisation, gender, identity and culture. He talks about this and more in this interview with MARY NNAH

W

hat were your childhood experiences like?

I was born in Ilorin, but spent my toddler years in Ibadan, before eventually settling in Kaduna. Childhood was beautiful, fun and carefree. Kaduna was a melting pot of people from all parts of Nigeria, and even the world, so I had friends from various ethnic backgrounds and nationalities.

I also grew up in a mixed culture home, as my dad is from Ilesha in Osun State and my mom from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in India.

It wasn’t all play though, having an Indian mother meant I lived the Tiger Mom tough love experience. Her balance of smothering love and strict discipline pushed me to achieve at whatever I set out to do whether academic or creative.

Tell us about your first introduction to photography. What drew you into this world?

My dad had this Yashica camera, which as the young inquisitive boy that I was, I would sneak into his room and fiddle with, sometimes taking pictures of things I saw from the balcony of our second floor apartment. That was my first exposure to the world of photography.

My 10-year-old self was fascinated by how a click of a button could capture a moment for posterity. But of course, I wasn’t allowed to tinker around with my dad’s precious camera and got scolded when caught. It wasn’t until university that my curiosity in photography was rekindled. In 2007, I went on a road trip from Kaduna to Calabar for the Christmas carnival. It was such an enlightening experience seeing the diversity our country had to offer.

I took pictures non-stop. Somehow, that was my eureka moment. I realised that I wanted to be more than just an engineer – I wanted to capture the world around me and use these visuals to tell a story.

Did you at any time study photography?

I initially had no formal training in photography. I studied Electronics Engineering at the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi. I was self-taught from the start of my photography career in 2012 until 2018 when I registered for a course in Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York. The programme exposed me to a global body of work from outstanding photographers, showed me the power of visual content to shape a narrative and taught me that I could do so much more to influence positive social impact from behind a lens. Coming from a self-taught background, it was a great opportunity to formalise my skills in archival ideas, mixed media, printing, sequencing, and pitching for proposals and grants. I would say that in my early photography days, I learned a lot from my peers- Aisha Augie-Kuta (studio lighting techniques), Ademola Olaniran (studio lighting and portraiture) and Tom Saater (composition, framing and human story-telling). It was a steep learning curve, but well worth it.

What influenced your relocation to New York?

While in Nigeria I had worked hard to build my client base and establish a brand for Simi Vijay Photography. In many ways

Afun-Ogidan

I had achieved this. I had carved out a niche for myself as a documentary photographer in Nigeria, providing photography, videography and branding visibility to a range of clients; from international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as USAID, UNICEF, UNFPA, FHI360, embassies, to philanthropic organisations- Rotary International, Abuja, Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, Nigeria, to fashion and lifestyle events- the Abuja Music and Runway annual event, to private sector companiesNigeria Export Import Bank, Julius Berger Construction Company, Reliance Hospital, etc. I also worked with print and online media providing image content to the Financial Nigeria magazine, Metropole Magazine, among others. I combined photography and graphic design services to deliver coffee table books.

However, I felt that I could deliver more value if I got formal training to refine my skills and technique. I also wanted to slightly pivot to an investigative photography angle. For this, I knew I would need technical knowledge on journalistic practice in order to translate visual media into compelling stories. I chose New York because I wanted to go to one of the top institutes for photojournalism - the International Center of Photography. And why not New York? One of the greatest cities in the world, known for its diverse and vibrant art and culture scene.

How was your education experience in New York?

The one-year programme at ICP was truly an intense and challenging experience which pushed me to my limits. Daily classes were full of lessons from renowned experts, discussions with peers, critiques from supervisors and reviews of a range of subject matters. The ICP experience was mind-opening – I learned about the history of visual journalism, new media techniques and strategies for publication and online presence. The diversity of my classmates’ background also made for fun and insightful perspectives. Imagine people from 12 different countries! Sadly, there were only a handful of African photographers’ body of work to study, and we need to change that.

Nigeria and Africa in general must create its

Afun-Ogidan’s award winning photograph

own narratives. I have to say; just living in New York is an educational experience in itself. I was inspired by young black creatives, taking charge to change the black narrative.

You mentioned earlier that you are learning about the world through your lens and others’ from different cultures and nations. Can you expatiate on this?

Did you know that different cultures around the world see colours differently? In a colour theory class when asked to pick from a palate of several shades of green, none of us picked the same shade. I chose my perception of green based on my latent memory of the Nigerian flag or green I’ve seen in nature. From my classmates I learned a fundamental lesson, which to be honest I’ve always known, but I suppose was not apparent until confronted with it. I learned that their upbringing and societal exposures truly shaped their world views, choice of subject matter and process to create. Each person had their own style of expression and used photography as a form of art to project their voice differently.

No one person’s approach was the same.

Similarly, I brought my Yoruba, Indian, Hausa, Nigerian, African perspective when expressing my art.

How easy was it for you to make a 360 degree turn around from engineering to photography?

Honestly, it just happened. But, I did make a conscious effort to follow it through because it was a no brainer at the time. I graduated from university and it was difficult finding a job as an engineer with no experience.

It was a time when the need for quality photography was on the rise and what I’d get paid for one or three days of work was more than what I was offered for a month’s salary as an engineer. My entrepreneurial side kicked in and I saw a way to deliver a service doing what I enjoyed while getting paid for it. I took the plunge and built Simi Vijay Photography from there.

Do you remember your first favourite shot? What was it?

My first favourite shot was taken at a small Fulani settlement near Wuye, Abuja. It was of six boys with raised fists, standing on a rock bathed in shadow of a beautiful orange sunset. This picture had strong composition, colour, and an emotional sense. It won second place Nikon’s Choice in the Nikon #IamAlive Photo Competition in August 2015.

Do you have a role model from this field?

I have had many role models. When I started out, I was intrigued by Steve McCurry’s portraits and images. At the time, I didn’t know about the greats like Cartier Bresson’s, Robert Frank, Robert Capa, Gordon Parks, Roy DeCarava, Malik Sidibé, Seydou Keita, Martin Parr, Sebastião Salgado, Dorothy Lange, Ruddy, Roye, Mary Ellen Mark, and many others.

While at ICP, I studied their unique storytelling style, and content. I am now inspired by some artists of my days like Dayo Adedayo, Nana Kofi Acquah, Tom Saater, Alec Soth, Holly Andres, Joshua Kissi, Aida Muluneh, Yagazie Emezi, Lucia Buricelli, Peter Fisher, Tolani Alli, Ademola Olaniran, Bayo Omoboriowo, Matt Black, Heather Sten, Malin Fezehai and several others.

