TUESDAY 26TH JULY 2022

Buhari to Amusan:You’ve Left Us with Unforgettable Memories,Tears of Joy Hail Brume, Team Nigeria for making nation proud Atiku, Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, Abiodun, Obaseki, Okowa congratulate gold winner in 100m hurdles Bolt celebrates gold medalist, says she’s superb!

Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari,

yesterday, said Oluwatobiloba Amusan, who won the women’s 100m hurdles gold at the World Athletics Championship 2022, set a

new world record in the semifinals of the athletic event, and became the first Nigerian to win a World Championship, left the nation with

unforgettable memories, tears of joy and triumph.

The president, who also commended another Nigerian, Ese

Brume, for representing the country with honour and pride, after winning silver medal in the Women’s long jump event, further thanked

Amusan “for making the Nigerian national anthem resonate again from Continued on page 10

Organ Harvesting Allegation: Court Grants Ekweremadu’s Wife Bail, Senator Remains in Police Custody... Page 12 Tuesday 26 July, 2022 Vol 27. No 9968. Price: N250

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FG Procures Six More Attack Helicopters as Terrorists Release Four Kaduna Train Passengers, Keep 39 Families ground activities at transportation ministry 121 days after Military beefs up security around Bwari campus law school, FG closes FGC Kwali Chuks Okocha, Kingsley Nwezeh, Olawale Ajimotokan, Kasim Sumaina, Kuni Tyessi in Abuja, Francis Sardauna in Katsina and John Shiklam in Kaduna

The federal government, has procured six more attack helicopters to enhance the fight against insecurity, just as four more of the remaining

43 kidnapped Kaduna-bound train passengers abducted in the attack by terrorists on March 28, 2022, have been released, leaving 39 victims still in captivity.

Chief Executive Officer of TUSAS, a Turkish aircraft manufacturer, Mr Temel Kotil, yesterday, announced the sale six of T-129 attack helicopters, to Nigeria.

The announcement followed a deal reached with the company by the federal government.

Kotil, who made the announcement on his Twitter handle,

however, hinted at the development on CNN Turk.

President Tayipp Edorgan of Turkey recently visited Nigeria Continued on page 10

Ortom: Whatever Happened at PDP Primary is Past, Atiku Now My Candidate, I’m Behind Him Says opposition party as strong institution will always settle its issues Anxiety within NWC, governors’ forum, BoT over Wike's comment Ex-vice-president reaching out to old associates in APC

Continued on page 10

DOING NIGERIA PROUD...

Tears of joy hearing Nigeria's national anthem playing for the first time since the country started participating in the World Athletics Championships in 1983

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Group News Editor: Goddy Egene Email: Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0809 7777 322, 0807 401 0580

NEWS

GIFT FROM NIGERIA...

President Muhammadu Buhari (right) presents a parting gift to the outgoing President of ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, during a farewell audience at the State House Abuja…yesterday

PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE.

ASUU Strike: Labour Begins Protest Today, to Commence 3-day Warning from Thursday NECA urges businesses not to shutdown Lalong directs security agents to crackdown on protesters in Plateau Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Ugo Aliogo in Lagos, Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia, George Okoh in Makurdi and Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness to commence a threeday warning strike from Thursday, which would be immediately after their 2-day nationwide protest that begins today.

But the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has advised business owners not to shut down their operations in response to the workers' solidarity protest.

The NLC has also warned that it might make the proposed three-day warning strike indefinite if federal government fails to resolve its protracted industrial dispute with public university workers that downed tools over five months ago.

NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, stated this while speaking to journalists at the ongoing 18th NLC Rain School in in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

According to him, the labour movement has mobilised workers across country for a nationwide protest in all the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, that commences today.

The protest is to compel the federal government to resolve all lingering issues to re-open public universities for academic activities.

“The protest happening tomorrow is not a solidarity protest but a protest of NLC against government actions that lead to our universities being shut down and our kids staying at home instead of going to school. All the unions directly involved in the strike are NLC affiliates and their members are part of NLC. “We have taken three levels of decision. First is the protest which is going to be national tomorrow. After the protest, a three days national warning strike will start, and if they fail to resolve the issues and bring back our kids to school, we go on indefinite strike.

"That is the decision of our National Executive Council. And what will be helpful for them is to check the timeline we have given for them to resolve the issues. We are optimistic that they will be willing this time because we are also willing to get our children back to school," he said.

Speaking on the harsh living condition of Nigerians, Wabba said that it was not only the education sector that is presently in shambles, but the economy as well.

Wabba said; “I never knew that

the exchange rate has moved within a week from N630 to N670. This is very frightening and it erodes purchasing power of workers. There is no way we can continue in this direction and expect that there will be shared prosperity within workers and within the large portion of Nigerians that are in the lower echelon at the economic ladder.

“Importantly is the issue of our children that are out of school for five months. Basically it also requires a political decision for the issue to be sorted out. What is even more worrisome is the fact that they keep posting the graduation of their children in universities outside the country on social media and then the universities where the children of the working class study are closed down.

“I was told today that we have three sets of students that ought to be in the university but unfortunately they have not even sorted out their admission challenges. So, it really a very frightening future for Nigerians, particularly the youths".

He said the irony of it was that most of the political elites today benefited from free public education, wondering why it had been impossible for them to fix our public education.

"Is it about the class divide?

It honestly beats some body’ s

imagination. That is why all of these issues resonates that we need to engage politically. We have also realised the fact that they have used different approaches to divide Nigerians.

“Unfortunately for them, the NLC is a pan-Nigerian organisation that cannot be divided. And workers should not allow themselves to be divided along ethnic or religious line. This is just diversion of interest.

Their division tool is happening now, “Workers should be wiser, citizens should be wiser. We should work assiduously to unite Nigeria and not to divide Nigerian.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Lagos Chapter of the NLC, Funmi Sessi, yesterday said the congress in Lagos has fully mobilised all its affiliates both in the private and public sectors for a total shut down of all sectors in the state as it holds a two-day solidarity protest to push the government to resolve public university workers’ strike.

Addressing affiliates in preparation for the two-day nationwide protest against what it called government insensitivity to the plight of workers in universities, Sessi said workers in Lagos would start converging under the bridge in Ikeja from 6a.m-6.30a.m and move en masse to the Alausa Secretariat from 7a.m to 7.30a.m to deliver

Hope Rising for Nigeria as TotalEnergies Announces Commencement of Production at 50,000bpd Oil Field Peter Uzoho Nigeria's hope of reversing its current dip in oil production which stands at a little above one million barrels per day (bpd) yesterday received a boost as TotalEnergies announced that production has started at its 50,000bpd Ikike oil field.

Ikike oilfield is located on Oil Mining Lease (OML) 59, 20 kilometers off the coast, at a depth of about 20 meters. The platform is tied back to the existing Amenam offshore facilities through a 14km multipurpose pipeline.

The French oil major and operator of OML 59 with 40 per cent interest in partnership with the Nigerian

National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited which holds 60 per cent interest, announced the start of production at Ikike field in a statement issued yesterday in Paris, France.

At peak production, the company said the facility would deliver 50,000bpd of oil equivalent by the end of 2022.

TotalEnergies said the Ikike project leveraged existing facilities to keep costs low, and was designed to minimise greenhouse emissions, estimated at less than 4kg COze/ boe.

The international oil company (IOC) added that the facilities would contribute to reducing the average

carbon intensity of TotalEnergies' upstream portfolio.

In addition, the statement noted that 95 per cent of hours was worked locally, while the jackets as well as the topside modules were entirely built and integrated by local contractors.

"TotalEnergies is pleased to start production at Ikike, which was launched a few months before the Covid pandemic, and whose success owes a lot to the full mobilisation of the teams. By tapping discoveries close to existing facilities, this project fits the company's strategy of focusing on low-cost and lowemission oil projects," Senior Vice President, Africa, Exploration and

Production, TotalEnergies, HenriMax Ndong-Nzue was quoted to have said in the statement.

Nigeria has continued to witness unabating production deficit for years despite the increase in the country's monthly production quota by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The situation has been blamed on a number of factors including the massive oil theft and vandalisation of oil assets, ageing infrastructure, non-restart of oil platforms shut down during COVID, as well as the withdrawal of capital investments for exploration and production by the oil majors, who are now focused on their divestments.

a letter from the NLC President to the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. She noted that all the affiliates have shown their readiness to gather at Ikeja under the bridge today.

According to her, the essence of the meeting was to mobilise all affiliates to protest against the poor handling of the education sector in Nigeria.

She lamented that students in higher institutions from poor homes have been at home for over five months, adding that government further exacerbate the crisis with the introduction of 'No work, no pay policy.

"Stoppage of the salary is draconian. We are supporting the struggle of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

Despite efforts to broker peace, government has failed. We are already fully mobilised, we will be on the streets using the protest to drum support for the parents of the students who have been home for this long period," she said.

According to her, the NLC has charged all the private institutions owned by the state government to abstain from going to work, adding that it is the directive from the national body of the NLC that Lagos State University(LASU) and other state owned institutions should join the protest as workers.

"If the government like, let them bring all their armored tanker and security agencies, we will face them.

We are using this opportunity to tell all institutions in Lagos State to come out in solidarity with us because the reward will be for all.

An injury to one is an injury to all,”she added.

Sessi also threatened that the national grid would be shut down, adding that health workers would only be allowed for emergency services.

In his contribution, the Zonal Coordinator ASUU, Lagos, Adelaja Odukoya, stressed that the protest would be for Nigerians.

He maintained that the strike that caused unions in the universities to down tools was a deep-rooted crisis.

He said, "the struggle is in the interest of our children, enough is enough, government must fund education system. If we allow government to continue they will destroy our universities as they've done to our secondary schools.”

Nasarawa Academic Staff Reject Gov Sule's Call to Pull Out of Strike

In a related development, members of ASUU at the Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) yesterday rejected a call by Governor Abdulallahi Sule for them to pull out of the ongoing national strike embarked by the union.

ASUU Chairman, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Dr. Samuel Alu, said this at a press conference in Keffi, the campus of the state university, He disclosed that the Nasarawa State governor had solicited for the NSUK ASUU to pull out of the national strike of the union when he invited the union alongside the university management for a tripartite meeting.

The NSUK academic staff chairman said: "Recently, the visitor invited the union alongside the university management for a tripartite meeting where he (visitor) solicited for the branch's understanding to pull out of the national strike in order to enjoy the full payment of our salaries."

The ASUU Chairman maintained that the government of Nasarawa State was precipitating yet another round of industrial crisis in the state university by non-release of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) to the academic staff as it was the case with other sister unions on campus.

Alu, therefore, noted that that was negligence, bias and not acceptable anymore by the academic staff of the state-owned university.

"The ongoing attitude of government to the Memorandum of Agreements and Memorandum of Understandings has necessitated it on ASUU NSUK to no longer guarantee industrial harmony if the situation does not improve, especially when the ongoing national agitation and action are suspended.

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NEWS

16TH ABUJA/AFRICA INTERNATIONAL HOUSING SHOW 2022...

L-R: Guest Speaker, Africa International Housing Show 2022, Ugochukwu Chime; Chief Executive Officer, Abuja International Housing Show, Festus Adebayo; Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing Senator, Sam Egwu, and Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Tolulope Odebiyi, during the 16th Abuja/Africa International Housing Show 2022… yesterday

Access Bank Secures US-DFC $280m Financing for On-lending to SMEs Financial institution bags compliance management system certification Segun James in Lagos and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Access Bank have signed a commitment letter for $280 million to help address the financing gap for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The US Embassy in a statement issued yesterday said the commitment letter was signed by DFC CEO, Scott Nathan and Access Bank Managing Director, Roosevelt Ogbonna in Lagos yesterday.

Nathan said the DFC financing for Access Bank would provide needed liquidity given the global economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He added that the intervention was expected to support at least 4,000 new SME loans in Nigeria.

Nathan noted that the loan proceeds would be on-lent across more than a dozen sectors in the Nigerian economy, with specific focus on women-owned SMEs, and on loans with longer tenors, which will provide more flexibility to borrowers.

He stated: "The loan will help address the financing gap for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and advance financial inclusion in Nigeria, including through the bank’s commitment to supporting women-owned and

-led businesses.

“DFC’s investment in Access Bank demonstrates US support for private sector-led development in Nigeria and throughout West Africa.

“The $280 million loan from DFC will boost financial inclusion in Nigeria and empower women, bolstering the country’s economic growth.”

Also, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard said she looked forward to discussing with the public and private sectors how DFC funding could be leveraged to unleash the full economic potential of Nigeria through support to the country's small and medium-sized businesses, financial sector, and climate change-focused enterprises.

On his part, Ogbonna said Access Bank was extremely pleased to announce the strategic partnership with DFC to support the multitude of businesses across Nigeria who stand to benefit from greater access to finance, especially in an environment that was in need of stronger economic diversification.

According to him, “We look forward to utilising the partnership with DFC in driving further economic expansion and inclusion in Nigeria, with a strong focus on non-oil sectors and women businesses.”

Also, Citi Bank Head of Emerging Markets Corporate Bank, Rizwan Shaikh his bank was delighted to

have collaborated with Access Bank and DFC on the significant transaction, which would significantly boost SME corporate activity in Nigeria.

“This is yet another milestone stride for Citi as it executes a focused local-economy development strategy

based on solid partnerships with key clients and development agencies," he added.

Access Bank Bags Compliance Management System Standard Certification Meanwhile, in recognition

of its commitment to achieving sustainable business continuity, Access Bank has been conferred the MSECB Management System Certificate in accordance with the management system requirements in ISO 37301:2021.

with the disease have recovered.

Obehi explained: “Amid the rise in the number of confirmed cases of monkeypox in Edo, it has become imperative to warn on the health risks that the virus poses and reiterate the need for residents to be cautious and adhere to safety measures.”

The Commissioner highlighted symptoms of Monkeypox to include fever, headache, weakness of the body, sore throat, and enlargement of glands under the jaw and in the neck.

“It can also come with the

Continued on page 12

NECO Deploys Software for Grading of Students, Laments over N6bn Deductions from TSA Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has deployed cutting-edge software to ensure efficient grading of candidates in its various examinations.

The examination body also lamented that the initial placement of NECO on the list of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that remit 25 per cent of generated revenue to government coffers was taking a toll on the exam body's activities.

The Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, made this known in Minna, during a press briefing to mark one year in office.

Speaking on the new grading system, Wushishi who listed several achievements recorded since assuming office, said the software would ensure precise grade value

for every subject.

He said: "One of the innovations that will bring to bear in the conduct of the examination is determining the way and manner we determine the grade number, which relates to the allocation of grades for various subjects to students.

"Formerly it was done manually and there are processes that are followed in doing that manually but when I came felt it is necessary to align ourselves and some of our operations with the in-thing, which is technology, and we felt there is need for us to have a software that will enable us determine precisely real values for subjects after our exams. so we had a workshop for that and we were able to now deploy standard software to determine grade and marking."

On the successes recorded in recent times in the conduct of the school-based Senior School

Certificate Examination (SSCE) and its external version, Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as well as National Common Entrance Examination of unity schools, Wushishi said he had been able to put in place mechanisms to drastically reduces cases of malpractice and other challenges.

The NECO boss listed some of the measures to include deployment of robust security surveillance for exam papers and officials, improved welfare mechanisms for staff and examiners, use of foolproof software in selection of NECO staff on monitoring duties, among others.

"In 2020, we had over 30,000 cases of exam malpractice. In 2021 we had just about 20,000 and this year and this year we have confidence it will reduce to the barest minimum. In our last BECE the malpractice was about 600 cases and this year it was less

Edo Confirms Eight Monkeypox Cases, Intensifies Efforts to Contain Outbreak The Edo State Ministry of Health has revealed that eight persons have so far tested positive for monkeypox in the state, urging residents to observe safety measures to reduce the spread of the virus and other infectious diseases in the state.

Edo State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akoria Obehi, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said the Ministry had ramped up surveillance and other activities to curb the spread of infectious disease.

She, however, noted that all persons who were diagnosed

This feat sees the institution become the first bank to achieve certification against this standard, according to a statement.

The certification which was

appearance of a rash on the face, palms, soles of the feet, genitals, and other parts of the body, which can appear solid or fluid-filled at the onset and can manifest within a period of two to three weeks following infection, depending on the health status of the individual,” it added.

While advising on measures to contain the disease, she noted, “The virus can be transmitted from infected animals and rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels, and even monkeys; through contact with infected blood, body fluids, spots,

blisters or scabs, and sharing of objects.”

The Commissioner further advised: “Avoid contact with dead or live wild animals such as small mammals including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes).

“Thoroughly cook all foods containing animal meat before eating; avoid unprotected contact with infected animals, humans, their beddings, and other linen; wash hands regularly, and use sanitiser when water is not available.”

Restating the government’s

commitment to containing the outbreak and protecting the health of residents, the Edo Health Commissioner said the State Disease Surveillance Team had been deployed to control the outbreak in the state, alongside the engagement of stakeholders across the state’s 18 Local Government Areas.

“If you suspect any symptoms of monkeypox, kindly visit the nearest health facility for medical attention or call the Acting State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (0806 059 3802),” Akoria advised.

than 100," he said.

Wushishi said though NECO was removed from the list in June 2022, over N6 billion had been deducted from its and paid into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the first six months of 2022, adding that the exam body needs money to meet its obligations.

"From 2021 to date, to June (this year), the Minister of Finance has deducted from NECO's Treasury Single Account, the total of N6,023,145,000” Asked about the debt owed to the Council by some state governments, Wushishi revealed that NECO has recovered parts of the money, even as he lamented that over N2 billion still remained unpaid.

"When you talk about the issue of debts, we have done a lot, we have recovered some, some states are still indebted to the Council to the tune of over N2 billion. This is for over so many years, from 2012 till date. We are making efforts and some states are responding.

"And through our efforts to make sure we solve our problems, we have a commitment with the Accountant General of the Federation, and the states we have MoU with, we can take the MoU to the Accountant General Office to deduct from source but we are very tactical about it, because we also have to sensitize the state governments on the need to keep this place afloat, and it is the payment of what they have subscribed for in the council that will keep this place afloat.

"So we are tactically doing that and we are getting the result and we have not yet taken any state to the Accountant General office."

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BUHARI FREE VICTIMS OF TRAIN ABDUCTION...

Families and Relatives of the kidnapped victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack protesting at the Ministry of Transportation in Abuja, yesterday.

NNPC Offers Exit Package to Staff Willing to Leave Before Retirement Date Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has offered workers willing to exit the firm before their due retirement a “tempting” package to facilitate their leaving the company, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

It was gathered that as many as

500 employees may be affected by the initiative, with many workers having already accepted the offer.

Contrary to rumours that the workers were up for termination of contracts, it was learnt that many of the employees have now received emails offering them a chance to have a dignified exit.

Among those who will be most

impacted, THISDAY understood, are those who have been officially confirmed infirm or unable to carry out their functions effectively.

The NNPC limited was officially unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari last Tuesday and is now expected to operate like every profit oriented company.

On the sidelines of the event, the

Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mallam Mele Kyari, had assured that none of the 7,000 workers will be sacked, stating that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) did not even prescribe such a measure.

“We do not have a bloated workforce. Today, the company’s workers population is just 7000.

Okonjo-Iweala Urges Members to Build on Ministerial Conference' Success to Revitalise WTO The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called on members of the global trade body to build on the substantive outcomes reached at its recently held 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).

According to her, efforts should be sustained so that the organisation continues to respond to the many challenges faced by the multilateral trading system.

Speaking at a meeting of the General Council yesterday, a statement obtained on the WTO website quoted Okonjo-Iweala to have said in light of a changing global economy, the WTO needs to continue delivering for more people around the world.

She urged members to build on MC12 success to revitalise WTO core functions "Delivering results last month has generated expectations for more in the future," said the DG, highlighting the many expressions of support she has received in recent weeks in her meetings with leaders from around the world for the unprecedented package of outcomes reached at MC12.

"We need to use this support and momentum by continuing our efforts to revitalise or reinvigorate all of the WTO core functions so that we can remain fit-for-purpose in a changing global economy and continue to deliver more for people around the world," she added.

Okonjo-Iweala urged members not to be lulled into complacency following the MC12 success and to start implementing outcomes as soon as possible.

On fisheries subsidies, she stressed that the historic agreement reached at MC12 would only be effective once it enters into force.

"The urgent situation of the oceans and our fisheries makes it imperative to get this done as soon as possible. This means that each member has to take action in accordance with its own system to formally accept the agreement and deposit its instrument of acceptance with the WTO Secretariat," she said.

"We normally take quite a long time to ratify agreements here, but I'm hoping that in this case, given the urgency of the situation, we should target months, not years to get this done."

Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the importance given by leaders and ministers to the TRIPS decision, in particular regarding the possible extension of the waiver compromise to diagnostics and therapeutics as COVID-19 continues to spread across world.

"I look forward to the discussions. On my part, I would like to encourage delegations to work expeditiously towards a mutually agreeable solution," she said.

On food security, she noted the many expressions of praise for the Decision on World Food Programme (WFP) Food Purchases Exemptions from Export Prohibitions or Restrictions and the Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity.

She called on members, "to work together to ensure that the WTO continuously and effectively contributes to addressing the current food crisis," including by implementing both MC12 food security decisions.

She also referred to the joint statement issued on July 15, by the heads of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Food Programme and the

WTO, calling for urgent action to address the global food security crisis.

Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the recent signing of an agreement to send Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, with the hope that it would work, especially for the 378 million people going hungry in the world.

"We also look forward to this agreement facilitating trade in fertilisers and other inputs. We are strongly keeping our fingers crossed that this hopeful sign that we see will manifest itself in practical terms," she said.

On agriculture, Okonjo-Iweala said members could not make headway at MC12 on a work programme and asked for "new

thinking" moving forward to break the stalemate in the negotiations, which started in 2000.

She supported the idea of organising a members' retreat after the August break to devise new ideas.

"This will help catalyse new approaches and new ways of trying to do business in agriculture," she said. "People have been waiting for more than two decades … and I think if we put our minds to it we can deliver, and we will deliver."

As a sign of good will, OkonjoIweala asked members to reach a quick agreement to elect a new chair of the agriculture negotiations, following the departure of Ambassador Gloria Abraham Peralta of Costa Rica.

I believe with the expansion we have a line of sight, we are going to hire more people to work for us.

“The law has also provided that no one is going to leave this company. Everybody’s work is preserved. Their benefits are preserved. So, no matter for concern for the workers of this company.

“What being slimmer and smarter means is that we will change our organisational structure and orientation. We cannot do what we are doing today and expect to get a different result,” he stated.

However, it was learnt that some staff have been given a condition also to accept the content of the letter and get rewarded, but the issue was said to be causing some tension in the company.

In addition to those who are infirm, others who may also be affected are members of staff who are set to retire between now and 2024.

Apart from what has been described as a juicy package, those who are affected may also be entitled to 50 per cent payment of their salaries until the time they are naturally expected to serve out their tenure in the company.

But it was learnt that some of the management members of NNPC limited affected have kicked against it, especially some of the general managers and group general managers. “You may

accept the package or reject it, but you are advised to take it,” an unconfirmed report quoted Kyari to have told the workers during a town hall meeting.

The affected officials , it was further stated, have up till the first week of August to decide to accept or reject the offer, but whichever decision they take may have certain consequences.

The general managers and group general managers said to be agitating are alleged to be saying that they want to complete their official tenures, that is, they want to retire when they are 60 years of age.

Business Standard reported that the NNPCL has already created a portal with points to click, one for acceptance of the severance exercise and the other for the rejection of the letter, with the online forum expected to close by the first week of August.

Nobody in the company was willing to confirm or refute the report, but a top source told THISDAY that it was not a sack , but an official offer.

“It’s not a sack. It’s an open offer for those that want to exit to go with a tempting package.

Many of them have accepted it, especially those who may have issues performing their duties, including the sick,” an NNPCL source said.

NAPTIP Takes Fight against Trafficking, Organ Harvesting to Facebook, Instagram, Others Alex Enumah in Abuja The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has taken the fight against trafficking in persons, organ harvesting and others to various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, telegram amongst others.

The Director General of NAPTIP, Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi, stated this yesterday, while interacting with journalists on plans and programs for the commemoration of the 2022 World Day against Human Trafficking.

The DG, while observing that NAPTIP was already partnering with major owners of various social media platforms, disclosed

that the agency would in a few months time unveil the, "NAPTIP Alert" which is aimed at sensitising innocent Nigerians of the activities of online traffickers.

She lamented that human traffickers have, "shifted from physical recruitment to virtual recruitment through virtual assessment of victims and proxy negotiations."

According to Waziri-Azi, NAPTIP has seen an increase in fake job advertorials and fake scholarships via social media, adding that traffickers use it to recruit and cat fish unsuspecting victims.

“Traffickers also use technology to control their victims. For instance, besides oath taking, they make nude videos of their victims and threaten

to share the explicit images online.

"While technology is frequently misused to facilitate trafficking in persons, its positive use helps combat trafficking and support anti -trafficking work, such as aiding investigations that in turn enhances prosecution, scaling awareness campaigns, development of technology-based tools that support victims and survivors and enhancing international cooperation, " she said.

Among the lineup of events to make this year's celebration include: short films, inter university debate on the 2022 theme, anti-human trafficking awareness walk, novelty football match and awareness fitness and jogging as well as a celebration with victims of human trafficking.

Also speaking at the media parley, representative of the International Organisation for Migration, Prestage Murima, noted that this year's theme: Use and Abuse of Technology," was apt because it focuses on the role of technology as a tool that can both enable and impede human trafficking.

"Prevention and awarenessraising activities on the safe use of the internet and social media could help mitigate the risk of people falling victim of trafficking online. “Hence cooperation with the private sector is important to harness innovation and expertise for the development of sustainable technology-based solutions to support prevention and combating of human trafficking," she said.

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TEN FG PROCURES SIX MORE ATTACK HELICOPTERS AS TERRORISTS RELEASE FOUR KADUNA TRAIN PASSENGERS, KEEP 39 and this development may not be unconnected to the visit.

The federal government had recently procured A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets from the United States, even as it had also made similar procurements from Russia and other European countries as the war against insurgency intensifies.

However, Tukur Mamu, who has been negotiating the release of the victims, confirmed thenew development over telephone, saying they were released yesterday.

Mamu did not give details of how they were released, he however, gave names of the four people released as Gladys Brumen, Oluwatoyin Ojo, Hassan Lawan and Pastor Ayodeji Oyewumi.

On Sunday, a video had trended on the social media, showing the terrorists, in a war crime, flogging their victims and threatening to abduct President Muhammadu Buhari and the Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, among others.

Some of the victims, who spoke on in the video, accused the federal government for not doing much to secure their release and therefore appealed for the intervention of the international community to meet the demands of the terrorists for their freedom.

The terrorists had on March 28, attacked an Abuja-Kaduna bound passenger train, killing eight people, injuring several others while 62 of the passengers were abducted.

So far 23 of the victims had been

freed with some of them paying millions of naira as ransom.

Abdulfatai Jimoh, coordinator of relations of the abducted passengers did not respond to telephone calls when contacted.

However, families of the abducted train passengers, yesterday, laid siege to the federal Ministry of Transportation, and consequently grounded activities.

The families hinted that they were at the ministry to find out what the government had been doing to rescue the remaining passengers abducted over four months ago.

One of the family members, Imran Ahmed, whose brother has been in captivity, said they had lost faith in the government’s commitment to rescuing their loved ones.

"We don’t have confidence in the federal government. This is not the first time the federal government is saying they are on top of the situation. If I remember, I have seen the president’s directives on four occasions, directing the security chiefs that they should do whatever is necessary to rescue our family members.

“But you can imagine, today is 121 days that they have been in captivity. This has been very gruesome for family members.

Nigerians should understand that we are not here to see the minister. We are here to get our family members from the ministry that they boarded the train to

Kaduna," he said.

In the same vein, Hadiza Mohammad, said it was unfair that after 121 days, the federal government, has not found any meaningful ways of rescuing the remaining victims, and wondered why the people in government, especially, the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, had remained silent.

Also, Aisha Musa, mother of one of the abductees, Hafsat Abdullahi, who is being held captive with her two-year-old child, narrated her ordeal.

"When her children saw the video yesterday, the first son fainted. Now he is in the hospital.

When this thing happened, we thought she was dead. We did not hear from them since they said they killed some. We went to Forty-four hospital in Kaduna.

They gave us a list of those who were dead and accident victims.

She was not among the corpses in the mortuary," she said.

According to her, It was two days later that the abductors called her husband and spoke to her.

That was the day we heard their voices last till today.

At about 11:45 am, the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, came to address the protesters, and said he had just resumed office and would require sometime to address the issue.

The minister also requested for the contacts of the affected families and promised to be in communication with them henceforth.

Sambo, while speaking further, said, "My first intention was to hold a dialogue with you and empathise with you. The government is made up of individuals. We have families.

We feel for the families of this unfortunate incident.

"I want to tell you, please, give me the opportunity, let me resume in this office. This will be the first matter I am going to tackle by the grace of God. I have asked God to guide me, to lead me in this assignment, and I know God will not fail me and God will not fail Nigeria. You have been very patient. The government itself has not been sleeping from enquiries I have made.

"I took time to come here this morning, because I wanted to get in touch with the right people, who have been handling this issue. There are some things you don’t say in public. I’m sure you appreciate that. But I want to beg for one thing: I have just resumed and I’m going to receive the necessary briefings this morning. I want you to give me time.

"In the meantime, I want contact names and addresses. If you have a formal association with telephone numbers that I can reach, I can assure you that we are going to be in constant engagement until this matter is sorted out, until every single person in captivity goes back home to his family members."

Military Beefs Up Security Around Bwari Campus Law School, FG Closes FGC, Kwali

The Nigeria Army, has tightened BUHARI TO AMUSAN: YOU’VE LEFT US WITH UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES, TEARS OF JOY security around the Nigerian Law Amusan became the first Nigerian "On behalf of the government

the international podium, leaving the nation with the excitement and unforgettable memories of tears of joy and triumph; hope and victory; incredulity and belief.”

Also, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki, were amongst the prominent Nigerians to have first congratulated the track superstar for doing the country proud.

Similarly, eight-time Olympic gold medallist, Usain Bolt, in a second congratulatory message, posted on his verified Twitter handle, congratulated Amusan on her feat and classified her as superb.

Buhari, in a release by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating the outstanding feat by a compatriot and two-time African Games champion, who in one night stunned the athletics world with her superlative and stellar performance.

The President said the legendary career and achievements of the golden girl would continue to inspire the upcoming generations of Nigerian athletes to achieve spectacular success.

Buhari, who also commended Brume, however, lauded Team Nigeria for displaying courage, integrity and good sportsmanship at the world stage, proving that with hard work and determination, success was achievable.

Abiodun, who said Amusan had done the state proud, said, “This is another superlative record coming from an Ogun State indigene.

She has reconfirmed Ogun State’s standard of excellence now in sports and we are very proud of her” In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, in Abeokuta, Abiodun said Amusan's feat at the 2022 World Athletics Championship, held in Eugene, Oregon, USA "is heart-warming and a thing of pride to not only to the black race but the nation and Ogun State in particular."

The governor recalled how his administration, during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced the adoption of the talented Ijebu-Ode-born athlete as proposed by the Minister of Youths and Sport, Sunday Dare, when he visited Ogun.

"We supported her. We are a state of many firsts. Here is another testimony to that fact. I am very proud of that feat in Oregon. She's one of our major exports in sports and we are happy to be associated with her. That was the second time Amusan would break the record on the night, improving on her 12.12s in the semi-final. It was previously set by America’s Kendra Harrison’s at 12.20s.

"On a night of many firsts,

athlete to ever set a World Record in any event. It will also be the first time the Nigerian anthem would be played over the public address system during a medal presentation as the winner of an event in recent years,” he said.

Atiku, on his verified tweeter handle wrote thus: "All hail Nigeria's Tobi Amusan, the record-breaking women's 100m hurdles champion.

I am particularly proud of this feat, and it underscores my plan to refocus investments in sports, and creative sectors, amongst others. #WorldAthleticsChamps."

The former vice-president also extended his greetings to Brume, saying, "Hearty congratulations to Ese Brume, having won another medal for Nigeria in the women’s long jump at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon.

Another victory for Nigeria at the #WorldAthleticsChamps."

Governor Obaseki, in a statement, hailed Amusan for the stunning, rousing and inspirational performance at the global tournament and for showcasing the indomitable Nigerian spirit to the rest of the world.

His words: “I heartily congratulate our track superstar, Tobi Amusan, on her enviable feat at the World Athletics Championship 2022, clinching gold at the global tournament and setting a new world record in the semifinals of the competition to become the first Nigerian to win a World Championship.

“A worthy ambassador of the country, Amusan, a two-time African Games champion, has continued to blaze the trail, putting the nation on the global map for good.

“Her wizardry performance at the global competition, at the weekend, was a classic display of the dogged and indomitable Nigerian spirit. We are proud of her exploits and are even more confident that she will bring more glory to the country.”

While noting that the victory was an excellent inspiration to Nigerian youths to toe the path of hard work, Obaseki said his administration would sustain investment in the sports sector to create more opportunities for Edo youths.

Delta Governor and vicepresidential candidate of the PDP, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who congratulated Amusan and Brume, said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, that he was elated to receive the news of the sterling performances of the duo at the event.

He said such winning spirit was needed by Nigerians all over the world to turn things around for the country, adding that the government and people of Delta were proud of Amusan and Brume for their gallantry.

and people of Delta, I congratulate Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume on their victories at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. I was highly delighted when I received the news of Amusan winning gold medal in the 100m hurdles and Ese Brume's silver medal in the women's long jump.

"By winning the 100m hurdles with a world record of 12.06s, Amusan made history, becoming the first Nigerian to ever win a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships. Also worthy of commendation is Ese Brume's leap of 7.02m, an improvement from the 6.91m that gave her a bronze medal at the last championship in Doha, Qatar.

"While I commend these great compatriots for making our country proud, I urge every Nigerian to imbibe this winning mentality, winning spirit and attitude in every facet of our livelihood to make Nigeria attain the greatness God has programmed it for, given its endowments.

“It is only such conquering mentality and patriotic heroism that can engender the much-needed change that Nigerians are yearning for. Once more, congratulations to Team Nigeria and all participating athletes for this great honour," Okowa stated.

Bolt, was amongst the earlier sports icon to salute Amusan’s record setting final race of the women’s 100m hurdles.

Bolt whose 9.58secs in the 100m and 19.19 secs in the 200m remain unassailable since August, 2009, in Berlin, hailed Amusan in a tweet on his verified handle yesterday morning. “Superb” #Tobi,” wrote Bolt as he posted Nigeria’s green white green flag and emoji on the message.

Interestingly, Amusan’s alma mater, Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu Ode in Ogun State, sang Nigeria’s national anthem in her honour while carrying a portrait of the new world champion and record holder during their assembly yesterday.

Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu

Presidential candidate of the ruling APC, Bola Tinubu, in a tweet, wrote: “Congratulations to our new track and field superstar, Tobi Amusan on becoming the new World Champion in the Women’s 100m hurdles; smashing the world record not once, but twice in the process.”

At the same time, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, took a step further and had a video chat with the winner, during which he congratulated her for a feat that brought the nation back to global reckoning.

School, Bwari Campus, Abuja, in the wake of the increasing wave of insecurity that pervaded the FCT over the weekend.

This development followed directives by the FCT Education Secretariat and the FCT All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (FCT -ANCOPSS) that no school in the FCT should open tomorrow, July, 27, 2022.

Heavily armed soldiers were observed assuming strategic positions around the Law School on Sunday evening as a precautionary security measure in the light of the sporadic shooting over the weekend at Sheda Village by suspected bandits that prompted the Federal Ministry of Education to order the immediate closure of the Federal Government College, Kwali, FCT. The development created panic which prompted security to be beefed up in other unity schools in Bwari, Apo, Rubochi and Abaji.

As a result of the development, many fear-stricken parents have

been rushing to the schools to withdraw their wards from the boarding schools.

In the same vein, the FCT ANCOPSS has directed that no school in the FCT should open tomorrow, July 27 in compliance with the directive of the FCT UBEB Management that all Junior Secondary schools must finish exams today, July, 26, 2022.

To that effect, the announcer, Secretary, FCT ANCOPSS, said subject teachers were to use CAs to complete the theory or essay parts of the exams as only objective questions should be administered.

He said no school should open on Wednesday, 27th July, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who ordered the closure of Federal Government College, Kwali, said the closure became necessary following security breach on Sheda and Lambata Villages, suburbs of Kwali Area Council which also threatened FGC Kwali.

The unity college is located in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

In a statement by the director of media and public relations, Mr. Ben Bem Goong, the minister said the timely intervention of security Agencies saved the situation, adding that the minister also gave a directive for arrangements to be made for final year students to conclude their NECO examinations.

"The Minister has also directed principals of Unity Colleges across the country to liaise with security agencies within their jurisdictions inorder to forestall any security breach in our schools," he said.

Terrorists Wound Three Soldiers in Abuja

The Brigade of Guards charged with the security of President Muhammadu Buhari, his family and the nation's capital, confirmed yesterday that three soldiers were wounded during an ambush by terrorists along Kubwa-Bwari Road in the outskirts of the city.

Spokesperson of the Guards Brigade, Captain Godfrey Anebi Abakpa, said the soldiers were ambushed along the KubwaBwari Road, adding that, three soldiers were wounded and and hospitalised while the attack was repelled.

"Troops on routine patrol along Kubwa–Bwari were ambushed by suspected terrorists. Three soldiers were injured during the attack. The soldiers have been evacuated for medical attention," he said.

Abakpa said the ambush occurred within the general area of Bwari, which showed that the

terrorists were within the location and possibly preparing to carry out their plans to attack the law school in Bwari.

Following the attack on Kuje Prison by terror group, Boko Haram, Defence Headquarters (DHQ), last week, allayed fears of another impending attack by terrorists in Abuja.

The Brigade of Guards had also set up a board of inquiry to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the attack and the involvement or otherwise of soldiers posted in the Kuje Correctional Center on the day of the attack.

The Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had issued a security alert of a planned terror attack on churches, schools and public infrastructure.

Another anonymous alert, patterned after standard security alerts, which had trended on social media also indicated that there were sightings of influx of unknown persons over time, around Karshi Hills and Orozo, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

It said some persons were seen regularly and clandestinely going up the hills around Navy Town Estate, thus raising high suspicion that the invaders were massing up in camps within the hills, which also connect to other adjoining forests within the FCT and Nassarawa State.

The alert said the terrorists planned to attack educational institutions located in the area. But the Director, Defence Information (DDI), Maj Gen Jimmy Akpor, said security agencies were at alert and determined to contain any security threats to the seat of power.

"Security agencies are not sleeping. They are doing what needs to be done to keep the place safe.

A lot of things are being done.

Measures have been put in place.

Of all the security agencies, none is sleeping," he said.

On the intelligence alert of an impending attack making the rounds, he said expectations were that the citizenry would provide available information to security forces and not circulate such on social media.

PDP: Nigeria Has Failed Irretrievably Under APC

However, the PDP has expressed sadness over the fate of the kidnapped Kaduna train passengers, saying it was alarmed and distressed by the video of terrorists mercilessly flogging, inflicting grievous bodily harm, Continued on page 14

ORTOM: WHATEVER HAPPENED AT PDP PRIMARY IS PAST, ATIKU NOW MY CANDIDATE, I’M BEHIND HIM Chuks Okocha in Abuja In a dramatic turnaround, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday, said whatever transpired at the May 28 presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during which former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar, was elected candidate of the party, has become a thing of the past, because Atiku has become his candidate and now behind him.

The Benue governor, who dismissed indications of crisis in the party, was of the view that as a strong institution, the PDP has a self-correcting mechanism and would resolve its challenges in due time.

But there seemed to be anxiety in some of the key organs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over comments made recently by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, that he would soon speak on Atiku.

Two members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and a member of the National Working Committee (NWC), told THISDAY that they were worried, because any negative comments from Wike could jeopardise the momentum gained through the party’s governorship victory in Osun State.

This, nonetheless, Atiku has continued to reach out to some of his old political associates in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to smoothen rough edges ahead of the next general election, in which he is standing as a presidential candidate

Atiku had during an exclusive interview with Arise News denied that there was voting by a select committee, but claimed the select committee only recommended three names from which he choose one, in the person of the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

However, speaking at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the PDP in Makurdi, Benue State, Ortom said, "I will not contradict Atiku on what he said. He is my candidate and I am behind him.

“Whatever happened in the course of the primaries and the nomination of the presidential running mate is past and gone.

PDP is a strong institution and family and we will always settle out matter in-house."

But a BoT member, who first spoke to THISDAY, said, "We are working on how to get some influential stakeholders and governors, who are close to Governor Wike on how to resolve the controversy generated over the choice of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as Atiku Abubakar running mate.

"We are planning to send some governors he has respect for, but his recent comment that he will speak soon on Atiku is worrisome to some of us because we don't know which way his comments will be.

"The party is currently riding on the back of the governorship victory in Osun, but what he said on Sunday is worrisome and we are anxious of the implications, if his comments will further divide

the party. We are talking and some of us are meeting to see how we can make good of the situation at hand."

A member of the PDP NWC, who was not authorised to speak on the matter told THISDAY that the party would be meeting this week to see how to manage the situation.

"We are getting the elders and some governors, who are close to Wike to prevail on him and allow the party to handle the situation in such a way that will pacify him. The National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, is already in contact with the Benue State governor,” he said, adding that the essence of everything was get Wike to agree to discuss face to face with Atiku to avoid escalating any crisis in the party.

Wike had last Saturday promised to speak and reveal the “truth” about problems in the party very soon.

He hinted at this in a tweet.

This, aside, Atiku, who has continued to reach out to his old allies, in one of his tweets after meeting with a former governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Muritala Nyako, said, "It is gladdening to receive Admiral Murtala Nyako, former governor of Adamawa State, at my residence today on a courtesy visit.

"It was refreshing having a useful conversation with him about critical national issues. Thanks for the visit, sir," he signed off with his initials: -AA. Nyako is a member of the APC.

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WORLD INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY...

L-R: Monetary and Evaluating Learning Officer, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Uche Omere; Officer, Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Development Awareness, Obi Chidimma; Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr. Zikirullah Ibrahim and Executive Director, Socio- Economic Research and Development Center, Mr. Tijani Abdulraheem, during the PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN press conference on the World Indigenous Peoples Day organized by CHRICED in Abuja... yesterday

Buhari to Stress Importance of Credible Polls in Monrovia as Liberia Marks 175th Independence Deji Elumoye in Abuja As Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone head to the polls in 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari would today stress the importance of free, fair and credible polls in the countries.

The President, according to a press release issued yesterday by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, would deliver an address in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, in his capacity as the Special Guest of Honour at the 175th independence anniversary of Liberia.

The president who leaves Abuja this morning, would be expected to speak on the anniversary theme: “Fostering Unity, Protecting Our Peace for Development and Prosperity.”

According to the statement, without rule of Law and constitutional rule, there cannot be security peace and development.

“Peace and security of Liberia (and Sierra-Leone) is important to Nigeria given the enormous investments in men, material and resources expended by this country to secure the two states.

“Without the leadership of Nigeria in the context of ECOWAS to secure these two, there would not have been a Liberia on the map in its present configuration today.

“Bilaterally, Nigeria and Liberia may bring to the table issues of cross-border terrorism, bolstering defence and trade ties.”

The warmth of the relationship and personal chemistry between

ACCESS BANK SECURES US-DFC $280M FINANCING FOR ON-LENDING TO SMES issued upon review of the bank’s compliance management system contributes to SDGs 8, 16 and 11, affirming its commitment to promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, as well as making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Commenting on the feat, Ogbonna, said, “This certification demonstrates that the bank's board of directors and management are committed to meeting internationally accepted standards in our global banking operations, particularly in the areas of sustainability and compliance.

“We believe that attaining this global standard would serve to deepen the trust that our stakeholders have in our institution as we continue to innovatively bridge worlds and connect customers to opportunities.”

The certification, which is valid for a period of three years, is subject to satisfactory surveillance audits and would also be used as a management measuring tool. The tool would be used to evaluate Access Bank’s business continuity policies and operations, sustainability practices and management compliance systems.

Published in April 2021, the ISO 37301 Compliance Management

System seeks to provide a certifiable global benchmark for compliance systems.

“As a leading financial institution, Access Bank continues to promote responsible environmental stewardship and stimulate socially responsible development.

“Its management approach to sustainability is grounded on global best practices and aims to impact across the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. Its compliance management strategy has continued to evolve as it constantly seeks to meet the demands of a dynamic and fast-changing world.”

President Buhari and George Weah of Liberia is no less significant and will play a key role at the event.

Buhari who would be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and Director-General, National

Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, was expected back in the country later today.

Nigeria played a leading role in the stabilisation of the West African nation in the early 90s,

leading to the establishment of democratic rule and has continued to assist the country in many ways especially through the Technical Aids Corps scheme.

In 2019, Buhari was conferred with the highest national honour

Three Million Nigerians will Lose Jobs if Senate Bans Donkey Slaughtering, Says Dealers Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Donkey Dealers Association yesterday said the proposed Senate bill seeking to ban donkey slaughtering in Nigeria would result in loss of businesses and investments for three million Nigerians.

The National Chairman of the association, Mr. Ifeanyi Dike said this at a one-day public hearing on eight bills being proposed for the agriculture sector.

The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development chaired by Senator Bima Enagi.

The bill titled, "Donkey Slaughter Regulation and Export Certification Bill, 2020,” was sponsored by Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi.

The proposed legislation passed second reading on July 6, 2022.

It aimed at mitigating the extinction of donkeys given their aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational and scientific value to the Nigerian nation.

It also sought to declare donkeys

as endangered species which as a result of indiscriminate slaughtering for the purpose of harvesting its skin, had greatly depleted the national herd of the animal.

Dike maintained that outright ban on slaughtering of donkey was not a solution to the envisaged extinction of donkeys in Nigeria.

He said, "We should know that outright blanket ban as proposed by this bill will create some powerful smuggling syndicates who are bent in getting the donkey derivatives for export to China thereby sabotaging the economy.

"The blanket ban on donkey killing and export of its derivatives as a result of morbid fear of its extinction has failed to realise that regulation, ranching and breeding is the solution.

"Cows which we slaughter more than 50,000 on daily basis as meat has not gone into extinction, so how can a donkey with the same gestation period as cow go into extinction. We should encourage breeding and ranching," he said.

Dike further said dealers had

invested heavily over the years and have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) for the breeding and production of five million donkeys within a space of 10 years.

"We took this action to increase the local population of donkeys in Nigeria to avoid its extinction, " he added.

He said donkey regulation, breeding and ranching policy would create millions of job opportunities, starting from donkey farmers, traders, slaughter house, logistics and export.

"Each of these segments is very important in revenue generation into our economy by way of taxation and levy collections right from the Local Governments to the states and to the federal government,” he added.

“It is projected that donkey businesses if properly regulated, is capable of injecting N10 billion annually to our economy," he said.

A legal practitioner and a human

Organ Harvesting Allegation: Court Grants Ekweremadu’s Wife Bail, Senator Remains in Police Custody

The wife of a former Deputy Senate President, Mrs. Beatrice Ekweremadu who alongside her husband are standing trial for allegedly plotting to traffic a Nigerian into the United Kingdom to harvest his kidney for their ailing daughter has been granted bail by the court However, her husband, Senator Ike Ekweremadu was denied bail.

Beatrice Ekweremadu, 55, together with Ike Ekweremadu, 60, allegedly trafficked the 21-year-old to London from the streets of Lagos in order to harvest his organ.

They were accused of plotting to traffic him to transplant his organs to their daughter who suffers from

in the country, the Grand Cordon in the Most Venerable Order of Knighthood of the Pioneers of the Republic of Liberia, in recognition of Nigeria’s continued support towards the development of the country.

kidney failure.

Ike Ekweremadu, a barrister and Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District in the National Assembly and Beatrice, an accountant, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, for a bail hearing, according to UK-based Daily Mail.

The wife was charged with arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation, between August 1 last year and May 5, under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

On the other hand, the Senator was charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation,

namely organ harvesting.

The Common Serjeant of London, judge Richard Marks, said: “The position is that I have granted bail to Beatrice subject to some fairly stringent conditions but I have refused bail to Ike.’ Prosecutors are not appealing the decision, the court heard.

Prosecutor Tim Probert-Wood said previously that the case involved ‘exploitation and the harvesting of an organ.’

The couple were arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 21, after arriving on a flight from Turkey.

He said: ‘The case began on 5 May 2022 when the complainant

presented himself at Staines Police Station and claimed he had been transported to this country for the purpose of his kidney being removed.

“He arrived on 20th February 2022 and was taken to Royal Free Hospital where tests were conducted.

For the purpose he was there he did not consent to the taking of his kidney. He returned to the house he was staying and his treatment changed dramatically. He described being treated effectively as a slave.”

The victim allegedly escaped the address and was homeless for three days before he turned up at Staines Police Station.

rights activist, Mr Maxwell Okpara, alleged that the bill was a calculated attempt to put some Nigerians out of business as well as from earning a living, adding that the business of donkey slaughtering had been in existence for 70 years.

He argued that the dealers were more worried about the extinction of donkey, hence had resorted to breeding more donkeys through establishment of ranching systems to keep them in business.

Okpara said he was not against having a legal framework to regulate the business of donkey, but advised that the proposed legislation should be framed to protect Nigerians in the business of donkey value chain.

A member of the House of Representatives, Muhammad Datti, said the bill sought to prohibit entirely, the killing and export of donkeys to China. According to him, China uses the donkey skin for their traditional medicine.

Datti said, "This animal is facing extinction and it's an animal you cannot breed in large number because of the very low rate of fertility.

"The major beneficiary in this trade is the donkey breeding merchants in China with a profit of 293 million dollars in 2016 to the detriment of the rural people of Africa and Caribbean."

The Chairman of the Committee, Enagi said the public hearing was designed to receive inputs from stakeholders and the general public with a bid to come up with relevant legislations that would promote agriculture in Nigeria.

Other bills considered at the public hearing included Nigerian Research Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture Bakassi (Establishment) Bill, 2022.

"National Food Safety and Quality Bill, 2020 and National Verterianry Research Institute, Gombe (Establishment) Bill, 2021"

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ACCESS BANK AND DFC $280 MILLION BOOST TO SMEs AND MSMEs...

L-R: Deputy Managing Director, Retail South, Access Bank Plc, Chizoma Okoli; Chief Executive Officer, United State International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Scott Nathan; Managing Director/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Roosevelt Ogbonna; and Group Head, Women Banking, Access Bank, Abiodun Olubitan, during the signing ceremony of $280 million between Access Bank and DFC to PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN boost SMEs and MSMEs in Nigeria, held in Lagos.... yesterday.

FG Stalled $470m Greater Abuja Water Project Completion, Contractors Allege Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The non-payment of the 20 per cent federal government counterpart funding for the $470 million Greater Abuja Water Project five years after it was conceptualised had allegedly stalled its completion.

The federal government had yet to release its 20 per cent counterpart fund for execution and delivery of the project as contained in the agreement.

It is being handled by China Geo - Engineering Company (CGC) The Project Manager , Zhong

Xiang, stated this while speaking to Senators and journalists at the Jahi, Abuja site yesterday.

Xiang told the lawmakers who were on oversight function to the site that the China Exim Bank had released $150 million, but that the federal government of Nigeria had

yet to release any portion of the 20 per cent counterpart fund.

He also informed the Senate Committee on the FCT about the various projects being executed across the various districts in the Federal Capital Territory.

He regretted that the Water

Project, considered to be a legacy project was seriously being threatened now as far as execution and delivery are concerned.

He said, "This project is conceptualised to boost water supply across the various districts in the federal capital territory but what

We Didn't Represent CAN at Shettima's Unveiling, Say Clerics Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Bishops and other clerics, who attended the unveiling of a former Borno Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the running mate to presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have said they were not there to represent the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Addressing journalists at a press conference yesterday in Abuja under

the umbrella of Muslim-Christian Love Foundation, the clerics insisted that they never portrayed themselves as emissaries of CAN at the event.

Secretary of the group, Bishop Adams King, explained that their identification with Shettima and the APC was informed by his transformation of Borno State and even-handed management of social relations, including the protection of rights for all regardless of religion, whilst he was the

Governor of the state.

"These contributions and sincere commitment to the constitutional obligation to uphold the rights of all without prejudice or bias qualify Senator Shettima as a brother and an ally in their quest to promote peaceful inter-faith relations in the country," he said.

The clerics noted that Shettima took the mantle of the state at a difficult time marked by terror attacks and deadly insurgency, adding that his “mature, cautious,

and decisive” management of the state’s affairs helped preserved the social fabric that held several communities together and reassured members of the Christian faith that the government remained committed to their freedoms and wellbeing.

The clerics, however, decried attacks and harassment they endured over their participation at the event, insisting that it was their democratic rights to make a political choice.

FG PROCURES SIX MORE ATTACK HELICOPTERS AS TERRORISTS RELEASE FOUR KADUNA TRAIN PASSENGERS, KEEP 39 and threatening to sell them into slavery.

The party further said it was heartbreaking to watch fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, helpless children; compatriots and citizens of Nigeria in captivity and being tortured, brutalised, humiliated and crying in pain, agony and anguish just because Nigerians had the misfortune of being under the APC government that has proven to be derelict, irresponsible, unconcerned and completely numb to the pains and sufferings of our citizens.

Addressing a press conference, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the emotional toll of the sad incident on the victims, their families and the entire nation could not be quantified, particularly, on the younger generation, who witnessed the humiliation of their parents and breadwinners in such gruesome circumstance.

According to Ologunagba. "This will certainly have a generational consequence on the emotional and psychological makeup of our young persons with the possibility of losing faith in our nation and the capacity for empathy.

"Indeed, as a party, our hearts bleed! The APC government has irretrievably failed our nation.

Under the APC, Nigeria is fast

sliding into a Hobbesian State where Rule of Law, Order and leadership are absent and where cruel, inhumane and insensitive bunch of human beings in government have abandoned our citizens to killers, terrorists and bandits.

"This disquieting video is a heartrending testament of the reported complicity and failure of the APC government to take decisive actions to rescue the victims since the gruesome train attack in which very promising Nigerians including a 29-year old female medical doctor was brutally killed and others taken captive by terrorists since then.

"It is a painful commentary on the continuing mass killing by terrorists in various parts of our country as well as a confirmation of the agony of hundreds of our citizens including students, who are being tortured and executed in countless terrorists’ dens enabled by the APC government," he stated.

You’ve Failed, Hire Mercenaries to End Insecurity, NNPP Tells Buhari

The New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), yesterday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to immediately hire foreign mercenaries for six months in order to tackle the pervading security challenges bedeviling the nation.

The new opposition party also admonished President Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on security in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger States.

The Katsina State Chairman of the NNPP, Hon. Sani Liti, who made the calls at a press conference in Katsina, said the president has failed to secure the lives and property of the citizenry.

He added that the federal government should recruit one million young Nigerians to be trained as special forces to protect and secure the country, when the mercenaries leave in six months.

From 2015 to date, he said, over 50,000 Nigerians had lost their lives to terrorists and properties as well as money worth trillion of naira have been lost to insurgents, who used the funds to purchase sophisticated weapons to kill innocent Nigerians.

He, however, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify the 2023 presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for allegedly buying delegates during their parties national conventions.

"The government of Nigeria shall

as a matter of urgency declare a state of emergency on security. In this respect, we are calling for the government to immediately hire mercenaries for six months to fight the rising banditry, insurgency and tribal militia.

"We call on the federal government to declare a state of emergency in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger States.

With the state of emergency, it is expected that the governments of these states shall be suspended and their accounts closed so that all monies shall be channelled to secure from banditry and insurgency.

"We call on INEC to disqualify Atiku Abubakar and Bola Ahmed Tinubu from contesting the presidential election in 2023 for buying delegates during their parties national conventions.

"The EFCC, Police and DSS should arrest them and all other actors, who participated in the conventions. We believe that, should anyone of these two wins the election next year, the country will slide into deeper corruption," he said.

He, therefore, warned that if the federal government refused to declare a state of emergency in the affected states, the party would ask all the state assemblies to commence the process of impeachment of the aforementioned governors.

The clerics further noted that their churches had existed for several years, and they included "Christian Revival Evangelical Mission Worldwide of Apostle Godwin Livinus; the Divine Prophetic End Time Gospel Faith in Kubwa, Abuja of Bishop Dr. Emeka Theodore; and the Light House of all Nation Ministry of Bishop Emmanuel Sunday Jayeola."

Attendance by the clerics at the unveiling of Shettima had sparked media controversy and insinuations that they were hired by the ruling party to impersonate ‘real’ Bishops and by extension, CAN in order to give credence to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

is delaying its full blown execution, is the failure of the federal government of Nigeria to meet her own obligation.

"As handlers of the project, we appeal to the Minister and Senators to please help in facilitating the release of the 20 per cent counterpart funding," he said.

However, other districts visited by the Senate Committee showed project under execution.

The FCT Minister, Mallam Musa Mohammad Bello, told the lawmakers that the sum of N34 billion had been earmarked for the construction of roads, bridges , railway corridors within the Institutional District.

He said the District was named Institutional due to avalanche of Institutions in the area.

He listed the institutions there to include, the National Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), ECOWAS Parliament, ECOWAS Commission, National Judicial Institute, First Ladies Peace Mission, Baze University, Nile University, Teaching Hospital, among others.

2023: APGA Moves to Substitute Candidates, May Drop Disloyal Members Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has taken steps to utilise the window of substitution granted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace candidates for state House of Assembly and governorship polls.

About 347 aspirants took part in the primaries earlier conducted by the party across the country.

A statement signed by the National Organising Secretary of APGA, Mr. Ifeanyi Mbaeri, said fresh primaries would be conducted on August 2 and 3, 2022 respectively for the election of fresh candidates to replace withdrawn state assembly and governorship candidates.

The party pegged nomination

fees for new aspirants at N500,000 for state assembly and N5 million for the governorship position.

Mbaeri said: "In continuing strict compliance with the INEC Timetable and Schedule of Activities for 2023 General Election, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, has fixed fresh primaries to hold on August 2 and 3, 2022 respectively for the nomination of fresh candidates to replace withdrawn State House of Assembly and Governorship candidates.".

Mbaeri said the deadline for submission of INEC FORMS EC9 and EC13 of newly nominated state assembly and governorship candidates to APGA national secretariat is Saturday August 6, 2022 by 6 pm, adding that INEC forms submitted after the deadline would be rejected by the party.

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The problem with Ngige is not that of hijacking the ASUU negotiation, but largely his search for perfection, argues DARLIGHTON ANULE

NGIGE AND THE ASUU STRIKE I have always sensed that the dissonance between obstinate patriotism and arrogance of will, may eventually lead to blackmail over who takes the blame for the prolonged ASUU industrial action. This feeling is not aided by a seeming rivalry and connivance, laid bare by the discordant accounts of the meeting between the President, his ministers and heads of relevant agencies over the strike. As seen in some of the headlines, “Buhari Orders Ngige to KDQGV RͿ QHJRWLDWLRQ µ ´0LQLVWHU RI (GXFDWLRQ 5HTXHVWHG 1JLJH WR KDQGV RͿ 1HJRWLDWLRQ µ ´%XKDUL 'LGQ·W $VN PH WR KDQGV RͿ WDONV ZLWK $688 µ 7KHQ FDPH D SDURG\ RI ZKDW ought to be an unambiguous, a tell all readout from the presidential spokesperson about the meeting. Why the statement was skewed to create an impression of a misunderstanding is best known to the author. It was even better to allow Nigerians speculate than leave an LQQXHQGR WKDW SLWFKHV WKH (GXFDWLRQ 0LQLVWHU Adamu Adamu, as an antithesis to his Labour DQG (PSOR\PHQW FRXQWHUSDUW 6HQDWRU &KULV Ngige. The reports in a section of the media which silhouetted Ngige, look more like a planted insight or a promoted editorial PLVFKLHI 7KDW WKH (GXFDWLRQ 0LQLVWHU ZDV quoted by the Premium Times as saying he abandoned ASUU negotiation the very day 1JLJH UDLVHG LQ WKH )HGHUDO ([HFXWLYH &RXQFLO that once an industrial dispute snowballs into a strike, it becomes the prerogative of the 0LQLVWU\ RI /DERXU GUDZV PRUH FXULRVLW\ , thought that such deliberations in the Federal ([HFXWLYH &RXQFLO DUH FODVVLÀHG DQG KLGGHQ from the public. Section 3 and 4 of the Trade 'LVSXWHV $FW &DS 7 /DZV RI )HGHUDWLRQ RI Nigeria, 2004 clear every ambiguity on the handling of industrial disputes, hence render impotent, this assertion that suggests a hijack of responsibility.

These sections of the Trade Disputes Act on apprehension state that whenever a union and LWV SDUHQW 0LQLVWU\ LQ WKLV FDVH $688 DQG WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI (GXFDWLRQ IDLO WR UHVROYH D GLVSXWH and it ends in strike, the matter migrates LQHYLWDEO\ WR WKH 0LQLVWHU RI /DERXU IRU conciliation. Here, ASUU declared a dispute ZLWK WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI (GXFDWLRQ DQG ERWK couldn’t resolve it. The union consequently ZHQW RQ VWULNH RQ WKH WK RI 0DUFK HͿHFWLYHO\ SDYLQJ WKH ZD\ IRU WUDQVPLVVLRQ WR WKH 0LQLVWHU RI /DERXU DQG (PSOR\PHQW who acting under section 17 of the Act apprehended the strike at the conciliation PHHWLQJ KHOG 0DUFK 7KH VHFWLRQ DOVR says that once the matter is apprehended, the XQLRQ VKDOO FDOO RͿ VWULNH ZKLOH QHJRWLDWLRQV go on. But Nigeria is not governed by laws, otherwise ASUU wouldn’t still be on strike.

The idea of hijacking the ASUU negotiation is therefore not factual, in fact baseless. Such misconception arises because government R΀FLDOV GRQ·W UHDG DQG GR QRW UXPLQDWH RQ what they dish out to the public. Our press has also been overtaken by untidy and shallow reporters, incapable of little research on beats.

If the presidential spokesman had shed light on this simple procedure, this embarrassing VXVSLFLRQ RI LQÀJKWLQJ ZRXOG KDYH QR SODFH

Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige +DG WKH (GXFDWLRQ 0LQLVWHU DOVR KDQGOHG WKH dispute with ASUU successfully, the union would neither have gone on strike nor the PDWWHU PLJUDWH WR WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI /DERXU ,W LV D F\FOH ZH VDZ LQ DQG now 2022.

Also, a clear understanding of sections DQG RI WKH 7UDGH 'LVSXWHV $FW QXOOLÀHV FODLPV WKDW /DERXU 0LQLVWHU ZDV DVNHG WR KDQGV RͿ QHJRWLDWLRQ ,W H[SODLQV WKDW ZKHQ he is unable to settle a dispute, he will either transfer the matter to the Industrial Arbitration 3DQHO RU WKH 1DWLRQDO ,QGXVWULDO &RXUW RI Nigeria. The question will now be why he GLGQ·W PLJUDWH WKLV FDVH 0\ H[SHULHQFH LQ labour activism is that a matter as critical as the current ASUU/FGN imbroglio which straddles the artery of national progress will prove counterproductive at both levels. First is that the federal government is dealing with

LQWHOOHFWXDOV ZKRVH ZLOOHG LQÁH[LELOLW\ QHDUV outlawry. ASUU is no ordinary union you can coerce especially under democracy. The other is that the sensitivity of the matter and the overriding need to give it a closure for sake of posterity towers above other considerations.

Hence, migrating it backwards in de novo, is the best option. In simple terms, the matter JRHV EDFN WR WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI (GXFDWLRQ IRU IUHVK WDONV DQG ZKHUH LW IDLOV WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI Labour will wade in once more.

Overall, Ngige’s pitfall traces to his stubborn patriotism. Those close to him would have warned him that obstinate nationalism of the Great Zik of Africa whose apostleship he claims, is time-worn, hence not the right oars to paddle safely along Nigeria’s windy rivers of intrigues and mischief. Ngige’s matter with ASUU revolves around his unbending devotion to perfectionism where others

Ngige’s pitfall traces to his stubborn patriotism. Those close to him would have warned him that obstinate nationalism of the Great Zik of Africa whose apostleship he claims, is time-worn, hence not the right oars to paddle safely along Nigeria’s windy rivers of intrigues and mischief

would ordinarily skate along. It is also about the untrammeled patriotism of an Igbo in KLJK SXEOLF R΀FH RIWHQ DQ RUSKDQ ZKR PXVW VHHN IDVWLGLRXVQHVV WR DYRLG EHLQJ VDFULÀFHG Ngige wants everything done the right way, no short cut. He wants the 2009 agreement negotiated in such a manner that government can implement. He doesn’t want a bogus agreement like it was in 2009, an agreement for sake of agreement that has led to this current impasse. He is over protective of the federal JRYHUQPHQW ÀQDQFHV DV LI WKH\ EHORQJ WR him. He insists FG can’t pay N1.9m monthly to a professor. That education currently takes nearly 40% of the federal salaries. This is the departure point with ASUU and perhaps, others who don’t like his style. ASUU which has always been comfortable with Ngige, eulogizing him for pushing their cause and IRU OLYLQJ DQ H[DPSOH LQ KDYLQJ DOO KLV FKLOGUHQ in public university at home, suddenly made him an enemy. ASUU leadership mutters preference for Adamu who would wink at what Ngige would scowl at. Any surprise it accuses Ngige of standing in their way to 8GRML DZDUGV $688 3UHVLGHQW (PPDQXHO 2VRGHNH·V WH[W RI SUHVV FRQIHUHQFH RQ WK -XO\ PDGH QR SUHWHQFHV DERXW WKLV DW DOO -XVW DV $GDPX GHFODVVLÀHG )(& GHOLEHUDWLRQV WR PDNH Ngige a fall guy, Osodeke squealed that Ngige asked ASUU in one of their meetings to piquet (GXFDWLRQ 0LQLVWU\ 7KH WRQH RI KLV UHYHODWLRQ H[SRVHV EDFN VWDJH SROLWLFV %XW WKHUH LV nothing wrong in asking a union to piquet the R΀FH RI LWV HPSOR\HU LQVWHDG RI D GHELOLWDWLQJ VWULNH DIWHU DOO WKH 1/& KDV SLTXHWHG 1JLJH even blocking his house with a 40 feet petrol tanker. But let me ask as an aside, if Professor Osodeke read that statement before going to press, for I observed over 35 grammatical and typographical errors. Is it part of the failure of the revitalization fund? The standard has fallen so regrettably.

Ngige should squarely take the blame IRU PLVFRQVWUXLQJ 1LJHULD·V ÀQDQFHV IRU KLV Breathing down the neck of ASUU with lessons on dwindling government resources, citing ability to pay as key in collective bargaining, even in the face of longitudinal corruption, FRQMXUHV DQ LPDJLQDU\ JULQGLQJ D[H EHWZHHQ WKHP 7KH UHMHFWLRQ RI SD\ ULVH E\ 0X]DOL &RPPLWWHH GLG QRW JR GRZQ ZHOO ZLWK $688 5HMHFWLQJ WKH E\ 1LPL %ULJJV LV DGGLQJ salt to injury. Perhaps Ngige should have tanked in and let the roof fall on the succeeding administration. But even at that, the urgency KH DFFRUGHG WKH %ULJJV &RPPLWWHH VD\V D ORW 8QIRUWXQDWHO\ KLV VL[ ZHHNV WLPH IUDPH ZDV HORQJDWHG WR WKUHH PRQWKV E\ WKH (GXFDWLRQ 0LQLVWU\ (DUOLHU WKH 0X]DOL UHSRUW JDWKHUHG GXVW DOVR DW WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI (GXFDWLRQ XQWLO it became moribund, with Ngige kicking.

Let Ngige also take the blame. Indeed, at WKH PHHWLQJ RI 0DUFK WKH QHZO\ SRVWHG 3HUPDQHQW 6HFUHWDU\ RI WKH (GXFDWLRQ 0LQLVWU\ SURIXVHO\ DSRORJL]HG IRU WKH OD[LW\ RI KLV 0LQLVWU\ RYHU WKH \HDUV Anule, a labour activist, writes from Abuja

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022

CHIDI ANSELM ODINKALU on his five takeaways from ‘NBADecides2022’

LESSONS FROM THE NBA ELECTION The story is told of a former governor of a state in north-central Nigeria who approached his friend, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), for advice on a very pressing matter. The governor wanted this senior lawyer to advise him on whom among the candidates running to be president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the then ruling party should support. Mind you, the governor was not a member of the NBA nor was his party led by one. Somewhat perplexed, the lawyer asked the governor what his interest was in an association in which he was not a member. Without breaking a stride, the Governor is reported to have responded: “don’t you know that the NBA is too important to be left alone?”

To be eligible to vote in the NBA election, a member must belong to one of the Association’s 125 branches and must have paid their annual Bar Practising Fees (BPF) not later than 31 March in the election year.

In 2022, 59,388 people met this threshold.

Balloting was digital, supervised by an Electoral Committee (ECNBA), led by Ayodele Akintunde SAN. This biennial ritual in which the NBA elects its national leadership holds the attention of the country for good reason. The NBA is the largest professional association in the country (if not necessarily the oldest).

It also packs a weight in both power and dysfunction way beyond the number of its voting members. When it works, the NBA is an exemplar and when it fails to do so, it is a drag on the country. Among the highlights from this latest round, there are ÀYH WDNHDZD\V Since 1998, the NBA has elected 14 SUHVLGHQWV DOO EXW IRXU E\ LQGLUHFW VXͿUDJH through delegates. The Association only returned with some reluctance to the system of one lawyer one vote in 2016.

