THURSDAY 28TH JULY 2022

Over 80 Senators, Majority House Members Move to Impeach Buhari over Insecurity Using opposition lawmakers to speak, legislators threaten to impeach Lawan if he fails to cooperate Senate President: Security agencies must do more to stop terrorists Presidency: Your action is babyish as FG promises to bring situation under control Deji Elumoye and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja Rising above partisan politics or personal relationships, over 80

senators across political parties and a majority of House of Representatives members, yesterday, agreed to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari, if the growing insecurity

across the nation persisted beyond six weeks, being the ultimatum handed the government before the legislature shut down till September 20.

The decision was taken after their

respective closed-sessions before the commencement of plenary, presided over by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who also charged the security agencies to do more in order to

stop the terrorists and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase But the presidency last night reacted to the reported move by the Senate to commence impeachment

moves against President Buhari, and advised the senators to stop playing to the gallery like their Continued on page 12

Universities’ Closure: Labour Protest Grounds Activities in Abuja... Page 8 Thursday 28 July, 2022 Vol 27. No 9970. Price: N250

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Terrorists Continue Attacks in Kaduna Communities as Police Deny Shooting on Dantata Bridge, Ministers' Hill... Page 34

FG Responds to THISDAY’s Report, Explains ECA Depletion Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government yesterday responded to yesterday’s report by THISDAY on the depletion of the Excess Crude Account (ECA).

The THISDAY report titled, "Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account

Shrinks from $35.37m to $376,655," revealed that the balance in Nigeria’s ECA had depleted significantly.

A communiqué issued at the end of the Tuesday meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for July 2022, indicated that there was a balance

of $376,655.09 in the ECA, but did not explain why it was drawn down from the previous balance of $35.7 million.

However, responding to the THISDAY report, the federal government said the funds were used as advance payment for the

purchase of patrol vehicles for the Nigerian Navy.

In its Twitter handle, @NigeriaGov, the federal government stated: "The $35 million disbursement from the Excess Crude Account is from June 2022 and is an advance payment for the purchase of brand

new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the #NigerianNavy, as part of efforts to consolidate on maritime security gains recorded in the Gulf of Guinea.

"Earlier this year, Nigeria exited the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy List.

"Most recently, the IMB noted that there were zero actual/attempted piracy and ship-armed-robbery incidents in Nigerian waters in the first half of 2022."

Quoting the Chief of Naval Staff, Continued on page 12

Oil Theft, Petrol Subsidy, Push Nigeria’s Currency to N700/$1 in Parallel Market FG at wits end as borrowing grows, Eurobond approaches junk status Navy unwilling to halt oil theft menace as attacks reduce in gulf Nigeria’s economy to shrink further as petrol subsidy exceeds revenues from oil sales TNP, Nigeria’s 180,000 bpd pipeline dries up, worsens oil production woes Emmanuel Addeh, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos The inability of Nigeria to take advantage of rising international oil prices due to massive oil theft, skyrocketing petrol subsidy which remains a drain on the economy as well foreign exchange (FX) speculation by currency traders, among others have combined to push the naira to a record low of N710/$1 on the parallel market.

The development comes against the backdrop of seemingly unbridled borrowing and rising debt service cost which exceeded the country’s revenues by as much as N310 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 and still continues to rise.

The naira depreciated to N710$1 on the parallel market yesterday, compared with the N670 to a dollar Continued on page 12

IN SOLIDARITY WITH UNIVERSITIES’ WORKERS...

President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba leading other union members to protest the ongoing strike by ASUU at the gate of National Assembly in Abuja...yesterday

PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN

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

NEWS

FEDERAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING… L-R: Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Folashade Yemi-Esan; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during the FEC Meeting PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE. held at the Council Chambers, Abuja... yesterday

Universities’ Closure: Labour Protest Grounds Activities in Abuja FG, varsity workers must resolve issues without delay, say NLC, TUC Labour takes protests to N’Assembly, declares no going back on planned strike Lawmakers promise to resolve issue soon, to meet with relevant ministers Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Udora Orizu in Abuja Normal activities in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were yesterday disrupted as workers under the auspices of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their affiliates thronged the Unity Fountain early in morning to kick off their protest meant to compel the federal government to speedily resolve its industrial dispute with university workers and reopen the tertiary institutions.

Both leadership of the NLC and TUC in their statements condemned the continuous disruption of aca-

demic calendar in public tertiary institutions and the condescending attitude of political office holders towards government owned educational institutions.

The labour leaders also demanded that federal government must act immediately to resolve issues with lecturers and non-teaching staff of universities to pave way for the resumption of academic work.

The protesting workers who besieged the Unity Fountain caused traffic gridlock as motorists tried to seek alternative routes to avoid the Federal Secretariat area of the Federal Capital city.

They also took the nationwide solidarity protest to the National

Assembly, complex in Abuja.