What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out?

My answer will sound cliché, but being yourself is probably the best thing you can do, as we all have a unique point of view. Three photographers can stand next to each other and come up with entirely different images.

Photograph the things you most care about, use your images to educate and create social impact. These images will be most successful because you are emotionally involved.

What inspires your unique storytelling?

As Ruddy Roye once said, “I shoot because I see”. I am inspired by humanist issues. This helps me create visual stories from the intersectionality of identity, sexuality, and popular subculture.

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FRIDAY JULY 3, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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MARKET NEWS

Banks, Other Lenders Urged to Finance Africa’s Economy Goddy Egene The Group Chief Executive Officer, United Capital Plc, Mr. Peter Ashade, has called on financial institutions to develop innovative home-grown financing solutions to support economies in Africa in order to propel the continent’s growth.

Ashade, stated this at the maiden edition of United Capital Pan Africa e-Conference with the theme: “Fostering innovative

cross-border financing solutions in Africa.”

According to him, over the years, cross border financing across Sub-Saharan Africa played a limited role in effectively addressing the funding gap across key economic sectors in the continent.

He explained that foreign direct investment (FDI) flows from China surged from $0.5 billion in 2003 to $43billion in 2017, while France, Netherland,

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the United States (US), and the United Kingdom (UK) remained the largest investor economies in Africa with over $60billion investment each as at 2017.

Ashade noted that more recently, the socio-economic impacts of the globally devastating COVID-19 has further exposed the vulnerabilities of the region as it continues to grapple with infrastructure development challenges compounded by capital flight to safer havens to

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mention a few.

“Obviously, this begs for innovative home-grown financing solutions to help strengthen Africa’s economic resilience and perhaps, propel the continent through a new phase of growth.

For us at United Capital Plc, we are contributing our quota as a responsible financial institution and reputable capital market operator by creating platforms such as this, where our distinguished panelists, comprising of

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the continent’s finest professionals, can proffer insights from their wealth of experience on how to change this narrative,” he said.

In his contribution, the Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa, Benin Republic, Mr. Gbenga Makinde, said: “We need to look inwards to solve our problems and have currencies we can use to finance the challenges we have within.”

Also speaking, Director, African Development Bank, Wale Shoni-

O F

bare, said: “We have to improve cross-border trade and also build regional interconnections; we also need to embrace one currency.”

On his part, CEO, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Mr. Yofi Grant, said lack of capital goes with poor institutional growth and because most of our companies start from a microspace so it becomes difficult to make big leaps, hence we need great thinkers who are willing to look inwards.

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NEWS

Buhari Suspends NSITF Boss, Three Directors, Others President did not suspend us, officials reply Ngige Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate compulsory and indefinite suspension from office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Mr. Adebayo Somefun, three directors, and eight senior management staff.

But in a swift reaction, NSITF has debunked the suspension claim by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, insisting that Buhari did not suspend its management staff, and accusing the minister of over-reaching himself.

The affected directors include: Mr. Jasper Ikedi Azuatalam (Executive Director, Finance and Investment), Mrs. Olukemi Nelson (Executive Director, Operations), Alhaji Tijani Darazo Sulaiman (Executive Director, Administration).

The eight senior

management staff who were also suspended are: Mr. Olusegun Olumide Bashorun (General Manager Administration/Human Resources/Maintenance), Mr. Lawan Tahir (General Manager, Finance), and Mr. Chris Esedebe (General Manager, Claims and Compensation).

Others are: Mr. Olodotun A. Adegbite (DeputGeneral Manager, Investment and Treasury Management), Mr. Emmanuel Enyinnaya Sike (Deputy General Manager, Finance and Accounts), Mrs. Olutoyin O. Arokoyo (Deputy General Manager/ Acting Head, Legal), Ms. Dorathy Zajeme Tukura (Deputy General Manager, Administration), Mrs. Victoria Ayantuga (Assistant General Manager, Internal Audit) A statement signed by the Deputy Director/Head (Press and Public Relations), Mr. Charles Akpan said the

suspension officers arose from “the preliminarily established prima facie infractions on the extant Financial Regulations and Procurement Act, and other acts of gross misconduct”.

But NSITF said in a statement issued last night that Buhari did not suspend its management staff.

“We wish to state that President Muhammadu Buhari has not suspended the management of NSITF and did not make such announcement.

The person mentioned in the

media report is not a staff of the President.

“For clarity, we need to mention that we received a letter from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige stating that he is doing a procurement audit on NSITF and that management is suspended.

“We note that the Minister’s action is against President Buhari’s directive through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation that stated clearly that no minister should

suspend or sack any head of agency appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The memo stated that ministers should follow procedures by going through the governing board of the agency that will now make recommendations to the SGF to act if there is need. We are sure that President Buhari will not be part of any illegality and lack of due process,” the statement explained.

NSITF said it was open to any form of investigation

by the appropriate agency, adding that there is nothing that it will hide or is hiding.

“We have been in receipt of several letters by the minister and several petitions written against NSITF by the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige and we will make all communications available to the public and relevant authorities.

NSITF added that its officials were still discharging their duties as appointed by President Buhari.

Dubai Police Extradite Nigeria’s Hushpuppi, Woodberry to US Sunday Ehigiator Dubai police have extradited suspected Nigerian fraudsters, Ramon Igbalode Abbas a.k.a Hushpuppi and Olalekan Jacon Ponle a.k.a Mr. Woodberry to the United States and handed over to the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

A statement released yesterday by the Dubai Police confirmed that Hushpuppi was extradited to the US along with another internet fraud suspect, Ponle.

Hushpuppi and Woodberry along with ten other alleged cybercriminals were arrested recently in a special operation dubbed “Fox Hunt 2”.

The suspects were caught in a series of synchronised raids by six SWAT teams from Dubai Police who foiled the gang’s bid to deceive many

people from around the world and steal their money.

The statement said the FBI thanked Dubai Police for arresting and extraditing Husspuppi and Woodberry.

While praising Dubai Police for their cooperation in extraditing the wanted suspects to the United States, it said FBI Director, Christopher Wray, praised the exceptional efforts of the United Arab Emirate, represented by the Dubai Police General HQ, in combating transnational organised cybercrime.

Quoting the Director of Dubai CID, Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, the statement said the raids that led to the arrests resulted in the confiscation of “incriminating documents of a planned fraud on a global scale worth AED 1.6 billion ($ 435 million).”