Ahead of the latest ballot, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, advocated that voting should return to the indirect system of delegates, blaming what he calls “indiscipline at the bar” on ´VR FDOOHG XQLYHUVDO VXͿUDJHµ +H FLWHV QR evidence to support such over-heated antediluvianism.

Fact is the votes that now decide who gets to lead the NBA are in the devices of young lawyers and many senior lawyers of the kind who may wish to lead the Association IHHO VRPHZKDW DͿURQWHG DW WKH LGHD RI going to juniors to hustle for votes. This is precisely the appeal of One-Lawyer-OneVote (OLOV). Any senior lawyer who lacks the humility to inspire the younger ones is probably undeserving of the high trust that leadership demands. Although it will not die entirely, the sentiment that seeks a return to the old days of the delegate system no longer commands serious attention.

OLOV is here to stay.

Ten years ago, I led the advocacy for voting reform in leadership election at the Nigerian Bar, arguing that “the mechanisms for electing the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are out-dated, scandal-prone and liable to whimsical capture.” Augustine Alegeh, SAN who led the NBA from 2014 to 2016 eventually enacted the reforms, in time for the 2016 leadership election. The introduction of digital balloting did not, however, necessarily end the scandals. The 2016 ballot ended up in court over claims of serious “electoral infractions” and two lawyers are currently being prosecuted on allegations

of having corrupted data in order to rig the 2018 elections. Predictably, skepticism about the integrity of digital balloting remains high in the NBA. Three things have changed the landscape, however. First, the COVID-19 pandemic has somewhat normalized digital balloting for elections on the scale of the NBA and enhanced the technology solutions available for them. Second, the number of voters involved far outstrips the capacity of any venue in the country. Even if such a venue could be found, third, the insecurity crisis around Nigeria now makes it impossible to contemplate the kind of election jamborees that the NBA was famous for, where delegates from all over the country converged in one location.

In just six years, the number of voters participating in NBA’s elections has grown from 6,932 to 34,809, an increase of 27,877 or over 400%. Over the same period, the number of persons who paid their BPF HTXDOO\ JUHZ DERXW ÀYH IROG IURP DERXW 12,000 to over 61,000. One upshot from this is growth in the NBA’s revenues, which promotes both its independence and its capacity to deliver services to members. But deep suspicions remain in the NBA about the digital ecosystem. Many lawyers remain afraid of and others simply are unwilling to educate themselves about it. Tales of digital rigging of the NBA elections can sound like a mishmash of Africa Magic and SciFi. Staple fantasies about bots marauding inside “back-ends” or voting platforms DOWHULQJ YRWHV UHÁHFW ZLGH VSUHDG LOOLWHUDF\ at the Nigerian Bar about how Cloud voting solutions work.

This is evidence of an analogue culture that is overdue for transformation.

Underlying this culture is the NBA’s historically cavalier attitude to data management, which is how the rigging of #NBADecides2018 happened. The rigging in 2018 resulted from compromising the integrity of the NBA’s data and not from inserting anything into the “back-end”.

The in-coming leadership of the NBA must build on the sound foundations laid by the current leadership of the Association.

Leadership contests in Nigeria invariably end up in court where lawyers and judges ultimately determine the winners and losers. In such a democracy by court order, the idea that lawyers can rig their leadership elections, is not merely bad for the Association, it is very bad for the country because the poverty of electoral values at the bar sooner or later becomes normalized for the country. A Bar leadership devoid of legitimacy cannot advocate for credible elections, as was the case with the compromised leadership of the NBA in Nigeria’s 2019 general elections. This is why an NBA president with well-founded legitimacy is a public good.

Despite largely positive reviews that have trailed #NBADecides2022, serious areas of work remain. Perhaps the biggest issue is the cost of campaigns. In 2014, it was said that “money spoke very loudly.

By some estimates, the NBA’s 2014 HOHFWLRQV ZHUH WKH ÀUVW LQ ZKLFK FDPSDLJQ expenditure easily crossed the One billion Naira mark.”

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu.

Former Vice President and PDP flagbearer understands the structural problem facing Nigeria, argues CYRUS ADEMOLA

ATIKU AND OUR QUEST FOR FEDERALISM Today, while we mourn and long for the good old days, we know they are beyond our reach. Regionalism as a system of government is now the thing of the past.

Thanks, or no thanks to khaki men.

But then again, all hope isn’t lost. Between regionalism and excessive centralisation of power, there’s still a beacon of light in the horizon. Here is what brings us to federalism. In practice, federalism simply means power should be devolved in such a way that creates a healthy contention and semi-equal responsibility between the federal government, state and the local government. In other words, government should be practiced from bottom-up, rather than the top-down system we now have today.

Without mincing words, it’s too explicit that the federal government today has excessive power in its control. As a result, this has made it almost impossible for a big nation like Nigeria to rise from the quagmire RI FRUUXSWLRQ LQH΀FLHQF\ DQG LUUHGHQWLVP Our people have been subjected to all forms of abuse, malpractice and retrogression because the federal government is just too big. It’s almost as big as the Orwellian Big Brother, excluding the creepy universal surveillance.

3HUVRQDOO\ ,·YH DOZD\V EHHQ D ÀUP believer in federalism and the limitation of powers. Whether we like it or not, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Ours is a government of men, not angels. Give a man the incentive to steal, he will steal a bowl of tomatoes. Give him more incentives, he will steal a trailer of it. In a skewed way of ORRNLQJ DW LW RXU HOHFWHG R΀FLDOV DUH YLFWLP of a corrupt system, not the other way As the saying goes, government is a around. continuum, and each government comes and This brings me to Atiku Abubakar. Thanks goes. In a democratic system such as ours, be to God, he has granted a long, exclusive power rotates and those at the helm of power interview to the media. That should put today are found not to be there tomorrow. It’s an end to the whole discussion about his this transitory nature of power that makes it whereabouts. He has shown those who imperative that we embrace federalism as a agitate over his legitimacy and competence system of governance. The reasons are obvious, that he can indeed defend himself. He’s one of which is that power is transitory, but not a silent candidate and won’t be a silent systems and structures are enduring. president if elected. Atiku can articulate.

Great democratic nations all around the But more importantly, the part that struck world work not because they have near-perfect me most in his interview is his belief in politicians or are exceptional in their knowledge limited federal power. In fact, he seems like of politics. Even in advance nations, men are still the only presidential candidate that holds corrupt. Power still corrupts men and absolute this belief or understand what it entails in power still corrupts them absolutely. However, essence. In his own words, he said, “I want WKH GLͿHUHQFH EHWZHHQ WKHVH QDWLRQV DQG RXUV to see a very lean federal government. I want is that they’ve been able to create a system that to rationalise the agencies of the federal can contain the excesses of powerful men and government. They are just too many. They women. These systems serve as a gridlock are just duplicating responsibilities.” He for those who are seeking to abuse power or also added that he will introduce reforms leverage on it for their own vested interest. to limit federal powers to the state and In Nigeria, we had an imitation of this in local governments and mobilise the state WKH ÀUVW UHSXEOLF 7KHUH ZDV UHJLRQDOLVP D governors to pass legislatures that sync with system of government that limits the power these reforms. If this isn’t federalism, I don’t of the federal government and made political know what is.

GHFLVLRQV ÀUVW DQG IRUHPRVW D PDWWHU RI WKH ORFDO It’s really interesting to hear such insights and state—or in our case, the regions. Although from a presidential candidate, especially in the central government (the prime minister) this part of the world. Indeed, we’re so used exercised certain power and responsibilities, to what I call “a granddaddy presidency” but the regional system created constraints and that does everything and erodes on checks against preponderance over other arms states’ autonomy and interest. It’s time of government. The central government became we got away from that. We need a federal less attractive and alluring for most power- government that will challenge our state grabbers and opportunists of that time. government to step up their game as well as However, this system couldn’t endure not give them the power and capability to do so. because of any inherent demerit in its practice, We need federalism. but because of other external intrusions. With no attempt to go into painstaking details in this Cyrus Ademola article, I would only say here that the intrusion is a freelance journalist and columnist, writes RI WKH PLOLWDU\ EURXJKW DQ HQG RI WKH ÀUVW RUGHU from Lagos via cyrusademola@gmail.com If Nigeria problems—as myriad, contradictory and perpetual as they seem—could be captured in a single phrase, that phrase would be: the lack of Federalism. The absence of federal character in our polity has contributed to the putrefying SRZHU DEXVH KXPRQJRXV \HW LQH΀FLHQW centrality of responsibility and resources, the lack of transparency in governance and many countless woes that beleaguered our beloved nation.

Because we refuse to practice true Federalism since the inception of democracy in 1999, we’ve seen the erosion of our institutions, the inability for the local and state government to deliver their promises and manifestos as well as the systemic corruption we witness today in our polity. Federalism is the one-word answer to these lingering predicaments.

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EDITORIAL

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

AS FLOODS WREAK HAVOC AGAIN… Climate change is fuelling devastating floods across many cities in Nigeria

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022

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POLITICS

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com (08033025611 SMS ONLY)

Setting Agenda for Next President Segun James writes on expectations of Nigerians from whoever emerges nation’s President in 2023

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n May 29, 2023, when the newly inaugurated President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria settles down behind the presidential desk at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, he will be confronted with a daunting basket of problems that will be of no envy to anyone.

On top of the list, is trying to unify a country now polarized along ethnic and religious lines, and an economy that has gone into recession three times in the last seven years. It would be a formidable task for one man to undertake.

Whosoever that man will be, he would try to defuse the explosive political environment that has created unprecedented levels of animosity among the various ethnic nationalities and religious groupings.

Politics in Nigeria is undergoing one of the most disruptive transformations in the last two decades: technology is transforming the information highway. It now determines the way we communicate, associate, and the way we live our lives. This is exemplified by the way social media is being used to influence people.

We are now at a time where we apocalyptically view the new political year grimly and look back at the old exhaustingly, watching our nation fail. This is the situation of the polity in Nigeria today. This is the way the people see the country.

During the 4th Republic, elections in the country had been messy–filled with bombast, innuendo, partisanship, and mudslinging.

Granted, democracy is not a practice for the faint-hearted – candidate and voters alike, but this year stands out as it is particularly divisive. Yet despite the turbulent environment, the nation cannot afford to lose sight of the crisis that awaits the next administration.

Angry insurgents rarely prosper in Nigeria’s politics. The country’s voting system is brutal on small political parties, making them forever irrelevant and not a viable alternative to the two big leaguers of All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Despite these circumstances, both foreseen and unexpected, the nation has witnessed commendable progress in the electoral process, a situation that has rekindled the people’s belief that their vote counts. It therefore in 2023 needs strong, purposeful leadership.

This fact shouldn’t be lost on the electorate as they support their candidates for the election. Regardless of which party controls the government or which candidate wins, it will be time for proper government work to commence in earnest.

After nearly eight years at the helm of Africa’s biggest democracy and economic powerhouse, President Muhammadu Buhari will be expected to hand over the rein of political powers to his successor. He would have successively completed constitutional two terms.

Yes, Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa, but it has been shrinking in recent years while supposed reform packages embarked upon by the government have all failed. To understand the stakes for next year’s elec-

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tion is to look critically at issues affecting the polity.

Politics Nigeria’s political situation is, to say the least, difficult and exasperating. The problem? Bad policies and it is not about to go away anytime soon. With leaders occupying themselves with issues about ethnicity and religion, they do not seem to realize that now is the time to put the politics of the nation on the table. Over the past few years, the forces favouring openness in politics have been gaining ground. Greater public access to information aided by new communication technology is altering the polity.

Economy For many years, Nigeria has been seen as a land of opportunity, economically. Its large population is a potential opportunity for growth.

In a world economy, as troubled as today’s, it is surprising that Nigeria is not bankrupt like Sri Lanka. The rate of growth is negative. The high pace of growth that it enjoyed 10 years ago has disappeared. The national currency, the Naira has slumped. Whether Nigeria can return to a path of growth depends on its politicians, particularly the next president -and, in the end, the voters. The omens, frankly, are not good.

While Nigeria boasts of the biggest economy in Africa, the disparity between the rich and the poor has become the widest the nation has ever seen, and this is a time bomb that must not be allowed to explode as the nation moves toward the election. Today, Nigeria has the highest rate of poverty in the world. In the last few years, not only do Nigerians spend more time in bumper-to-bumper traffic, they commute longer and spend more on transportation. More Nigerians are homeless and housing is no longer affordable.

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Kwankwaso

Economic diversification is a challenge for all developing countries, and more so for small economies like Nigeria which are very vulnerable to vagaries and exogenous shocks, whether economic, financial, or political. Whoever becomes the next President must be someone who has economic knowledge.

Someone who can perform a miracle and prevent a national collapse.

their security.

Insurgency Two critical obstacles stand in the way of the country addressing and combatting the threat of insurgency – Ethnicity and Religion.

Of the bloodiest conflicts in Africa in the last 20 years, one, in particular, has been smoldering for at least 15 years, the Boko Haram conflict, and it is happening right here in Nigeria.

The scale of slaughter within a single country and the frequency with which the country is being bathed in the blood is hard for the world to comprehend, given that the country is not at war, civil, or with any other nation.

Over five decades after the end of the Nigerian Civil War, sectarian violence and drums of war are beginning to beat across the country. In the Southeast, the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) has taken to violence and murder as a weapon of coercion.

In the Southwest, a group known as the Yoruba Nation has been calling for the breakup of Nigeria; while in the creeks and rivers of the Niger Delta, there’s the silence of the graveyard as the people wait to cause economic sabotage on oil facility, the main sustainer of Nigeria’s economy.

That this insurgency has gone this far must be looked into by the next government as the Muhammadu Buhari government has been unable to contain it over the last seven years.

Law and Order At most times, Nigeria’s police seem rotten to the core – riddled with corruption, crime, dirty tricks, political machinations, and even murder. In 2020, the people, especially the youth rose up against police brutality. It resulted in killings, disruptions and arson as never before seen in the country.

An untold number of residential burglaries go unreported because homeowners know the police won’t investigate such crimes or pursue the thieves. Elected officials at both the state and local government levels have gone soft on crime leaving the people to provide

The nation has witnessed commendable progress in the electoral process, a situation that has rekindled the people’s belief that their vote counts. Nigeria, therefore, in 2023 needs strong, purposeful leadership.

This fact shouldn’t be lost on the electorate as they support their candidates for the election. Regardless of which party controls the government or which candidate wins, it will be time for proper government work to commence in earnest

Roads and Infrastructures 62 years after independence, Nigeria is still struggling to make a deliberate investment in infrastructure and an enabling environment that rewards ability that could deliver substantial results.

The highways are deplorable because the flow of traffic is much more than the roads can handle and internal roads are deteriorating due to lack of maintenance.

But surprisingly, the country, especially Lagos state and the federal government have done a lot in rail development. However, this is not enough given the rising demographic situation in the country. Other infrastructure facilities such as pipe-borne water, hospitals and affordable housing are lagging behind.

Power The electrical power framework is a mess.

The country provides less power than this government met in 2015. Maintenance and modernization of the electrical grid-power stations, transformers, and transmission lines have virtually collapsed, with no hope in sight.

Ethnicity and Religion The drums of inter-ethnic war are beating once again in the country and it is steaming towards an apocalyptic disruption. Today’s hardliners are ascendant on all sides. Bellicose rhetoric has returned and they are tightening their grips on the home front and lashing out at opponents.

Like many places, Nigeria remains deeply divided on the questions of ethnicity and religion. In recent times, matters relating to both issues have gained momentum.

This is caused by misunderstandings. The first is understanding the diversities that make up the over 250 ethnic nationalities.

The second obstacle is a deeper and more difficult one. It is the threat that may adversely affect the conduct of the general election. The increasing abandonment of issues affecting the nation for religious intolerance has been baffling since the presidential candidate of the APC selected a fellow Muslim as his running mate. The fact that the political parties have ideological leanings has been sacrificed on the altar of religious bigotry.

Healthcare There is a growing healthcare crisis in the country. Drug abuse and mental illness are on the rise. This is aside the rise in the death of many people resulting from all kinds of curable ailments including malaria, typhoid, cholera, High Blood Pressure and diabetes, among others. The central mystery in Nigeria’s healthcare crisis is a simple question: why are the country’s health facilities not working? Like many simple questions, it leads to complex answers. Especially when the President and other political leaders rather go abroad than patronize the medical facilities they provided NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022 • T H I S D AY

LAWYER TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022

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Mrs Nella Andem-Ewa Rabana, SAN, FCI Arb

‘FG was Complicit in Ceding Bakassi to Cameroon’

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Charging Person Who Aids Commission of Offence as Principal Offender

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dem-Ewa Mrs Nella An Arb I Rabana, SAN, FC

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Settlement Week: Lagos Courts Shut Down

g in d e C in it c li p m o ‘FG was C ’ n o o r e m a C o t i s s a k a B

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QUOTABLES ‘We do not subscribe to a Christian/Christian or Muslim/Muslim ticket….Any party that tries a same religion ticket, will fail.

This is not 1993…Even when we have a Muslim/Christian ticket, the Church still goes through hell.’ - J.B. Daramola, Lawyer, Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria ‘We need to lay to rest issues of religion, region and ethnicity. I don’t intend to be the Vice President, to represent members of the Islamic faith. No. The Sultan of Sokoto, is capable of doing that. I do not seek to be the Vice President, to protect the interest of the Hausa-Fulani-Kanuri tribes. No. I believe in the Nigerian Project.’ - Senator Kashim Shettima, APC Vice Presidential Candidate

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NBA-HRI Tasks Buhari to Tackle Insecurity Page V

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE: EDITOR, JUDE IGBANOI: DEPUTY EDITOR, PETER TAIWO, STEVE AYA: REPORTERS

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022

2023, Religion and Voters’ Right to Choose 'O Fogun Sènu Ni?’ Just like I watched the interview of Garba Shehu recently in disbelief - where he said Nigeria is now a safer place to live, I watched the interview of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State on Channels TV’s Politics Today last Wednesday, in even more shock and dismay. As I listened to him, I wondered whether we are living in the same country. What is this new narrative that APC politicians are trying to spin? Or do they think that Nigerians are so foolish, unaware, gullible, maybe even bewitched, that they can just come out into the open and say anything, and the people will accept their false statements hook, line and sinker? I use the word ‘bewitched’ (casting a spell on someone) because in Yoruba, we have a proverbial question we sometimes ask, when someone says something unbelievable which the listener is expected to believe; or maybe tells you to do something that no normal person would do, like put your hand in fire or jump off Mount Kilimanjaro: ‘o fogun sènu ni?’ (did you put magic/juju in your mouth?). The Speaker wants you to believe the unbelievable/do the undoable, using the strength of the juju that he/she has put in his/her mouth while talking, which is supposed to be some sort of spiritual authority that has bewitched/enchanted the listener. This is how I felt, when I listened to Governor Sule, who said and I quote: “…..The problems we are having in Nigeria today, are not as a result of religion. The problems of insecurity today, are not as a result of religion…..”. Really? He expects right-thinking Nigerians to believe that? ‘O fogun sènu ni?’.

Questions Pray tell, Governor Sule; what is the origin of Boko Haram then, even if their beliefs are twisted, warped and unIslamic? Is it not religion cum purported bitterness with corrupt governance?

That Western education is forbidden, and only Islamic education is allowed? Were they not trying to establish an Islamic State in the North East, raising their flag in several local governments and collecting tax from the people? Various videos Nigerians saw showing the Chibok girls in captivity, were they not forced to wear hijabs and accept Islam (contrary to the Shahada, the First Pillar of Islam, in which acceptance of the Faith should be voluntary, that is, there is no compulsion in religion)? Does Leah Sharibu not remain in the clutches of Boko Haram after several years, because she refused to accept Islam? Is the goal of Boko Haram/ISWAP not to forcibly create an Islamic State ruled by Sharia Law? What about the mob killings in the North, even though misguided; isn’t it in the name of religion/purported blasphemy? The murders of Deborah Samuel Yakubu, Deaconess Eunice Olawale and Bridget Agbahime, all come to mind. Why were pregnant Harira Jibril and her four daughters brutally murdered in cold blood in Anambra State? Were they not targeted possibly because of their Northern origin and Islamic faith, evidenced by the fact that they adorned the hijab?

While undoubtedly there are many criminals still perpetrating crimes for financial gain and other old traditional reasons, no one can honestly say that the insecurity Nigeria is experiencing today is disconnected from religion and ethnicity - that would be a big, fat lie - religion plays an extremely significant role.

In trying to justify the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket, was Governor Sule knowingly or unknowingly telling Nigerian Christians, that the vote of the Northern Muslims are the most important, maybe even more important than theirs, without which the 2023 election cannot be won; while the election can be won without their Christian votes? Obviously, he has forgotten about the 2011 Presidential election in which President Buhari who has a cult-like following with the Northern Muslims, lost the battle to President Jonathan, a Southern Christian. In elections, no voter can be discountenanced. The more, the merrier! See Section 15 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution) on inclusion and national integration.

To be clear, I cannot say I have anything against Senator Kashim Shettima; in fact, I remember attending the 2017 Murtala Muhammad Foundation Annual Memorial Lecture, where he gave the Keynote Address. I thought he spoke well, and he caught my attention when he stated that he was unashamedly a “Committed Feminist”. I found it refreshing that a Governor from the far

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive. com onikepob@yahoo.com

The

Advocate “….. Nigeria urgently needs serious fixing; we do not need leaders who not only tell barefaced lies, are deceitful (constantly spinning new narratives to suit their own purposes), delusional, and are either totally oblivious to the hardship Nigerians are experiencing, or are happy to turn a blind eye to the suffering. For them, it’s all about politics doing or saying anything to get a second or tenth term, and stay in power forever” North would make such a public confession, in this male-dominated society of ours.

That said, I don’t think we should over-flog the issue of a Muslim/Muslim ticket, or any other ticket. The Presidential candidates have made their choices of their running mates.

People are free to vote for their preferred ticket. We shall see the outcome of all the debates and theories, when the Presidential election results are announced in February 2023. Instead of wasting our time on endless debates on the falsifying of the causes of insecurity in Nigeria to make a ticket more acceptable/the components of Presidential tickets/whether it is fair for PDP to field a Northern Presidential candidate immediately after an APC two term Northern Presidency, I think we should concentrate our energies on more pressing issues, like how to get our country which is on a steady and rapid decline, back on track.

From NNPC to NNPCL: Any Benefit for Nigerians?

Pray tell, what is the essence of NNPC becoming a limited liability company? I hope it will be more than a simple change in nomenclature from NNPC to NNPCL! Unfortunately, l doubt that there will be any impactful improvement, if it is still the same old people at the helm of affairs, with the same old policies.

In a country like Japan, the Minister of State of Petroleum (who runs the Ministry

on a day-to-day basis), MD of NNPC and PPMC - all those who are in charge of putting fuel on the road for Nigerians, would have bowed down to Nigerians tearfully, in shame, with sincere apologies for their misconduct and failure to fulfil their responsibilities to the people, before resigning their appointments, after supplying bad fuel which destroyed the car engines of many Nigerians who were unfortunate enough to purchase same, and caused a nationwide prolonged fuel shortage (which is still lingering). But, as is typical in Nigeria, a catastrophe occurs, people shout, a Committee is set up to unravel the cause of the catastrophe, nothing comes out of the Committee, and not only is no one held accountable for the failure, the culprits may even be rewarded. It is forgotten. The #EndSARS Panels, easily comes to mind.

Yes, Section 6(6)(c) of the Constitution ousts the jurisdiction of the courts vis-à-vis the provisions of Chapter II of the Constitution which includes the Economic Objectives of State Policy, that is, Section 16; but that doesn’t mean the said provisions are not binding on all authorities and persons in Nigeria - they are (see Section 1(1) of the Constitution). The fact that a court cannot hear matters pertaining to Government’s non-fulfilment of its constitutional obligations to Nigerians in this regard (non-justiciability), does not mean that it isn’t bound to fulfil same, nor that Government and its officials cannot be held accountable for their acts

and omissions.

It is obvious that Government is not harnessing the resources of Nigeria for the maximum welfare, benefit and happiness of the people, as provided by Section 16 of the Constitution; however, these provisions are actually general in nature, and there are other ways to hold Government and it’s officials accountable for their specific failures. Interestingly, in Olafisoye v FRN (2004) LPELR-2553 (SC) per Niki Tobi JSC, the Apex Court rejected the notion of the non-justiciability of Chapter II of the Constitution, citing Professor Obilade’s article “The Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences and the Right to Privacy”, where he stated thus: “It is clear therefore, that although Section 15(5) of the Constitution is, in general, not justiciable, as soon as the National Assembly exercises it’s power under Section 4 of the Constitution with Item 60(a) of the Exclusive Legislative List, the provisions of Section 15(5) of the Constitution becomes justiciable”. The Supreme Court instead, accepted the argument that Chapter II could be justiciable.

In this fuel issue, maybe if there is a community reading of Section 4 of the Constitution (with NASS exercising it’s powers thereunder) & Items 60(a) & 62(a) & (d) of the Exclusive Legislative List, the provisions of Sections 15(5) & 16(1)(a) & (b) of the same grundnorm could be justiciable; and additionally, not only can erring Government officials (in the fuel/ petroleum sector) be summoned by NASS by virtue of Section 88(1)(a), (b) & (2)(b) of the Constitution, be punished using the ICPC & EFCC Acts for instance, but damages can also be recovered from them and their institutions for the vehicles that were spoilt by the bad fuel. Last Thursday, I travelled to Abuja, and returning to Lagos on Friday was a horrible experience. Aside from the endlessly long petrol queues in Abuja which have persisted for many weeks, I was stranded at the airport for six hours, due to lack of aviation fuel. Nigerians deserve better than this.

Someone, people, institutions, should be held accountable for the gross failures in the fuel/petroleum regime.

Conclusion How long can Nigeria continue like this?

I keep harping on the point that presently, we have a mixed religious ticket, and look at the condition we are in. It has made little or no difference to the religious crisis that the country is currently facing, or added no value in the betterment or development of the country. The Christian Association of Nigeria, the Sultan of Sokoto, Bishop Kukah and NIREC have actually done more to promote peace and religious tolerance in Nigeria, than any Government officials.

For those who are unhappy with any of the Presidential tickets, they have the opportunity to make their choices at the 2023 polls. People must understand that, in a democratic setting, one of the only ways to see the changes they desire become a reality, or have their voices heard, is not to complain and shout to no avail, but to exercise their civic right by voting.

One thing I am certain about is that, Nigeria urgently needs serious fixing; we do not need leaders who not only tell barefaced lies, are deceitful (constantly spinning new narratives to suit their own purposes), delusional, and are either totally oblivious to the hardship Nigerians are experiencing or are happy to turn a blind eye to the suffering.

For them, it’s all about politics - doing or saying anything to get a second or tenth term, and stay in power forever. Trivialising, rationalising and redefining ugly incidents like the kind of mass murder of innocent Parishioners that took place at the Catholic Church in Owo recently, is offensive. In fact, without much investigation, the first suspect Government pointed its accusing fingers at as the perpetrators of this horrible crime, was ISWAP. Is that not religious violence?

How then can Governor Sule in all good conscience, come on international television to say Nigeria’s insecurity is detached from religion? It most certainly is not.

#rescuetheKadunacaptivesnow

IV LAW REPORT

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

Charging Person Who Aids Commission of Offence as Principal Offender Facts The case of the Respondent at the trial court was that one Baribiae Iledae (deceased) and his sister Cecilia Tor-ue, who testified as PW1, went to the deceased’s farm to do some work.

PW1 testified that on their way back from the farm, the Appellant, the 1st and 3rd accused persons and others still at large, who were in the 1st accused person’s Peugeot 504, attacked the deceased with knives and axes while others joined them from the bush.

PW1 stated further that she went to a nearby village to call for help and upon her return to the scene of crime, the assailants had killed the deceased as a result of multiple machete wounds and left his body in the bush.

The following morning, she reported the matter to the village head, one HRH Mene Baridem of Lumene, who wrote her a letter which she took to the Police. Prior to the incident which led to killing of her brother, there was a pending litigation between the deceased and the 1st accused person, whose car was used in conveying the killers to the crime scene.

On his part, the Appellant denied committing the offence charged. He stated that he did not participate in the offence. He also denied making statements to the Police, which were tendered and admitted as Exhibits J and J2. At the conclusion of trial and after the adoption of final written addresses, the trial court found the Appellant and two others guilty as charged and sentenced them to death by hanging.

The convicts were dissatisfied with the judgement of the trial court and appealed to the Court of Appeal, which court affirmed the decision of the trial court. Further dissatisfied, the Appellant appealed to the Supreme Court.

Honourable Adamu Jauro, JSC

IIn the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 13th day of May, 2022 Before Their Lordships Chima Centus Newze Amina Adamu Augie Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju Adamu Jauro Emmanuel Akomaye Agim Justices, Supreme Court

Issue for Determination The following sole issue was raised for determination by the court: “Whether on the total circumstances of this case, the Court of Appeal sitting at Port-Harcourt was right when it affirmed the conviction and sentence of the Appellant by the trial court.”

Arguments Submitting on the sole issue, counsel for the Appellant argued that it is evident the Appellant was not one of those who killed the deceased, as PW1 did not mention his name in her statement to the Police when the incident was still fresh in her memory, but only mentioned his name in her oral evidence made about two years after the incident occurred. He submitted that this contradiction in Exhibit A and PW1’s oral evidence, rendered her evidence unreliable. It was further submitted that where a witness claims to have seen a person committing a crime but does not name him at the earliest opportunity, the failure to mention his name will detract from any credibility which the court would have attached the witness’ testimony - UDEH v STATE (1999) 7 NWLR (Pt. 609) 1. Counsel submitted further that the only evidence that linked the Appellant to the crime, was his statement to the Police in Exhibit J which is not confessional, as the Appellant denied committing the offence.

He argued that the contents of Exhibit J were clearly contradictory to the events as narrated by PW1, and this raised doubt as to the veracity of her evidence regarding the death of her brother. Counsel referred to the extra-judicial statement of the 1st accused person, wherein he argued that the 1st accused person stated that PW1 admitted to Chief Baridam that she did not know that she accused the 1st accused person of killing the Appellant because he had previously falsely accused the deceased of robbing him. It was submitted that, this was indicative of PW1 having a vendetta against the 1st accused

SC.359/2013 Between Lambert Nwiko

Appellant AND

The State

Respondent

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Adamu Jauro, JSC)

person. That the evidence of PW1 that the Appellant killed the deceased because of the pending litigation between them, also further showed that she had an axe to grind with the Appellant. It was submitted that the case as it pertains to the 1st accused person was important because if it was shown that he was not guilty, the Respondent’s case would collapse, as it was alleged that it was the 1st accused person who gathered the Appellant and others to kill the deceased.

Responding to the submissions above, counsel for the Respondent enumerated the elements of the offence of murder, and submitted that the parties are ad idem that the first element was established beyond reasonable doubt. In response to the Appellant’s contention that PW1’s evidence lacks credibility because she did not mention the Appellant’s name as one of the killers in her first statement to the Police, counsel submitted that the contention is not supported by the available evidence as the trial court found the testimony of PW1 to be direct, and unshaken on the identity of the Appellant as one of the killers of her brother. Counsel argued further that the evidence of PW1 as an eyewitness

“….. persons who omit to do any act for the purpose of enabling or aiding another person to commit the offence; persons who aid another in committing the offence; and persons who counsel or procure any person to commit the offence, are all deemed to have taken part in committing the offence, and may be charged with actually committing the offence”

testimony, remained unshaken during cross-examination. He posited that assuming the Appellant did not directly participate in the killing of the deceased, he would still be liable to be convicted for murder by the combined effect of Sections 7 and 8 of the Criminal Code.

That by planning with the other culprits to kill the deceased and his failure to stop them from executing their plan, makes him liable as a principal offender. On the third ingredient of the offence of murder, it was submitted that the post mortem concluded by PW7 which showed that the deceased died from about 10 machete wounds, manifested the intention of the accused persons to kill the deceased or cause him grievous bodily harm. Counsel urged the court not to interfere with the concurrent findings of the lower courts accepting the evidence of PW1 that the Appellant was one of those who killed the deceased, as the findings of the courts below are not perverse and are based on the evidence on record.

Court’s Judgement and Rationale In deciding the sole issue, the Supreme Court held that the law has crystallised in our criminal jurisprudence, that an accused person is presumed innocent until he or she is proved guilty. The Prosecution is saddled with the burden of proving the guilt of the accused person, and the standard of such proof in criminal cases or trial is proof beyond reasonable doubt.

It is trite law that the Prosecution is duty bound to prove the following essential elements beyond reasonable doubt to secure a conviction from the offence of murder: 1) That the deceased is dead, 2) that the death of the deceased person

resulted from acts of the accused person 3) that the accused caused the death of the deceased intentionally or with knowledge that death or grievous bodily harm was its probable consequence. The ingredients must co-exist, and where one of them is either absent or tainted with any doubt, the charge is said not to be proved. The law is settled that the Prosecution can prove its case against the accused person by all or any of the following means: a) Evidence of an eyewitness of the crime b) confession or admission when voluntarily made by the accused and c) circumstantial evidence which is positive, compelling and points to the conclusion that the accused committed the offence - ADEYEMO v STATE (2015) LPELR- 24688 (SC).

Applying the principle above to the facts of this case, the Apex Court held that it is not in contention that the deceased died; the evidence of PW7 who conducted the post-mortem examination on the deceased’s body puts it beyond reasonable peradventure, that the deceased died as a result of Hypovolaemic shock due to blood loss from injuries sustained from multiple machete cuts inflicted on him. The decision of the court below regarding the death of the deceased was not challenged, and the failure of the Appellant to challenge this specific finding means the said finding is accepted as binding on him.

The issues in contention in this appeal, are whether the deceased’s death was caused by the act or omission of the Appellant, and whether the act or omission causing the death of the deceased was intentional. From the evidence of PW1, it can be deduced that the Appellant and the 1st accused person were known to each other. Upon tendering the Appellant’s extra-judicial statement in Exhibit J, the Appellant denied making the said exhibit, and the trial court, in due observance with the principles guiding retraction of extra-judicial statements, admitted the said statement, and thereafter, looked for other evidence on record to ascertain whether the said statement was true and probable. The Appellant in his evidence at trial merely denied the allegation, however, he admitted knowing the 1st accused person and the deceased. Going by the testimony of PW1 and that of PW7 on those who killed the deceased and the cause of his death, it is safe to conclude that the Appellant’s confession was probable and true, and his denial of the role he played in the death of the deceased, was a mere afterthought.