For more than five months university-based unions including, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), the Non Academic Staff Union of University and Allied Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) have been on strike with no end yet in sight.

In response to the call for protest, thousands of workers piled up at the Unity Fountain where they were briefly addressed by labour leaders before proceeding to the National Assembly.

Addressing the workers, President

of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, urged them to be orderly in their conduct and not be provoked into transferring their aggression on any innocent person.

He slammed the federal government for paying lip service to education and the welfare of workers in tertiary institutions.

According to him, most of those at the helm of affairs in the country currently were beneficiaries of a thriving education sector in the past as they enjoyed free and quality education.

Wabba also dismissed insinuations by government that their rally would lead to civil unrest, saying on the contrary, the actions of the

Sylva, Kyari, Komolafe, Others to Brainstorm on Future of Africa's Oil Industry amid Energy Transition Peter Uzoho The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari would next Monday in Lagos lead brainstorming sessions on the future of Africa's hydrocarbon sector amid the ongoing energy transition challenge.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr. Gbenga Komolafe would also be joining Sylva and Kyari at the industry discussion taking place at the upcoming Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) 2022.

Organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, this year's edition of the conference centres on the theme: "Global Transition to Renewable and Sustainable Energy and the Future of Oil and Gas in Africa.”

Nigeria and Africa are currently faced with the challenge posed by two major transitions going on in the oil and gas industry including the global transition from fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable and sustainable energy; and the transition from oil majors to independent producers, driven by the gale of divestments by the international oil companies

(IOCs).

Despite their huge oil and gas deposits, Nigeria and its sister countries are grappling with high energy deficit, leading to the drag in the continent's socioeconomic development, with resultant acute poverty and wide scale unemployment.

This has prompted Africa's political and business leaders including stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to brainstorm on how they would prepare the continent to prevent the heavy impact of the transition on the continent by turning it into opportunities.

Announcing the upcoming conference at a press briefing in Lagos, yesterday, the Chairman of SPE Nigeria Council, Prof. Olalekan Olafuyi, said the opening ceremony would feature contributions from Sylva, Kyari, Komolafe, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr. Ahmed Farouk.

He said this year, the discussions would be centered on the realities of the day in the industry, which he stressed, informed the choice of the theme.

"The world is facing the challenges of balancing the urgency of transition to cleaner energy with the obvious energy deficit and economic

challenges experienced in recent times. It is expected that adaptive strategies for energy transition should be adopted in Africa.

"This is the core of the conference.

We have other sub-themes that address key subject matters that centered around the overarching theme," Olafuyi stated.

According to him, the highlights of the event included: Topical Issues Workshop: The value of Nigerian Hydrocarbon in the Global Energy

Mix,; Africa Young Professionals Workshop: The Evolving Energy Mix in Africa: Prospects, Pathways and Opportunities for Young Professionals. He added that the SPE 2022 International President, would also be in attendance to deliver the special guest presentation on the theme of the conference while there would be award night to recognise persons and companies that contributed to the growth of the industry.

government were fueling social disturbances.

He said there was nowhere in the world that protesters were denied their right to protest except in Nigeria.

Wabba further criticised the no-work-no-pay policy of the government with respect to the ongoing strike in the universities, describing such actions as draconian laws.

He said: "We will reset this country.

We will make sure that our leaders hear our voice. The reason we are here today comrades is something that is known to every Nigerian the children of the working class.

"The children of less privilege, have been at home for the past five months, and nobody cares. No reason is good enough for the children of the working class and the poor to be at home for one day," he said.

He also decried the poor remuneration of the university teachers whom he said earns far less as compared to their counterpart in other parts of Africa.

Wabba decried the lack sensitivity on the part of some of the leaders in the country who openly celebrate the graduation of their children in their schools abroad.

"Whereas their children are graduating for from Nigeria universities, private ones, and abroad and they have the audacity to post them on social media so that we can see.

"We are now divided into classes, the class of ruling elites and the class

of we the masses. Comrades this is a very serious matter.

"Once you deny citizen education, you are denying him everything because the difference between life and death is the education that we have," he said.

Wabba commended the governors that came out openly to support the labour protest "We are tired of lamentation. We want solution. We want the issues to be fixed that is why we are here comrades, and therefore we must be ready. We must be ready. This is the first phase, the second phase, which is a three-day national strike,” he warned.

He said about N1.6 trillion spent by the elites to send their children to school outside the country was enough to revamp education in the country.

He said Nigerian university lecturers were the poorest in Africa, which according to him had led to massive exodus of the best brains of the country to other countries.

While demanding that the federal government should resolve the issue quickly with ASUU, Wabba urged the State Assemblies to adopt the autonomy of local government as approved by their federal counterparts during voting on the constitution review.