OPL 245: EFCC Drops Adoke’s Name from Fresh Charges against Malabu The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has removed the name of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke in the fresh charges of money laundering filed against Malabu Oil and Gas Limited in the OPL 245 deal of 2011.

Malabu, alongside a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar and six other companies were arraigned on a 48-count charge before Justice Iyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The companies listed in the charge are: A-Group Construction Company Limited, Rocky Top Resources Limited, Mega Tech Engineering Limited, Novel Properties and Development Company Limited, and Carlin International Nigeria Limited.

Adoke had been charged along with the accused when

the original case was filed in December 2016.

EFCC had filed two separate cases against Adoke on the OPL 245 deal — one on “criminal breach of trust” and the other on “money laundering”.

THISDAY gathered that Adoke’s name was dropped because of the April 31, 2018 judgment of Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who declared that the former AGF could not be held responsible for carrying out lawful presidential directives.

Justice Nyako had held that the former AGF could not held liable for obeying a presidential directive in the resolution of the OPL 245 dispute with Malabu Oil. But when the case came up on Wednesday, Adoke’s name was conspicuously missing from the fresh 48-count charge filed against Malabu Oil.

RETURN OF REFUGEES ON THEIR MINDS...

Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Senator Basheer Garba Mohammed (left), and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, during the commissioner’s visit to the minister in Abuja.... yesterday

Adesina: AfDB Appoints Robinson Chairperson of Review Panel Dike Onwuamaeze The Bureau of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB), yesterday, appointed the Former President of Ireland, Mrs. Mary Robinson, the Chairperson of a High-Level Panel of Independent Experts it constituted to carry out an “Independent Review of the Report of the Ethics Committee

of the Boards of Directors on the allegations made by whistle blowers against the President of the AfDB Group,” Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.

A communiqué signed by the Chairperson of the Bureau of the Boards of Governors of the AfDB, Ms. Niale Kaba, said the panel is expected to submit its report to the bureau within a period of two to four weeks.

The bureau expressed its

utmost trust and confidence in the panel’s ability to successfully carry out this important assignment and reaffirms its commitment to fully assisting the panel in the process.

“Robinson is a barrister by profession and is a former President of the Republic of Ireland. She was also the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She, among other numerous global and

national responsibilities, is the Chairperson of the Elders, a global body of wise persons concerned about the wellbeing of the world,” the bureau said.

Other members of the independent review panel, according to the bureau, are the Chief Justice of the Gambia, Mr. Hassan B. Jallow and the President of LFMcCarthy Associates, Mr. Leonard F. McCarthy.

Agbakoba Dissociates Self from New Political Group Davidson Iriekpen Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has dissociated himself from a new political movement known as the National Consultative Front (NCF).

Agbakoba in a statement yesterday, said nobody consulted him before his name was added to the group.

Thirty prominent Nigerian

activists, academics and other professionals were on Wednesday reported to have formed a new political movement called National Consultative Front.

A communique issued by the new group’s national secretariat in Abuja listed Agbakoba and 29 others as members of the steering committee.

Other listed were former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali

Na’Abba; a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, Femi Falana (SAN), Col. Abubakar Umar (rtd.), Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili, Prof. Jibo Ibrahim, Yabagi Sanni, Isa Aremu, Prof.

Chidi Odinkalu and Senator Shehu Sanni, Alhaji Shettima Yerima and Funke Awolowo.

But Agbakoba in a short statement yesterday denied being a member of the group, saying nobody consulted him

about the National Consultative Front.

He said: My attention has been drawn to a widely circulated story that I am part of a new political movement known as the National Consultative Front.

“Without prejudice to the need for such a political movement, I want to place it on record that I was not consulted and so I am not part of the National Consultative Front.”

Boko Haram: House Wants Detained Soldier, Wife Released Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives at the resumption of plenary yesterday mandated its Committees on Army to interface with the leadership of the Nigeria Army to urgently release detained soldier, Lance Corporal Martins and his wife Victoria ldakpein.

Martins had on June 23, 2020 in a video criticised security chiefs in the country for not doing enough to end terrorism and needless killings of citizens.

The House also mandated its committee on Defence and Army to investigate the alleged detention of the soldier and his

wife.

It further resolved that Lance Corporal Martins ldakpein should be brought before the relevant House Committees and the leadership to brief them of the happening in the Northern part of the country from information within his knowledge.

These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance, titled, ‘A Call on the Nigeria Army to Release Lance Corporal Martins Idakpein from Arrest on the Basis of his Expressed Opinion’, sponsored by Hon. Ndudi Elumelu.

Moving the motion, Elumelu

noted that on June 22, 2020, Lance Corporal Martins ldakpein from the 8 Division of the Nigeria Army made an online video wherein he condemned the Iackadaisical attitude of security chiefs towards the incessant attacks and killings of innocent Nigerians by Boko Haram and other armed groups in the northern part of the country.

He said the security chiefs after seeing the video instead of buckling up and be up to their duties in protecting the country, the Chief of Army Staff ordered that Lance Corporal Martins be arrested and moved from Sokoto to Abuja for speaking up against

the army authorities.

He expressed concerns that the military who are supposed to protect the territorial integrity as well as enforce the laws of the country is in a habit of illegal, wrongful and unconstitutional detention of soldiers whenever they ask that the right things be done.

Elumelu said, ‘’Though Section 121 of the Armed Forces Act, grants the military the restrictive powers to arrest its personnel but Section 122(6) of the same act provides that such personnel is entitled to immediate release, unless the release will be a threat to national security.

FRIDAY JULY 3, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

29

NEWS XTRA

FG’s Domestic Debt Service Gulps N609.134bn in Three Months Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government spent a total of N609,134,926,039.42 to

service domestic debt between January and March 2020, the Debt Management Office (DMO), has revealed.

...Targets $25bn from Aviation Sector The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, yesterday said notwithstanding the setback in the economy caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he is poised to move the aviation sector forward.

Sirika made this assertion when he led heads of aviation agencies to an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Aviation in Abuja.

The Minister lamented that the civil aviation sector which had become the toast of investors was hardest hit by the over three months lockdown due to the COVID-19.

Sirika said: “Yes, we locked down the airports. It wasn’t by

choice, it was by force. Since this force majure befell us, our response was to close down the airports.

“The airports have been closed for a little over three months now and that of course obviously without saying has huge impact on the health of the sector of civil aviation. “We are the worst hit – all of the businesses and services are shut down for three months and at a time when aviation has began to do very well.

“The approved road map which Mr. President approved which I discussed with this National Assembly even before getting the approval had begun to show good results.