Further, by the combined effect of Sections 7 and 8 of the Criminal Code, when an offence is committed, persons who carry out the act or makes the omission; persons who omit to do any act for the purpose of enabling or aiding another person to commit the offence; persons who aid another in committing the offence; and persons who counsel or procure any person to commit the offence, are all deemed to have taken part in committing the offence, and may be charged with actually committing the offence. Thus, the excuse that the Appellant did not participate in the actual killing of the victim by hacking him with a cutlass to death, does not exculpate him from the offence of murder.

Regarding the last ingredient of the offence of murder, the court is of the view that a person who cuts another with a machete severally causing excessive bleeding leading to Hypovolaemic shock, ought to know that death or grievous bodily harm was the probable consequence of his action.

The court held that the Respondent led satisfactory evidence proving the guilt of the Appellant for the offence of murder, beyond reasonable doubt.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation Edwin Anikwe for the Appellant A.O. Omotosho for the Respondent.

Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR)(An affiliate of Babalakin & Co.)

V

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Federal High Court Headquarters, Abuja Alogba

Chairman, NBA Human Rights Institute, Chino Obiagwu, SAN

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki

Settlement Week: Lagos Courts Shut Down Stories by Steve Aya Most courts in Lagos State were under lock and key last week with many others empty, as the Lagos Judiciary held its Settlement Week.

The Settlement Week began July 18th and lasted the whole week, ending Friday, July 22nd, 2022.

Our correspondent who went round gathered that all the courts at Justice Omotosho

complex were empty, while some of the courts were under lock and key. Similar situations were also noticed in other courts, in the main building housing 98% of courts in Ikeja.

However, our correspondent noticed officials settling cases for those who showed up for the Settlement Week, and other Judiciary staff working as normal.

The Settlement Week will be followed by the annual vacation

FHC Delivers Landmark Decision on Retroactive Application of Finance Act 2019 by FIRS The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court recently delivered a landmark decision, and held that the Finance Act 2019, which became law on 13 January, 2020, should not apply to trading activity conducted

by Accugas Limited between January and December 2019, even if the returns reporting the trading activity were filed after 13 January, 2020.

The Finance Act 2019 deleted Section 33(3)(b) of the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA), which exempted a company with at least 25% imported equity capital from paying minimum tax. Accugas met this threshold, and wrote to FIRS to seek confirmation that notwithstanding the deletion of Section. 33(3)(b) of the CITA, it could claim in its returns, the minimum tax exemption in respect of trading activity conducted between January and December 2019. However, FIRS took the view that because the returns were filed in July 2020, after the Finance Act 2019 had become law, Accugas had lost its entitlement to the minimum tax exemption.

Dissatisfied by FIRS’

position, Accugas through its counsel, AELEX (led by Messrs Adedapo Tunde-Olowu, SAN and Theophilus Emuwa), filed an action at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division and argued that by virtue of Section 6(1)(b) and (c) of the Interpretation Act and the doctrine of vested rights, Accugas’ entitlement to the minimum tax exemption in respect of trading activity conducted between January and December 2019 subsists; notwithstanding that the returns reporting the trading activity were filed after the Finance Act 2019 had become law.

Delivering her judgement, Justice N.E. Maha upheld AELEX’s arguments, and ordered FIRS to refund any sum that Accugas had already paid as taxes, based on FIRS’ earlier assessment.

Reacting to the judgement, Mr Tunde-Olowu, SAN remarked that “in view of the recent annual amendments to Nigeria’s fiscal legislation, the decision of the Federal High Court is significant, as it provides taxpayers with certainty that, unless express language is used, any amendment to fiscal legislation will not be applied retroactively, regardless of the time of filing tax returns”.

which, will commence from this week July 26th until September 16th, 2022.

In a statement, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba, said

the vacation is based on Order 49 Rule 4(D) of the High Court of Lagos State.

Alogba also announced the following as vacation Judges, Justice O. A. Taiwo, from Mon-

day, the 25th day of July, 2022 to 5th day of August 2022 ; Hon Justice O. A. Okunugba from Monday, 8th day of August, 2022 to 22nd August, 2022; Justice A.O. Adeyemi from the 22nd

day of August to Friday, the 2nd day of September.

Justice Y. R. Pinheiro will take over from Monday, the 5th day of September to 16th day of September 2022.

Ex-Gov Orji Kalu’s Alleged N7.2bn Fraud Trial: Prosecution Lawyer Faces Disqualification Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday issued a seven-day ultimatum to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, to show cause on why he should not be disqualified from further prosecuting a former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in N7.2 billion money laundering charges.

The Senior Advocate was also ordered by the court to file a motion on notice within seven days, to show cause why he should be allowed to continue to

handle the trial of the corruption charges brought against Kalu by the Federal Government.

Justice Ekwo made the order while delivering a ruling on a motion filed by Rotimi Jacobs Chambers, seeking the transfer of the trial to the Lagos State division of the court.

In this ruling, the Judge held that the Senior Advocate and his team have engaged in gross abuse of the court process, in ways and manners the Prosection was being handled.

The Judge ordered that the

motion on notice would be adopted on October 31, during which the court would determine the fate of the senior Lawyer one way or the other.

He dismissed the request to transfer the trial to Lagos, on the ground that only the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, can do so in line with Section 98 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

Justice Ekwo held that the Prosecution had twice written the Chief Judge requesting for

the transfer, which the Chief Judge declined to do, adding that he ought to abide by the decision of the court authorities.

In the alternative, Justice Ekwo held that the Prosecution was at liberty to go back to the Supreme Court, to seek for review of the order that remitted the trial to the Federal High Court.

The Judge said that granting the request will lead to a breach of Section 235 of the 1999 Constitution, and challenge the finality and supremacy of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

NBA-HRI Tasks Buhari to Tackle Insecurity The Human Rights Institute of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-HRI), has challenged President Mohammed Buhari to immediately tackle the insecurity situation across the country, which is his primary constitutional responsibility as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

This charge was contained in the communiqué issued by the Institute at its First Human Rights Summit held at the NBA House, Abuja on July 15, 2022, and signed by the Institute’s Chairman, Mr Chinonye Obiagu, SAN. The Summit, attended in-person and virtually by over 450 Lawyers from across the country, recounted that every part of Nigeria is currently experiencing massive attacks by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal gangs, and the law enforcement agencies appear overwhelmed and helpless, as only very few of the perpetrators are

arrested and prosecuted.

The Summit was worried that the Correctional Service Centre (Prison) in Kuje, Abuja, was attacked by armed men for almost three hours, at the end of which hundreds of prisoners, including terrorist suspects, were forcefully released. Before then, the country was shocked by the terrorist attack on worshippers in a Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, in which over 35 people were massacred. Similar fatal attacks had, within the past few weeks, occurred in Kaduna and other parts of the country.

The Summit also recalled that it is now over seven years that the Chibok school girls were abducted from their school by Boko Haram terrorists, and many of them are yet to be returned.

Survivors of numerous abductions and kidnappings across the country pay millions of Naira in ransom to secure their release,

and most are killed or still remain in captivity, including hundreds of passengers kidnapped on the Kaduna-Abuja train, who are yet to be released over one hundred days after the attack.

The Summit noted that under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the security and welfare of the citizens is the primary purpose of Government. The responsibility of the Government is therefore, to protect the citizens from violations of their rights, including the right to life. President Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has the primary responsibility to ensure that this constitutional obligation of his Government is carried out. Where he fails to do so, as it seems at the moment, then there is a failure of governance.

Nigerians now live in terrifying fear for their lives. On a daily basis, there is news of unlawful killings

across the country. Despite huge sums of money spent on security and law enforcement, including huge military spending and billions of Naira as security vote by State Governor, there are little or no results in tackling criminals and terrorists, and safeguarding the lives and property of the citizens.

The country continues to be unsafe and insecure, and the insecurity situation deteriorates.

The Summit was also concerned that without a secure polity, Nigeria will be unable to successfully and peacefully conduct the forthcoming general elections in 2023. The insecurity situation is therefore, a huge threat to Nigeria’s democracy, and portends great danger to the future of the Nigerian State and its governance. “How can elections be held in 2023, when every part of the country is unsafe’, said one participant at the Summit.

Judges’ Salary: Edo Sets Up Committee to Review Implication of Court Judgement Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has set up a Committee comprising members of the Executive and Judiciary arms of government, to deliberate on the fiscal implications of the Industrial Court judgement reviewing the salaries of Judges

and Justices in the country.

The Governor said this during a meeting with the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Joe Acha, at the Government House in Benin City, the State capital.

According to him, “We have periodic reviews of activities in

the State, and that is why I am meeting with the Head of the Judiciary.

One of the issues we have come to talk about is the implication of the recent Industrial Court judgement on the remuneration of Judges.

“We had a conversation, and have decided to set up a small Committee composed of members of the Executive and Judiciary arms of government, to review the implications of the judgement on our budget.”

On his part, Justice Acha said:

“The judgement is something we all expected, because Judges are grossly underpaid”.

“Just like His Excellency has said, Edo State is one family. So, we want to see how we can work together to move forward. I believe

this is something that can be discussed at the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) level.

“In Edo State, we are one family. Much as there are issues with staff salaries in other States, we believe that Edo State can be a model.”

#upjudicialsalaries “Sadly, today, some Judges have strokes while in service. Judges are confronted with avoidable trauma, stress and strain while trying to dispense justice, unlike their colleagues in some other countries where conditions for dispensation of justice are just simply good, very comfortable and progressive.” Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, SAM

VI

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

INSIGHT ABUBAKAR D. SANI

XL4sure@yahoo.com

08034533892 080KUBIUDOFIA.

Still on Defences in Pre-Election Matters Introduction The enactment, last month, by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of the Federal High Court (Pre-Election) Practice Directions 2022, has predictably kick-started a flood of challenges to the outcome of the recently concluded political party primaries by aggrieved aspirants. The Directions were reportedly made pursuant to the provisions of Sections 254, 285(9), (10) and (14) of the Constitution, as well as those of Sections 29(5) and 84(14) of the Electoral Act 2022. See the Preamble to the Directions.

The aforesaid provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, in particular, are instructive. The first, i.e., Section 29(5) stipulates that: “An aspirant who participated in the primaries of his political party who has reasonable grounds to believe that any information by the political party’s candidate in the affidavit or any document submitted by that candidate in relation to his constitutional requirement to contest the election is false, may file a suit at the Federal High Court against the candidate seeking a declaration that the information contained in the affidavit is false”.

The second one, Section 84(14), provides that: “Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act or rules of a political party, an aspirant who complains that any of the provisions of this Act and the guidelines of a political party have not been complied with in the selection or nomination of a candidate of a political party or election, may apply to the Federal High Court for redress”.

The Directions I believe the juxtaposition of the above provisions of the Electoral Act with those of Rule 4(1) of the said Directions might be a boon for Defendants (or Respondents) in pre-election matters filed in that court.

Before outlining my reasons for holding that view, it is necessary to review the said provisions of the Directions, as follows:- “4(1): Every pre-election matter shall be commenced by an Originating Summons as specified in Forms 3, 4 or 5 of Appendix 6 to the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules with such variations as circumstances may require (2) The Originating Summons shall be accompanied by: a) an affidavit setting out the facts relied upon; b) copies of the exhibits to be relied upon; c) a written address; d) an affidavit of non-multiplicity of action on the same subject matter.

The Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019 It can be seen that the Directions explicitly adopt the provisions of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2019 (Order 3 Rules 6, 7, & 9) as the prescribed mode of initiating pre-election matters. Those provisions are as follows:Rule 6: “A person who claims to be interested under a deed, will, enactment or other written instrument may apply by

Originating Summons for the determination of any question of construction arising under the instrument and for a declaration of the right of the person interested; Rule 7: “A person who claims any legal or equitable right in a case where the determination of the question whether such a person is entitled to the right depends upon a question of construction of an enactment, may apply by Originating Summons for the determination of such question of construction and for a declaration as to the right claimed; Rule 9 (1): “An Originating Summons shall be as specified in the Forms 3, 4 or 5 in Appendix 6 to these Rules, with such variations as circumstances may require; (2) An Originating Summons shall be accompanied by:a) an affidavit setting out the facts relied upon; b) copies of the exhibits to be relied upon; c) a written address; and d) an affidavit of non-multiplicity of action or the same subject matter” Nature of Originating Summons Given that virtually the only reliefs which a court can grant by means of originating summons are declarations and injunctions, it is imperative to discuss the jurisprudence behind both reliefs.

The pre-eminent principle is that, both of them are equitable. This means that they are granted entirely at the discretion of the court. See ADEBAYO v T.S.G. NIG. LTD (2013) All FWLR Pt. 666 pg.

555 @ 563G and AROWOLO v OLOWOOKERE (2012) All FWLR Pt. 606 Pg. 398 @ 415G. See also UDU v UNUDIKE (2008) 10 NWLR Pt. 1093 Pg. 24 @ 29F, where the

“The enactment, last month, by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of the Federal High Court (Pre-Election) Practice Directions 2022, has predictably kick-started a flood of challenges to the outcome of the recently concluded political party primaries by aggrieved aspirants”

court held that: “The grant of a declaratory relief is within the discretion of the court, and the Plaintiff to succeed, he must give evidence establishing his entitlement to the declaration, and he should not rely on (the Defendants’) admission.

A declaration cannot be granted on admission or consent of the Defendant: Motunwase v Sorungbe (1988) 5 NWLR Pt. 92 Pg. 90. The Plaintiff must satisfy the court by credible evidence that he is entitled to the declaration: Olisa v Asojo (2002) 1 NWLR Pt. 747 Pg. 13 @ 31”.

In ODE v BALOGUN (2002) FWLR Pt. 115 pg. 693 @ 707 the Court of Appeal followed the decision of the Apex Court in Agbaje v Agboluaje (1970) 1 All NLR Pg. 21 @ 26 where it held that: “The general theme of judicial observations is that, declarations are not lightly to be granted. The power should be exercised sparingly and with great care and jealousy, with extreme caution, with the utmost caution . . . the power to grant a declaration should be exercised with a proper sense of responsibility under a full realisation that, judicial pronouncements ought not to be made unless there are circumstances that call for their making”.

Finally, see DUMEZ v NWAKHOBA (2009) All FWLR pt. 461 pg. 842 @ 850G where the Apex Court held that: “The law on the requirements of a Plaintiff to plead and prove his claims for declaratory reliefs on the evidence called by him without relying on the evidence called by the Defendant, is settled. The burden of proof on the Plaintiff in establishing declaratory reliefs to the satisfaction of the court is quite heavy, in the sense that such declarations are not granted even on admission by the Defendant where the Plaintiff fails to establish his entitlement to the declaration by his own evidence. In other words, declarations of right . . . cannot be made on admission or in default of pleading by the Defendant, not to talk of reliance on the evidence of the Defendant”.

Affidavit Evidence in Originating Summons Given that affidavits are the primary (if not quite the exclusive) means of giving evidence in trials by originating

summons, it is important that Defence Counsel be extremely careful to resist the tendency (perhaps, occasioned by sheer force of habit) of deposing to affidavits by themselves or their clerks on behalf of Defendants. Even though Section 115 of the Evidence Act, 2011 permits such second-hand information to be contained in an affidavit, it was recently held that this depends on the purpose for which it is tendered. If it is sought to establish the truth or veracity of those ‘facts’ or information, they are hearsay and inadmissible. See IBETO vs OGUH (2022) LPELR – 56803, where the Court of Appeal held that “while it is correct that Section 115(4) of the Evidence Act, 2011 permits a deponent to swear to facts derived from a third party in an affidavit insofar as the source of his information is properly disclosed, such depositions are of very little forensic utility, as they constitute hearsay evidence. The factum that such information was given is all that there is to such information, but qualitatively, the truth of such information is a different thing entirely: it is hearsay evidence as to the truth, which remain inadmissible. See Orunola v Adeoye (1995) 6 NWLR Pt. 401 Pg. 338 @ 353 per Nsofor, JCA. Hearsay evidence is given by a person who cannot vouch for the truth thereof. It is a piece of evidence which does not derive its value solely from the credit given to the witness himself, but rests in part on the veracity and competence of some other person, e.g. the statement of a person who is himself not called as a witness, but what he said is repeated by another witness who is called. See Ojo v Gharoro (2006) 2 – 3 S.C. 105, That is why it is always ill-advised for a Lawyer or his clerk or secretary to depose to facts intended to prove a case, as they are not in any position to vouch for the truth or accuracy of information derived from clients . ..”.

Conclusion To the extent that the reliefs claimed in Originating Summons are invariably declarations and injunctions, it is obvious that a bounden legal duty is placed on a Plaintiff in a pre-election matter to satisfy the requirements for the grant of such reliefs. Evidence is clearly key, in this regard. The consequences of failure are obvious, as it would present the Defendant with something of a ‘technical’ victory (if not exactly a walkover), leaving the losing party to wonder what might have been.

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ast week, July 18-22, 2022, the Nigerian Law School Class of 1980, held various activities in Abuja, to mark their 42nd Anniversary and Reunion. Here are some of the members of the Class and other Guests, who attended the events… PHOTOS: JULIUS ATOI L-R: Justice Olasumbo Goodluck JCA; Akpezi Ogbuigwe and Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN

L-R: Chief Awa Kalu, SAN; Justice Jummai Sankey JCA and Hon. Justice Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju JSC Hon. Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji JSC (left) Justice Garba Abdullahi

Justices of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu (left) and Justice Peter Olabisi Ige

Chief Mrs Rhino Dimude and Prof Nwachukwu Okeke

Vincent Okwechime (left) and Lanre Oyetunji

The Acting CJN represented by Hon. Justice Helen Ogunwumiju JSC (seated centre) and Others at the Lecture

Prof Muhammad Tabiu (left) and Margaret Ogonna

L-R: Franca Office; Ifeyinwa Njokama and Rita Chris-Garuba

Members of the Reunion Planning Committee L-R: Ifeyinwa Njokama; Mariam Kawu; Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN; Bilkisu Bashir; Chief (Mrs) Rhona Dimude and Chima Mbonu

Class of 1980 presenting a cheque to the Nigerian Law School (NLS)L-R: Head of Academics, NLS, Samuel Osamolu representing DG, NLS; Bilkisu Bashir and Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN

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COVER

Mrs Nella Andem-Ewa Rabana, SAN

‘FG was Complicit in Ceding Bakassi to Cameroon’

The story of how Nigeria ceded the Bakassi Peninsular to Cameroon, is yet to be fully told. It was a legal battle which took both countries to the International Court of Justice at The Hague (ICJ), and one which Nigeria sadly lost, as a result of which a full local government area in Nigeria was excised to Cameroon. Mrs Nella Andem-Ewa Rabana, SAN, FCI Arb who as the then Attorney-General of Cross River State was a member of the Nigerian legal team that went before the ICJ narrates to Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi the challenges and obstacles, that mitigated against Nigeria at the ICJ. She also shared her views on the advancement of Arbitration in Nigeria, why women empowerment is a fundamental right, and the raging national debate on APC’s Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket

T

he Nigerian Bar Association just concluded a rancour free and fair election of its national officers. What would be your advice to the incoming Y.C. Miakyau-led Exco, especially on how to keep up the momentum of the outgoing Executive as the voice of the people?

I would advice the new administration to maintain the momentum of the NBA in its reaction to societal issues, without fear or

favour. The NBA under the new leadership, should be mindful to listen to the yearnings of her members, and provide leadership by speaking truth to power at all times. The NBA should continue to defend and promote the rule of law, by supporting public interest issues. The current administration has performed commendably in this regard, and the new administration should strive to improve on this legacy, by introducing innovative initiatives and strategies that will foster

“Indeed, it is a rare privilege to be the first African female to address the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as Counsel…..

My view has always been that, the Federal Government of Nigeria was complicit in the ceding of Bakassi before and after the Arbitration at the ICJ”

diverse opportunities for continuous engagement with the legal community, in order to assess and address needs and issues as they arise. This will make the NBA, even more vocal and ready to undertake more public interest cases for Lawyers and the general citizenry.

You had the rare privilege of being the first African female to address the International Court of Justice aka World Court (ICJ), one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, as counsel, when you were Attorney-General of Cross River State, leading the Nigerian team there in the Bakassi/Cameroon case. Kindly, tell us a little bit about the case and share that experience with us. Why did you feel that Nigeria should have declined the jurisdiction of the ICJ in that case? Nigeria lost the case to Cameroon at the ICJ, and subsequently,

a whole local government, Bakassi was lost. With hindsight, why and how did Nigeria lose that case, despite the array of legal luminaries on your team, like late Chief Richard Akinjide SAN, and some others?

Indeed, it is a rare privilege to be the first African female to address the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as Counsel. However, what I find intriguing is the fact that so long after the judgement and the aftermath of that judgement, the amount of misinformation and outright ignorance of the facts is simply unbelievable. I therefore, jump at every opportunity that presents itself, to share a few basic truths about the role Nigeria played in the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon.

My view has always been that, the Federal Government of Nigeria, was complicit in the ceding of Bakassi before and after the Arbitration at the ICJ. In 1975, the Federal Government of Nigeria

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‘FG was Complicit in Ceding Bakassi to Cameroon’ jointly declared the Maroua line as being the international boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon. By this singular act, Nigeria provided Cameroon the opportunity to lay claim to a territory, which for all intents and purposes, had always been part of Nigeria thereby ceding part of the Efik kingdom from Rio Del Ray to Akpayefe (Akwayefe).

Notwithstanding the fact that subsequent Heads of State refused to ratify the 1975 Maroua Treaty, the Federal Government wilfully submitted to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), without invoking its power to rely on the optional clause as contained in Article 36 of the ICJ Statute. This provision makes the submission to the jurisdiction of the ICJ optional. Nigeria failed to borrow a leaf from Israel, U.S.A, and the U.K, who have consistently refused to submit to the jurisdiction of the ICJ in matters that affect or threaten their national interest, sovereignty, national security and defence.

It should be noted that despite Nigeria’s knowledge of the fact that Taslim Olawale Elias who had been Attorney-General and Chief Justice of Nigeria, before becoming a Judge and President of the International Court of Justice, had publicly stated as President of the ICJ that Bakassi belonged to Cameroon.

Despite all of this, the Federal Government maps, especially those of the Department of Petroleum Resources reflected the international boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria as being the Maroua line, thereby implementing and enforcing the Maroua line as its international boundary, Nigeria still went ahead to submit to the jurisdiction of the ICJ when it could have refrained from doing so.

Without weighing the odds, especially given that there is no right of appeal from the International Court of Justice, Nigeria publicly undertook to abide by the judgement of the court, whatever the outcome.

By submitting to the ICJ jurisdiction, Nigeria had only two opportunities to challenge aspects of the judgement of the ICJ, to wit: r 8JUIJO TJY NPOUIT PG UIF *$+ EFDJTJPO UIF Court may be invited to interpret an aspect of its decision. In my humble view, Nigeria ought to have applied for interpretation of the aspect of the judgement which dealt with the plebiscite of 1961, since the issue of the Bakassi people’s right to self-determination had never been resolved. The judgement was silent on whether or not Bakassi participated.

Yet, Nigeria failed to exercise that right. r 8JUIJO ZFBST GSPN UIF EBUF UIF KVEHFNFOU was delivered, Nigeria was at liberty to exercise its right of revision of the judgement based on fresh facts which could not have been within its knowledge, and which were not canvassed at the proceedings (Article 61 of the Statutes of ICJ). Nigeria, yet again, refused to take advantage of this opportunity, and consequently, forever shut out the prospect of challenging the rationale or basis of the ICJ judgement.

As Attorney-General of Cross River State at the time, I could not have led the Nigerian legal team which had not only instituted a preliminary objection, which was denied, before I joined the team. If there was anything Nigeria did right, it was in its assemblage of renowned international law experts such as Ian Brownley QC, Chief Richard Akinjide, Prof Ayua, Prof Chukwura, etc. I joined the UFBN JO MPOH BGUFS /JHFSJB QSFMJNJOBSZ objection was filed and lost.

In my view, for as long as we had a choice not to submit to the jurisdiction of the ICJ, Nigeria ought to have refrained from submitting to that court’s jurisdiction, especially when the President at the time was French.The legal arguments by Nigeria were sound enough to allow the Otti posidieties principle to be

Mrs Nella Andem-Ewa Rabana, SAN

successfully invoked, to preserve Nigeria’s maritime boundary.

Kindly, share your thoughts on the APC Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket? =I think a Muslim-Muslim ticket, is rather insensitive and unfortunate. Ordinarily, the choice of candidates should be predicated on vision, capacity, character, antecedents, where tribe and religion should not be a factor. However, these are extraordinary times.

We are in a season where leaders need to pay particular attention to the agitations and interests of the people they wish to serve. They should have a listening ear, to hear the heart beat of the people. Equitable and fair representation is imperative in a mutli-ethnic, multi-religious nation, where tensions are high. In my opinion, ignoring the mood and representation needs of the diverse peoples of Nigeria, is clearly a red flag, indicating the scale of our 'democratic-fibre', and the inability to delicately navigate the current turbulent waters when choosing a Vice Presidential candidate, is an error.

As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, would you say Arbitration has impacted negatively on oral advocacy in Nigeria? How can the profession maximise the best of both ADR and litigation, especially as ADR does not seem to have been fully accepted in Nigeria? Why is it that most agreements, even the ones involving local parties, never seem to choose Nigeria as the seat of Arbitration. Are the trust issues that have trailed the Nigerian Judiciary, been extended to Arbitration here too?

As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, I do not see how Arbitration would in any way negatively impact oral advocacy. It rather enhances it. Practice is dynamic and constantly evolving new trends; Arbitration brings more depth and content to advocacy skills, techniques and style. The profession can maximise the best of both ADR and litigation, if our courts subtly insist on enforcing ADR clauses in contracts as the first step to dispute resolution, before a fresh matter is brought before it.

“My advice to women, is to aspire to break whatever glass ceiling they are confronted with when seeking to achieve whatever life ambition they are pursuing. Whether it is for political office, the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, or even to become President of the NBA , the first step is to put it before their God, then prepare, plan and go for it”

Moreover, given that some matters are best suited for arbitration, you find that commercial Lawyers generally include ADR clauses as part of their Dispute Resolution provisions in contracts.

The choice of other jurisdictions predominantly over Nigeria, may not be statistically correct. Usually, when the transaction involves nationals of other countries, they tend to prefer a more “neutral” forum, but I am reluctant to accept that trust issues may have affected Arbitration in Nigeria.

As a matter of fact, although the practice of arbitration in Nigeria came later, there are still people who consider litigation a taboo, and would attempt to resolve all disputes through traditional mediation by tradition rulers. Therefore, Arbitration may not be prevalent because of the level of awareness.

Only recently, the NBA commissioned the NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education and the Human Rights Institute.

It is my expectation that the Institute of Continuing Legal Education will include in its curriculum, Arbitration and Litigation as multiple skill sets which are available to Lawyers, and educate them on how they can take advantage of these processes in practice.

What do you think must be done to secure the independence of the Judiciary, aside from an upward review of salaries and conditions of service of judicial officers?

As a senior Lawyer and Life Bencher, I place the highest premium on the independence of the Judiciary, to safeguard the rule of law and the future of the legal profession.

The only way to secure the independence of the Judiciary, is to adhere strictly with the provisions of the Constitution as it relates to the powers of the National Judicial Council, especially with regard to Judiciary funding, appointments and removals of judicial officers to the exclusion of all forms of interference of the Executive and Legislative arms of government. Any violation of the provisions of the Constitution, especially Sections 81(3), 162(9), 158(1) 292 (1)&(2), results in the violation of the fundamental principle of separation of powers and automatically compromises the independence of the Judiciary, wherein the ability of judicial officers to discharge their constitutional duties without fear and favour is impaired.

You once ran for office for Deputy Governor in Cross River State, albeit unsuccessfully. Have we seen the last of you in politics?

As the saying goes, "Never say Never".

What is your advice to women who aspire to political office, and also to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and President of the NBA in this maledominated environment?

My advice to women, is to aspire to break whatever glass ceiling they are confronted with when seeking to achieve whatever life ambition they are pursuing. Whether it is for political office, the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, or even to become President of the NBA , the first step is to put it before their God, then prepare, plan and go for it.

Without sentiment, but with diligence and resilience, I believe any qualified woman can vie for any position and get it with the right mind set, capacity, determination, focus and genuine social networks and support system.

As a Council member of the National Human Rights Commission, how would you say the rights of women are being promoted or protected?

If the outcome of the most recent Constitutional amendment exercise is anything to go by, we noted that out of 68 bills seeking amendment, all five gender equality bills were rejected. It clearly shows that, until we ensure the mainstreaming of women issues in the formulation and implementation of all policies and programmes, we are paying lip service to the 35% affirmative action we seek and profess.

I see the empowerment of women as a fundamental right which should not only be promoted, but entrenched. We readily recognise violation of women’s rights when we are confronted with acts of violence against women, yet denial of empowerment opportunities is often times not recognised as a human right obligation; and the Commission is designing awareness programs and initiatives to enlighten communities, but also legislators and other stakeholders.

Nigeria seems to be at one of its lowest ebbs at the moment. Chapter II of the Constitution, that is, the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, seems to be in abeyance. How well would you say this administration has done in achieving its three main campaign promises which are part and parcel of the said Chapter II, that is, fighting insecurity and corruption and revamping Nigeria’s economy?

It is no news that all is not well in Nigeria, especially in the areas of security, development and the economy. There is no magic wand that can be deployed, to solve the myriad of problems now blatantly manifested in all facets of human endeavour. For any positive change to occur, there must be the political will, the courage to confront and accept the truth, and the humility to fear God and put service above self. cont'd on page X

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022

TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

0809 889 8888 SMS ONLY

Why is INEC Recklessly Striving to be Neckless? (Part 1) Introduction The Electoral Act, 2022, was welcome with much enthusiasm across Nigeria for its innovative provisions, especially in the area of empowering INEC to, among other things, transmit results of elections electronically from the polling units to INEC server. See Section 52(3) of the Electoral Act. INEC was also given more express powers, over the conduct of primaries by political parties (See generally Parts II, IV, V and VI). Under the new Electoral Act, the powers of INEC have now gone beyond their traditional circumscribed role of merely monitoring parties primaries. To what extent has this new role been appreciated by INEC itself, which is the sole regulator of political activities in Nigeria? Why does INEC, which is saddled with conducting, monitoring and executing elections and democracy, be eager to recklessly make itself neckless through body language and the action of some of its officers?

In this piece, we shall be examining the extent of the powers of INEC to conduct elections, monitor party primaries, and where necessary, reject candidates of any party that emerge from an invalid primary. We shall also be looking at how INEC has so far played that role, and how INEC has attempted in some cases, to surprisingly shy away from that responsibility. It is amazing how INEC can voluntarily abdicate powers, freely donated to it by the Constitution and the Electoral Act. We shall examine different scenarios of the exchanges between Mr Mike Igini (the other is Mr Festus Okoye) and Obong Godswill Akpabio on the one hand, and Muhammad Kudu Haruna, an INEC Commissioner. On song are the tug-ofwar scenes between Ahmad Lawan and Bashir Machina on matters concerning place holders; and INEC’s verdict on same. While Igini poured tons of ink and make several television appearances emphasising the new legal regime which strengthens INEC’s powers over election matters, the likes of Muhammad Haruna are busy defanging INEC and rendering it prostrate.

The Power of INEC Over Election Matters INEC’S Wide Powers INEC has tremendous powers to: a. Organise and supervise all elections to the offices of the President and Vice-President, the Governor and the Deputy Governor of a State, and to the membership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly of each State of the Federation. b. Monitor the organisation and operation of the political parties, including their finances; conventions, congresses and party primaries; c. Arrange and conduct the registration of persons qualified to vote and prepare, maintain and revise the register of voters for the purpose of any election under the Constitution. d. Delegate any of its powers to any Resident Electoral Commissioner; e. Conduct voter and civic education; f. Promote knowledge of sound democratic processes; g. Conduct any referendum required under the Constitution or an Act of NASS and h. Carry out such other functions as may be conferred upon it by an Act of the National Assembly.

INEC’S Powers Over Party Primaries The conduct of primary elections, is the business of political parties. However, by virtue of Item F (15), Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, INEC has the constitutional power to monitor the organisation of party primaries. Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that a political party that intends to conduct primaries shall give INEC at least 21 days Notice, for the purpose of nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under the Act. The conduct of elections in Nigeria is regulated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and more specifically, by the Electoral Act, 2022 and subsidiary legislation, such

Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Election Guidelines made thereunder. The powers of INEC to monitor elections in Nigeria have never been in doubt, even if not directly enacted in statues. That power was recently fully enacted in Section 84(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022. The section provides as follows: “A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Act shall hold primaries for aspirants to all elective positions which shall be monitored by the Commission”.

From the above provisions, it is clear that INEC has the statutory powers and responsibility to monitor the primaries of all political parties, without any exception. The provision is mandatory.

Indeed, the monitoring of party primaries for the nomination of candidates for an election is not only mandatory, but also necessary for the validity of such primaries themselves.

The power of INEC to monitor party primaries had earlier been given judicial imprimatur by appellate courts in a plethora of cases. In APC & ANOR v EMAKPOR & ANOR (2019) LPELR – 48299 Page 18-20, per his Lordship, EKPE, J.C.A, held, on the duty of INEC to monitor party primary elections, thus: "There is however, no gainsaying the fact that the Electoral Act itself has placed a duty on INEC to monitor party elections.

This has been done to ensure that the overriding Constitutional and indeed, statutory obligation of political parties to elect their leaders on a democratic basis, is complied with. I am in total agreement with the view held by the lower Court, that it is a mandatory provision which should never be left to the whims and caprices, or even the fancies of the strongmen of the party. Let me clearly state here and without any prevarication, that the 1st Appellant (APC) was wrong by submitting the name of the 2nd Appellant to the 3rd Respondent (INEC), rather than the name of the 1st Respondent who undoubtedly won the election, as its candidate for the House of Assembly elections for Uvwie Constituency.

This singular act of the 1st Appellant has been frowned upon in several instances by the Supreme Court, where party strongmen, as in the instant case, impose their candidates on the party in an undemocratic manner. See HON. (MRS) DORATHY MATO v HON. LORWASE HERMAN MEMBER & 2 ORS. (APPEAL NO. SC 733/2016 DELIVERED ON 23/6/17).

“Thus, the monitoring of primaries by INEC is not only to give credibility to such party primaries, but also to give effect to the result of the primaries.…. This is to prevent the strongmen and women of the political parties from hijacking the electoral processes system, and acting arbitrarily……”

I also tow the line of the court below, that a person that contests and wins a party primary election is entitled to reap the fruits of his victory. I must also add before I finally lay down my pen, that the 3rd Respondent (INEC) clearly shirked its responsibility by accepting the name of the person who obviously did not win the said primary election. In general, political parties are enjoined to do the right thing at any point in time, to ensure that injustice is not perpetrated at any point in time.

See ATT. GEN. OF THE FEDERATION v ATIKU ABUBAKAR (2007) ALL FWLR (Pt. 375) 403."