On its part, the TUC urged the federal government to immediately Continued on page 34

FG, W’Bank to Build Watersheds in 2,800 Communities in North, FCT Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The federal government has assured of its willingness to partner the World Bank on projects to build watersheds in 2,800 communities of the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu gave the promise during a high-level discussion with the World Bank and the AGRO-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Federal Project Management Team in his office in Abuja.

The team were in the office of the Minister on Tuesday to brief him on the ACReSAL Project implementation status.

ACReSAL is a 6-year World Bank

Assisted Project in 19 northern states and the FCT. The project would partner with approximately 2,800 communities in the targeted watersheds.

The project was approved by the World Bank Board of Directors in December 2021 and became effective on June 9, 2022, with its Project Development Objective (PDO) to increase the adoption of sustainable landscapes management and enhance livelihood in the targeted watersheds in Nigeria, it has three key components mainly Dryland Management, Community Climate Resilience and Institutional Strengthening and Project Management.

Speaking earlier, Senior Environment Specialist, World Bank and Task Team Leader 1 ACReSAL,

Dr. Joy Agene, briefed the minister that part of the requirement for project implementation take-off was the approval of the work plan by the lead ministries, (Ministries of Environment, Water Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development) and appealed to the minister for his participation in the forthcoming ACReSAL workshop where the work plan from all the participating states would be looked into by steering committee of ACReSAL which the minister is a co-Chairman.

She also informed the minister that Federal Ministry of Water Resources would be playing a key role in the project; under the project component A. Also, the Ministry of Water

Resources would be responsible for the development of 20 strategic watershed plan.

The National Project Coordinator, ACReSAL, Dr. Salisu Dahiru, informed the minister that ACReSAL was the first of its kind among other project in Nigeria that is complex and domicile in three ministries to achieve great mile stones within five months, this he said is as a result of the harmony and cooperation the project has received from the three ministries.

He noted that the workshop/ clinic would serve as a training ground for especially 10 new states that were not part of NEWMAP and also an avenue to consolidate on the work plan for effective project implementation.

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PARALEX COURTESY VISIT...

L-R: Chief Operations Officer, Parallex Bank, Damian Esekheigbe; Managing Director, Parallex Bank, Femi Bakre; President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Ken Opara; PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN and Registrar/Chief Executive, CIBN, Seye Awojobi, during a courtesy visit to the Parallex Head Office in Lagos…yesterday

Governors Turn Down Water Resources Bill, Want It Reviewed

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The controversial Water Resources Bill was yesterday turned down by the 36 states governors of the federation.

The governors asked the federal government to review the proposed policy.

This was one of the high point of the communiqué of the governors’ meeting signed by their Chairman, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

According to the communique of the governors’ meeting, they said: "On the reintroduction of the National Water Resources Bill, Governors argued that the bill does not adequately address the interests of the states and is inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The bill according to the governors should be reviewed with a view to accommodating the concerns of all states', the governors stated.”

The communique stated the forum received presentations from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, on the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (LPRES) – a 6-year $500 million World Bank programme aimed at improving the productivity, commercialisation and resilience of targeted livestock production

systems in Nigeria.

Accordingly, the communique added: "Governors unanimously decided to spearhead the programme in their states, particularly in areas such as institutional and innovation systems strengthening, livestock value-chain enhancement, crisis prevention and conflict mitigation, and project coordination."

The communique noted that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed presented the draft 2023 – 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) as part of the consultative process in the development of the federal government’s fiscal policy and to share relevant macroeconomic and fiscal assumptions to help States prepare their Economic and Fiscal Update (EFU), FSP and Budget Policy Statement (BPS).

"Following the presentation, Governors had a robust discussion with priority given to the government’s response to the fallouts of the Russia-Ukraine war (including inflation and the rising food and nutrition crises), the continued impact of the PMS subsidy on the fiscal headroom of governments, implications of NNPC’s new transition on federation revenues, as well as the widening divergence between the official and parallel market rate of the dollar on the currency," it

added.

On the issue of the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) programme which was presented by the Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, the statement noted: "SABER is a 3-year performancebased intervention jointly designed by the World Bank Technical team and the PEBEC Secretariat with support from the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning, Home Finance Department (HFD) and the NGF Secretariat to incentivise and strengthen the implementation of business enabling reforms across Nigeria.

“SABER is technically a successor to State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability And Sustainability

Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Olajide Adediran, has explained that, his choice of a Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, as his running mate for the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state, saying he believed in her capacity.

Adediran, who spoke yesterday on ARISE NEWS, said he believed in the abilities of the younger generation and the female gender to rule over the affairs of the Lagos State in order to bring fresh and workable ideas that would move the state forward.

“I am 44 years old and Funke Akindele is also 44 years old and our youthful age is ideal to run a state like Lagos. Funke Akindele is qualified to be the Deputy Governor of Lagos State if elected. She is a woman, who is well-schooled and law graduate

from the University of Lagos.

“She has also done exceedingly well in her chosen career as a professional. She is currently an employer of labour, paying salaries to those in her employment and contributing towards the growth of the Nigerian economy,” Adediran said.