Ondo Declares Work-free Day as Health Commissioner Dies of COVID-19 CMD of Ondo teaching hospital tests positive James Sowole in Akure Ondo State government yesterday declared today as a work-free day to honour the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro, who died yesterday after contracting COVID-19.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) Teaching Hospital, Ondo, Dr. Oluwole Ige, has also tested positive for the virus.

The state government, in a statement entitled: “Adegbenro, Our General, Died Healing Others,” signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald

Ojogo, also paid tribute to the deceased.

Though, Ojogo did not disclose the cause of his death, a source said the commissioner died of COVID-19 complications.

Until his death, Adegbenro equally doubled as Chairman, Ondo State Inter-ministerial Committee Against COVID-19.

Ojogo Said: “Dr Adegbenro was in the forefront of the state’s battle against the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did he signpost commitment and diligence; he, indeed, was immeasurable in his inspiration clearly defining himself as an embodiment of selflessness, hard work, and inexorable professionalism.

N127m Fraud: EFCC Docks Lagos Ex- scholarship Board Chair Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal office, on July 2, 2020, arraigned a former Executive Secretary, Lagos State Scholarship Board, Mr. Stephen Oshinowo, for alleged N127million fraud before Justice O.A. Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State.

He was arraigned on amended eight-count charges bordering of criminal conversion to the tune of N127,000,000.

One of the amended eightcount charge read: “That you, Stephen Oshinowo, sometime in 2018, in Lagos and within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, being a civil servant, dishonourably converted to the use of Oshinowo Adenike the total sum of N30 million, property of Lagos State Board.”

Another count read: “That you, Stephen Oshinowo,

between 8th day of February, 2016 and 30th day of December in Lagos and within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, being the Secretary of Lagos State Scholarship Board, dishonestly converted to your own use, through Julikam International Limited, the sum of N39, 934,919 property of Lagos State Board.”

Investigation revealed that Oshinowo, at various times, allegedly diverted to his personal use the sum of N127, 164,066 meant for the Board.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.

In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, Usman Buhari, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant.

However, defence counsel, Lawal Pedro (SAN), prayed the court for a short adjournment to hear the bail application of his client.

A breakdown shows that N251,352,673,904.74, N158,123,337,830.38 and N199,658,914,304.30 were spent on debt service for the months of January, February and March, respectively.

The N609,134,926,039.42 was expended on federal government debt instruments, including Nigeria Treasury Bills (NTBs),

FGN Bonds, and FGN Savings Bond.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s total public debt stock stood at N28.6 trillion as at March 31, 2020.

This comprises a domestic debt of N18.641 trillion ($51.637 billion) and N9.9 trillion ($27.66 billion) foreign debt.

Out of the over N18 trillion domestic debt, the Federal

Government of Nigeria (FGN) alone accounted for N14,534 trillion while the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accounted for the balance of N4,106 trillion. The DMO had recently disclosed that as at March 31, 2020, the total borrowing by Nigeria from China was $3.121 billion (1,126.68 trillion at $1/361). This amount,

it stated, represents only 3.94 per cent of Nigeria’s total public debt of 28.628 trillion at 361 as at March 31, 2020. Similarly, in terms of external sources of funds, loans from China accounted for 11.28 per cent of the external debt, adding that China is not a major source of funding for the Nigerian government, contrary to widely-held view.

CONGRATULATIONS...

New Chairman of Federal Character Commission (FCC), Hajia Fareedah Dankaka (left), and Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, during her swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa in Abuja...yesterday

Eni, Shell Aware of Bribes in Nigerian Case, Italian Prosecutor Insists Ejiofor Alike with agencyreports Eni and Royal Dutch Shell were aware that most of the money they spent to buy Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245, a Nigerian oilfield in 2011, would go in corrupt payments to politicians and officials, a prosecutor said yesterday.

“They were kickbacks. And Eni and Shell knew it,” Sergio Spadaro told judges in Milan, summing

up the prosecutors’ case in what is one of the industry’s largest corruption scandals ever.

Italy’s Eni and Shell, who deny any wrongdoing, bought the OPL 245 offshore field in 2011 for about $1.3 billion from Malabu, a company owned by former Nigerian oil minister, Mr. Dan Etete.

Prosecutors allege that about $1.1 billion of that money was siphoned off to politicians and

middlemen, half of it to Etete himself.

During a seven-hour speech in a special court room to meet COVID-19 requirements, Spadaro read out a series of emails between former Shell managers, including one saying it had been taken for granted Etete would have only kept a part of the price for himself, using the rest to pay off Nigerian politicians. “There are a whole load of sharks around,” the email

read out by Spadaro said.

Prosecutors are expected to make their final sentencing requests for those involved in the long-running case at a second hearing in Milan scheduled for July 21.

Besides the two companies, another 13 people are involved in the case including current Eni Chief Executive, Mr. Claudio Descalzi and former Shell head of upstream, Mr. Malcolm Brinded.

Gunmen Attack Addax Petroleum’s Facility, Kidnap 11 Workers Ejiofor Alike with agency reports Dryad Global has reported that gunmen attacked the Okwori Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, offshore Nigeria, and abducted 11 oil workers.

The Sendje Berge FPSO is owned by BW Offshore.

It is contracted to Addax

Petroleum, a unit of China’s Sinopec. Okwori field lies in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 126, south of Port Harcourt.

Energy Voice quoted the maritime security company as saying that the attack on the Sendje Berge FPSO would be unique in West Africa as explosives had been used in the incident.

The use of such weapons has

not been previously reported in the region, it said.

“It seems that this was well-coordinated with two speedboats attacking separately so that one was able to draw the security vessel away from the FPSO. That’s not typical piracy modus operandi and from the limited information I have so far, this looks much more like some militant group

making a statement of intent,” said Risk Intelligence’s senior analyst, Dirks Siebels.

BW Offshore reported the attack took place at 4:20 am local time. The FPSO operator said nine Nigerian nationals were kidnapped by pirates.

None of those remaining on board have physical injuries, it said, and the Nigerian Navy is on the site.

FG Can’t Tell Private Operators Not to Increase Prices of Services, Says Odinkalu Former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu, has berated the federal government for increasing the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT), pump price of petrol, charges on Point of Sales and Automated Teller Machine transactions, while directing private sector operators not to increase

prices on their goods and services.

In a thinly veiled reference to the National Broadcasting Commission’s (NBC) directive to pay television provider, MultiChoice, to revert to its tariffs before 1 June, Odinkalu, on Twitter, accused the federal government of raising charges on a variety of services but issuing orders to

private operators to do otherwise.