For the purpose of giving effect to the powers given to INEC in Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022, Section 82 thereof makes it mandatory for the political party intending to conduct its party primary to give notice of at least 21 days to INEC, as regard the date and venue for the conduct of such primary election. This is necessary, to enable INEC mobilise a team to monitor the party primary of that party. While interpreting a similar provision contained in Section 85 of the Electoral Act, 2006, the Supreme Court held that, it is mandatory for the political party to inform the INEC of its intention to conduct a primary. The Apex Court, per OGUNTADE, J.S.C, in AMAECHI v INEC & ORS (SC) (2008) LPELR – 446, Page 4, Paragraph A, held thus: "Under Section 85 of the Electoral Act 2006, it is mandatory that political parties inform INEC of the date and time of holding a convention or congress summoned for the purpose of nominating candidates for any of the elective offices under the Electoral Act, 2006. If parties were not to be bound by the results of their party primaries in the nomination of candidates at any level, why would it be necessary for INEC’s representatives to be present at and monitor the proceedings of such congress? It seems that the obligation on the parties to inform INEC of such congresses, was to ensure that INEC would know and keep a record of candidates who won at the primaries."

The Apex Court has also emphasised that the reason why it is necessary for INEC to monitor party primaries, is for the parties to be bound by their own primaries. Thus, the monitoring of primaries by INEC is not only to give credibility to such party primaries, but also to give effect to the result of the primaries.

This is so, because INEC is both the regulator and enforcer of electoral activities.

Consequences of Holding Primaries Not Monitored by INEC There is no gainsaying the fact that the provisions for the INEC to monitor party primaries, were meant to cure a certain mischief which was inherent in the political system. Even the law recognises the fact that the conduct of primaries ought to be the prerogative of the political parties; yet, the legislature deemed it necessary to give INEC the power to monitor the primaries. This is to prevent the strongmen

and women of the political parties from hijacking the electoral processes system, and acting arbitrarily in total disregard of the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act in picking the party’s flag bearer. This was the mischief that the provisions for INEC to monitor the party primaries, were meant to cure.

However, the question still remains: what are the consequences where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of the law requiring INEC to monitor party primaries? What adverse consequences would the party suffer? This was answered as follows, by the Court of Appeal, in MUNIR & ANOR v EMMANUEL & ORS (2015) LPELR-25970(CA) per SAMUEL CHUKWUDUMEBI OSEJI JCA, who held thus: in relation to a similar provision in Section 85(1) of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended.

"The provisions of Section 85 of the Electoral Act as above set out has been the subject of judicial interpretation in a number of cases, and I must add here that subsection (1) is very clear and unambiguous to the effect that every registered political party shall give the Commission at least 21 days notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of elective offices specified under the Act. The word "shall" as used in the provision connotes imperativeness or mandatoriness in implementation, and does not give room for discretion, neither did it provide for any other option. In other words, the notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by any political party intending to hold any convention, congress, or meeting convened for the purpose of electing members of its executive committee or other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under the Electoral Act shall be not less than 21 days, and accordingly, any activity carried out pursuant thereto without the requisite notice to INEC shall be a nullity for non-compliance with the provisions of Section 85(1) of the Electoral Act. See ATAI v DAGANA (2012) INEC LAW REPORT (Vol. 1) Page 823. Furthermore, once the statutory requirement of Section 85(1) is satisfied by the issuance of at least 21 days notice to the INEC, a political party has the clear path to proceed with the convention, congress meeting etc, and do not have to be concerned whether or not INEC attends, given the provision of Section 85(2) which gives INEC the option whether or not to attend any such convention, congress or meeting by the use of the permissive word "may". Therefore, the attendance of INEC to any meeting of a political party does not validate any breach of the provisions of Section 85(1) of the Act, as held by the Trial Tribunal. This is therefore an erroneous interpretation of the said provision, and the venture into the unwarranted terrain of mischief rule of interpretation by the Trial Tribunal when the words are very clear and unambiguous, constitutes an attempt at blend oil with water." (To be continued).

26.7.2022

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T H I S D AY ˾ DAY Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, Kunle Ahmed; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Olusola Adeeyo; and Company Secretary, Omowunmi Adewusi; at the 30th Annual General Meeting of the insurance company held in Lagos…recently

Senator Annie Okonkwo (left) and Development Economist, Professor Pat Utomi (right), after a meeting held in Lagos...recently

L-R: Assistant General Manager, Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Limited, Mr. Jones Ekwealor; Executive Chairman, Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Limited, Dr. Chukwuka Obiora; Financial Controller of the company, Mr. Shailesh Kumar; and the company General Manager, Sales, Mr. Derrick Osondu, during the 59th birthday celebration of the company Chairman, Obiora, in Lagos…recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

L-R: Executive Director, St. Cyril Cancer Treatment Foundation, Mrs. Mojisola Animashaun; representative of Lagos State First Lady, Dr. Juliana Olunuga; Chairman, St Cyril’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Mr. Tola Atekoja; and Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. Ore Finnih, at the official launch of the One Million Individuals Fight Against Cancer (OMIFAC) initiative in Lagos…recently

L-R: Ekiti State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Paul Omotosho; state Deputy Governorelect, Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye; state Governor–elect, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji; and former state Deputy Governor, Chief Paul Alabi; during a ‘Thank you tour’ by the APC and the governor-elect in Ikole, Oye and Ilejemeje Local Government Areas of the state…recently

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Office of the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Mobolaji Daba; representative of the Director-General, National Boundary Commission (NBC), Mr. Nicholas Emowele, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; and Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Mrs. Kikelomo Sanyaolu, during a visit by delegation from the NBC to the Alausa office of the deputy governor in Ikeja, Lagos…recently

L-R: Director, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Abbey Andrew; Deputy Director, Industrial Department, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Olumiyiwa Ajayi-Ade; Chairman, Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Baker Magunda; Director, Food and Drugs Services Department, Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Olubunmi Aribeana; and Director/Secretary, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Education Board, Mrs. Nanre Emeje, during the launch of the fourth edition of BSG Smashed Project in Abuja...recently

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TUESDAY, ͺ;˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

THE ALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

How Is Tinubu Better Than Abba Kyari?

O n Monday, February 14, 2022, while the rest of us were either expressing or receiving words and gifts of love, being that it was Valentine’s Day, the disgraced so-called super cop, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, was being caught in a sting operation, and was exposed as a member of a drug cartel. Well, well, well, you might say. And you would be right to say that.

But, when you look at it, Abba Kyari was a bottom feeder in the drug cartel that he was caught working for. He was a corrupt policeman. A muscle. He was far from being the cartel boss. At best, he was a small fry. A foot soldier. No. A food soldier.

But now, compare him to Bola Tinubu. Just like Abba Kyari, Bola Tinubu was exposed during a sting operation on a white heroin drug cartel in Chicago.

On November 28, 1990, a member of that cartel, by name Abiodun Agbele, was nabbed in a federal sting operation wherein he sold $7000 worth of heroin to an undercover FBI agent. His testimony led to a federal case against multiple Nigerian members of his cartel, of whom Bola Tinubu’s name was mentioned.

It has now been judicially established beyond all reasonable doubt that Bola Tinubu was indicted as a co-defendant in a federal case involving white heroin drug cartel.

Not only was he indicted, he was fingered as the bag man (read money man) for a drug cartel. And rather than fight those charges, Tinubu agreed to forfeit $460,000 to the US government in 1993. A colossal sum today, and a king’s ransom at the material time.

As anyone with prosecutorial knowledge of the law would tell you, forfeiture is equivalent to a conviction, in the sense that you are not fighting the charges against you on their merits, and have rather reached a plea bargain.

So, I ask, how is Tinubu better than Abba Kyari?

In fact, if anyone is better, it will be Abba Kyari, who was not directly linked

Tinubu to drug cartels, other than as an outsider.

Bola Tinubu, according to court documents, opened an account and named a known drug baron as someone with whom he shared an address.

How do we explain that Abba Kyari was exposed as a member of a drug cartel, and Nigerians turned on him? The police suspended him. He is currently facing trial.

But Tinubu has been exposed as a KNOWN DRUG LORD. Instead of facing prosecution, APC is asking Nigerians to vote him. My people, no be juju be that?

Who is worse? A member of the cartel or the drug lord himself? If Abba Kyari belongs in jail, then why should Tinubu belong in Aso Rock?

Kyari In fact, Tinubu should have just made Abba Kyari his running mate, and let us all know that Nigeria is now a drug haven!

After all, Abba Kyari is Kanuri, like Kashim Shettima, and comes from the same Borno state.

We as citizens should not turn our beloved country into the butt of jokes in the international community by electing a person with such a history as our President.

As the Igbo man says, Tufiakwa!

The cartel lifestyle that Tinubu lived in the late eighties and early nineties is so ingrained in him that it has permeated Lagos and the Southwest.

Kofoworola Bucknor, deputy Governor under Tinubu between 1999 and 2003 has

On Atiku’s AriseTV Interview

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he major issue that some people, especially those who describe themselves as Obidients, appear to have with Waziri Atiku Abubakar’s AriseTV interview (because the interview was so good, they had nothing else to hold on to) was the fact that Alhaji Abubakar said, “In the north, 90 percent of our people are not tuned to social media.”

Was the former Vice President of Nigeria wrong?

Let us focus on what cannot lie. Let us focus on the facts, not sentiments.

Almost every working-class Northerner in the Northwest has a small portable transistor radio. It is their essential life tool. They get their news from BBC Hausa.

Research this. BBC Hausa has 18 million unique listeners every week. VOA Hausa service reaches a combined weekly audience of 21 million. Another 10 million a week listen to DW Hausa. That is more than the number of Nigerians on Twitter and Instagram combined. A lot of these folk who have issues with the ‘90%’ assertion live in a social media echo chamber and think there is no life outside Twitter.

You trend on Twitter and it gets to your head, you begin to insult Waziri Atiku Abubakar. You boast that your candidate will win on February 25, 2023. Do you know how many Nigerians are not on Twitter?

190 million. You saw those humongous crowds that came to see Buhari in Kano?

They listen to BBC, VOA and DW Hausa service!

This does not mean they are not on the Internet. This does not also mean that they are not educated. You can be educated and have access to the Internet, without being on social media. They are not mutually exclusive. Take time to understand the

Atiku North, because they understand you!

The average core Northerner, rightly or wrongly, sees social media as an indecent place. A place of much haram, where their mind will be corrupted by ungodly tendencies. So they tend to avoid social media, in preference for radios. However, it does not make you and I more informed than them!

Twitter is a platform that Northerners tend to shy away from, because of its very high level of toxicity. But that is not to

say they do not use the Internet. They do.

They are big on TikTok. They also have taken to Facebook ever since that platform adopted Hausa as one of its domesticated languages. They use the Internet for online banking. To watch tafsir on YouTube and even to read the Al-Quran online. They buy mobile phone credit on the Internet. They are Internet savvy, but social media shy.

They may not show up on social media, but they will definitely show up at the polling unit on February 25, 2023. #BBNaija began last week. Southern Nigeria was completely focused on it to the point of fixation. But observe the North.

Big Brother is not big over there. We have different values. What Northerners come to do on social media and TV is VERY different from what Southerners come to do!

Now that #BBNaija has started, I am experiencing less insults and threats from Obidients than usual. Now, do you see this Southern fixation with Big Brother? It is seasonal. But in Northern Nigeria, they have the same zeal, but for radio. And it is a daily fixation, not a seasonal one!

Many of us inaccurately see them as ignorant folk, but they are largely more informed than us as a people. Many Northerners choose to filter out social media. The vast majority of them elect to ignore BBNaija.

They largely consider these things haram.

But they follow political and other social events the way BBNaija enthusiasts follow naked yeyebrities!

This is the basis for the assertion by Waziri Atiku Abubakar that 90% of Northerners are not on social media, even if they are online.

A lot of us in the South are too wrapped up in ourselves to notice that there are others who think and behave differently from us. #TableShaker

described working with Tinubu as working with the mafia. Those were her words. She is still alive. She worked closely with Tinubu and understands him better than most.

Listen to what Tinubu himself told Raji Fashola, after he had installed him as Governor.

At the 4th annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium, Raji Fashola, the then Governor of Lagos, had the temerity to speak on merit as a means of getting into office in the public sector, to which Bola Tinubu responded publicly as follows: “If there’s no partiality, you cannot be governor yourself.”

Tinubu would not have so publicly and brazenly rebuked the Governor, if he did not still control the government behind the scenes. And when he installed a Governor who refused to be a puppet, Tinubu promptly ensured he was not re-elected as he did to former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode He replaced him with his mini-me, Jide Sanwo-olu, who is so sycophantic that he even publicly mimics Tinubu’s physical posture and gestures!

And Nigerians may want to ask Bola Tinubu who is Olufunke Philips and how she was able to get a cushy job in Sanwoolu’s government.

So while Tinubu may think he has fooled Nigerians with his glad-handing around the nation, he should remember the immortal words of the late Bob Marley: “You can fool some people sometimes.

But you can't fool all the people all the time.”

We will still visit the bullion van issue.

Why is the EFCC prosecuting the former Accountant General of Federation, Ahmed Idris, and not Bola Tinubu? We provided evidence of Tinubu’s corruption to the EFCC, including photos of bullion vans going into his house on Election Day, contrary to The Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011.

Why Idris and not Tinubu?

And what is true for the EFCC is also true for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. Why are Buba Marwa and his NDLEA agents prosecuting Abba Kyari, but have not invited Bola Tinubu for questioning since it has been established that he had links with a white heroin drug cartel?

Tinubu should be dealing with NDLEA, and not the Independent National Electoral Commission!

I thought Marwa declared that he would have zero tolerance for drugs? Is this how to show zero tolerance?

I am not playing politics here. I am being patriotic. Having a man with judicially established links to a white heroin drug cartel, such as Bola Tinubu, as President, is a serious national security risk. He will be vulnerable to blackmail from foreign intelligence agencies.

XIV

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022

FEATURES

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

Resisting Moves to Weaponise Pension Issues in Delta While measures are ongoing for this current administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to liquidate the pension arrears it inherited, the government has at the same time, resisted moves by some political gladiators to weaponise it, Precious Ugwuzor reports

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n what may not be a surprise to some stakeholders in Delta State, the vexatious issue of outstanding pensions to deserving retirees of the state and local governments may have been weaponised by some political gladiators in the state.

The confirmation of this development came after the state authorities accused the main opposition party in the state of polticising the issue on Monday.

Over a period of time demonstrators agitating against the failure of the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa government to liquidate the pension arrears it inherited have repeatedly been demonstrating against what they claim as the failure of the government to clear the entitlements.

Given Governor Ifenayi Okowa’s proclivity towards human capital development, the question of the pension burden is one that understandably question its commitment to a virile working class.

The controversy over the outstanding pension liabilities has especially gained ground since the commencement of the political season, even more fiercely since Governor Okowa emerged as the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Perhaps it was not surprising that as he returned to Asaba after he was unveiled as the presidential running mate of the PDP in Abuja on June 24, Governor Okowa was quick to explain to the mammoth crowd that received him how his administration inherited a pension liability of N181Billion. Tho “When we came into government in 2015, we were owing about N181 billion and reduced it to 86bn through reconciliation with the collaboration of HR consultants and representatives of Labour.

“We were able to investigate the sum and it eventually came down to about N86 billion and since then we have been paying N500 million monthly and we have paid over N34 billion over time.

“We have also made a provision of N20 billion from the proposed bridging finance to see what we can pay down for the past services,” he said.

However, his explanation and the efforts he had made in cutting down liabilities abandoned by his predecessors has apparently not settled well among some stakeholders.

Last Thursday, a group of protesters poured out into the streets in Asaba, the state capital

Governor Okowa to demand the payment of their pensions. What was touching to some, especially some top government officials was the use of foul language against the person of the governor by the demonstrators.

Whether it was that or its effort to communicate its achievements in clearing the liabilities it met in that sector, the state commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu on Monday addressed the press where he cleared the air on the issue.

However, in clearing the air, the commissioner introduced another dimension to the issue of the pension controversy.

Apparently trying to claim that with the opposition finding nothing to campaign against the Okowa administration and the PDP that it had now resorted to polticising the pension debacle.

The commissioner gave as evidence

of his claim the fact that the lady who led the recent protest on the unpaid pensions was a leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He said that the Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa led government had since inception supported the local government councils in the state with funds to ensure payment of salaries and pensions to their workers.

He said since the state migrated from old pension scheme to the contributory pension scheme, government had been saddled with the huge burden of settling pension arrears for serving and retired workers.

“The burden of the payment of primary school teachers salaries and pension is that of local government authority and not the state government.

“The leader of the protest a retired teacher is also the female coordinator of APC from the Ndokwa nation of the state, but we know that the local government councils are in charge of their remuneration and pensions.

“This group will gather, lie down and try to cast aspersion on the person of Okowa. I have

never seen where somebody will work in UAC and proceed to Leventis to receive salary,” he said.

He said that the state has over 1,250 primary schools, adding that many more teachers had to be employed to fill the gap which accounted for the huge burden on salaries and pension demand for teachers and other workers.

“Consequently, the workers were owed several months of salary arrears, so, Okowa looked at the situation and has assisted them with N600 million monthly to augment.

“And at other time we gave N3 billion grant to the local government councils to address the salaries issues to get them out of the woods. ” In the area of pension, we have been assisting the local government councils to meet their obligations; since inception, Okowa had on monthly basis released N150 million to the local government councils.

“After three years, we increased the pension support from N150 million to N300 million and to N500 million monthly to fast track the payment of the backlog pension owed local government workers including the primary school teachers in the state,” he said.

He added: “By this intervention, the state government has reduced the burden of pension arrears owed the local government workers to 2018 and for the primary school teachers, who were owed several years of pension, we have pushed it up to 2016.”

Aniagwu, said the state government was also ready to commit about N10 billion grant to the local government councils for pension matters in the state which informed the recent demand for N150 billion bridging finance.

Perhaps reflective of the efforts of the state administration in clearing the pension arrears, stakeholders point to the recent claim by the National Pension Commission, PENCOM that Delta State was only one of about five states actively contributing to the welfare scheme.

Given that preceding regimes helped to raise the mountain of unpaid pensions, it is the opinion of Mr Aniagwu that his government in the context of the proverbial lizard would clap for itself if no one else is clapping.

However, what may be of concern to some is that the genuine pain of some who have not been paid is now being used as a tool in the political arena.

Verve Partners LASRRA to Create Smart LAG ID Uzoma Mba

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frica’s leading payment cards and digital tokens brand, Verve, has announced its partnership with the Lagos State government on the relaunch of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) identity card as a smart multi-purpose card that combines biometric identification with cutting edge technology.

The relaunch event was held on July 20, 2022, at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos with relevant stakeholders from government agencies and private sector players present to discuss the significance of the card's evolution and its possibilities for residents of Lagos State.

This laudable initiative serves to transform the lives of Lagos residents by aligning with global best practices to upgrade the LASRRA card from an ordinary plastic card meant for only identification purposes to a smart card which avails residents with the dual functions of an identity card and a payment card, leveraging the robust infrastructure of Africa's largest domestic card scheme Verve, to receive money or payments from different sources; family, friends, business, customer or welfare from the government and also use the card across a host of payment channels such as the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Point of Sale (POS) terminals, offline and online payment agents, among others.

Governor Sanwo-Olu with Verve International CEO, Vincent Ogbunude Holders of the new LASSRRA smart card, also called LAG ID, will be able to access an array of benefits that come with being a Verve cardholder.

Verve offers extensive and exciting rewards, as well as loyalty programs which are open to all LAG ID cardholders.

Speaking on the partnership,

the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Verve International, Vincent Ogbunude, noted that the LAG ID card, a first of its kind in the country, will provide its holders a life of convenience, enabling residents to make transactions anywhere and at any time, while also enjoying the dual benefit of verifying their identities and be able to readily access the various social amenities provided by the government.

Ogbunude said, “It is exciting to be in partnership with the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA). This partnership stems from the alignment of our vision to create a transformative society using technology.”

In his address, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noted that the card is important for proper identification and traceability of Lagos residents, which ultimately will help inform the Government’s planning and provision of social services, improve the security of lives and properties within the state and drive the upward mobility of residents.

His words echoed those of the General Manager of LASRRA, Engr. Mrs. Ibilola Kasumu, who said the card would aid economic growth and provide a reliable database of all residents of the state.

This partnership is in furtherance of Verve's goal to create a digitised identification system for Nigerians, as it recently partnered with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to create a digitisation framework for proper identity management for Nigerians.

Other dignitaries present at the event were the Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat; Managing Director, Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman; Managing Director, LAMATA, Abimbola Akinbajo; and Commissioner of Information, Gbenga Omotosho, among others.

XV

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Atiku: Use Solar, Gas, Coal to Resolve Nigeria’s Energy Shortage Bennett Oghifo

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he presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, Abubakar

Atiku has advocated the diversification of the nation’s energy sources to solar, hydro and even coal and that the generation and transmission of electricity should be decentralised across the nation to ensure

Atiku

regular supply of electricity and prevent the frequent collapse of the national grid.

The former vice president stated this recently during an exclusive interview with Arise TV. Atiku said he had suggested the decentralisation of the generation and transmission of electricity when he was the vice president.

“I went to the president (Obasanjo) and said, “let us use other sources of power, hydro, solar, even coal, because we are still a developing country and then break the concentration but the president said no, that he believed more in gas. I said gas was going to be

a problem for us because it is available only in one location. And it will take us a longer time to have a gas plant that will supply the whole of this country’s electricity and that by the time we do that we will find out that the electricity we will be generating will be too heavy for our transmission.”

He said it was better to discentralise the generation, saying, “In the North-east we have two minidams lying idle and it is only a matter of introducing turbines. In the North-west, they have two large dams idling and all they need to do is install turbines and they’ll generate electricity. If you go to the

South-south, then you can use any form of energy that is available, whether it is gas, or hydro, or even coal.”

He said that was how the gas generating plants were developed.

On stemming the incessant collapse of the national power grid, he advocated the decentralisation of power generation and transmission, with consideration for the use of solar, hydro electricity from mini dams, gas powered electricity, where applicable, among others.

The former Vice President also stated his preference for getting the private sector to invest in the nation’s infrastructure, explaining

that as Chairman of the Privatisation Council in the President Obasanjo administration, he initiated many reforms like those of the telecommunications, oil sector reforms, among others. These reforms were designed to give the private sector more space to play in the infrastructural development of the nation. They will be given tax incentives and are expected to recoup their investments over time.

“Otherwise, where are you going to get the money if you don’t encourage the private sector to come in.

We accomplished some of these reforms during our administration.”

Civil Societies Urge FG to Implement Climate Law Bennett Oghifo A coalition of civil society organisations on environment and climate change has called on the federal government to immediately implement the Climate Change Act signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2021.

The group, in a petition signed by 64 CSO and NGO leaders and submitted to the relevant government agencies, expressed dismay over the delay by the government in implementing the core provisions of the Act which, according to them, would set the country on the right trajectory in meeting the 2060 net zero target.

According to the coalition,

“we are gravely worried that after eight months of signing the Climate Change Act into law, no action has been taken to implement the different provisions of the Act”.

The coalition, however, thanked the President for showing commitment to providing a solid framework for climate action to achieve Nigeria’s short-, medium-, and long-term goals on climate mitigation and adaptation through the signing of the bill into a full Act. “We, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals appreciate and commend the President for signing into law the Climate Change Act which has demonstrated his commitment to

providing a solid framework for climate action to achieve Nigeria’s short-, medium-, and long-term goals on climate mitigation and adaptation,” the coalition submitted.

It reminded the government that the continuous delay in implementation, especially when some core provisions of the Act are time-bound, would stall the progress the country had made in tackling effects of climate change and all the policies developed to mitigate climate change in Nigeria and across the globe.

The group went further: “We wish to alert Mr President that the government is now almost certain to default on some of the provisions of the Climate Act.

The signing of the Act into law automatically triggered Section 19(2) of the Act which mandates that the Federal Ministry of Environment in consultation with the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning must present the pilot carbon budget to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) through the National Council on Climate Change not later than one year from the date of assent to the Bill. That, automatically, means that the pilot carbon budget must be presented on or before November 16, 2022.

“The Federal Ministry of Environment and the Secretariat are also mandated by Section 20 to develop the five-yearly Action Plan for the realisation of

the carbon budget. Section 20(2) mandates that the first Action Plan must be ready within one year of assent to the Bill. It is important to note that Section 20(3) mandates that, before the Action Plan is presented to the Council and FEC, it must be made public for eight weeks (culminating 14 days before the date of presentation to the Council) for the public to review.

“Given the long and thorough process needed to decide a carbon budget including through national consultation with the CSO and other stakeholders, we are concerned that the Federal government may fail to set a carbon budget by the date required by the new climate law.

“It seems that the government and its relevant agencies and ministries have abandoned the implementation of the key provisions of the Act. We are worried at the lack of action by the Federal government to implement a law it signed in good faith.”

The coalition warned that the attitude of the government so far in implementing the Climate Change Act will further damage the image of the country in the international arena and more so in climate change community and called on the government to act fast to save the government and the country from impending embarrassment as the COP27 to be hosted in Africa, Egypt is fast approaching.

Lagos Public Works Sustains Road Maintenance Efforts Fadekemi Ajakaiye The Lagos State Public Works Corporation has assured Lagos State residents of its continued presence on Lagos roads to address various forms of road defects in spite of the challenges posed by the heavy down pour being witnessed at the moment.

This assurance was given Tuesday by the General Manager of the Corporation, Engr. Lateef Somide during a tour of some of the sites of ongoing road maintenance work at Itire-Lawanson Road, Surulere, Orishigun Street Ketu and Agbowa-Itoikin Road.

Engr. Somide noted that it is common knowledge that Lagos has experienced torrential down pour recently which has slowed down the intervention of the Corporation in fixing bad

portions of roads. This, he said has also resulted in upsurge in the emergence of pot-holes on many roads in the state, especially those that are due for total reconstruction as such roads have outlives their span.

The General Manager however said that under the Babatunde Sanwo-Olu administration, the agency’s operations have been configured to maintain presence on Lagos roads in all seasons, adding that ‘’that is why you will see our men fixing the roads even in the rain with interlocking paving stones as the hot asphalt premix normally used is not suitable for wet season’’.

He said further that in order to minimize the challenges posed by bad roads to free movement of persons and goods during the

wet season, the Agency ensures that palliative intervention are carried out with the use of boulders on portions that are almost degenerating into craters while the use of cold mixed asphalt and interlocking paving stones are also employed either as palliative or outright fixing of some roads, depending on the terrain.

According to him, the corporation swiftly deployed it’s men to many parts of the state immediately the rains abated so as to rapidly fix the pot holes, using hot asphalt premix through both day and night operations. “We are taking full advantage of the dry weather witnessed so far in the past one week to treat many defective road portions day and night,” he added.

Lagos roads repair in progress

Cuddle Encourages Youths to Engage in Real Estate Rebecca Ejifoma In addressing a greater need, a real estate developer in Nigeria, Cuddle Realty, has unveiled some ambassadors while also charging youths to get involved in the sector.

The firm aims to equip young minds and help them gain financial independence while becoming entrepreneurs in the industry.

Speaking at the inauguration of ambassadors and

allocation of properties to buyers, the CEO of Cuddle Realty, Mr John Igbinosa, encouraged the ambassadors to spread the news about financial freedom and dependence through Cuddle.

“I learned that 90 per cent of the world’s millionaires built wealth by investing in two estates.

“I’ve read stories from Femi Otedola to grant and people who got themselves out of the financial crisis by investing

in real estate,” he narrated.

While recounting how he lost a whopping sum of money in several markets, Igbinosa boasted that real estate is safe and secure.

“I love real estate”, he acknowledged.

Addressing youths in the country, the CEO maintained that real estate is available for all. “We don’t need to talk about how good the market is. The only thing I need to say is, to get involved.”

As a youth-centred firm, Igbinosa emphasised that Cuddle aims to build products that enhance the quality of life while solving complex problems through real estate.

On his part, the Head of Marketing, Cuddle, Mr Fabian George, described Cuddle as the world’s distributor of transgenerational wealth.

With the proliferation of ingenue real estate firms, Geroge implored prospective buyers to do their findings

about the company online.

“Google is like the homepage of every business. Request for the document of the land to do your verification. Then research about the people behind the company,” he added.

At Cuddle, they have properties in Lagos, Epe precisely.

Intending to sell 240 acres of land in Epe, the head of marketing reminds Nigerians that Epe is the future of Lagos.

“Femi Otedola called Epe the

new goal standard of Lagos,” he cited.

Today, Cuddle is on the quest to help people tap into this opportunity Epe brings.

In the words of George, the Ikoyis and Victoria Islands of today were just like the Epe of today.

He emphasised: “This is a gold mine. We know that there is a glorious future Epe has and we are encouraging people to take advantage of it.”

XVI

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 22July-2022, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 195.57 196.72 17.22% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 6.51% Nigeria International Debt Fund 308.19 308.19 6.20% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 104.67 105.82 6.10% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.11% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.72 3.78 9.38% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 4.71% Anchoria Equity Fund 143.03 144.62 2.72% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.20 1.20 5.02% info@anchoriaam.com ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 22.29 22.96 9.87% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 521.47 537.19 15.58% ARM Ethical Fund 43.79 45.11 12.41% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.09 1.09 0.58% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.05 1.05 3.37% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.52% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 89.04 89.04 -7.82% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,056.77 1,056.77 5.68% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.09 2.09 3.61% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.37 2.43 19.04% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.06 1.06 4.78% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Paramount Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Women's Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.77% Cordros Milestone Fund 134.93 135.89 8.28% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 110.35 110.35 4.97% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 6.44% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 6.90% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,116.14 1,131.87 0.26% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.02% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.06 1.06 9.27% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.07 1.07 16.73% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 102.86 102.86 4.79% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1479.51 1479.51 10.71% FBN Balanced Fund 194.75 196.04 11.12% FBN Halal Fund 121.68 121.68 10.16% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.10% FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) 124.87 124.87 6.25% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 161.95 164.12 6.90% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.91% Legacy Debt Fund 3.81 3.81 -4.95% Legacy Equity Fund 1.94 1.98 11.65% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.23 1.23 2.30% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn

Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

4,131.78 3,588.82 100.00

4,190.14 3,588.82 100.00

10.96% 6.24% 8.23%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.11 1.11 3.97% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) N/A N/A N/A Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.61 1.64 13.76% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,154.56 1,154.56 5.23% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 101.20 101.20 1.77% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 7.71% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.66 1.70 5.68% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.80 11.82 5.51% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.96% PACAM Equity Fund 1.49 1.51 4.86% PACAM EuroBond Fund 117.41 120.24 3.08% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 126.39 128.57 4.49% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.05 1.05 8.30% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 1.00 1.02 12.10% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.35 1.37 3.14% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.16 1.18 12.24% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.07 1.07 4.03% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.90 1.90 3.57% United Capital Eurobond Fund 122.08 122.08 3.06% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.40% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.90 14.03 5.37% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 16.08 16.26 10.07% Zenith Income Fund 22.88 22.88 4.23% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.38% VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 3.75 3.85 -6.46% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 5.96 6.06 2.02% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 19.09 19.29 7.91% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.44% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 20.57 20.77 2.91% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 152.17 154.17 -3.53%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

117.84 51.82

4.06% 1.90%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

15.13 143.56 113.19 17.10 16.40

15.23 147.03 115.61 17.20 16.50

8.11% 10.37% 10.39% 21.93% 3.99%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.55

12.10%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022

21

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

REPO

A T

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325

J U L Y

S & P INDEX

2 5 , 2 0 2 2

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

11.25%

CALL

10.25%

INDEX LEVEL

613.31%

1/4 TO DATE

-0.85%

N416.86/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

11.50%

1-MONTH

9.56%

1-DAY

0.16%

YEAR TO DATE

7.64%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10.52%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.44%

Discos’ Revenues Hit N562.5bn in Nine Months Amid Marginal Rise in Collection Efficiency

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) recorded a total of N562.55 billion in revenues in the first nine months of 2021, with a marginal increase in collection efficiency in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), THISDAY has learnt.

The latest report from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), covering its activities for the period indicated that while the power distributors collected about N183.73 billion in Q1, they raked in N185.29 billion in Q2 and N193.53 billion in Q3.

Collection efficiency is an indicator of the proportion of an amount that has been collected from customers relative to the amount billed to them by the Discos.

The report is coming in the midst of continuing complaints of illiquidity by the operators and alleged inability of some of the Discos to carry out their obligations to their creditors and eventual takeover by the banks.

Earlier this month the banks in consultation with the Nigerian authorities took over the Benin, Kaduna and Kano Discos and appointed new boards to run the Port Harcourt and Ibadan Discos.

Abuja Discos had earlier been taken

over by the United Bank for Africa (UBA).

The N562.5 billion collection notwithstanding, power shortages and grid collapses persist across the nation, customers can’t get meters and the electricity market shortfall, it was learnt, has climbed to over N1.7 trillion.

Although there has been an improvement in collection efficiency, Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses across the Discos remain on the high side as monthly energy remittance from the Discos to the Generation Companies (Gencos) still hovers around 40 to 50 per cent.

The NERC in its latest report stated that for various reasons, many customers continue to default in payment of their billed amounts resulting in commercial losses.

“The total revenue collected by all Discos in 2021/Q3 was N193.53 billion out of a total of N273.00 billion billed to customers and the collection efficiency stood at 70.89 per cent.

“The total revenue collected in 2021/Q3 rose by N8.24 billion representing a 4.44 per cent increase in total revenue collected as compared to 2021/Q2 of N185.29 billion,” the NERC report stated.

In addition, it hinted that the average collection efficiency across

all Discos increased from 68.89 per cent in 2021/Q2 to 70.89 per cent in 2021/Q3.

“The increase was largely driven

by Ibadan Disco with a N3.83 billion (+18 per cent) increase from N20.81 billion revenue collected in 2021/Q2.

“Port Harcourt and Benin Discos also had increases in collection efficiencies from 60.04 per cent and 55.23 per cent to 66.06 per cent and 57.41 per cent respectively, amounting to an increase of +N0.69 billion and +N2.18 billion respectively between 2021/Q2 and 2021/Q3,” NERC added.

Although the amount collected

by Kano Disco was lower in 2021/

Q3 compared to 2021/Q2, the report noted that it recorded a higher collection efficiency in 2021/Q3 because it had a lower billed amount in 2021/ Q3 compared to 2021 Q2.

It ascribed the improvement to the roll-out of meters under both the National Mass Metering Program (NMMP) funded through the Central Bank of Nigeria and the continuation of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme.

During the same period, it noted that Yola, Enugu, and Jos Discos reported the greatest decrease in collection efficiencies from 52 per Continued on page 23

Food Security: AfDB Approves $1.13bn Mixed Financing for Emergency Facility Programmes Gilbert Ekugbe The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a total of $1.13 billion in mixed financing emergency facility programmes for 24 countries that consist of eight countries in West Africa; five in East Africa; six in Southern Africa; four in Central Africa and one in North Africa.