Asked whether PDP was in support of the choice of his running mate, who was relatively new to the party, Adediran said, PDP as a party, had given its full consent to the ticket and assured the Lagos PDP members of increasing the votes of PDP to win the next election.

“Funke Akindele and myself will use our popularity to win more people and more votes for Lagos State PDP in the general election and in the presidential election,” Adediran further said.

He however, accused Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of increasing the state debt burden within few

Deputy Governors will chair PHC taskforces, while State committees will be set up on food and nutrition."

The communique further noted that the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, addressed the Forum on available Global Fund support to state governments designed to revamp Primary Healthcare Centers, State Healthcare Centers, Ambulance Services and Drug Management Support in states, adding that governors resolved to work with the Federal Ministry of Health to actualise the initiative.

It noted that the meeting received a presentation by the leadership of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) on the Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge Fund

– a product of the Seattle Declaration – the Primary Health Care and Human Capital Development Roundtable hosted in November 2019 by Mr. Bill Gates, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, co-chair of the roundtable and the NGF. It said that the Seattle Declaration sets out a series of commitments for State governments including the implementation of Primary Health Care Under One Roof, a costed Minimum Service Package tailored to States, State Basic Health Care Provision Fund requirements, improved financing for PHC as per the Abuja Commitment, review of State PHC performances in State Executive Councils, State Task Force on PHC chaired by the Deputy Governors, and the engagement of traditional and religious leaders on PHC.

US Commits Additional $55m in Emergency Funding to Nigeria’s Food Security Michael Olugbode in Abuja The United States has committed $55 million towards food security relief for Nigerians.

A statement by US Embassy in Nigeria yesterday, said this was part of President Joe Biden’s recent pledge at the G-7 Leader’s

Jandor Defends Choice of Akindele as Running Mate Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie

(SFTAS).

"In line with the objectives of the programme, the Forum endorsed the programme and committed to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to steer the implementation of the programme in all states of the Federation," the communique stated.

According to the communique, "In furtherance to meeting the goals of the Seattle Declaration, the Forum committed to mobilising their state and local government teams for the PHC Leadership Challenge.

“Specific commitments include that PHC performance will be addressed at the State Executive Council level, Governors will conduct visits to PHC facilities, Governors will hold meetings with traditional leaders to discuss PHC,

months, from the last quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, to N276 billion, bringing the total debt burden of the state to N780 billion in one year.

He said Lagos State projected N60 billion for internally generated revenue (IGR) in the same year, but managed to generate N45 billion, yet, Lagos State does not have street lights, no good roads and has very poor basic infrastructure.

“Lagos alone has over two million out-of-school children, and Lagos government, has approved over 5,000 out of 18,500 private schools in the state, yet, the state cannot enter into partnership with some private schools to absorb the growing number of out-of-school children.

“The current Lagos State government is careless about the education and welfare of the people and has not done anything meaningful for the state in the last three and a half years,” Adediran said.

Summit in Germany, adding that was aimed at protecting the most vulnerable nations from an escalating global food crisis.

The statement said the fund would be administered through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under its agriculture, nutrition, and humanitarian assistance programmes (and subject to Congressional approval).

It further noted that the funds would help immediately address the economic, food and nutrition needs of vulnerable communities in Nigeria most adversely impacted by higher food, fuel and fertiliser prices.

According to the statement, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard reaffirmed the commitment of the United States and the American people to improving the economic well-being and food security of all Nigerians.

Leonard said: “The United States is committed to mitigating the adverse effect of the current global food crisis on the people of Nigeria. We strongly support Nigeria’s economic prosperity and well-being, and our decades-long partnership with the Nigerian government, the private sector and NGO community to address the country’s most urgent development

and humanitarian needs.

“We empathise with the hardships and suffering of Nigerian citizens that have been exacerbated as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its negative impact on food security, and we fully expect President Biden’s initiative will significantly soften the blow of these war-related international price shocks.”

The statement revealed that with the funding initiative, US total investment internationally in combating the global food security crisis since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would reach over $5.6 billion.

APC Appoints Gobir as Senate Leader Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has nominated Senator Ibrahim Gobir, representing Sokoto East, as the new Senate Leader and Chairman of the APC caucus in the Senate.

The party’s decision was contained in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and signed by the National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu.

The letter was read by Senator Ahmad Lawan, at the start of plenary on Wednesday.

Gobir replaces the former Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi

North), who defected from the ruling party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Until his nomination, Senator Gobir chaired the Committee on National Security and Intelligence in the ninth assembly.

The nomination letter reads, “With reference to your letter No: NASS9thS/SP/D/12/ dated 16th June, 2022, in which you informed the party of the vacancy of the office of the Senate Leader of our party.

“Accept herewith, the party’s nomination of Senator Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East Senatorial District) as replacement for the Senate Leader and Chairman of the APC Caucus.