“Increased VAT, increased electricity tariff, increased petrol price, charges on POS, charges on ATM withdrawals, but private operators can’t adjust their prices under the watch of a government that keeps raising charges,” tweeted the former NHRC boss.

MultiChoice had, with effect

from 1 June, adjusted tariffs on its pay television packages to reflect the new VAT rate of 7.5 per cent, which came into effect on 1 February. Previously the VAT rate was 5 per cent. The hike in VAT rate is one of the provisions of the Finance Bill, which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on 13 January.

Gbajabiamila Tasks Journalists on Truthful, Balanced Reportage Udora Orizu in Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has tasked journalists to always be truthful in their reportage, which he said would promote good

governance and enhance the business of news reporting.

Speaking during the inauguration of the newly elected officials of the House of Representatives Press Corps yesterday at the National Assembly, Gbajabiamila said

journalists must contribute to the well-being of the society through their coverage.

He said journalists have the capacity to shape different narratives in the society, hence the need to be truthful.

The Speaker, while

admonishing the newly elected officials of the House Press Corps to always remember their oath of office in carrying out their functions, also tasked journalists to ensure balanced and objective reportage to avoid being one-sided.

30

FRIDAY JULY 3, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

24 HOURS...

NPA Welcomes House’s Probe of Alleged Account with Unity Bank Eromosele Abiodun The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has applauded the decision of the House of Representatives to probe an alleged secret account it operated with Unity Bank Plc In a statement issued yesterday by NPA’s General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Jatto A Adams, the agency reiterated the non-existence of such an account.

“While awaiting

communications from the House committees on finance; and ports and harbours on the proposed investigations, the Authority restates it position in the statement issued by management earlier this week that the unity bank account number: 0013680344, cited by the whistleblower, Mr. Okpurhe, does not exist as evidenced by a February 12,2020 letter from Unity Bank Plc,”it stated.

The NPA, added that it operates an account with Unity Bank Plc with account number:

0013670344 with a total sum of $1,057,772.03 as of December 4, 2019, “and not $1,034,515,000.00 as alleged by the petitioner.

“However, the NPA account has not been in operation since August 27, 2010 due to a Suit No: FHC/L/CS/582/2010 GARNISHEE ORDER NISI in AMINU IBRAHIM & CO & ANOR. VS. NIGERIAN

PORTS AUTHORITY where a garnishee order was placed on it following a case, which went from the Federal High Court to the Supreme Court over a period of eight years.”

It added that upon the determination of the case at the Supreme Court, the judgment creditors continued with the Garnishee process which resulted

in the credit of the amount $1,057,772.03 in favour of Suit No: FHC/L/CS/582/2010 GARNISHEE ORDER NISIAMINU IBRAHIM & CO & ANOR. VS. NIGERIAN PORTS AUTHORITY on December 4, 2019 in line with the Garnishee Order absolute.

“It is therefore obvious that there is no cloned account as

speculated in the alleged whistle blowing effort of Mr. Okpurhe.

“The account under discussion was frozen on the strength of a court order in August 2010, following the completion of the case, the money was consequently transferred to the judgment creditor on December 4, 2019 in line with the Garnishee Order Absolute, “it said.

Niger Repatriates 794 Local, Foreign Almajirai Laleye Dipo in Minna Niger State Government has repatriated 12 foreign and 782 local Almajirai to their countries and states respectively.

The 12 Almajirai were sent to Benin and Niger Republics while the 782 others were repatriated to different states in Nigeria.

However, the government is still keeping two of the Almajirai whose states or nationalities are still unknown.

The state Commissioner for Education, Hajia Hanatu Salihu, who disclosed this to journalists at the end of the state executive council meeting held in Minna last Wednesday, said the repatriated Almajirai were screened for COVID-19, but did not say how many of them tested positive or negative.

According to Salihu, the state also received 139 Almajirai from different parts of the country, adding that all the street children

were “camped, fed and clothed at the Minna Hajj camp.”

She disclosed that the state government approved N86million for the “upkeep of the Almajirai.”

Salihu further disclosed that the state government had not decided when to reopen schools shut as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, adding that “we are holding meetings with stakeholders on the best approach to the issue.

“We are working out modalities on how to reopen our schools that it would be safe for the teachers and students.”

While also briefing journalists, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Nasara Dan-malam, disclosed that an executive bill on the establishment of a Traffic Management Agency for the state would soon be presented to the state House of Assembly for passage into law.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and address as WILLIAMS MAYOWA FOLASHADE, now wish to be known and address as ONABIYI GANIAT MAYOWA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AJAYI FATIMOH OLUWADAMILOLA now wish to be known and addressed as AMUSA FATIMOH IYABODE. All documents remain valid. The general public to take note.

I formerly known and address as OLUWATOSIN KUDIRAT ABEKE WILLIAMS now wish to be known and address as OLUWATOSIN KUDIRAT ABEKE BAJOMO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as MRS BAMIDELE ELIZABETH OGUNDELE. Now wish to be known and addressed as MISS BAMIDELE ELIZABETH AWOBOKUN. All documents remain valid. The general public to take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as MISS IKEGAH STELLA CHINUNWOR. Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS CYRIL STELLA CHINUNWOR. All documents remain valid. The general public to take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as JOHN OKUNOLA AKINOLA now wish to be known and addressed as TAJUDEEN TIJANI OLADELE. All documents remain valid. The general public to take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as ISENAH ISENAH. Now wish to be known and addressed as NOTORO DUBADEI ISENAH. All documents remain valid. The general public & Sterling Bank plc to take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I,formerly known and addressed as MISS AKPORAVBARE RACHEL. Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ENA-PHILIPS RACHEL. All documents remain valid.

The general public to take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as CHIOMA WINIFRED AJUWA now wish to be known and addressed as CHIOMA WINIFRED OKOLU. All documents remain valid. The general public to take note.

This is to notify the general public that the family of MR THOMAS C. UDEBU has made a correction to their family name formerly spelt as UDEBHU now as UDEBU Every other documents related to SILVERLYN 0 UDEBHU remains valid Imperial scholar high school take note Ambrose Alli University take note.

We formerly known and addressed as CHIDOZIE FAMILY. AWAH / AWAOGU PETER CHIDOZIE of Enugwu nanka village,Orumba north LGA Of Anambra state. Now wish to be known and address as AWAH/AWAOGU Family. All former document remain valid. The general public take note.

This is to notify the general public that I, IMAOBONG EYO OKON and LOVETH IMAOBONG OKON refers to the same person. All formal document remains valid. The general public should please take note.