According to the the Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social

Development of AfDB, Dr. Beth Dunford, the programmes would deliver the much-needed climateadapted seeds, access to affordable fertilizers and usher in policy reforms to enable the agriculture sector to supply immediate, medium and long-term solutions to challenges faced in regional member countries.

The facility is focused on staple crops that many African nations largely import from Russia and Ukraine.

“However, the Russia-Ukraine war has left the continent facing a deficit of at least 30 million tonnes of food. Successful implementation of the facility will deliver 38 million tonnes of food, exceeding the amount imported from Russia and Ukraine.

Through the facility, African farmers will produce approximately 11 million tonnes of wheat, 18 million tons of maize, 6 million tonnes of rice and 2.5 million tonnes of soybeans,” AfDB added.

FOOD

COMMODITIES

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

RICE

100KG

ABUJA

N23,000–N25,000

SORGHUM

50KG

OYO

N22,000-N25,000

50KG

PLATEAU (JOS)

N23,500-N25,000

50KG

KWARA N24,000–N27,000

50KG

LAGOS

50KG

RIVERS N23,000–N26,500

50KG 50KG

N23,000–N26,500

SOKOTO N11,500–N13,000 EDO

N17,000–N20,000

The statement added that the programme would also build on the success of the bank’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) platform.

“Launched in 2019, TAAT delivered heat-tolerant wheat seed varieties to 1.8 million farmers in seven countries. It also increased wheat production by 2.7 million tons, valued at $840 million,” the report gathered.

The AfDB Group’s Board of

SIZE

PRICE

STATE

100KG JIGAWA

Directors also approved 24, fasttrack programmes to help Africa mitigate rising food prices and inflation caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first round of approvals is part of the bank’s $1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility, established in May to boost food security, nutrition, and resilience across the continent.

The facility would provide 20

million African smallholder farmers with certified seeds and increased access to agricultural fertilizers. It will also support governance and policy reform, which is expected to encourage greater investment in Africa’s agricultural sector. The African Emergency Food Production Facility will enable African farmers to produce 38 million additional tons of food over the next two years.

This is food worth an estimated $12 billion.

T O D AY

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

N9,000

C O C OA

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

1 TON

ONDO

N740,000 – N760,000

1 TON

OSUN

N730,000 – N750,000

1 TON

EDO

N720,000 – N740,000

100KG

BENUE

N8,500

100KG

KADUNA

N8,500

50KG

ENUGU

N23,000

50KG

LAGOS

N17,000

1 TON

CROSS RIVER

N700,000 – N720,000

100KG

DELTA

N23,000

1 TON

AKURE SOUTH, ONDO

N730,000 — N755,000

22

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Piracy Attacks: Nigeria Highest Hit in Four Years Gilbert Ekugbe The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Analysts Data Services and Resources Limited, Afolabi Olowookere, has stated that Nigeria witnessed most of the frequent piracy attacks in the past five years.

According to him, 72 per cent of the attacks occured in Nigeria when compared to neighboring countries like Cameroon, Ghana, Republic of Benin and Togo from 2017 to 2021 Olowookere stated this at the Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) industry breakfast briefing in Lagos.

He however stated that the country has recorded

significant improvement in tackling the situation, urging the federal government to strengthen the nation’s maritime sector against piracy attacks.

He lamented Nigeria also ranked lowest behind Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Cameroon, Togo and the Republic of Benin in the logistics performance index used to measure the efficiency of customs clearance process of countries with a score of 1.97.

He pointed out that the Nigeria’s medium term plan for the maritime sector recognises the country’s seaports are heavily congested for the maritime sector due to absence of dry ports and multi-modal

transport infrastructure, stressing that the inland waterways are grossly underutilised with only 3000 miles of about 10,000 miles currently navigable.

He said for Nigeria’s port to become the preferred destination in West Africa and Central Africa, there is need to improve security and safety in the sector, leverage technology to improve efficiency and ease of business, make inland waterways serve as an alternative cheap mode of transportation to decongest the sea ports and deliver cargo closer to the hinterland.

He recommended that Nigeria needs to automate its port processes, remove bureaucracy and build human capacities to achieve a competitive maritime

industry.

Political Economist and Management Expert, Patrick Utomi, in his goodwill message said it is mission impossible accessing the nation’s sea ports across the country, adding that the waterways are not safe to navigate.

He noted that most of the challenges hindering the nation’s maritime sector is self-inflicted.

He called on the federal government to provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive while also calling lawyers to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

“The opportunities waiting for Nigerian lawyers will

be huge in the AfCFTA considering the fact that Nigerian law system is way ahead of its counterparts. The Nigerian ports have what it takes to be the hub on the continent if given the support it truly deserves,” he said.

On his part, the former Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr. Hassan Bello, said there is a huge gap between the Nigerian maritime law and practice, stating the need for a review of the Nigerian maritime act to change the nation’s maritime narrative.

He advised that infrastructure is key in Nigeria’s quest to revolutionise

its port processes while also calling for a legislative agenda for the sector.

“We should have an African carriage regime to boost intra-African trade which is currently low. We must invest in data and regulatory agencies have to provide more clarity to attract investments into the industry and we must intensify our legislative agenda for things to be done in the right way,” he said.

Earlier, the president, NMLA, Mrs. Funke Agbor, said the sector is yet to be fully utilised by the present administration, saying that the association is concerned about the current state of the country’s maritime industry.

CBN Reaffirms Commitment to Boost Nigeria’s Wheat Production Gilbert Ekugbe The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reiterated its commitment to boost the nation’s capacity for improved wheat production by supporting farmers with inputs, technical know-how and off-taking arrangement with the Flour Millers Association of Nigeria (FMAN).

Indeed, the apex bank had intervened in the 2021 wheat planting season by importing heat-tolerant, early-maturing and high-yielding varieties and partnered with the FMAN and wheat farmers to multiply seeds that are capable of increasing productivity of farmers and total production volume yearly.

In a statement, former Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute and Coordinator, Monitoring and Evaluation, CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme on Wheat Production, Mr. Oluwashina Olabanji, said initiatives to increase wheat production are yielding results, even as price of the produce has skyrocketed following crisis in Ukraine and disruption of

international supply chains.

Olabanji had disclosed that CBN imported 13,000 metric tonnes of quality heat-tolerant wheat seeds and 150,000 hectares were cultivated in 16 states of the country between October 2021 and April 2022.

The renowned wheat breeding specialist said with the intervention of the CBN and African Development Bank (AfDB) in wheat production, it would take 10 years of persistence to be wheat self-sufficient.

Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) has paid a twoday study visit to the headquarters of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to seek areas of collaboration with the board.

A statement by the NCDMB listed some of the facilities inspected during

the visit as the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower located in Swali, Yenagoa as well as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPs) in Emeyal 1, Ogbia, Bayelsa State.

Director, Research in APPO, Dr. Naja Terha, who led the team, mentioned that the purpose of the visit was to assess some oil and gas training and research centres and institutes in Nigeria in terms of

PALM OIL

SIZE

STATE

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) have signed an agreement to collaborate in the area of sensitisation of Nigerians on the working of the power sector.

Speaking at the event in Abuja, NERC’s Chairman,

PH

Sanusi Garba explained that the development had become important for consumers to know their rights and obligations in the sector.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Garba said, was critical because the commission was mandated by the power sector law to protect consumers in the electricity industry.

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Minster of Power, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, has explained that provision of electricity to rural areas through conventional means is costly, reason the federal government has been exploring other means.

Abubakar, who was speaking at the launch/workshop of the Regional Off-grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP) in Abuja, said that renewable energy is locally available and can be used for

heating purposes and supply of electricity.

According to him, this will help to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, enhance national energy security, reduce oil import bills and thereby reducing poverty.

He said the ROGEAP project had been designed to provide solutions to improve the living conditions of the populace.

While declaring the workshop open, he further stated that the ministry had collaborated with the

PRICE

N21,000 – 24,000

NAME OF COMMODITY

their capacity, quality of programmes and determine current capacity and future expansion requirements where necessary.

He added that the team was also keen to ascertain the willingness of the management of those centres to serve as regional APPO centres of excellence, and to collaborate with peer institutes in other APPO members countries in the field

Represented by the Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Mr. Dafe Akpeneye, the NERC Chairman stated that as a sector that is very technical, it is important that consumers understand how it is managed.

“Our sector requires a lot of sensitisation and we are meeting with NOA because we know that we cannot do the sensitisation on

TOMATOES

25CL

IMO

N21,000–N24,500

25CL

EDO

N17,000–N20,000 N19500- N25000

ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) which is an agency of the commission since 2017 on implementation of the ROGEP project.

“ROGEP as conceived entails the development of Solar Home Systems (SHS) to rural areas by providing developers with soft loans funded by the World Bank. “ The loans are to be issued by World Bank through intermediary banks and the interest to be borne by the project developers. Govern-

COMMODITIES SIZE

STATE

40KG BENUE

PRICE

N15,000

40KG

KADUNA

N5,000

40KG

ABIA

N18,000

25CL IBADAN N18,000-N22,000

25CL ABUJA

N43,000, and a farmer only needs about nine bags to repay the loans.

Part of the efforts to recoup the loans, he said, is that CBN officials had been drafted to work with farmers’ associations to recoup the loans.

Also, AfDB has a 10-year intervention on wheat production in Nigeria and other African countries.

Olabanji said a strategy is being developed to cover about 11 thematic areas spanning from 2022 to 2032 for wheat sufficiency.

of technology development and training.

Receiving the delegation from APPO, the Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, explained that NCDMB had since its inception in 2010 shared experiences with other African nations on the operations of local content and how to implement the policies successfully.

He added that NCDMB had also

set an agenda for a common local content programme for Africa.

Also, in his presentation titled Human Capital Development (HCD) and Nigerian Content Development, the General Manager, Capacity Building Division NCDMB, Dr. Ama Ikuru said the human capacity development implementation framework aims to identify quality delivery and cost efficiency.

our own. We have a very large country with a population of over 200 million people in 774 local government areas.

Also speaking, the Director General of the NOA, Dr. Garba Abari, admitted that there is a huge trust gap in the sector which needs to be urgently bridged, adding that the issue of electricity has dominated

national discourse despite the efforts the government has put in to address the problems.

In her intervention, the Commissioner, Consumers Affairs, NERC, Aisha Mahmud, said NERC had recently signed an MoU with the federal Competitions and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on resolving consumer complaints.

Minister: Provision of Electricity to Rural Areas by Conventional Means Expensive

25CL LAGOS N20,000-N25000 25CL

to a minimum of four tonnes per hectare.

He, however, lamented that most farmers were proving dubious as debt recovery is currently between 30 and 36 per cent of the facilities advanced to the farmers.

He disclosed that some farmers had been arrested following their fraudulent activities by selling the produce without paying the ABP loans.

Olabanji said a 100kg bag of wheat is between N40, 000 and

NERC, NOA Seal Deal to Enlighten Nigerians on Working of Power Sector

FOOD NAME OF COMMODITY

“Wheat grains harvest expected by the middle of April this year is around 400,000 MT, the largest ever produced in Nigeria,” Olabanji had said.

He said NBS would determine the actual production figures, which might surpass or fall below the expectation.

The ABP scheme, according to him, had empowered wheat farmers with the new heat-tolerant varieties of seeds capable of increasing production per hectare

African Petroleum Producers, NCDMB Seek Collaboration on Capacity Building

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Deputy Business Editor Chinedu Eze Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) KayodeTokede(CapitalMarkets) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance)

He said that out of the 150,000 hectares, about 100,000 were meant for grains production to be off-taken by millers, about 50,000 hectares were meant to produce about 250,000 tonnes of seeds needed for cultivation in the 2022/2023 planting season, starting from October 2022.

He disclosed that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had been collating wheat production figures, in partnership with millers and farmers, to arrive at production on data in the period under review.

25KG LAGOS 40KG DELTA

N9,500 N17000

PRICE

ment is required to guarantee for payment of energy provided in essential sectors such as public health centres and public schools only, ”he explained.

The Minister who was represented by the Director, Renewable and Rural Power Access, Ali Abubakar, said that though the project was halted due to the expiration of the effectiveness period, the ECOWAS commission was launching it under a new name ROGEAP. According to him, this is to

increase access to electricity for households, commercial enterprises, public institutions and for productive uses through stand-alone solar photovoltaic systems, in West Africa and four countries of the Sahel regions.

Speaking earlier, the representative of ECOWAS and Conseiller Principal, el Hadji Sylla, highlighted the importance of energy in achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction in regions using modern stand-alone solar technology through the regional

T O D AY

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

ONIONS

100KG

IBADAN

N25,000

100KG

KANO

N10,000

100KG

BENUE

N27,000

100KG GOMBE

N12,000

100KG DELTA

N21,000

100KG LAGOS

N25,000

100KG ENUGU

N15,000

100KG

N29,000

ABIA

NAME OF COMMODITY

MAIZE

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N9000

100KG ENUGU

N24000

100KG DELTA

N15000

100KG ABIA

N14000

50KG LAGOS

N13500

SIZE

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022

23

BUSINESSWORLD

INDUSTRY

Nigerian Manufacturing Dying by Installment The mounting insecurity challenge in the country and the impact of the Russian/Ukraine war are further crippling Nigerian manufacturing firms, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

T

hese are not the best of times for manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The prevailing circumstances in the domestic operating environment, especially high cost of diesel, poor access to foreign exchange, insecurity, delay in importing raw materials and exporting finished products among others are taking a toll on their productivity.

Moreover, manufacturers in the country are also at the receiving end of the fiscal and monetary policies of the government and the central bank such as unfavourable trade policies, taxation, excise levies as well as scarce foreign exchange and high inflationary pressure.

On July 8, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), which represents the interests of over 3,000 manufacturers in the country issued a press statement in which it said that over the years, the manufacturing sector of the Nigerian economy has been battered by numerous familiar challenges that have plummeted the number of industries in Nigeria and converted industrial hubs in many parts of the country to warehouses of imported goods and event centres.

It went on to enumerate these familiar challenges that included high operating cost environment occasioned largely by inadequate electricity supply and the high cost of alternative sources. Others are excessive regulation and taxation, and inadequate supply of foreign exchange for the importation of raw materials, spare parts and machinery that are locally available. “All these,” according to the MAN, “have culminated into the lack lustre performance of the sector.”

On Friday, July 22, the Director General of MAN, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, explained to THISDAY how bad things have deteriorated for the manufacturing sector.

Ajayi-Kadir said that the leeways that manufacturers used to survive have come under threat presently.

“For instance, we have always had inadequacy of power supply and have to resort to the use of diesel to power our machines. But now the price of diesel has been pushed above the reach of many, especially our small and medium scale industries and they are shutting down,” Ajayi-Kadir said, adding that it has “become uneconomical to produce. Our manufacturers cannot run the number of shifts that they ought to be running because they cannot buy enough diesels to produce and still be able to sell at a profit.”

Aside from the high cost of energy, the foreign exchange management of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also plagues manufacturers with poor access to foreign exchange to import raw materials and denial of full enjoyment of the foreign exchange they earned from exporting their products.

SCARCE FX

THISDAY’s investigation showed that most manufacturers hardly got more than five per cent of their foreign exchange requirement from the official foreign exchange market at N420 per dollar. This has constrained them to rely on the parallel market for almost 95 per cent of their foreign exchange needs at about N620 per dollar.

THISDAY was told by an authoritative source that “a manufacturer that applied for $500,000 from the commercial banks would be lucky to get $20,000. This is nonsensical to start with. The manufacturer has to go to the black market or the BDC to meet his need,” the source said.

Yet, the manufacturer’s problem is compounded when he exports his products and brought the proceeds via the CBN’s I&E Window where the central bank would ostensibly gave him an incentive of N65 to every one dollar he brought back. However, this incentive would drop to N35 if the manufacturer utilised the foreign exchange for his needs.

The implication, according to Ajayi-Kadir, is that manufacturers are being constrained to exchange their export earnings at official rate of N420 even though they source 95 per cent of their foreign exchange needs at N620 from the parallel market. “With the entire rebate what you will be getting for your export is N480 per dollar against N620 per dollars that you used to import raw materials to produce.”

Moreover, manufacturers go through a herculean experience at the port to export their products because the facilities at the Nigerian ports are not export oriented. “So you have your products staying in port for three months even for products that have a shelf life of six months. That is also an issue that is confronting the manufacturers.”

In addition, a new fiscal regime that commenced in January imposed excise levies on carbonated soft-drinks. This came soon after the VAT was increased from 5.0 to 7.5 per cent. All of these results into poor sales as the purchasing power of Nigerian consumers are being crushed daily by low income, inflation and depreciation of the Naira. The corollary is that “a manufacturer will have higher inventory of unsold goods.

This also means that the manufacturer will hire warehouses to keep those products that he was not able to sell at additional cost,” said Ajayi-Kadir.

HEIGHTENING INSECURITY

The heightening insecurity situation in the country is not helping matters for manufacturers.

It has led to the shutdown of several industries, especially in the North-east region where almost

45 per cent of industries in the country are located.

Currently, the tyre and textile manufacturing sub-sectors have gone into extinction. There is hardly any fabric maker in Nigeria. Moreover, the steel companies in the country are shutting down one after the other and might be wiped out if urgent measures are not taken by the government to reverse the trend.

As recently as 2001, the city of Kaduna used to host seven textile firms. Today, all of them have stopped production. Ajayi told THISDAY that, “the subsidiaries of the United Nigeria Textile Limited (UNTL) alone were employing 10,000 workers. Now the UNTL has 40 workers. It has shut down operations. So many textile industries have shut down due to massive influx of textile materials that are mostly smuggled. There is also the incidence of dumping. There is even the problem of insecurity that is affecting local production of cotton. Under these challenges the textile industry, which is capital and labour intensive, could not survive. We are looking on how best to rescue this sector that used to be the highest employer of labour after the government.

That is the national emergency that we have.

“Look at the steel industry. It is almost going extinct. It has three firms now against 10 that existed a decade ago. We have very few of them that are able to function because it is an industry that 40 per cent of its cost is power. So you do not need a soothsayer to tell you where the bandits are recruiting their foot soldiers.”

It is indeed a vicious circle as industrial closures feed the country’s unemployment rate which swells the number of people living in abject poverty that wouldn’t mind joining the insurgents, the bandits and the terrorists whose activities are crippling economic activities and multiplying unemployment.

Ajayi-Kadri said: “The industrial sector is not being disaggregated for the special attention it required. In other climes when you have this situation that is occasioned by Russian/Ukraine war there should be a national strategic plan to sustain the economy. That is why we are saying that there must be stakeholders engagement between the government and key bodies of the organised private sector to analyse all these issues and ameliorate them so that at least the pressure will go down and we can then see how can talk of sustaining the economy. Our economy does not have to collapse because a war between Russia and Ukraine is disrupting international supply and logistics chains.”

FAILURE TO TACKLE ISSUES

In addition, the issues that were raised in

the “Factsheet on AfCFTA,” and presented to the federal government by MAN have not been adequately addressed. “They are familiar issues and that have not been addressed not because government is not aware; not because those issues have not been well articulated; and not because government has told us that it will not do it. It is just because they are not being done adequately while the processes of accessing whether governments have addressed them or not is not clear. Because if you say infrastructure: government is addressing infrastructure; if you say power, government is addressing power; if you say insecurity government is addressing insecurity. If you say it is the port the government is addressing it.

But we are still suffering from these things. This is the situation and the frustration actually.”

The Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Dr. Adams Adebayo, told THISDAY that manufacturing is a big challenge today in Nigeria. “Buying diesel at the rate of N850 per litre already guaranteed high cost of production. The rate of inflation is so annoying because it is pushing up the price of our raw materials. To worsen the situation the individual consumer’s purchasing power has reduced. So the manufacturers are saying that it is a difficult thing for us to produce.

“Secondly we cannot maintain the level of workers working with us due to increasing production cost.

Three, is no market as people are not buying our products. We are no longer competitive in the market as imported products from Asia are damn too cheap.

We are not selling and our production has dropped.

“At least 30 per cent of our members, especially those into waste recycling, have all shut down.

It is not drop in production but that they have shut down. If you want to know what we are saying go to the Industrial Development Centre at Ikorodu, Lagos State, and you will see most of the workers sleeping.

“And apart from that you look at the general situation of things in terms of security where people are being kidnapped for ransom. A member that is using cassava as major raw material has two members of his staff harvesting cassava kidnapped last year in Ogun State and the company paid about N10 million for their release else they would have killed them.

“He said the they went with security people that collected N500,000 from for two days to harvest about 20 hectres of cassava. This is a very big challenge. He said that there is no point for him to go and invest in the farm. My fear is that local production will be killed because of our high cost of production.”

Sadly, the Chief Executive of CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, said that Nigerian firms are now importing raw materials that could be grown in the country from neighbouring ECOWAS countries. That is.

DISCOS’ REVENUES HIT N562.5BN IN NINE MONTHS AMID MARGINAL RISE IN COLLECTION EFFICIENCY cent, 67.2 per cent, and 54.3 per cent to 50 per cent, 64.5 per cent, and 50 per cent respectively, amounting to N0.10 billion, N0.36 billion and N0.40 billion respectively.

The ATC&C losses in 2021/Q3, it said, was 44.1 per cent, broken up into 22.87 per cent technical and commercial losses and 27.52 per cent in collection loss.

“The implication of this level of the ATC&C losses is that, on average, as much as N4.10 in every N10.00 worth of energy received

by a Disco was unrecovered due to a combination of inefficient distribution networks, energy theft, low revenue collection, and the unwillingness of customers to pay their bills.

“The overall ATC&C losses of 44.10 per cent in 2021/Q3 are significantly higher than the expected allowable ATC&C losses (21.58 per cent) provided in the Multi-year Tariff Order (MYTO) for 2021,” NERC stressed.

On market remittances, it recalled

that as part of the conditions for the several interventions, the Central Bank of Nigeria had extended to the Discos an escrow agreement.

Under this arrangement, NERC said all the revenues of the Discos are escrowed with Discos, who only have access to the funds after necessary deductions have been made.

“This escrow mechanism provides visibility into the financial performance of the Discos with respect to collections,” it explained

“Compared to a remittance performance of 50.10 per cent reported in the second quarter of 2021, the total remittance performance improved by 17.84 percentage points in 2021/Q3, “the report said.

It indicated that Eko Disco had notably 103.29 per cent (N20.40 billion) overall remittance performance while Abuja, Ibadan, Kano, Ikeja, Kaduna and Yola Discos had remittance performances of 83.24 per cent (N23.05 billion), 58.14 per

cent (N17.50 billion), 49.37 per cent (N8.17 billion), 13.35 per cent (N2.46 billion) and 21.19 per cent (N0.96 billion) respectively in 2021/Q3.

It added, “This remittance is consistent with relative stability in collection. The escrow mechanism has ensured that as much of the collections as possible is used to meet upstream market obligations.”

According to the report, during 2021/Q3, only Abuja had 100 per cent remittance performance (N6.12 billion) to the Market Operator

(MO) although Benin, Eko, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt Discos also had high remittance performance of N83.40 per cent (N4.47 billion), 95.73 per cent (NN5.16 billion), 86.67 per cent (N6.37 billion) and 85.16 per cent (N2.64 billion) respectively.

“Yola and Kaduna Discos however had significantly low remittance performance of 25.20 per cent (N 0.31 billion), and 14.70 per cent (N0.66 billion) respectively to MO, ”it stated.

24

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

OIL AND GAS

Renewing Nigerians’ Hope in New NNPC On Tuesday last week, Nigeria’s national oil firm transitioned from a corporation to a limited liability company, marking a milestone after over 44 years of its establishment. In this report, Emmanuel Addeh examines what this change means for the new Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and aggregates stakeholders’ perspectives on the future of the organisation.

T

he commercialisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation had been the subject of discussions for decades, although there was hardly any framework for its implementation.

But with last week’s unveiling of the entity as a Corporate and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) firm, as enunciated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the ground may have now been set for a reformed national oil firm, perhaps ready to compete with its peers globally.

BREAKING FROM THE PAST

The old NNPC, even its operators will admit, had a not so enviable past. Not a few Nigerians will believe anything about the now defunct entity, since over the years, they had lost faith in its operations.

Although, there have been attempts, especially in the last few years to make it more transparent and accountable to Nigerians, critics of the organisation affirm that those measures have not been far-reaching enough.

Indeed, under the current management led

by Mallam Mele Kyari, the 44-year-old NNPC, has joined the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), declared first profit in about four and a half decades, released its Annual Financial Report to the public and has generally been more open to public scrutiny.

With the company now fully transitioned to a commercial entity, the managers of the new NNPC, now renamed NNPCL say things are even about to get better.

EMBRACING CHANGE

With the official presentation of the company as a commercialised, CAMA entity done now, a number of initial changes will have to be effected to actually ensure a smooth operation for the brand new company.

Although its ownership has not changed, at least for now, still being 100 per cent owned by Nigerians, among others changes, the NNPC will no longer require government funding for any of its business activities.

Secondly, it will from now on, not be subject to the inhibitions of statutory regulations like the Treasury Single Account (TSA) as well as the Public Procurement and Fiscal Responsibility Acts which would ordinarily slow down its turnover time in meeting its obligations to its creditors and partners.

In addition, since it will be needing to borrow to finance some of its projects , the NNPCL will naturally require to be transparent, put all the books on the table and prepare its accounts like any other CAMA company so as to rev up its credibility in the eye of its creditors.

Furthermore, it will only now pay taxes and royalties as required by the new law and pay dividends at intervals agreed upon with its shareholders, the over 200 million Nigerians, whose stakes are currently being held in trust by the ministry of finance incorporated and the ministry of petroleum incorporated.

BUHARI UPBEAT

If anybody was excited at the transformation of the NNPC to NNPCL, it had to be President Muhammadu Buhari. At the colourful event to officially unveil the new NNPC, the president who outlined his aspirations for the entity, explained that the changes were meant to transform the petroleum industry, to strengthen its capacity and market relevance for the present and future global energy priorities.

By chance of history, he recalled his privilege to have led the creation of the NNPC on the 1st July 1977, signing of the PIA 44 years later and then the creation of a commercially-driven and independent national oil company that will operate without relying on government funding and free from institutional regulations.

Buhari stated that from now, the NNPCL will conduct itself under the best international business practice in transparency, governance and commercial viability.

“NNPC Limited will operate as a commercial, independent and viable NOC at par with its peers around the world, to sustainably deliver value to its over 200 million shareholders and the global energy community, while adhering to its fundamental corporate values of integrity, excellence and sustainability.

“NNPC Limited is mandated by law to ensure Nigeria’s national energy security is guaranteed to support sustainable growth across other sectors of the economy as it delivers

Kyari energy to the world.

“It is therefore my singular honour and privilege on this historic day of 19th July 2022, to unveil the NNPC Limited, with focus on becoming a dynamic global energy company of choice to deliver energy for today for tomorrow, for the day days after tomorrow,” an obviously elated Buhari stated.

Describing the event as historic, Buhari noted that the country places high premium in creating the right atmosphere that supports investment and growth to boost the economy and continues to play on important role in sustaining global energy requirements.

LEAVING PAST WOES BEHIND

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has also been telling Nigerians that the NNPC or indeed the entire oil and gas industry is now leaving behind its past woes with the signing of the PIA and commercialisation of the national oil firm.

According to him, while the country was waiting for the PIA, Nigeria’s oil and gas industry lost about $50 billion worth of investments, noting that between 2015 and 2019, KPMG stated that “only 4 percent of the $70 billion investment inflows into Africa’s oil and gas industry came to Nigeria even though the country is the continent’s biggest producer and the largest reserves.”

“We are setting all these woes behind us, and a clear path for the survival and growth of our petroleum industry is now before us. With the PIA assuring international and local oil companies of adequate protection for their investments, the nation’s petroleum industry is no longer rudderless.

“The NNPC Limited will operate as a profitable commercial entity and declare dividends to its shareholders. The company will demonstrate higher level of performance and accountability to continue to win the hearts of its over 200 million shareholders.

“The unveiling of NNPC Limited today is a new dawn in the quest for the growth and development of the Nigerian oil and gas industry, opening new vintages for

partnerships,” he assured.

Stressing that expectations and optimism remain high with the unveiling of the NNPC Ltd, Sylva noted that there was no doubt that the leadership of the brand new limited liability company is super-charged to meet the high expectations.

TOP 50 SPOT IN FORTUNE 500

His optimism is infectious and his projections are ambitious. The Group Chief Executive of NNPCL, Kyari, appears to be undaunted in his belief in the seemingly resurgent company.

Indeed if his plans go well, he projects to take the new commercial entity to the top 50 among the Fortune 500 Companies in the next three to four years. That sounds really ambitious. But he says it’s achievable.

Kyari believes that with the huge assets available to the company and the new corporate culture of profit orientation, NNPCL will soon become the toast of the entire continent.

While admitting that because of the mode of operation of the company in the past, Nigerians had previously lost faith in it, Kyari stated that henceforth the company has no room for excuses not to deliver on its mandate as a commercial venture.

“We have to deliver together and we are ready to deliver. We know our shareholders, the 200 million Nigerians are doubtful, but we need to surprise them because we know that there is a new expectation and this expectation can be met and this will be led by culture change.

“Before, you could lose money and nothing will happen, government could always pay, but the law now says we have no recourse to public funds, it will be a commercial relationship...and we have no room for excuses,” he assured.

Kyari pointed out that the net assets of the new company remain a major factor working in its favour, stressing that upstream assets alone could be worth between $80-$90 billion.

“The meaning of this is that the NNPC will clearly not be below 150 (currently) in the Fortune 500 companies and I can tell you this upfront: Our target is that by sheer act of doing things right, we

are getting into a business, delivering value and investing appropriately and within three to four years time, we should be counting ourselves among the first 50 in the Fortune 500 companies,” he explained.

The GCEO disputed insinuations that the NNPC is presently in a ‘deep financial hole’ insisting that no company declares profit when its finances are in trouble like the NNPC did last year.

He added that although Nigerians were losing faith in the NNPC as a corporation, the company will shock its doubters by its new mode of adopting global best practices in its operation.

“Things have changed and that change is now being amplified because we have an enabling legislation and we are bound by a new set of rules under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA),” he noted.

Stating that the oil and gas industry remains a very profitable one and that the company was willing to scale up its value, he lamented that oil firms less than half of NNPCL’s assets were making more profit.

“We are going to be IPO ready by the middle of next year,” he reiterated, insisting that the company’s processes will henceforth be world class, reducing wastes as well as paying more taxes to the government.

Already the largest company in Africa, Kyari noted that Nigerians will be proud of the new NNPC in years to come, with a clear deviation from the way it operated in the past.

In the coming years, he stated that the company will have private equity, explaining that this will mature in the next 11 months, culminating in a mixed ownership of its shares. “ We are not in the rank of companies which will be talking about N287 billion (its profit in 2020). We felt very little doing that last year, but we also know we are coming from a past. It’s a process and it will be scaled up,” he added.

In a separate forum, the NNPCL Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya, explained that other commercialised government businesses failed in the last because in those circumstances, the code of corporate governance was not institutionalised.

For him, in the short to mid-term, the NNPCL will require private funding so that all control mechanisms will be fully activated, reason why transparency and accountability will be the watchword, going forward. “ That’s why in the PIA, the law envisages that we should go public. When you bring private equity participants, they will ensure that the code of conduct works and that if the board is not performing, it’s easy to fire them and if management is not doing its work, it will be fired by the board,” he added.

NEITI’S TAKE

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) through its Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji expressed hope that with the transition to a commercial entity, the NNPCL is now in a better position to compete favourably with leading international oil companies around the world.

“Nigeria needs a business oriented NNPC to deliver the country’s energy needs, energy transition, energy security, diversification of its economy and the building of a sustainable energy future for the country”, Orji noted.

He further explained that the immediate challenges that the new NNPC needs to tackle is to free Nigeria from fuel importation.

He commended the new team in NNPC and the present administration for the political will to get the reform done, expressing confidence that the NNPC Ltd will live up to its obligations as a supporting company of the global EITI. With the unveiling, Orji stated that some of the provisions in the PIA had been met, while NNPC ranks among national oil and gas companies to be publicly listed in Africa with an initial share capital of N200 billion and net assets of more than $59 billion.

“NEITI is confident that the PIA Steering Committee (PIASTEERCO), of which it is a member, will ensure that the provisions of the PIA are implemented to the letter and Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is positioned for a profitable and sustainable future,” Orji said.

With the assurances by the authorities, stakeholders and industry players, the NNPCL, it would appear, cannot afford to fail.