“While thanking you for the usual cooperation, please accept the assurances of our best regards.”

Meanwhile, Lawan, has referred President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to confirm 19 nominees as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to its Committee on Electoral Matters.

Those for screening include Ibrahim Abdullahi (Adamawa Renewal); Obo O. Effanga (Cross River - Renewal); Alh. Umar Ibrahim (Taraba - Renewal); Dr. Agboke Mutiu Olaleke (Ogun - Renewal); and Prof. Samuel E. Egwu (Kogi - Renewal).

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ACCESS BANK #ROADTOQATAR CAMPAIGN...

L-R: Country Manager, Visa Nigeria, Access Bank, Andrew Uaboi; Deputy Managing Director, Retail South, Chizoma Okoli; Senior Banking Advisor, Robert Giles; and Business Development Leader, Visa PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN West Africa, Toyin Badeji, at the launch of #RoadtoQatar Campaign, held in Lagos…yesterday

Subsidy Probe: House Committee Demands Detailed Contract Agreement Between NNPC, Oil Companies Tasks FG on emergency programmes to avert food shortages Seeks inclusion of Anambra, Enugu in ongoing agricultural growth scheme Steps down bill to regulate NGOs, CSOs HIV/AIDS: House to probe late, non-disbursement of impact project fund Udora Orizu and Juliet Akoje in Abuja The House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee probing the subsidy regime from 2017 to 2022 has urged all companies that signed agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) on the Direct Sale, Direct Purchase (DSDP) of crude oil to refine the product to submit all relevant and detailed documents to its committee tomorrow.

The Chairman of the House ad-hoc, Mr. Al-Mustapha Aliyu stated this during a public hearing yesterday.

Aliyu, also directed the companies

to provide their profiles with the Corporate Affairs Commission before the House ad-hoc committee to ascertain if they truly merited the contract deal or not.

The public hearing which was almost stalled due to the representation of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Mocol Oil and Gas, Sahara Business Development, Matrix Energy, A.A. Rano amongst other companies involved as against the earlier directives that they should appear in person, later continued as the companies representatives took turns to respond to questions fielded by members of the committee.

Appearing first before the committee was Sahara Business

Development who was represented

by Stephanie Useni.

Useni said Sahara Business Development were not involved in oil subsidy with the federal government.

Members of the committee to this regard frowned at Sahara Business Development for submitting only 2016 document on contract signed with NNPC instead of other contract agreement signed from 2017 to 2021.

Representing Mocol Oil and Gas at the hearing, its Director of Operations, Hauwa Alfa after reeling out the list of documents the ad-hoc committee had requested from companies involved in the probe said the company has never

defaulted on the agreement arrangement with NNPC. On his part, Director of Operations, A.A Rano, Sabiu Saidu who represented the company explained that A.A Rano, NNPC and Trafigura international company signed Direct Sale, Direct Purchase(DSDP) contract agreement from 2017 to 2020.

Also, the House of Representatives at yesterday’s plenary urged the Presidency and the Ministry of Agriculture to begin to make arrangements and put in place emergency programmes to mitigate the emerging food challenges.

The House mandated its Committee on Agriculture and other relevant committees to interface with the

FG Approves N16.82bn for Dualisation of KanoKatsina Road, Operational Vehicles for NDLEA Okays Nigeria’s mining value chain regulation Deji Elumoye in Abuja The federal government has approved N16.82 billion for the dualisation of the 78 kilometre Kano-Katsina Road project and procured 32 operational vehicles for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this to journalists yesterday after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at Abuja.

He explained: "I'm presenting on behalf of the Minister of Works and Housing, a memo that sought approval for the revised estimated total cost of contract for the dualisation of the Kano-Katsina road in Kano and Katsina States.

“This contract which is 78 kilometers was actually awarded sometime in 2019, but the contractor, having done appreciable work asked us for a review of the quality of engineering and the contract deal was augmented with the sum of N16 billion, thereby revising the subsisting contract from N29 billion to N46 billion and it was awarded to CCECC of Nigeria Limited, who are actually busy on that road.

“The final memo, which I’m presenting on behalf of the Attorney-General is the one which the Council approved for

the NDLEA to purchase some 32 operational vehicles to enhance their operations.

“I'm sure we've all noticed that there has been an improved performance on the part of NDLEA in the last couple of months and because of this enhanced performance, there has been need for more operational vehicles.”

He added: “The good thing about the request is that all the operational vehicles are being bought from locally assembling plant here, Innoson Motors. I think the total cost is N821,653,000,” Also briefing newsmen, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite said Council approved the Nigeria Mining Value Chain Regulation (NMVCR) for the development of raw materials into refined products before exportation.

“The ministry was able to pass a memo in Council today, it’s essentially on a policy drive that was initiated by this administration and that is what we call Downstream Policy. Essentially, it’s to prevent us exporting raw ores from Nigeria, so that we must have some beneficiation before minerals are exported.