GIVING PRIORITY TO HEALTH...

L-R: Surgical and Research Resident, University of Witwatersrand, Dr. Stanley Boniface; Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu; and Deputy Inspector General of Police in Charge of Training, Mr. Lawan Shehu, during the inauguration of cancer screening and treatment programme for officers and men of the Nigerian Police of 40 years and above, in Abuja...yesterday

Ganduje Relaxes Lockdown in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has announced the total relaxation of lockdown imposed on the state since April.

The governor made the announcement yesterday during the routine COVID-19 press

briefing, held at Government House in Kano.

Ganduje said the government had imposed curfew from 10pm to 4am in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.

The governor also announced that civil servants, from Grade Level 12 and above should go back to work, adding that the

working hours had been reduced to 8am to 2 pm and under strict observance to the COVID-19 protocols.

The governor also banned street hawking in the state, adding that “we must ensure that all these orders will be strictly adhere to”.

He also warned against failure to wear face masks, stating that

the mobile courts would be in full force to punish whoever is found wanting.

Ganduje also banned tricycle operators from carrying more than two passengers, adding that whoever violates the law would be punished accordingly, stressing also that passengers must wear face masks.

Nasarawa Gov Appoints Channels TV Correspondent, Addra as CPS Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia The Governor of Nasarawa State, Sule Yahaya, yesterday appointed a correspondent of the Channels Television, Abuja, Mr. Ibrahim Inuwa Addra, as

his Chief Press Secretary (CPS).

The appointment of Addra as CPS to the governor was announced by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mohammed Ubandoma Aliyu, who stated that the appointment

was with effect from July 1, 2020.

Announcing the appointment, the SSG said it was in furtherance of the commitment of the governor’s administration to strengthen the public service for improved service delivery.

Addra, who hails from Doma Local Government Area of the state, was a former Chief Press Secretary to the late Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma, who governed the state from 2007 to 2011.

Court Adjourns Ize-Iyamu, Others’ Alleged N700m Fraud Trial Till July 7 Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The trial of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and four others at the Federal High Court, Benin yesterday, suffered a setback as the court failed to sit but adjourned to July 7, for hearing.

Other defendants in the suit include former Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, who is now Vice

Chairman South-south of the party; present state chairman of the party, Hon.Tony Aziegbemi; former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Lucky Imasuen, and Efe Erimuoghae Anthony.

The defendant were to appear before Justice M. Umar over a case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on an eight-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N700 million meant to prosecute the 2015

general election.

The EFCC in Suit No. FHC/ BE21C/ 2016, said the five accused allegedly received public funds illegally to the tune of N700 million for the purpose of the 2015 general election, contrary to the provisions of the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act. The EFCC further alleged that the defendants conspired among themselves to commit the offence in March 2015, and

took possession and control of the funds without any contract award.

The Court had on June 18, 2020 validated the corruption charges against the defendants and adjourned the case to July 2, for further hearing.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, the court could not sit due to undisclosed reasons but it was observed that some of the defendants and their counsel were around the court premises.

MultiChoice Group Joins UN’s Global COVID-19 Campaign Faith Akah

As part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness through information, the MultiChoice Group has joined the United Nations (UN) as an official supporter of the UN’s global COVID-19 awareness campaign, Pause, which launched globally on 30 June.

The Pause campaign aims to highlight the dangers of sharing false information related to COVID-19. The campaign

asks people around the world to pause, think and take care before sharing information which could be inaccurate or a result of misinformation and may have harmful effects.

“We are in a moment of global reckoning as COVID-19 and its social and economic consequences challenge the world in unprecedented ways.

“Misinformation, hate speech and fake news are fueling and distorting all of these challenges and eroding

the truth. We are very excited to have MultiChoice onboard as a supporter giving the launch of our campaign reach across Africa”.

“They are uniquely positioned to deliver this important message to their diverse audiences across the continent,” said UN Senior Adviser for Global Communications, Robert Skinner.

MultiChoice Group Executive Chairman, Imtiaz

Patel, also noted that reliable information is vital to the fight against COVID-19. “The dissemination of credible information has become critical to fighting this epidemic, which continues to impact millions across the globe and our continent. We are, therefore, honoured to be able to utilise the continental reach of our broadcast and digital platforms across Africa to empower people with vital information”

31

˜ ͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS Ighalo’s Strike against Norwich Listed for Man Utd Goal of the Month

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Duro Ikhazuagbe Odion Ighalo’s goal against Norwich which helped Manchester United to book a semi final ticket against Chelsea has been listed amongst five goals of the month of June at Old Trafford.

June was particularly a great month for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United as the Red Devils played four

games, won three and scored nine goals in all.

Ighalo who secured an extension of his loan deal till January 31 from his parent Chinese Super League club, Shanghai Shenhua, scored United’s opening goal in the 2-1 defeat of Norwich in the Emirates FA Cup clash at Carrow Road.

The former Watford front man had his back towards goal when the chance arose

Rohr Backs Napoli’s Bid for Victor Osimhen Super Eagles Head Coach Gernot Rohr has predicted that Napoli will be great platform for Victor Osimhen to shine should his proposed transfer to the Serie A club go through.

Although Osimhen and his representatives held “positive” talks with Napoli earlier this week ahead of a big-money transfer from Lille, fear of racists chants prevalent in Italian topflight appears a problem making the FIFA U-17 World Cup winner to be having a rethink of switching to the Serie A. Rohr said he expects the 21-year-old striker to take this chance.

“Napoli is a great chance for Victor and Victor will prove to be a great player for Napoli if the deal goes through,” Rohr toldRadio Punto Nuovoyesterday.

“Serie A is a prestigious championship. It is a championship I follow, there are some of our players William Troost Ekong in Udinese, Ola Aina at Torino.

“I have advised him to take an important step and go to a top level club, where he can find the right space to play regularly and grow.”

Rohr said Osimhen has the attributes to shine in the tough Italian top flight.

“He’s a scorer, a player of power and speed,” he remarked.

“He’s a fighter, he never accepts defeat, he always wants to win even in training matches.

“Victor is someone who wants to grow and improve, technically and tactically.

“He has a great-player mentality,” concludes the German gaffer.

but, sensing no-one was within two yards of him, cleverly angled out a right boot to send the ball into the net, beyond Tim Krul between the sticks for Norwich.

That spectacular strike has bounced Ighalo back to reckoning for the best goal for United in June. He was voted winner of the best goal for United in the month of March, just before the Covid-19 lockdown. It was his away goal against LASK in Austria that earned him the top honour.