25

TUESDAY, ͺ;˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

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THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

& E, ;Ͳϭ͘ϴйͿ͘ ƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϯ͘ϴй t W K ;Ͳϭ͘ϯйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ h ;ͲϬ͘ϳйͿ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂͲ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘ ƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϯ͘Ϯй͘

^Ğůů WƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ƌĂŐƐ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͘​͘​͘ ^/ ĚŽǁŶ ϭ͘ϭй dŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŽŶ Ă ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ŶŽƚĞ ĨŽůͲ ^/ ƵƉ ϭϭďƉƐ ĂƐ E' D 'ĂŝŶƐ ϯ͘ϯй ůŽǁŝŶŐ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ŽŶ DdEE ;Ͳϳ͘ϬйͿ͕ & E, ;Ͳϭ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ WƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĚĂLJ͕ ƉƌŝĐĞ ƵƉƟĐŬ ŝŶ ,KEz&>KhZ h ;ͲϮ͘ϳйͿ͘ ĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚĞdž ƐŚĞĚ ϭ͘ϭй ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ & E, ;нϬ͘ϳйͿ ďŽůͲ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϱϭ͕ϰϬϬ͘ϱϯ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͕ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƐƚĞƌĞĚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůůͲ ϮϬ͘ϯй ;ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐůLJ͗ Ϯϭ͘ϳйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ĚĞͲ ^ŚĂƌĞ ŝŶĚĞdž ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ĐůŝŶĞĚ ʬϯϭϮ͘ϰďŶ ƚŽ ʬϮϳ͘ϳƚŶ͘ ůƐŽ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ϭϭďƉƐ ƚŽ ϯϵ͕ϱϱϬ͘ϯϲ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ zd ůŽƐƐ ŝŵͲ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϱϭ͘ϴй ĂŶĚ ϭϳ͘ϴй ƌĞƐƉĞĐͲ ƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ͳϭ͘ϴй ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ƟǀĞůLJ ƚŽ ϵϴ͘ϳŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ ʬϮ͘ϱďŶ͘ േϮϯ͘ϰďŶ ƚŽ േϮϬ͘ϲƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

ŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞ ŝƐĐůŽƐƵƌĞ

ŝƌƚĞů <ĞŶLJĂ EĞƚǁŽƌŬƐ >ŝŵŝƚĞĚ͕ Ă ƐƵďƐŝĚŝĂƌLJ ŽĨ ŝƌƚĞů ĨƌŝĐĂ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ WůĐ ;Η ŝƌƚĞůΗͿ͕ ƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚ ϲϬD,nj ŽĨ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ƐƉĞĐƚƌƵŵ ŽŶ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ƚŚĞ ϮϲϬϬD,nj ďĂŶĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ƵƚŚŽƌŝƚLJ ŽĨ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ͕ ƐĞƩůŝŶŐ Ăƚ ϭ͘ϲdž <ĞŶLJĂ ĨŽƌ Ă ŐƌŽƐƐ ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ΨϰϬ͘Ϭŵ͘ dŚĞ ůŝĐĞŶƐĞ ŝƐ ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘ϯdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϰ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ǀĂůŝĚ ĨŽƌ Ă ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ŽĨ ϭϱ LJĞĂƌƐ͘ Ɛ ƐƵĐŚ͕ ǁĞ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ƚŚĂƚ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ϭϱ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ DZ^ ;нϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ D zͲ ƚŚĞ ŐĂŝŶƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ƐƉĞĐƚƌƵŵ ;ǁŽƵůĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ < Z ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ,KEz&>KhZ ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ŝƌƚĞůΖƐ ϰ' ŶĞƚǁŽƌŬ ĐĂƉĂĐŝƚLJ ĞdžƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĂůůŽǁ ĨŽƌ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ǁŚŝůĞ dZ E^ ;Ͳϴ͘ϯйͿ͕ > ^ K ;Ͳϲ͘ϳйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ >/s Ͳ ϱ' ƌŽůůŽƵƚ ŝŶ <ĞŶLJĂͿ ǁŽƵůĚ ďŽŽƐƚ ŝƌƚĞůΖƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ^dK < ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ůŽƐĞƌƐ͘ WƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĚĂLJ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌ ƚĞƌŵ͘ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŵŝdžĞĚ͕ ĂƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ ŐƌĂĚƵĂůůLJ ǁŝŶĚƐ ƵƉ͘

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

4.1%

18.2%

6.2%

8.1%

-7.4%

105.6%

13.9%

3.4%

-3.6%

23.3%

12.1%

1.0%

19.8%

3.2%

3.4x

48.6%

213.00

-7.0%

7.2%

69.30

0.0%

5.6%

20.70

-0.2%

4.1%

-20.4%

99.5%

5.1x

0.8x

6.5%

ot Applicable

1.0%

12.8%

13.5x

16.6x

6.2%

26.1x

5.9x

4.2%

3.8%

0.7x

14.5%

29.3% 36.6%

7.4%

4.6%

4.1%

-13.7%

0.0%

20.6%

2.6%

2.7x

0.5x

14.6%

3.6%

3.1%

-3.6%

37.7%

16.4%

12.0x

4.4x

7.6%

8.3%

24.20

0.4%

2.6%

1.0%

-8.3%

15.5%

11.1%

6.6x

1.0x

8.3%

15.2%

8 FBN Holdings Plc 9 Nestle Nigeria PLC 10 SEPLAT Energy PLC

11.00

-1.8%

2.5%

-3.5%

-5.2%

20.1%

1.9%

2.4x

0.4x

3.2%

42.1%

1,400.00

0.0%

2.5%

-10.1%

0.0%

112.8%

16.1%

24.3x

28.3x

3.9%

4.1%

1,430.50

0.0%

2.8%

120.1%

10.0%

7.5%

3.6%

14.4x

1.1x

2.9%

6.9%

9.00

-1.1%

2.1%

-3.2%

-3.2%

17.9%

1.6%

2.0x

0.3x

7.8%

50.9%

11 Access Holdings PLC 12 United Bank for Africa PLC 13 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 14 Okomu Oil Palm PLC 15 Ecobank Transnational Inc 16 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC 17 International Brew eries PLC 18 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 19 Fidelity Bank PLC 20 Guinness Nigeria PLC 21 Presco PLC 22 Wema Bank PLC 23 FCMB Group Plc 24 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC 25 United Capital PLC 26 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 27 Transnational Corp of Nigeria 28 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC 29 Cadbury Nigeria PLC 30 UAC of Nigeria PLC 31 TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeri 32 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

37 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC 38 Sterling Bank PLC 39 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶͲ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ ǁŽƵůĚ ĚƌŝǀĞ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ

ƟŽŶ ŝŶ E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͘

20.1%

10.0%

0.0%

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

P/BV

0.0%

35 Jaiz Bank PLC 36 Oando PLC

ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂͲ

P/E

21.70

ϵ͘ϭйͿ͕ hE/> s Z ;Ͳϯ͘ϱйͿ͕ >/E< ^^hZ ;Ͳϲ͘ϰйͿ͕ KƵƚůŽŽŬ ĂŶĚ D E^ Z ;ͲϮ͘ϮйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬͲ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ͕ ŝŵͲ

Ğƌ͕ ƵƉ ϭ͘ϴй ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ƉƌŝĐĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͘

35.0% 150.4%

ROA

265.00

ϭ͘Ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŽĮƚͲƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ E ^d> ;Ͳ

ŽīƐ ŝŶ K E K ;ͲϬ͘ϴйͿ͕ E/d, ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͘ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ϳϱ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŽŵŽƌƌŽǁ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĂƚ

ROE

5 Zenith Bank PLC 6 Dangote Cement PLC 7 Lafarge Africa PLC

33 Custodian and Allied Insurance 34 Unilever Nigeria PLC

ŝŶŐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĨĞůů ďLJ Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϮďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůůͲ ƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ ͲϬ͘Ϭϱdž ĨƌŽŵ ͲϬ͘ϭϮdž ĂƐ ϭϯ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ͕ ϭϳ

-0.48%

1,905.40

3 BUA Cement Plc 4 Guaranty Trust Holding Co PLC

ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ĂŶĚ K E K ;ϳ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E ^d> ;േϮ͘ϮďŶͿ͕ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ϭ͘Ϭй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͕ ŽŶ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ŽĨ

ĂŶĚ KZE Z^d ;нϰ͘ϮйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ ĂŶĚ /ŶĚƵƐͲ

ƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƌŽƐĞ Ϭ͘ϭй ĂŶĚ ϰďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͕ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ďLJ ďƵLJ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ /Ed Z t ;нϮ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ t W K ;нϬ͘ϰйͿ͘ ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ &ZͲ/ d ĂŶĚ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĚŝƉƉĞĚ Ϯ͘ϴй ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůŽƐƚ͕ ϭ ŝŶĚĞdž ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ &ZͲ/ d ĂŶĚ ϯďƉƐ ƐĞƋƵĞŶƟĂůůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ŽŶ DdEE ;Ͳ ŝŶĚĞdž ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŽƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵͲ ϳ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ K E K ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͘ Ğƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϰ͘ϲй ĂŶĚ

2503.85

1 Airtel Africa PLC 2 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC

ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ dZ E^ KZW ;ϭϭ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ & E, ;ϭϭ͘ϭŵ ĂƐ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ Ϯ ůŽƐƚ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ

Price Previous Price Current Change Price Change Weighting Index to Change YTD Date

Current Price

Ticker

ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ Ϯϭ͘ϲй ƚŽ ϭϭϬ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ ƵůůŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ŽƵƌ ƉƵƌǀŝĞǁ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ϴϴ͘ϱй ƚŽ േϯ͘ϭďŶ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ

ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ E/d, ;нϰ͘ϲйͿ͕ hE/dz E< ;нϳ͘ϭйͿ͕ E' D ;േϭϰϱ͘ϬŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;േϭϯϰ͘ϴŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

7.10

-2.7%

1.5%

-11.8%

-4.7%

15.6%

1.4%

2.0x

0.3x

13.7%

49.1%

49.75

0.0%

1.2%

-0.5%

-15.4%

10.5%

3.9%

21.4x

2.2x

3.2%

4.7%

216.90

0.0%

1.4%

52.7%

0.0%

43.6%

25.5%

11.3x

4.8x

4.1%

8.8%

9.90

-1.0%

1.2%

13.8%

-6.6%

18.4%

1.0%

2.0x

0.4x

6.8%

49.8%

6.7x

1.1x

9.5%

15.0%

0.8x

6.5%

19.8% 42.4%

31.55

0.0%

1.1%

-12.4%

-6.0%

15.6%

2.1%

5.55

2.8%

1.0%

12.1%

-11.9%

-9.9%

-3.4%

33.00

0.0%

0.9%

16.4%

1.5%

15.9%

4.5%

1.1x 5.1x

-9.6%

3.10

0.0%

0.6%

21.6%

-9.4%

13.3%

1.2%

2.4x

0.3x

11.3%

90.50

0.0%

0.7%

132.1%

0.0%

17.8%

8.1%

13.5x

2.2x

0.6%

7.4%

158.40

0.0%

0.4%

80.4%

-4.0%

7.3x

4.4x

4.3%

13.8%

3.99

0.0%

0.5%

454.2%

25.1%

15.7%

0.9%

14.7x

2.1x

6.2%

6.8%

3.10

2.6%

0.4%

3.7%

-10.4%

10.7%

1.1%

2.0x

0.2x

6.5%

48.9%

1.93

0.0%

0.4%

-16.8%

-3.5%

2.9%

0.9%

18.4x

0.6x

13.0%

5.4%

12.00

-5.5%

0.4%

21.2%

-5.9%

5.7x

2.7x

12.5%

17.4%

16.00

0.0%

0.4%

-8.0%

-1.8%

16.7%

6.6%

8.6x

1.4x

6.3%

11.6%

1.15

-3.4%

0.3%

19.8%

-6.5%

18.1%

4.0%

3.0x

0.5x

1.7%

32.8%

10.40

0.0%

0.3%

70.5%

8.3%

7.9x

1.2x

2.7%

12.6%

17.10

0.0%

0.2%

94.3%

-0.9%

12.1%

4.1%

18.3x

2.1x

3.1%

5.5%

11.20

0.0%

0.2%

17.9%

0.9%

5.2%

2.3%

12.6x

0.7x

6.0%

7.9%

234.50

0.0%

0.2%

5.7%

0.0%

1.7x

8.4%

27.10

0.0%

0.2%

21.3%

2.3%

18.1%

2.3%

6.0x

0.8x

9.2%

16.6%

7.00

0.0%

0.2%

-11.4%

0.0%

19.5%

5.5%

4.1x

0.8x

7.1%

24.3%

15.00

0.0%

0.1%

3.4%

1.4%

7.2%

4.3%

46.7x

1.3x

3.5%

2.1%

0.85

0.0%

0.1%

51.8%

-6.6%

17.4%

1.3%

6.6x

1.2x

4.7%

15.2%

5.13

-0.2%

0.1%

16.1%

-9.5%

5.10

0.0%

0.1%

-13.6%

-17.1%

6.1%

0.7%

8.0x

0.6x

1.51

0.7%

0.1%

0.0%

-0.7%

10.3%

1.0%

3.0x

0.3x

-17.7%

-4.1%

62.50

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

6.25

0.0%

0.0%

16.2%

0.0%

-21.5%

-175.3% 12.4% 6.6%

1.8x

33.5% -9.5%

1.0x

1.1%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T o p 10 G a in e r s P ric e

P ric e C hg %

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

F T N C OC OA

0.33

10.0%

UB A

15.9

-2.7%

NA HCO

6.05

10.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

12.3

4.6%

CA P

18.70

10.0%

T R A N SC OR P

5.4

-3.4%

M ULT IVER SE

2.05

7.9%

GT C O

5.1

-0.2%

UN IT YB N K

0.45

7.1%

D A N GSUGA R

4.2

0.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

21.70

4.6%

M A N SA R D

4.2

0.0%

C OR N ER ST

0.75

4.2%

IN T B R EW

3.9

2.8%

NP FM CRFB K

1.75

4.2%

F ID ELIT YB K

3.5

0.0%

CHA M S

0.26

4.0%

WA P C O

3.3

0.4%

IN T B R EW

5.55

2.8%

FB NH

3.3

-1.8%

T ic k er

T ic k er

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

M TNN

213.00

-7.0%

A IR T ELA F R I

1145.4

P ric e C hg % 0.0%

UC A P

12.00

-5.5%

Z EN IT H B A N K

262.2

4.6%

C UT IX

2.25

-5.5%

M TNN

249.7

-7.0%

R T B R ISC OE

0.38

-5.0%

UB A

114.2

-2.7%

SOVR EN IN S

0.26

-3.7%

GT C O

105.7

-0.2%

T R A N SC OR P

1.15

-3.4%

N EST LE

80.2

0.0%

UB A

7.10

-2.7%

WA P C O

78.0

0.4%

A C A D EM Y

2.05

-2.4%

D A N GSUGA R

66.8

0.0%

C OUR T VILLE

0.47

-2.1%

SEP LA T

37.0

0.0%

FB NH

11.00

-1.8%

FB NH

34.9

-1.8%

Investment Research

Brokerage

Asset Management

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Taiwo Ogundipe | togundipe@afrinvest.com

Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com

Damilare Asimiyu | dasimiyu@afrinvest.com

26

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ JULY 26, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Dangote Industries Announces Completion of N187.58bn Bond Issuance Kayode Tokede Dangote Industries Funding Plc has announced the successful completion of a N187.58 billion Series 1 (Tranche A and Tranche B) Fixed Rate Senior Unsecured Bond Issue under its N300 billion Debt Issuance Programme sponsored by Dangote Industries Limited (DIL).

The Bond Issue represents the largest local currency bond issuance by a corporate issuer in the history of the Nigerian debt capital markets.

The Bond Issue comprised 7-year Tranche A and 10year Tranche B bonds. The 7-year Tranche A bonds

priced at 12.75% and the 10-year Tranche B bonds priced at 13.50%.

Commenting on the landmark issuance at the Signing Ceremony, Managing Director of DIL, Mr. Olakunle Alake expressed delight at the remarkable success of the Bond Issue and thanked the Issuing Houses and other professional parties for working tirelessly to ensure the timely and successful completion of the Bond Issue.

According to him, “We are highly pleased at the level of reception from the investor universe on the Series I bond issuance and to have set this remarkable milestone, showcasing the depth and liquidity of

the Nigeria Debt Capital Market.

“The success of this transaction further demonstrates investor confidence in our credit story and the appreciation of the work done by the Group across several key sectors that are crucial to the development of the continent.”

Commenting on the Bond Issue, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Vetiva Capital Management Limited, Chuka Eseka said, “Vetiva is delighted to have acted as Joint Lead Issuing House/Bookrunner on the Series 1 Bond Issuance – which represents the largest single bond issuance by a corporate in the Nigerian L-R: Chief Finance Officer, Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE), Rotimi Omowale; Chief Technology Ofcapital market.” ficer, Rotimi Ayodele-Oba; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Akin Akeredolu-Ale; Company Secretary,

Yuguda: SEC Implementing Initiatives to Boost More Listings Kayode Tokede The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said that it has been implementing measures aimed at encouraging more listings by creating new Rules and amending existing ones, improving general review processes, continuing engagements with issuers, advisers and other critical stakeholders.

The Director General of the SEC, Mr. Lamido Yuguda who stated this recently at the Nigeria Exchange Limited’s CEO Roundtable held in Lagos, said the Commission and the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) have moved to

make the processes involved in listing more efficient and cost-effective by streamlining the approval process between the SEC and the NGX. Yuguda stated that last year, the Commission collaborated with Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA to inaugurate the Securities Issuers Forum (SIF) which was aimed at providing an opportunity for Issuers to engage directly with regulators on pertinent regulatory issues. The objectives of the forum, amongst others he said, are to maintain regular contact with the regulator; promote sound corporate governance and

ethical conduct; advise the regulator on regulations affecting companies & issuers; promote healthy competition; and maintain an enabling business environment by monitoring issues of direct relevance to members.

The SEC DG said, is also making concerted efforts to ensure the repeal of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2007 and the passage of a new Investments and Securities Bill into law. This is to align the law with current realities and global trends in capital market regulation, including growing changes in market practices, processes and products.

LCFE Set for Real Time Trading Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE) has announced that it has concluded arrangements to commence real time trading on Thursday , this week as part of the plans to inaugurate the pan African Commodities Exchange.

As a build up to the historic inauguration, scheduled for Thursday, July 28 at its trading floor in Niger House, Lagos, the Exchange, has conducted a series of test trades on its state-of -the art technology, and other basic infrastructure to drive the processes of operations in line with the global best practices.

A statement from the Exchange indicates that it had listed several tradeable instruments, registered

40 Dealing Member Firms and certified 128 Commodities Brokers to commence both physical and remote trading after the inauguration.

Already, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved 13 products for trading on the Exchange. The Exchange is the only one that has the Commission’s approval to trade gold and it is open to list gold if any company that meets the requirements. Upon the inauguration, the Exchange will kickstart with trading of electronic receipts on the following prime commodities: Oil and Gas, Agriculture, Solid Minerals and Currencies. The Exchange has also put in place necessary infrastructures to trade in

derivatives as hedging instruments for investors.

“We have put in place necessary structures to commence trading as a full-fledged commodities and futures Exchange. Our basic function is to trade electronic receipts.

We have addressed the issue of payment and settlement system, depository, registration of Settlement Banks and Dealing Member Firms and certification of Commodities Brokers.

“We have registered other operators in the commodities ecosystem.

Our goal is to play a pivotal role in growing the Nation’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) into double digit. We shall bridge the huge gap in the commodities ecosystem.

SHI, SIFAX, Starzs Investment, Others for OMIS Maritime Award The Maritime and Offshore Award (The OMIS) is set to honour organizations and individuals who have distinguished themselves in the Maritime sector.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHIN), Starzs Investment, SIFAX Group, NLNG Ship Management Limited (NLSM), Integrated Oil and Gas, Brisktrade, Comet Shipping, APM Terminals, OnnePort365, Trucks Transit Parks Limited, Lloyd’s Register, Nigerian Navy are among the organizations shortlisted in different categories for the Maritime and Offshore Award (The OMIS) 2022, Chief Executive Officer of the OMIS, Femi Da-silva disclosed in a statement on Monday.

According to him, Niger Dock, Shipside Dry Limited, Bureau Veritas, American Bureau of Ship-

ping, BW Offshore, Diolits Marine Services, MEDLOG Transport & Logistics, Ocean Deep Services Ltd, LTT Coastal & Marine Services Ltd, ENL Consortium, Niger Benue Transport Company Ltd, ECM Terminals, Charkin Maritime Academy, KOBO360, Peak Shipping Agency, Bricks Limited, Lead Way Assurance, AIICO General Insurance, NEM Insurance, Allianz Nigeria Insurance were among organisations in the various corporate categories of the award.

“These organisations were nominated by industry players to have displayed exemplary commitment to the progress of the sector via staff/manpower investment, community service, technology innovation, and other notable investments while

impacting the environment positively.

They all deserve to be honoured to serve as an impetus for others to make sacrificial investments and impact in the maritime sector,” he said.

A former Director General of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Ify Akerele, also a member of the Panel of Judges for the Award, expressed her excitement about the growing visibility of the impact made in the maritime sector and encouraged stakeholders to be part of the OMIS. “The award is part of all our collective achievement in the sector as it inspires more commitment to best practice, so I encourage all to support the initiative,” she said.

Fatima Lawal and Head, Operations, Dr Allwell Umunnaehila ,during interactive session on upcoming inauguration of LCFE in Lagos yesterday

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͵

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

27

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

ETI Announces N108.96bn PBT in H1 2022 Kayode Tokede Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) yesterday announced half year (H1) unaudited financial statement for the period ended June 30, 2022 with 28 per cent increase in profit before tax to N108.96billion from N85.32billion reported in corresponding H1 2021 results.

The pan-African bank on the

Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) also reported 24 per cent increase in profit to N77.31billion in H1 2022 as against N62.55billion reported in prior H1 2021.

ETI’s profits growth was driven by 15 per cent increase in gross earnings to N503.6billion in H1 2022 from N439.49billion reported in H1 2021.

However, its balance sheet

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

position performance plummet with total assets dropping by two per cent to N11.41trillion as of June 30, 2022 as against N11.69 trillion reported in full year ended December 31, 2021.

Loans & advances dropped by three per cent to N3.94trillion as of June 30, 2022 from N4.06trillion in 2021, while customers deposit went down by one per cent to N8.32trillion as of June 30, 2022

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

from N8.36trillion reported in full financial year ended December 31, 2021.

The CEO, Ecobank Group, Ade Ayeyemi in a statement said, “Our results for the first six months of 2022 reflect not only the benefits of the firm’s diversification but also our resilience and capabilities to continue serving our clients and customers in a challenging environment and still generate adequate returns responsibly for

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

our shareholders.

“As a result, we delivered a return on tangible equity of 19.5per cent, a record, and increased earnings per share for shareholders by 24 per cent year-on-year. In addition, profit before tax increased by 24per cent to $261 million and by 53 per cent if you adjust the increase for the significant depreciation of some of our critical African currencies

O F

2 5

to the US dollar.”

According to him, “We performed well because of our investments, including in technology, and Ecobankers’ continued dedication to meet customers’ financial needs, despite a challenging operating environment of high inflation, weakening African currencies, worsening government fiscal balances and lowering economic growth.

/ 7 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

28

TUESDAY, ͺ;˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

NBA BUSINESS LAW CONFERENCE...

L-R: Paa Kwesi Yankey; Pioneer Chair of the Section on Business Law, George Etomi; former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata; CEO, Ghana Enterprises Agency and Conference Keynote Speaker, Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey-Ayeh; General Secretary, NBA, Joyce Odua; Asama Kadiri, SAN, and Chair, 2022 Conference Planning Committee, Chike Obianwu, during the opening ceremony of the 16th Annual Business Law Conference at Abuja... yesterday

Abe: Rivers People will Determine Next Governor, Not Wike

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A former senator for Rivers SouthEast, Magnus Abe, has said only the people of Rivers State would

determine who becomes the next governor of the state and not the incumbent, Governor Nyesom Wike.

Abe, who made the assertion

at the weekend, insisted that the future of Rivers State was more important to the people of the state than the pleasure of any individual.

He pointed out that the governor

had on several occasions said the people of the state would decide his successor, therefore, he should not change his position by imposing a governor to the people in 2023.

"If the President of Nigeria, who is more powerful than the governor cannot decide who will be the next president to succeed him, then the governor of Rivers

Banning Okada, Artisanal Miners will Deepen Poverty, Insecurity, Says AAN Michael Olugbode in Abuja ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), has warned the federal government against planned ban of commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, as well as mining activities in a bid to stem the rising insecurity across the country, insisting that the decision would further aggravate poverty in the country, A statement by the nongovernmental organisation (NGO) yesterday lamented that the planned nationwide ban on commercial

motorcycles, as well as illegal mining activities by the federal government in a bid to stem the rising insecurity across the country, as hinted by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, last week, would further deepen the multi-dimensional poverty index if measures were not taken to address the population involved.

ActionAid, while agreeing that placing a ban on the use of motorcycles and mining activities might cut the supply of logistics and source of funds for the purchase of

ICPC Arraigns Deputy High Court Registrar over Fraud Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Mrs. Nkem Apollonia Mba for alleged involvement in fraudulent activities.

Mba was docked on a threecount charge before Justice Leteem Nyordee of the Federal High Court 12, Port Harcourt, for offences bordering on abuse of office and corrupt demand of gratification by a public officer.

One of the counts revealed that the Deputy Chief Registrar received a kickback of N500,000 through her bank account from the purchase of Automotive Gas Oil popularly known as diesel and other products.

She, however, argued that the money was her two per cent entitlement according to Order 16 of the Admiralty Jurisdiction (Procedure Rule) 2011.

The court held that her offence contravened Section 10 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and was punishable under relevant sections of the same Act. The accused pleaded “not guilty” when the charge was read to her.

Consequently, her counsel, S. Somiari applied for bail praying the court to grant her bail on liberal terms.

arms to the terrorists, said while this is being contemplated in national interest to combat insecurity, there must be well thought-out alternatives to lessen the effects of the attendant loss of livelihoods on the people that will be affected.

“Regardless of the means being considered for the proposed ban on Okada riders, artisanal and small-scale miners, it must be implemented in a way that will not further worsen the country’s dire economic situation. A World Bank report has already noted that the number of poor persons in Nigeria will rise to 95.1 million in 2022.

“The number of poor people was 89.0 million in 2020. This means that over 6.1 million more persons would have fallen into the poverty bracket between 2020 and 2022, a

6.7% increase. With the projected 2022 figures, the number of poor persons in Nigeria has had a fouryear increase of 14.7% from the 2018/19 figure of 82.1 million to the projected 95.1 million in 2022,” the NGO stated.

ActionAid, in the statement, lamented that in Nigeria, the poverty rate has been aided by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the growing population, the high level of inflation, which stood at 18.6% as of June 2022 and the harsh effects of the Ukraine-Russia warfare.

It insisted that, “This development is coming after the Nigerian government said it lifted 10.5 million Nigerians out of poverty between 2019 and 2021. Though the President has repeatedly said that the Bank of Industry has created nine million jobs in the country since 2015, and

different schemes to create jobs and tackle poverty in the country have been launched, these have failed to stem the tide of poverty in the country.”

The statement said the claim of the Attorney General that, “If you are talking of banning motorcycles, for example, I think the number of people using these motorcycles is not up to 20 per cent of the Nigerian population,” is not tenable against the backdrop that this represents a significant segment of the population whose condition will be worsened, because Nigeria continues to battle issues such as food inflation, rising unemployment, the rising cost of living among other economic challenges, and these issues are responsible for why more people are falling into the poverty net.

State will not decide who will succeed him.

"That issue will be decided by the people of Rivers State. And let me also quote the governor himself; he has said on different occasions that he will allow the people of Rivers State to decide his successor and I know him as a man of his word.

"I believe that he will do everything possible to create an atmosphere in which those who are interested in succeeding him regardless of their political party will have a fair chance to contest,” he said.

Abe expressed the optimism that he has very bright chances of winning the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State, considering the fact that he has never lost in any election in the state before.

"What chances do I have in the state? Very bright chances.

I always win elections. I don't lose elections in Rivers State. The contest is always tense, because the contest of power is always tense but somebody must win,” he said.

ASUU STRIKE: LABOUR BEGINS PROTEST TODAY, TO COMMENCE 3-DAY WARNING FROM THURSDAY “Therefore, the general public especially, parents with children in NSUK, should hold the Nasarawa State government, governing council and university administration responsible for the consequences that may arise because of the serial non-implementation of the MoAs," Alu threatened.

Labour Protest: NECA Urges Businesses Not to Shutdown

However, ahead of today's nationwide protest, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has advised company owners and businesses not to shut down operations today and tomorrow in response to the workers' solidarity protest with the university-based workers’ unions.

In a statement signed the NECA's Deputy-Director and Head, Membership Services, Adewale Oyerinde, the association said the disruptive protest would no doubt further compound the economic fortunes of businesses and Nigerians in general.

NECA however urged its members and owners of businesses not close their offices since NLC had assured that it was holding protest and not strike.

He also advised companies to consider taking extra security

measures, should the protest be hijacked by hoodlums He said the association had engaged the leadership of the NLC on the protest.

According to him, “during our engagement, NECA emphasised that while the continued closure of the universities is a serious cause for concern to all stakeholders, a disruptive protest, no doubt, will further compound the economic fortunes of businesses and Nigerians in general.

"We, therefore, wish to inform you that the NLC leadership affirmed that the protest would be a peaceful rally and not a strike, which should not lead to business closure. Affiliate unions of the NLC are expected to mobilise some personnel to join the protest for the two days, while normal business activity is expected to continue in all enterprises.”

Lalong Directs Security Agents to Crackdown on Protesters in Plateau

However, Plateau state government has issued a stern warning against the planned protest in the state, putting security agents on the alert to crackdown on protesters.

The government said it would not fold its hands and watch the

state plunged into chaos by the labour unions.

The warning was part of a statement signed by the state Commissioner of Information, Mr. Dan Manjang.

The statement read: "The attention of the Plateau State Government is being drawn to the directive by the National Headquarters of the NLC mobilising State Chapters to join its planned protest in solidarity with the ongoing ASUU scheduled for Tuesday 26th July 2022.

"While the state government is aware that workers have a right to air their grievances, the state however wishes to remind them that the ban on any form of procession under whatever guise is still in force in Plateau State.

"It is in this light therefore, that the state government wishes to advise against the holding of the planned protest as it will be in contravention of the existing ban.

"The government thereby advises that such decision if contemplated by the state chapter of the NLC be rescinded in the interest of peace and security of Plateau.

"This is more so that government will not fold its arms and watch our hard earned peace currently being enjoyed across the state jeorpardized in an event that such solidarity

protest is hijacked by hoodlums for pecuniary and other negative purposes."

While directing the office of the Head of Civil Service to dialogue with labour and its officials in the state, the statement also warned that Lalong has directed the security agencies to be on alert in an event of any eventuality and also ensure compliance with the relevant ban that prohibits such procession.

Ortom Urges Benue University to Consider Students’ Plight, End Strike

Also, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has asked the ASUU, Benue State University (BSU) branch to call off the ongoing sympathy strike with the national body.

He noted that the sympathy strike had gone beyond the allowed three days and appealed to the lecturers to return back to the classroom in the interest of Benue children.

The governor who spoke in Makurdi, while reacting to appeals by parents and students on the striking lectures to call off the sympathy strike noted that he had ensured the prompt payment of the salaries of the striking lecturers despite the strike, lamenting that their action was already taking its

toll on the students and parents.

The governor said: “I have been paying their salaries; I don’t know why the lecturers are extending their sympathy strike beyond the allowed days. Even at that I am still paying them.

“Ordinarily there shouldn’t be any strike at the Benue State University at least they wouldn’t have gone beyond the days allowed for sympathy strike.

“So it is either they come back or I will stop paying them and I will use the resources for something else. What I give to BSU monthly is over N600 million and they should appreciate what we are doing in that institution.

“I have been doing that monthly, so I am appealing to them to return back to classroom. I have been patient enough and I am allowing them one month do a rethink. I also urge stakeholders to talk to them.”

When contacted, the ASUU-BSU Chapter Chairman, Dr. Tarnongu Kwaghfan said the state government was yet to pay their June salaries.

Kwaghfan said: “We have our own local issues which we have raised and the governor is also aware of these our local issues. So, if he says he is not owing salaries, but if then, June has not been paid.

TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

29

NEWS

Two Arrested for Killing Policemen in Delta Sylvester Idowu in Warri Two suspects have been arrested in connection with killings of three policemen at Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government area of Delta State last Sunday.

The suspects were apprehended between Sunday night and early hours of yesterday by detectives deployed on the trail of the killers.

Security sources told THISDAY yesterday that detectives were confident in tracking down the fleeing killers and retrieve the two AK 47 rifles carted away.

“We have arrested two persons suspected to be members of the gang that attacked and killed our policemen. Detectives are on the trail of others based on the intelligence gathered so far.

“Very soon, the remaining killers and the rifles will be recovered. There are enough evidence nailing those behind the dastardly act and we will get them soon”, he said.

Gunmen, suspected to

be members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had at about 3.40 am last Sunday killed three policemen at Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government area of the State.

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has approved the appointment of seven new permanent secretaries to fill some of the vacant positions that existed in the state civil service.

The new Permanent Secretaries are: Jibrin Sanda Alhaji, Ali Gloria Eriawata, Ujah Hannah Ilemona, Oloruntoba Iyabo Elizabeth, Muhammed Kassim Imam, Yakubu Suleiman Aliu, and Itodo

Moghalu was Professor of Practice in International Business and Public Policy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, USA. He has also lectured at Harvard University, University of Oxford, Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, and the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He was an Oxford Martin Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford for thzzze Michaelmas Term of 2021.

Joseph Daniel.

The state Head of Service, Mrs. Hannah Odiyo, who thank the governor for approving the appointments, which she noted are based on merit, fairness and competence, the hallmark of the present administration.

Odiyo urged the newly appointed permanent secretaries to justify immense confidence reposed in them by being dedicated to duties and loyal to the administration of Governor Bello.

Kumuyi to Organise Crusade in Ikorodu Ijeoma Okonji As part of his world evangelisation programme, renowned international evangelist, Pastor William Kumuyi, is billed to organise a crusade at Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The crusade is coming under the auspices of the Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK).

According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK),

Pastor, Edison Daminabo, the crusade is scheduled to hold from Thursday, July 28 to 02 August 02, at Lagos State University of Science and Technology (formerly known as LASPOTECH) in Ikorodu, Lagos and would be streamed live globally through satellite and other social media platforms.

The crusade comes with the theme: ‘Total Emancipation by the Authority of Christ’ and is the second to be hosted in Lagos since the start of the series. “

Buhari Commiserates with Appeal Court President over Son’s Death Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, over the death of her son, Prince Paeke Dongban.

In a condolence message sent to Justice Dongban-Mensem yesterday, President Buhari

Corporal Perekedo Unene while Bassey Wisdom, rank yet to be identified, sustained fatal injuries and is receiving treatment.

Delta State Commissioner of Police, Ari Mohammed

confirmed that two suspects had been arrested.

He also assured that more arrests would be made noting that he has deployed more undercover personnel after the killers.

L-R: Research and Communications Officer, One Africa Initiative(OAI), Anwulika Onwudinjo; Founder, OAI and Managing Director/CEO, New Horizons Systems Solution Limited, Tim Akano; Senior Lecturer, Computer Science, University of Lagos, Roselyn Isimeto; Visual Designer, OAI, Faith Oni; Executive Assistant to MD, New Horizons, Blessing Mamakelechi, and Professor of Geopolitics and International Business in IPAG Business School, Paris, France, Emmanuel Igah, when Igah paid a courtesy visit to OAI headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos…recently

Kogi Gov Appoints Seven New Permanent Secretaries IbrahimOyewaleinLokoja

that some vigilance men were attacked by gunmen.

The three deceased policemen were identified as Eke Francis, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP); Inspector Joshua Akengbo and

PROMOTING AFRICAN INTEGRATION...

Moghalu to Deliver Babcock University 2022 Convocation Lecture President of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET) and a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, will deliver the Babcock University 2022 Convocation Lecture, the university has announced.

The convocation lecture, titled, “Knowledge, Vision, Passion and Innovation in the Context of Nigeria’s Development”, will take place tomorrow, July 27 2022 at the Babcock University Amphitheatre in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State at 10 am.

Another policeman was critically injured and receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the area.

The police men were ambushed and killed while responding to a distressed call

described the death of the young mathematician as tragic.

He said:”I am deeply saddened to learn about the sudden demise of your worthy son Paeke. With his passing away, a promising public career has been tragically cut short. In this hour of grief, our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and the entire people of Plateau State”.

Peter Obi: I will Defend Myself against Attackers The Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, yesterday asked his supporters to allow him to personally respond to any candidate å speaks about him.

This is just as Obi reacted to the statement credited to the former vice President, and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

In a tweet yesterday Obi asked his supporters to

concentrate on promoting their vision of making Nigeria a better country.