“So, whatever you mined, even if you are unable, as the miner to process, we're inviting investors, we're having people who build

processing plants, they themselves don’t have to be miners, but they'll be processors who can take the ores from anybody and process before we export.

“So essentially, the policy was passed today so that we’ll discour-

age the exportation of raw ore from Nigeria. Nigerian government, this government of President Buhari, post-COVID, granted some funds and this fond is being used as demonstration projects for this mineral processing policy.”

appropriate ministries and agencies as well as the International Development Partners to begin the process of establishing and implementing protocols to manage food resources and avert the food crisis.

The resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Hon. Rimamnde Shawulu and Hon Solomon Bob. Moving the motion, Shawulu noted that the world generally is apprehensive of an impending massive shortage of food and possible famine.

He also noted that next to petroleum products, Nigeria’s highest import bill was food, which he said was becoming costlier around the world.

In a related development, the lawmakers at the plenary, while adopting a motion sponsored

by Hon. Vincent Ofumelu Hon. Chinedu Obidigwe,Hon. Simon Atigwe and Hon. Dennis Amadi called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to include Anambra and Enugu States in the ongoing National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS) Under ATASP-l.

Additionally, the House of Representatives at plenary yesterday stepped down a bill seeking to regulate activities of

Lagos to Expand Scope of Private Sector Partnership for Greener Economy As preparations peaked for the ninth Lagos Climate Change Summit, the state has expressed its readiness to expand the scope of private sector partnership for a greener Lagos.

Speaking at a pre-event media briefing at Alausa to herald the commencement of the Summit next Tuesday, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello said better and faster result was expected from the collaboration.

He explained that the collaboration which started from conception and planning stage woulf get to the delivery of the mandates of the summit.

"This collaboration is in recognition of the impact of the organised private sector on economic growth in Lagos and our resolve to main-

stream climate action in the next phase of the developmental agenda of Lagos State," he explained.

He highlighted that the theme for the summit “Integrating Climate Actions in Lagos State Development: Investment Opportunities and Trade-offs, “demonstrates government's commitment to climate action as a state and how new vistas of opportunities could be opened.

He said last year during the 8th Lagos Climate Change Summit, the government launched the Lagos Climate Action Plan which was aimed at charting a course towards achieving net zero emission in Lagos by the year 2050 which is achievable through the implementation of impact-oriented actions across major sectors of the economy.

He added that what this trans-

lated into was that the government have to accelerate the development of a green economy in the state by exploring innovative climate solutions and mobilising necessary resources required to achieve this target.

He disclosed the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu would be the Special Guest of Honour at the 2022 Summit while the lead paper titled: ‘’Financing Transformative Climate Actions for Lagos State,’’ would be delivered by Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, of the Center for Climate and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, Nigeria.

He appealed to all stakeholders, development partners, investors to join in the progress towards achieving a green and sustainable economic growth in Lagos

non-governmental organisations and civil society groups.

Similar bills which were introduced in the 8th and this current 9th Assembly were greeted with criticisms and condemnations.

The new bill, titled, "Bill for an Act to Establish Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organisations Agency for the Promotion of Social Development activities in Nigeria; and for Related Matters (HB. 2044)," sponsored by Hon. Sada Soli, was presented for second reading.

Raising a point of order, the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Peter Akpatason suggested that the bill should be stepped down and represented at a later date so that members would have time to go through the draft and make contributions.

Corroborating, the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu said, "I think we need its general principle of the bill. It should be discussed. It should be discussed from a position of knowledge. It is important that our colleague make the copies available to members so that don’t appear to be making laws ignorantly. I think should be withdrawn and step down to be presented another day."

The lawmakers passed through second reading, a bill seeking to introduce anti- Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) teachings into the academic curricula of all Nigerian Secondary schools as a novel, wide-reaching, cost-effective and sustainable way of tackling SGBV cases and its related offences.

The proposed legislation tilted, "Bill for an Act to Introduce Preventive Measures and Teachings of Sexual Gender-based Violence into the Curriculum as a Compulsory Subject (Civic Education) for all Secondary Schools in Nigeria; and for Related Matters (HB. 1937)," was sponsored by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere.

Similarly, the House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, Healthcare Services and Health Institutions to investigate the late/non-disbursement of the IMPACT Project funds, its alleged underperformance and down rating of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) by the Office of the Inspector General of the Global Fund and the procurement and distribution of nonapproved mosquito nets across the country and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.

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THURSDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

TWELVE OVER 80 SENATORS, MAJORITY HOUSE MEMBERS MOVE TO IMPEACH BUHARI OVER INSECURITY counterparts in the United States, otherwise, staging a walkout was performative and babyish.

At the same time, the federal government, has said it was currently working round the clock to bring the country's security situation under control.