Speaking about his Zlatan-esque finish on Manchester United’s

website yesterday, Ighalo admitted: “There was nothing I could do, I can’t control the ball there and can’t do anything but just hit with my side-foot. I did and, luckily, it went in. It was too close for the goalkeeper to do anything.

Ighalo said he was happy that the linesman did not rule him offside.

“As the ball went in, I was very happy but I watched the linesman, who did not raise his flag. When I saw it after the game, I even had two guys behind me so I was not offside,” stressed the AFCON 2019 top scorer.

Other nominees for the goal of the month include; Harry Maguire who scored the late 118th minute winner to send the Red Devils to the semi final; Anthony Martian’s hat trick goals against Sheffield United; Mason Greenwood’s strike against Brighton and Bruno

Fernandes’ brace against Brighton.

Although pundits familiar with the Red Devils’ goals history are already tipping Fernandes’ volley against Brighton as the most likely winner despite sentiments favoring any of Martial’s first hat trick goals for United.

THE GOALS GUNNING FOR THE AWARD Anthony Martial

v

Sheffield United (goal 1)

Anthony Martial

v

Sheffield United (goal 2)

Anthony Martial

v

Sheffield United (goal 3)

Odion Ighalo

v

Norwich City

Harry Maguire

v

Norwich City

Mason Greenwood

v

Brighton

Bruno Fernandes

v

Brighton (goal 2)

Odion Ighalo (right) scored in Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat of Norwich to qualify for the semi final of the FA Cup. That goal has now been listed for Goal of the Month of June

Inter Milan Extend Victor Moses’Stay Till End of Season Newly Promoted Serie A Club Interested in Signing Mikel Inter Milan have extended and Manchester United. their loan contract with Victor Moses until the end of the 2019-2020 Serie A season, according to reports.

The print edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Victor Moses and Alexis Sanchez will remain at the Nerazzurri until the end of the championship, while as regards August, Inter Milan are still in talks with Chelsea

Victor Moses...stay at Inter extended till end of season

The original loan agreement between Inter and the Premier League clubs expired on Tuesday, June 30.

Since joining the Milan based club in the January transfer window, Moses has provided two assists in 11 games to date and was in action for 491 minutes.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner has featured in all the four matches Inter Milan have been involved in since the season restarted on June 13.

Moses is eligible to represent Inter Milan in their last ten games of the 2019-2020 season, beginning with Wednesday’s home 6-0 win against Brescia.

There is a cloud over the long-term future of the former Super Eagles star at Inter Milan, with the club’s signing of Real Madrid’s Morocco national-team player Achraf Hakimi.

Newly-promoted Italian Serie A club Benevento are the latest club linked with a move for Chelsea and Nigeria legend John Obi Mikel.

Transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio writes on his websitethat Benevento are interested in signing the former Super

Eagles captain who is currently a free agent after parting company with Trabzonpor due to coronavirus fears in March.

The Sorcerersas the club is called by their fans have started rebuilding their squad ahead of their return to the Serie A and are on the brink of confirming the

capture of Lille star Loic Remy, who previously wore the colours of Chelsea.

Former Porto star Juan Manuel Iturbe and Germany World Cup winner Andrè Schurrle are also on the radar of Benevento with a view to a transfer.

Brazilian teams Botafogo and Sport

Club Internacional were earlier mooted as possible destinations for Mikel but nothing has come of it so far.

The two-time World Cupper called time on his international career with the Super Eagles after last year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

La Liga Bans Fans from Stadium for Rest of Season Spain’s Secretary of Sports, Irene Lozano, and LaLiga President, Javier Tebas, have categorically ruled out fans returning to matches before the end of this season to minimise the risk of the novel coronavirus spreading.

Tebas said last month that fans should be allowed back once it is safe to do so, while the league drew up a draft protocol in the event that the government’s department for sport approved their return. Yet Lozano, who has repeatedly stated that

the campaign should finish without supporters as those were the conditions for matches returning after the March hiatus, drew a line under the matter in a breakfast meeting with reporters on Thursday.

“The safest thing to do is to complete the season without spectators,” she said.

“Football moves masses of people, it’s not like the theatre.

A match behind-closed-doors is attended by only 250 people, but a stadium only at one-third of its capacity

could mean 30,000 people.

That’s why it’s different to other activities.”

None of Europe’s top five leagues have been able to hold matches with spectators since football has returned, although championships in countries such as Serbia, Bulgaria and Denmark have allowed fans back in to matches.

Tebas said that the league was no longer planning for fans to return, adding that the main obstacle was the prospect of people congregating before and

after games, as happened at a recent derby between Sporting Gijon and Real Oviedo.

“Right now La Liga is not prioritising the return of supporters to stadiums,” he said.

“The big problem is the crowds inside and outside the stadium. We had problems with the Asturian derby as there were more than 2, 000 people outside. We can’t afford to kid ourselves because if we aren’t careful there could be a second wave.”

TR

Friday July 3, 2020

UT H

& RE A SO

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Price: N250

MISSILE

Agbakoba to NCF “Without prejudice to the need for such a political movement, I want to place it on record that I was not consulted and so I am not part of the National Consultative Front” – Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), distancing himself from a new political movement known as the National Consultative Front.

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

Beyond Tinubu B

etween Otto Van Bismarck and Claud Cockburn, one must have plagiarised the other. The remarkable wit, “never believe anything until it is officially denied” is attributed to both of them.

In an extraordinary development a week ago, the Nigerian Presidency, whose most compelling trademark is lethargy, caught us all off guard with a peculiar swift response to media speculations on the personal relationship between President Mohammadu Buhari and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Although it was a mockery, nonetheless, when last can anyone recall the president responded with similar dispatch to reports of flare ups of Nigerians killing one another in hundreds in the low intensity civil war raging in Nigeria.

To be prioritised in this manner, over urgent matters of state, must be very gratifying and flattering to Tinubu - that is if he is unable to read the mockery between the lines.

The peculiar statement, not the least for the flippant language (“between the two of them, only they know how they manage their enviable relationship”) is, by itself, a Trumpian red herring.- telling Tinubu not to believe what his eyes are seeing and what his ears are hearing. How logical does it sound to preclude one of the “two founding fathers of APC” from attendance in a meeting sponsored by the president for the fundamental purpose of pulling a party submerged in “existential crisis from the brink of collapse”? Similarly precluded are the leading lights of his faction including the founding Uncle of APC, Adams Oshiomhole and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, whose head was shaved in its absence with a peremptory dissolution.