He said: “I most sincerely appreciate all my supporters and those of LP. I love you all,” the former Anambra governor tweeted. I wish to appeal to you to allow me to personally respond to any candidate that makes comments about me while you concentrate on issues to promote our cause of moving our dear Nigeria from

consumption to production, create jobs, and generally evolve a better Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Obi has said that Atiku should expect another miracle from him in the next year’s general elections.

Atiku had on Friday asked Nigerians not to expect any miracle from Obi, noting that the indices of Osun election have measured the strength of Obi’s party.

“What is the performance of

the Labour Party? This is a party that does not have a governor; doesn’t have members of the national assembly; doesn’t have state assembly members.

“Politics in this country depends on the structures you have at these various levels – at the local government level; at the state level; and at the national level. So, it is very very difficult to expect a miracle to happen simply because Peter Obi is in the Labour Party,” Atiku said.

Zulum Gives N172m, Food to 30,436 Residents Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

Borno State Governor, Prof.

Babagana Zulum, yesterday gave out about N172 million cash and food items to 30,436 residents of Damboa.

A statement by the Spokesman of the Governor, Mr. Isa Gusau, said that Zulum personally coordinated the distribution of cash and food items to the people

of the town, including victims of destructions caused by flood.

Gusau said that a total of 436 persons were identified as victims who lost shelters and food items to floods caused by a recent downpour, which led to destruction of many houses and left some families displaced.

After he was informed by the Chairman of Damboa Local Government Area, Professor

Adamu Alloma, of the destruction caused by the flood, Zulum directed that each of the 436 victims be given N50,000 cash, a bag of maize grill, clothing materials and a mat.

He empathised with the affected persons, but urged residents to desist from building houses along waterways to forestall future occurrences.

The governor also supervised

the distribution of N5,000 each and fabrics to 30,000 residents majority of whom are widows, vulnerable women and men from different communities.

The governor, during his visit to the area, also toured communities in Hausari, Old Damboa Market and Kachallaburari since arriving Damboa on Sunday afternoon before passing night in the town.

Police Inspector, Suspected Kidnapper Die in Gun Duel in Osun Suspected kidnappers on Sunday at Aruwa Village, Ifewara in Osun, attacked a vehicle conveying two expatriates working for a mining company, killing a Police Inspector attached to company.

The gunmen also carted away the rifle and ammunition of the slain police officer.

This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Osogbo by SP Yemisi Opalola, Public Relation Officer

of the Police Command in Osun, who confirmed the incident.

The Police said it lost a police Inspector when suspected kidnappers attacked their vehicle they were travelling in at Aruwa Village Ifewara, Atakumosa West Local Government Area of the state.

Opalola said that the gunmen, suspected to be kidnappers, attacked the police vehicle at about 8.10 a.m., but the police

team, comprising a sergeant and two inspectors, returned fire and killed a member of the suspected kidnap gang.

“At about 9.00a.m, one Insp Lato Abson of MOPOL 32 Squadron, Ebonyi State, attached to E C Ice Resources Nigeria Limited, reported at Ifewara Police Division that some suspected kidnappers opened fire on their vehicle.

“Lato explained that at about

8.10a.m., when they closed from night duty from their mining site located at Aruwa Village near Ifewara, himself, one Insp Peter Sorrow and a sergeant of the same squadron, were in a vehicle with two white men and their driver when the suspects opened fire on their vehicle.

“And during the attack, Insp Peter Sorrow was killed and his rifle and ammunition carted away by the suspects.

Be Wary of Political Buccaneers, Wike’s Aide Warns Rivers People Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt The Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, Emeka Woke, has advised the people of the state, especially eligible voters to be wary of political buccaneers and fraudsters, whose stock in trade, according to him, is to deceive

people for selfish monetary gains during electioneering period.

This is as Woke berated Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe for making alleged unsubstantiated claims that Governor Wike’s administration has not executed any project in the state.

Woke stated these while speaking at the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI)

sensitisation and mobilisation rally for the continuous Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) registration exercise held at Saint Paul’s state School Field, Rumuji in Emohua Local Government Area of the state.

The Chief of Staff said: “We are not playing politics, but we will not allow the buccaneers and 419 people to deceive Rivers

people. Time has come again, those who have disappeared in the last four years are beginning to reappear again, but we will not give them that space.

“People like Anabs Sara-Igbe, who is always coming every four years, will come as a mafia messenger and at some other time, he will come as PANDEF whatever.

Fire Destroys Goods Worth Millions of Naira in Kwara Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Property worth over N8million were yesterday razed by inferno at the Alanamu market in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The fire incident, according to eyewitness, was noticed around

4 a.m., and affected more than eight shops.

During the incident, according to THISDAY checks, loaded goods in the market like clothes, showing machines, refrigerators, soft drinks and other materials were burnt.

Sources said the inferno was

put under control by men of the state fire service.

Confirming the incident yesterday, the Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, said there was no one in the market when the fire started, adding that it was a bike man who saw the

inferno and quickly summoned the state fire service to rescue the situation.

According to him, “Firemen did everything possible to immediately stop the spread of the fire to other shops, and subsequently extinguished the fire.

TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSXTRA

One Killed as Gunmen Attack Police Station in Ondo Fidelis David in Akure Unknown gunmen in the early hours of yesterday attacked Okuta Elerinla Police Division in Akure, the Ondo State Capital, and killed a police inspector who was on duty.

The reason for the attack was yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing in this report.

The Spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Ms. Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident and said that investigation has commenced into the attack.

Odunlami said: “Policemen who were at alert and alive to their duty repelled them accordingly and the miscreants were unable to gain entrance into the station.

“During the cross fire, one of our gallant station guards AP.207538 0INSPR, Temenu Boluwaji, was hit by a bullet.

He later died on his way to the hospital.

The Commissioner of Police, CP. Oyeyemi Adesoye Oyediran, has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to take over the case and ensure that the

perpetrators are arrested.

“He (Oyediran) is also using this medium to encourage the people of the state to go about their lawful duty without fear, as the days of these criminals are numbered,” she added.

The Ondo State Commander

of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Mr. Mumuni Raji, has said that no fewer than 154 drug offenders have been arrested while 46 were convicted and sentenced to various jail terms in the state between January and June 2022.

Raji stated this while speaking with journalists in Akure.

He said: “We have successfully convicted 46 from January to June in 2022 and are serving various jail terms. We see it as a great development. We arrested 154 drug offenders in the state. This

is worrisome because by the end of last year 2021, we only arrested 80 offenders.

“Among those arrested were 28 females, while 126 were males.

There were cases of some parents who voluntarily brought their children for rehabilitation.

“Sometimes we engage the services medical practitioners and Psychiatrists from the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Owo, to bring in their professional angle and this is because some of the drug addicts come with mental cases.

RCCG BREAKTHROUGH CONFERENCE. . .

L-R: Assistant Pastor in Charge of Province 25 (APICP), Administration, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG),Pastor Kunle Adegoke; Guest Speaker/ Regional Elder, Region 31, Pastor Pitan Adeboye; Pastor In Charge of Lagos Province 25, Pastor Debo Akande; and APICP Corporate Social Responsibility, Pastor Gbenga Mayungbe, at the annual breakthrough conference of RCCG Lagos Province 25, held in Lagos recently ETOPUKUTT

Security: Anambra Community Delta Determined to Enhance Justice Delivery through Reforms, Says Bozimo Abolishes Youth Activities Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Nteje community in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State has banned youth activities to curb restiveness and insecurity within the area.

The Caretaker Chairman of Nteje Development Union (NDU), Mr. Chidiebele Obika, stated this during a combined community meeting.

Obika also abolished indiscriminate sale of land in the community as monies realised

from such sales was the cause of laziness among most of its youths.

He said: “We are pained by the state of insecurity in Nteje community today, and we have gathered here to take steps to correct some of the things that have been causing it.”

Recently, soldiers invaded the community on the excuse of looking for criminals called unknown gunmen, and about six youths were said to have been killed.

FCTA Demolishes 20 Illegal Corner Shops in Utako Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished over 20 illegal corner shops that were straddling the road side and obstructing the traffic along Tunde Idiagbon Way, Utako, Abuja.

The Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Mr. Umar Shuaibu, said yesterday while addressing journalists during the demolition exercise that the traffic

and illegal activities on the stretch was unacceptable.

Shuaibu said: “Unfortunately there was an illegal allocation not by constituted authority to build a market outside the park, which is generating all these tensions. We have been on this matter for a very longtime, for so many years, and we have given them notice so many times but up till now these people didn’t comply. The last one was given and we followed all the necessary processes.

Buhari Appoints Biu as Acting FRSC Corps Marshal President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr. Dauda Biu, as the Acting Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), following the retirement of Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi.

Oyeyemi said this when he handed over to Biu at the FRSC headquarters yesterday in Abuja.

This is contained in a statement by the Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO) Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Bisi Kazeem on Monday in Abuja.

Oyeyemi said that Biu’s appointment took effect from July 24 and wished him a successful tenure as he assumed office.

The Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Isaiah Bozimo, has said reforms initiated by the state Ministry of Justice are tailored towards engendering better justice delivery in the state.

Bozimo stated this while speaking on a state television programme: ‘Justice Hour’, which was monitored in Asaba,

the state capital.

Due to certain observed gaps in the Administration of Criminal Justice and Civil Justice System, the ministry initiated a process involving inviting inputs from stakeholders that included “members of the legal profession, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations and nongovernmental bodies” into the needed changes in justice delivery, he explained.

The state attorney-general, who noted that the inputs of the different stakeholders “will impact positively on the proposed reforms on Administration of Criminal Law,” added that the reforms were geared towards effective case management.

He stated that when the proposed reforms were finally implemented, they would accelerate justice delivery system in the state.

Nevertheless, Bozimo lauded the recent judgement of the Federal High Court Asaba in favour of the Delta State Government on the N150 billion bridging finance facility obtained by the state government, noting that “all legal requirements and documentations comprising the purpose and mode of repayment of the loan were properly stipulated by the state government before obtaining the facility.”

Military Nabs Five Gun Runners, Kidnappers in Plateau The Defence Headquarters said the troops of Operation Safe Haven have nabbed three suspected gun runners and two kidnappers in different parts of Plateau.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, said this in a statement yestderday in Abuja.

Onyeuko said the troops had

on July 24 apprehended three gun runners during a clearance operation at Shimakar village in Shendam Local Government Area of the state.

He named the suspects as Mr. Julius Simon (alias Bagga) (37); Mr. Wolta Zambai (45) and Mr. Iliya Peter (alias Doubok) (27).

According to him, the suspects are currently

undergoing investigation.

Onyeuko said the troops on same day nab the two kidnappers identified as Alhaji Musa Usman (27) and Adam Mohammed (25) at Barkin Ladi.

He said the suspects confessed to have carried out several kidnapping activities in the general area, including the kidnap of one Mr Jeremiah

Elijah (6) on July 21, adding that the suspects are in troops custody undergoing further interrogation.

“The Military high command commends troops of Operation Safe Haven and encourages the general public to avail troops with credible and timely information on criminal activities,” he said.

Police Arraign Two for Raping three Minors in Kwara Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The Kwara State Police Command yesterday arraigned a 67 year old man, Saadu Alabi and AbdulGaniyu Haruna, who allegedly raped three underage students of a Community Junior Secondary School in Ilorin at several occasions.

The suspects were dragged

before Magistrate O.A Idiagbon for having sexual intercourse with minors who are all twelve years old under the disguise of helping them to do invisible charm, (Afeeri).

According to the police report, the matter was reported by a member of International Federal of Women Lawyer (FIDA), Ms. Anthonia Erinfolami, who

claimed that Abdulganiyu who lives in the same area with one of the victims, had carnal knowledge of her in his room on several occasions.

The Prosecutor, Mr. Abdullahi Sanni, informed the court of the motion exparte attached to the police report, urging the magistrate to grant the prayers contained in the motion by

ordering the suspects’ remand.

Counsel to the Suspects, Mr. Usman Omotosho, said that the court could only take cognisance of the matter but could not try it for lack of jurisdiction.

Magistrate Idiagbon, in his short ruling ordered the remand of the suspect in Oke Kura Custodial Centre till the August 4, 2022.

Ekiti Retirees Angry, Urge Fayemi to Declare Emergency on Pensions Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Sequel to government’s indifference to pay backlog of pension, gratuity and deduction arrears, the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti chapter, has called on Governor Kayode Fayemi, to immediately declare a state of emergency on all pension benefits.

The NUP added that it sounds

incredible that the government was owing N37.5 billion gratuity arrears of retirees, saying the N100 million being released monthly to defray the backlog should be jacked up to N500 million to accommodate their needs.

At a press conference in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, the Chairman of NUP, Mr. Joel Akinola, revealed that an aggregate of 587 pensioners are either dead or bedridden in

Ekiti due to infirmity suffered as a result of incapacity to get the required treatments for their ailments.

Akinola, who raised concern over enthusiasm displayed by government to pay the severance packages of Fayemi’s sacked aides, urged the governor to pay their benefits alongside in the spirit of equity, justice and fair-play.

In spite of the resentment

expressed by the pensioners over unpaid benefits, Akinola, however, applauded Fayemi over regular payment of monthly pension of retirees, saying this had rescued them from turning into beggars.

“In view of the huge gratuity debt owed by government, the union is suggesting that the state government should declare a state of emergency on payment of terminal benefits of pensioner.

Court’s judgment.

OAN initiated an admiralty action in 2006 against the Vessel MT “Ocean Success” and Master of the Vessel MT “Ocean Success” and Bronwen Energy Trading Limited (BETL) in which it claimed the sum of $1,986,939.97 as outstanding debt against BETL

for port and cargo dues, ships’ charges and agency fees, as well as interest.

The money included the principal sum claimed by it plus interest which Ecobank undertook to pay when it issued a bank guarantee to secure OAN’s claims.

Ecobank, in order to secure the

claims of OAN at the Federal High Court, issued a bank guarantee, numbered EBN/1346 on December 1, 2006, in favour of OAN Overseas Agency for $1.9million or whatever sum that may be adjudged by the Federal High Court and appellate courts on behalf of BETL.

FG Procures Six Attack Helicopters from Turkey Firm Demands Compliance with Judgement on $4.5m Bank Guarantee company by the federal Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Chief Executive Officer of TUSAS, a Turkish aircraft manufacturer, Mr Temel Kotil, yesterday announced the sale six of T-129 attack helicopters, to Nigeria.

The announcement followed a deal reached with the

government.

Kotil made the announcement on his Twitter handle.

President Tayipp Edorgan of Turkey recently visited Nigeria.

Government had recently procured A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets from the United States.

Wale Igbintade

A shipping company, OAN Overseas Agency Nigeria Limited (OAN), has approached the federal High Court in Lagos to demand for the payment of the sum of $4,581,774.86 in compliance with a Supreme

31

TUESDAY, ͺ;˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Amusan: My Father Once Burnt My Training Kits to Stop Me from Sports

Femi Solaja with agency report Oluwatobiloba Amusan, Nigeria’s world record holder and world champion in the 100m hurdles, has recalled how her father once burnt her training gear to stop her from participating in sports.

The 25-year-old Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State-born sprint hurdler entered record books early hours of Monday when within a spate of two hours set two world records in the women’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA. First, in the semi final, Amusan ran an astonishing race from the block to clock 12.12secs new world record. It obliterated the previous record of 12.20secs held by USA’s Kendra Harrison since 2016. In the final, Amusan smoked the entire field of eminent hurdlers in another world record of 12.06secs. However, she was denied this new time as the +2.5 m/s tailwind was above the legally accepted +2.0 m/s.

But while speaking with reporters in the mixed zone shortly after going into history books as first Nigerian to win a Worlds gold medal, Amusan insisted her dad never supported her track career.

"My parents are both teachers, they are strict disciplinarians," Amusan told BBC Sport Africa.

"When you grow up in such a

W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P S FA L LO U T family, they feel you should focus on school. And being a female, they think you are going to go astray, lose focus and all of that.

"But because my mum saw what I didn't see (in) myself, she felt she could give me a chance.

And she kept telling me not to disappoint her.

"My mum would tell my dad I was going to church while I sneaked to practice or tell him I was going to a school debate while I went to an out-of-state competition. That's where it all started.

"My dad got really mad one time when he found out (I was running). He burnt all my training gear and told my mum that's the last time he wanted to see me in a stadium,” observed Amusan whose track career started at her alma mater, Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu-Ode. Fast forward several years, and tears of joy flowed freely as Amusan stood on the top step of the podium at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on a historic day for Nigeria, which saw the country's national anthem played at the World Athletics Championships for the first time ever since 1983 the country’s athletes started participating in the competition.

"It has not sunk in yet, maybe the magnitude of what just happened it will hit me later," she said.

"I go out there and put 100% in every championship and it's just never enough. Every time it's a fourth-place finish.

"Then this time my 100% is not only a gold medal but a world record. Trusting myself just made everything easier. I'm thankful to the man above for keeping me healthy.

When God says it's your time, it's your time."

Her father may have doubted her, but Amusan has always had plenty of belief in her own ability.

Back in November 2016 she tweeted:“Unknown now but soon I will be unforgettable, I will persist until I succeed." That message has remained pinned to the top of her social media profile and provides a summary of her rise to glory in Eugene.

Amusan recalled how her hurdles career started by accident.

"I used to be on the soccer team, but I would be all over the place on the pitch," Amusan said.

"My coach suggested I go try out on the track team and I became the fastest girl on the team, and that's how I got on the school relay team."

She went on to make the national squad for the 2013 Africa Youth Games in Nigeria, but she missed out on a place on the relay team and went on to win a bronze in the long jump instead.

Competing over hurdles was another unexpected switch in Amusan's journey to stardom, and is where she would truly break through on the senior stage.

"The officials were always picking who they wanted in the relay team. Sometimes they would say I didn't have the experience so they would pick whoever was their favourite," she explained.

"It was a lot of pressure on a young athlete. I considered quitting.

I really wanted to travel with the senior national team and some coaches told me to try the hurdles."

She had to overcome doubts from officials in Nigerian athletics before picking up her first senior hurdles title at the African Games in Congo-Brazzaville in 2015.

"The typical Nigerian approach is to make you feel like you cannot make it," she said.

"I wasn't expected to medal at those Games. There were so many voices saying I couldn't but I used that to show that I could - and that title changed my life.

"That's how I got a scholarship to the United States. I can say that's really when my athletics career began. I never dreamt of going to the United States. I just wanted to run fast and be one of the Nigerian greats."

Since moving to attend the University of Texas, El Paso, Amusan has not looked back.

She won gold in the 100m hurdles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, and later the same year took her first African Senior Athletics Championships title on home soil in Asaba.

Yet at major global events, she

would agonisingly miss out on medals - finishing fourth at the World Championships in Doha three years ago and then again in Tokyo last year.

"2019 was tough because I remember running the fastest time in the qualification rounds, around the same time in the semi-finals and the same time in the final," she said.

"I ran so fast but wasn't fast enough to get a medal. I was broken, I was devastated. That was one of the most horrible experiences.

"I moved on, and then came the Tokyo Olympics. Things just crumbled a month before when I strained my hamstring at practice."

The newly-minted world champion and record holder who also picked up a cheque for $100,000 for her blistering showing in Oregon - will now defend her Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham.

Given Amusan's starting success, her father will surely embrace her achievements soon.

...Michael Johnson Faces Backlash for Questioning Amusan's World Record Track legend Michael Johnson has been accused of 'black racism' after questioning whether Nigerian sprinter Tobi Amusan's world record was valid.

The 100m hurdler smashed Kendra Harrison's 2016 world record by 0.08 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon Sunday.

BBC pundit Johnson, who claimed four Olympic golds and eight World Championship golds in a stellar track career, was skeptical of the times clocked by Amusan and others.

“I don't believe 100h times are correct. World record broken by .08! 12 PBs set. 5 National records set. And Cindy Sember quote after her PB/NR 'I throughly I was running slow!' All athletes looked shocked (sic).

“Heat 2 we were first shown winning time of 12.53. Few seconds later it shows 12.43. Rounding down by .01 is normal. .10 is not,” queried the legendary track king.

Amusan became world champion in an even faster 12.06secs time later in the day at Hayward Field but the time did not count toward records due to a hefty +2.5 m/s tailwind.

Johnson has been accused of being racist for casting doubt over the accuracy of Amusan's world record time of 12.12 seconds.

A Twitter user responded to Johnson's comments, writing: “Michael Johnson are you naturally this dumb or do you have to put in effort?

“Why don't you channel your energy to recovering from your stroke you Black racist!

“Tobi Amusan is a world record holder and there's nothing you can do about that.”

Another said: “Just because it's not an American WR doesn't mean the times were incorrect,” while one added: “Did you question the

record when an American break the record?” another Twitter user claimed Johnson might have been seeking revenge after USA were stripped of the 4x400m Olympic title in Sydney 2000 and Nigeria took gold instead.

“The US 4x400m team that had Michael Johnson was stripped of the Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medal because Antonio Pettigrew confessed that he doped during the competition,” the Tweet read.

“The Nigerian team was eventually awarded the gold medal. Do you understand his bitterness now?”

Johnson branded the backlash he received as 'unacceptable' and pointed out that he did not only question Amusan's time.

He wrote later on his Twitter account: “The level of dumbassery coming across my feed right now is truly staggering!

“As a commentator my job is to comment. In questioning the times of 28 athletes (not 1 athlete) by wondering if the timing system malfunctioned.

“I was attacked, accused of racism, and of questioning the talent of an athlete I respect and predicted to win. Unacceptable.

I move on.”

REWARD FOR HARD WORK....

Oluwatobiloba Amusan displaying the $100,000 bonus awarded to her for breaking the women’s 100m hurdles world record early hours of Monday at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA

NWFL Shocked by Club Owners Association's Purported Elections The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) has expressed shock on the letter written by the Club Owners Association, dated July 22, 2022 to inform the secretariat of the NWFL on their purported elective meeting on July 21, 2022.

In a letter signed by the NWFL

Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, to the Chairperson of Delta Queens Football Club of Asaba, in response to the letter titled “Re:Introduction of new Executive Council members of the NWFL Club Owners Association”, reads: “I have been directed by the Chairperson

of the Nigeria Women Football League to inform you that, the process of elections into office of the Executive Council of the Club Owners Association of the NWFL, as you are aware includes notification of the NWFL Secretariat, so that it can perform it's statutory right to

AFA Sports, SPAR Team up for Sports Kit Distribution African biggest indigenous sports apparel brand, AFA Sports, has partnered African retail giants, SPAR, to help in showcasing AFA Sports products across SPAR locations nationwide.

The rollout of AFA Sports made-in-Nigeria products and Afrileisure line will launch immediately in major cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Enugu with more locations coming up soon.

The Chief Executive Officer of AFA Sports, Ugo Udezue, said at the weekend, that “This is a part of our company’s methodical approach to reaching more customers, while enhancing their production and supply chains.”

And in a statement SPAR apparel wrote, "We are excited about the opportunity to work with an indigenous and made-in-Nigeria brand with

international standards. The potential is incredible.”

AFA Sports was founded in 2016 with just one store in Lagos and since then, has taken the African sports apparel brand to greater heights by being the first African brand in the Olympics. This great feat was achieved with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as AFA Sports was the official partner to the Nigerian contingent.

The sports and leisure kits company launched out internationally when it became apparel provider for Africa’s number one women’s basketball team, D’Tigress going with the 2017 AfroBasket in Mali. Since then they have partnered many other Nigerian and African teams including the Nigeria Police hockey team to the last African club championship in Accra.

monitor the process and conduct of the election.

"Please note that NWFL has no evidence that the election of the Executive Council of the NWFL that you reportedly held followed this process."

The letter continued : "The NWFL refers you to the process that produced the Executive Council that was duly elected in Enugu in 2020.

“The NWFL monitored and supervised that election and the Executive Council from the Enugu election is the one the NWFL recognises until the due process of conducting a proper election is followed and the NWFL notified to monitor the process.

"Accept the assurances of our regards," the letter signed by the Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Women Football League, Modupe Shabi, concluded.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

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MISSILE

Obasanjo to Youths

“My advice for Nigerian youths is to never let anybody tell you that you are the leaders of tomorrow. If you wait for tomorrow before you take over leadership, that tomorrow may not come. They will destroy it. This is the time youths get up and make it happen” --- Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, challenged Nigerian youths to take over power from corrupt leaders.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

2023: Politics Without Ideas I

am concerned, but not shocked in any way, that the most prominent reaction to the interview that Arise News conducted last week with the Presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has been sheer tittle-tattle about location, and format and silly ego games. It is a measure of the confusion in the land, and the failure to focus on ideas and concrete issues. The big problem that we face in this country, six months to the 2023 general election is the obsession with minutiae and the irrelevant. This must be considered a national tragedy considering the challenges before us. Thousands, if not millions of young Nigerians burn hours on the social media/internet abusing persons engaged in productive work, while they idle away in their ignorance and obscurantism. Times like this call for a greater deployment of time and intelligence, because Nigeria indeed, now more than before in the last two decades, stands at the brink of a precipice. But alas, Nigeria is saddled with a growing generation of idlers who think that their lives are enriched by pulling down others. But while these ordinary, eponymously anonymous persons need not detain serious minded persons from forging ahead, it must be noted that the emergent political elite is not in any way better. Its members are worse in terms of intellect, capacity, and character. This forces us to ask that question again: what a country!

Or as the sage, Chinua Achebe, put it: “There was a country!”. The race to 2023 is a painful reminder of how the biggest tragedy that has befallen Nigeria is the absence of ideas, the collapse of good reason, and the brazen triumph of mediocrity and selective amnesia.

My concern is this: what is the central election issue as Nigeria prepares for the 2023 general elections?

Where is that consensus that propels a nation? It is six months to Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, can anyone put his or her finger on any big issues of direct relevance within the context of the Constitution and the people’s expectations? I will address these same questions anon. But to get an idea of my drift, I would like to draw attention to what is currently going on in Britain. There is a bitter, blue-on-blue acrimonious fight for the seat of the Prime Minister of the UK within the ruling Conservative Party. The battle began with Prime Minister Boris Johnson losing the support and confidence of members of his own party and even if he survived two confidence votes, it eventually became clear that with the party-gate scandal and the abandonment of his government on the grounds of principle by many of his key persons, he had lost the support of his own party. From partygate to everything else, Boris Johnson was his own assassin. He committed political suicide, damaged his own legacy and lost the moral right to lead. The practicality of his rejection is one of the reasons why I argue that Nigeria, going forward, should consider the option of a return to a parliamentary system of government or a combination of the parliamentary and the presidential, as has been robustly canvassed in the extant literature on the subject. The Presidential system creates monarchs, and that is precisely what it does in developing economies. A parliamentary system places greater emphasis on accountability and responsibility at all levels, and the people’s voice. That is what we need. But what do we have?

Nigeria’s political process is inundated with nonsense for structural reasons and what we have is a mad-house. In the UK at the moment, there is a race to succeed Boris Johnson. There is a consensus that the Prime Minister has overstayed his welcome.

His party needs to get rid of him, to protect the party ahead of the next general elections. Boris Johnson as Prime Minister has desecrated the seat long enough.

He has resigned. He will quit on September 5. But as his party, the Tories seek to appoint a new leader and a new Prime Minister, what we see is a focus on the issues. About eleven candidates began the

race for No. 10 but after five ballots within the party the choice has been narrowed down to former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Before this Liz vs Rishi moment, it must be noted that the arguments have been about issues and the British people – what can be done to make their lot better, what can be done to reinvent the party and deliver better dividends to the people in the face of an excruciating cost of living crisis – the cost of gas is high, the NHS is in trouble, inflation is so high, the Bank of England has had to tighten rates five times, persons in England now skip meals, confronted as they are by foodflation- so, how to save the Tory party and move beyond Boris Johnson.

We have seen in that example, even if the eventual choice would be determined by a minority of about 160, 00 Tory party members, a focus on the big issues that are relevant to the people’s interests.

Human beings will ways be human, I know that, but even the personal attacks that we have seen in the Tory dog-fight: on Penny Mordaunt, on Sunak’s centrism, Liz Truss’s extreme right politics have all been within the context of ideas and ideologies. The top contestants are talking about China, immigration, national security, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, cost of living crisis, climate change, tax cuts and investments. When the British eventually make their choice at the current intra-party level, it would be a choice between definite ideas, and when they do so in a future general election, it would also be about ideas and the people’s interest.

While the British are in that mode right now, Nigeria is also looking for new leadership, from a choice of 18 political parties and Presidential candidates. Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak had their first, major, one-on-one debate at 9 pm on Monday. The debate continues today, on Tuesday. Both debates matter because the candidates are spelling out their mission and vision.

They will be watched closely and scrutinized by their publics, and whoever wins and emerges through the process would be convinced that the battle was truly won and lost as both candidates continue to slug it out on the battle-grounds. Here, in Nigeria, the candidates are not talking to the people. With the key exception of Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Omoyele Sowore of the Africa Acton Congress (AAC), who both run movements, not political parties, the other candidates are busy talking to their kind: godfathers, persons they think control Nigeria, and who can fix the election for them, and the party elite. When they remember the people, they throw

money at them, and promise to give them more money if they are elected.

Nigeria, like many developing countries of the world that jumped on the democratization scheme in the early 90s, does not understand what it means nor have the people been able to domesticate the idea of democracy. The democratic project was imposed by the West as a one-size-fits all proposition, but the many contradictions that this has thrown up is beguiling.

To use Nigeria as an example, it would be in order to say that Nigeria is not ready for democracy, certainly not in the present shape in which it is. Nigerian politicians are royalists with an undeserved sense of entitlement. They want power because power is sweet and grants a sense of control, relevance and importance. Our democracy is a democracy of terrorists, scavengers and opportunists. This is why there is a terrible gap between those at the apex and those at the base of society. Those who argue that the electorate should get their voters’ cards and make informed choices at the polls next year are all correct, and spot on, but what is anyone doing about the people’s cynicism, and the banditi-zation of Nigerian politics? In the absence of ideas and good conduct by the political elite, the people are in order to be cynical, as they have ever been, and what we see in the current lead up to Nigeria’s 2023 general election is chaotic cynicism.

Back to our original question: what are the big issues in Nigerian politics at this moment? The multiple reactions that have attended the Arise News interview with PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar simply show the lack of preparedness at the highest levels in this country. Nobody is talking about ideas. The reactions have been about peripheral issues, not ideas. Arise News sat with Atiku for a whole hour and raised issues ranging from politics to economy, relationships and other matters Nigeriana.

The Nigerian social media mob took up editorial duties that is entirely not their business as they focused on sponsored and teleguided BS and in their sponsored frenzy, they failed to look at key issues. The only exception in this regard would be in my view, Farooq Kperogi, the scholar and columnist, who resisted and cleverly avoided a habitual tendency to be unkind to other people’s efforts. He focused on bigger issues.

But what came from the other communities, that is, the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Tinubu Campaign Organization, the Obidient movement supporting Peter Obi, and the Wike Camp, were the usual diatribe about ego: my candidate is better than yours, you lied against me.

Within 48 hours, the whole thing degenerated into an ego game. Wike is threatening to talk later and reveal mountains of truth. He should stop threatening.

If he has anything to say, let him go ahead and do so forthwith. Tinubu’s people have called Atiku a liar on the subject of Muslim-Muslim ticket. Atiku says he wants Tinubu in a one-on-one, one hour debate to settle the matter once and for all. Tinubu, we are told, has a memory loss issue.

I won’t be surprised if the two candidates start talking about whose wife is more beautiful and who can still crack the best fires in the other room, or who is richer, or more energetic. The Tinubu group picked on the smallest issues in the Atiku conversation, talking about Abraham Lincoln, the politics of running mates, whereas there are more important issues about the economy, privatization, national security, education and health. The way the Nigerian process is going, nobody will talk about what concerns the people.

The politicians will share money on or before election day, and given the arrest of persons during the recent Ekiti and Osun Gubernatorial, off-cycle elections, the political bandits will find smarter ways of buying votes, and the ordinary people will find new ways of collecting electoral bribe. It is safe to say that there is no tested, effective law in place yet that addresses this challenge.

So, why are ideas no longer relevant in Nigerian politics? Most of the 18 Presidential candidates have no manifesto. For more than two weeks, the Tinubu Campaign Organization, after rejecting a document that was widely circulated threatened to release a manifesto. Nobody has seen that manifesto yet. What we see are reactions to rival political candidates on peripheral issues. More serious candidates who could have been on the ballot ironically have since been pushed out of the race. Where is Kingsley Moghalu for example? And why is Omoyele Sowore being treated like a student unionist? And why has Peter Obi been reduced to a social media sensation? Ideas, Ideas, ideas. We can’t get anything concrete. Nobody listens to ideas, because the ones that are ready to promote them are not given the opportunity to do so. Those who try to generate ideas, outside partisan boundaries, are treated badly. In 2015, it would be remembered that the APC in seeking to wrest power from the ruling PDP tried to construct its gambit around ideas: security, the economy and fight against corruption. In 2019, the ruling party sustained the same mantra and asked for an opportunity to complete what it started. In 2022/2023, the main gladiators are terribly distracted.

Yet, the major issue in Nigeria’s democracy – federal and state levels today, should be ideas and specific performance. Since the beginning of this campaign, the main candidates have discussed nothing but religion, ethnicity, personal health, clothing, and personality. The 2023 campaign has been dominated by personal ambition and expectations and trivia.

Many of the presidential candidates that have emerged do not even have manifestoes. Nobody knows what they stand for or what they intend to do, not even what they understand about the task ahead. Titles are fashionable in Nigeria. Power is desirable. The allure of position and influence is magnetic. Nigerians would jump at anything along this spectrum. They want titles, not responsibility.

This is why I think the reaction to the Arise News conversation with Atiku Abubakar veered off from the centre to the periphery. There are issues indicated in that conversation and alive in the public domain that have been conveniently ignored.

NNPC has just been unveiled as a new, commercial entity, in an industry that accounts for 80% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. What do the Presidential candidates intend to do about that?

Nigeria has a debt to revenue ratio crisis, with debt service cost exceeding revenue by about 119% per cent? The national grid continues to collapse and function epileptically. Inflation is as high as 18.6%. There is unemployment in the land. Food inflation as well. Life is so insecure, terrorists are threatening to abduct the President, Senators and Governors and either kill them or sell them into slavery, and they sound very serious about that objective. Yesterday, they even made an effort to engage the Presidential guards in Abuja. The country also faces a serious foreign exchange crisis – it is so bad that even bread makers are threatening to go on strike because they cannot access forex and raw materials. The aviation sector is down. The nation’s currency has lost everything including its integrity, the big question is how to save it. In real terms, this country is on the way to Venezuela if not Sri Lanka or Lebanon. These are important issues that should engage the attention of those who want to rule the country. But the space has been taken over by spokespersons writing platitudes and reticent candidates who piggy-back on the dominance of their parties and abdicate responsibility without negotiating the issues and a proper assessment of the chaos that is upon us. The country’s destiny seems postponed. This trend must change. Every Presidential candidate should be shown the video of yesterday’s UK Prime Ministerial debate between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.

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