The Senators, at the executive session, agreed to give Buhari a six-week ultimatum to address the issue or risk impeachment, and also maintained that all resolutions passed earlier on how to improve the security situation in Nigeria must be implemented immediately by the Buhari-led administration.

The senators, who then agreed at the session that the Senate President should allow members to debate the issue at plenary, however, threatened to impeach Lawan if he failed to cooperate with them.

THISDAY gathered that more than two-thirds of the senators, across the parties at their closed-door session, agreed to impeach Buhari, but the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, was not comfortable, because he didn’t want the presidency to misread it as his own way of getting back at them after he failed to clinch the presidential ticket of the party or even secured his ticket to return to the senate.

Besides, about seven other senators, led by Opeyemi Bamidele from Ekiti State and Gabriel Suswam from Benue, were also said to have shared Lawan’s sentiment, given the present circumstance.

That, nonetheless, the senators, on the sidelines, were not clear with the mode the impeachment should take, knowing that the south/north dichotomy was still a critical factor in the balance of power in the country.

They, therefore, resolved that the matter would be part of the issues to be considered after the six weeks ultimatum, to know whether they would impeach either Buhari alone or send him away with his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

Trouble, however, started at plenary proper, when the order paper was not altered to accommodate the public debate on the issue at plenary.

Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda (FCT), protested the worsening security situation and demanded an open debate as agreed upon at the closed session.

Rising under a point of order not cited, he requested the chamber to give a six-week ultimatum to President Buhari to address the issue of insecurity or face impeachment.

“Mr. President, you may wish to recall that during the closed session, we discussed the issues as they relate to security in the country and all the issues around it. “[And] we had also discussed that we are going to come back to plenary to discuss the efforts that have been made so far on the issue of security in the country, after which we give an ultimatum to the President that he resolves this issue, otherwise, we give an impeachment notice,” he said.

Delivering a ruling on Aduda’s point of order, Lawan faulted the lawmaker for failing to put forward his request in accordance with the upper chamber’s rules, which regulate its proceedings.

According to him, “Minority leader, when you’re going to come under a point of order, first, you’re supposed to cite the order. Secondly, you’re supposed to discuss with me what you’re going to raise on the floor. You didn’t. Thirdly, we have already passed that stage. So, at this moment, I really don’t know what the point of order is, as such it falls flat on its face.”

Lawan, thereafter, instructed the leader of the Senate to proceed with items on the order paper.

Although in closing his remarks, Lawan told security agencies in the country to be alert and do more to stop the heightening spate insecurity across states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) perpetrated by terrorists.

Charging political leaders to be alive to their responsibility of ensuring the protection of lives of citizens, Lawan, while addressing lawmakers shortly before the upper chamber adjourned till September 20, for its annual recess, bemoaned the incessant killing and maiming of Nigerians by terrorists.

He assured that the National Assembly would provide the needed support to the military to ensure the restoration of security to affected parts of the country.

“I am particularly concerned like all of us here, through our various interactions, including a very important closed session we had today. We (Federal Government) have to be alert and alive to our responsibility, particularly, to secure and protect the lives of our citizen.

“The security situation has been a very difficult and challenging one, but, recently, there has been an increase of attacks, killings and maiming of our citizens. As a part of this administration, we will always provide the kind of support that our military and other security agencies require.

“We have done that before through appropriation and approval of supplementary budget of 2022, where over N900 billion was given as additional funding to our security agencies. We know that it may not be enough, but that is significant, and we expect our security agencies to do far better than they are doing at the moment. As political leaders, we must have it in mind that we are responsible to the citizens.”

But the minority leader, who would not take any of that, angrily led almost half of the senators in the chambers across all political parties to stage a walkout, chanting: "Buhari Must Go" "Lawan Must Go", as they filed out from the red chamber.

The aggrieved senators including all the PDP members, some of their APC colleagues and others from All Progressives Grand Alliance, New Nigerian People's Party, the Labour Party and Young Peoples Party, later converged at the Senate Press Corps to address journalists.

Aduda, who spoke on their behalf, lamented that Lawan stopped the Senate from taking a definite position on the embarrassing security challenges in the country at plenary.

He said, "We went into a closeddoor session. Various security issues were discussed at the closed-door session. We also took into cognizance that the Senate, at various fora, at

FG RESPONDS TO THISDAY’S REPORT, EXPLAINS ECA DEPLETION Vice Admiral AZ Gambo, the Tweet further stated: “It is heartwarming to note the significant decline in piracy attacks by 77 per cent on Nigerian waters as reflected in the International Maritime Bureau Q3 2021 report… the latest IMB report shows that Nigeria has exited the IMB Piracy List.”

The ECA was created by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004 for the purpose of saving oil revenue in excess of the budgeted benchmark, and had a balance of $20 billion as at January 2009.

During the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, there were persistent agitations from many state governors for the total sharing of the accretion into the account which they considered illegal.