The opinion of founding father Tinubu on the meeting sponsored by founding father Buhari was as follows: “After the fusillade of lawsuits and countersuits, two NWC members laid competing claims to the chairmanship. One legitimately elected at our national convention; the latter whose claim was based on the questionable suspension of the former”.

The position of the president on the same meeting was clarified by Garba Shehu as “The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman. Because he will always act in accordance with the law, the president will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon”. The significance of the two positions is that what Tinubu deems ‘questionable’ is what Buhari deemed ‘the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman’.

The president went further to send a message on those qualified to attend the meeting.“In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will hopefully be attended by our governors and leaders of the National Assembly.” How do you interpret this invitation without speculating on those who are, conspicuously, not invited?

Tinubu is not, exactly, a good comparison to the precedent of the late Chief Obafemi

Tinubu Awolowo save in the respect of the common experience of being a victim of their political reckoning. In a manner of speaking, the only relevance of the former is negative and it devolves on how to render him a politician of no consequence. I don’t know how accurate is the description but he is the last man standing in the politics of the APC. Take Tinubu out of political reckoning today and you look in vain in and out of APC for any active political leader with followership autonomous of Abuja. This observation is, of course, without prejudice to the consequential presence of world class statesmen like President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Professor Wole Soyinka and Colonel Dangiwa Umar.

What should bother us about the travails of Tinubu is that the move against him, within the context of the personality cult politics of Buhari, is reminiscent of a dictatorship purge.

It would be a disservice to his political sagacity and reputation to believe that Tinubu did not know he had it coming. The tragedy of his position is that, on account of his accumulated and well documented vulnerabilities, he is more or less trapped.

If he believes in prayers he had better start soliciting God that the offensive against him

What should bother us about the travails of Tinubu is that the move against him, within the context of the personality cult politics of Buhari, is reminiscent of a dictatorship purge

would stop short of the proportions of zero sum game. It is open to conjecture how valid and relevant is this recall by Awolowo “In the course of my contribution to the debate on the Anglo-Nigeria defence pact, Alhaji Mohammadu Ribadu rose up to say that the Prime Minister should take note that unless this man Awolowo is put in gaol, this country will not have peace”.

In dealing with Awolowo, the Coker Commission of Inquiry and the predictable indictment came in quite handy. In the case of Tinubu, you do not even need to look, to get a treasure trove of incriminating evidence on his public footprints. He may yet rue the day he commandeered a naira and dollar loaded central bank armoured car to Boudellion road. One of his nemesis from the Buhari stable once boasted it wouldn’t take him more than two and a half minutes to finish off Tinubu.

He, of course, knows his vaunted presidential aspiration is a non-starter and it would be unpardonably thick of him to believe otherwise. Ironically, however, projecting himself as actively seeking the office is an act of loyalty, goodwill and deference to the person who ultimately gets to decide his successor. Ostensibly seeking to succeed Buhari is not an act of autonomy or defiance, it is an act of loyalty and compliance-especially for someone as vulnerable as Tinubu is. Unlike the solid home support mitigation in the Awolowo and Moshood Abiola precedent, the perfect storm for him is how he is out on a limbo having lost considerable goodwill and legitimacy in the South-west.The easiest target for a predator is the prey who is isolated from its roost and sanctuary. With his purge, APC is now reduced to Buhari writ large Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). After finishing with the APC, the next target is obviously the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)- which, given the games governors like Nyesom Wike of Rivers State are playing, is a sitting duck.The potential saving grace of PDP (which may preserve the facade of independent opposition party) is its utility as evidence of mimick multi party democracy; and its cooptation along with the APC as Buhari’s six and half a dozen Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV). If the hour has not yet arrived, the day the PDP will join the APC as vanguard of the power politics outreach of the president is not long in coming. Now please don’t get me wrong, in varying degrees, no member of the Nigerian political elite can pass the smell test, including President Mohammed Buhari-of whom Farooq Kperogi recently made this revelation “Buhari does his own stealing by proxy, which makes it impossible for anyone to trace anything to him. That was the evidence that came out from the probe of PTF. He was probably only aghast that Sabiu is too stupid to have that much money squirreled away in bank accounts in his name, not that he has stolen that much money”.

Prior to Buhari’s emergence as President in 2015, Tinubu was afforded the benefit of good counsel on the folly of believing he was going to share power in a democratic

partnership. The logic of emergent dictatorship is that it would not just stop at not sharing power with you, it would divest you of the power you already have to render you of no consequence. Yet Tinubu could not even wait to display his ignorance of the new game in town when he manoeuvred to be dignified with the symbolically significant title of the ‘national leader’. To be objective, such aspiration was even an inordinate overreach, given that, conventionally, the title belongs to the president elected on the platform of the party. The scenario that has been unfolding since 2015 and in which Tinubu is ensnared is too elaborate and deliberate for it not to be integral to a grand ulterior design.

And it is in the nature of such agenda that majority of Buhari’s regional constituency would be in the dark subject to the need to know basis.

No president engages in the outright appropriation of the institutional leadership of the three arms of government, the security services and the economy if he is not contemplating some kind of self-perpetuating civilian dictatorship. We have looked on in horror at how the leadership of the judiciary and the legislature have been willingly and unwillingly emasculated and rendered prostrate.The day Mr. Hope Uzordimma was appointed the Governor of Imo State will be remembered as a dark day in the history of the Nigerian judiciary. And it does not look like an escapade anyone would contemplate without the equivalent of a marching directive from higher quarters.

You remember the Senate President openly swearing the oath of perpetual servitude to the president and the pathetic spectacle of his deputy kneeling before the president in abject obeisance. The more ominous method to the madness of the totalitarian take over is how it hacks back to the Abacha precedent.

You will recall the spectre of the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, setting the stage for hanging the charge of treason on the opposition party a fortnight to the 2019 presidential election. Here is the refresher: ‘’Having realised that their fortunes have dwindled badly ahead of the polls, the desperate opposition is orchestrating widespread violence with a view to truncating the elections, thus triggering a constitutional crisis that could snowball into the establishment of an interim government. ‘’Before you accuse the government of crying wolf, let me tell you, gentlemen, that we have credible intelligence that armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilised to engage in massive attacks and other acts of violence in several states across the country, including Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.

“There is also an international dimension to the evil plan. Some armed mercenaries from Niger Republic have been contracted to attack top government functionaries, including state governors, across the North-west between now and the elections.”

If anyone is in doubt about how the mind of this government works, Mohammed has given a cue.

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