Data from the Budget Office of the Federation (BoF) showed that for the 2016 fiscal year, the federal government withdrew N85.17 billion

to augment revenue to the three tiers of government, while the sum of N76.25 billion was transferred to the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in 2017.

The government also withdrew the sum of $2.87 billion from the ECA in the 2018 fiscal period to settle various obligations.

The sum of $496.37 million was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari and withdrawn for the purchase of Super Tucano aircraft in 2018.

The president also gave approval for the approval of $380.51 million for the first batch of procurement of critical equipment for the Nigerian Army, Navy and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA, in the fourth quarter of 2018.

During the same period, the federal government also approved that the sum of $233.29 million be withdrawn for states' matching grant to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)

various times and various meetings, had recommended to the government, steps to be taken to curb this issue of insecurity but we have realised that even Abuja is no more safe.

"So, at the closed-session, we agreed that we will give the president an ultimatum and if he did not comply, we will move to give an impeachment notice. This was our agreement at the executive session but when we came out, the Senate President refused to inform the public of our resolution.

"Since that didn't happen, we have come here in protest to let Nigerians know that we are with them, that we are worried. We staged a walkout from the chambers to register that the security in Nigeria is out of hand and urgent steps need to be taken so that the issues are addressed immediately.

"We have come here to say that we have passed so many resolutions on security, we have given all the support and all the enabling appropriation that they need," Aduda added.

One of the APC members sighted among the protesting senators was, Adamu Bulkachuwa (Bauchi North).

Also present were Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA Abia South), Ibrahim Shekarau (NNPP Kano Central), and Francis Onyewuchi ( Labour Party, Imo East ).

Impeachment Threat a Collective Decision, Say APC Senators

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Smart Adeyemi, confirmed to journalists on Wednesday that the decision to serve Buhari an impeachment notice was a collective position of all the senators at the executive session before the plenary.

"I think it is wrong to say opposition. It was a collective decision of the senate, to give ultimatum, the only difference from what the opposition are eventually saying is a matter of semantics.

"We said that we are giving the president six weeks, they said they are serving impeachment notice

immediately. We all agreed that we will move after six weeks.

"The opposition said we must give notice but we say it has to be six weeks ultimatum, they said after six weeks what happens? We said they should wait till after six weeks first.

I don't see any difference," he said.

Also speaking with journalists, Abaribe confirmed that it was a collective decision taken at closed session, saying, "We all agreed that the impeachment notice should be served on President Muhammadu Buhari if he could not tackle insecurity within the six weeks. It is not an opposition parties decision."

When contacted, Senate Spokesperson, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said he was not part of the closed session, but claimed he was concerned about the insecurity situation in the country.

"There should be an executivelegislative strategy to tackle the situation. It is becoming worrisome and we cannot continue like this," he said.

How Wase Blocked Elumelu from Pushing Impeachment in House

Interesting, similar drama played out in the House of Representatives, whose members across political parties, had equally agreed at their closed-door session to concur with their senate counterparts, but was bungled by the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, who blocked the move.

According to a ranking member of the minority caucus, the whole plan was initially messed up by Senator Aduda, who did not stick to plan as agreed to by all the federal lawmakers and across parties.

The source hinted that, the decision was meant to be taken together in nation’s interest before the senators made the move first in a disruptive manner.

However, in the house, the decision, as it was in the senate, was also unanimous as nearly everyone supported the idea of impeaching Buhari.

But when they got to plenary and the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, signaled for recognition, Wase, who presided since Speaker

Femi Gbajabiamila, was away, allegedly switched off Elumelu’s mic, and thus prevented him from formally moving the motion on the floor of the House.

This, development, was believed to have angered other members of the House, who have resolved to meet again today, being a decision of the caucuses of both legislative houses, on how to further discussions on the impeachment of the president.

Presidency to Lawmakers: Your Action is Babyish

The presidency, yesterday, reacted to planned impeachment of President Buhari by the Senate, saying the Senators should stop playing to gallery like their counterparts in the United States, because their decision to stage a walkout was babyish.

Rather, it advised the senators to collaborate with government in a bid to solve the myriad of problems facing the nation, including current global cost of living crisis.

Presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a release stated: "The performative and babyish antics of those senators staging a walk out notwithstanding, Senate President Ahmad Lawan’s refusal on Wednesday to entertain the ridiculous motion to impeach our President was quite appropriate and correct.

"Rather than making a mockery out of voters by trying to imitate what they see in America, the opposition would be well-advised that their time would be better spent tackling the pressing issues Nigerians face, such as the current global cost of living crisis. Their continued failure to do so goes some way to explaining why they remain in opposition.

"In contrast, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, is committed to finding lasting solutions to the emerging security threats, including those left behind by the PDP in the South-south, the Northeast and throughout the federation. In the last 24 hours, two more Chibok girls were freed, in addition to the three brought home last week.

"These kinds of headline grabbing stunts for which the opposition is now well-known serve no one, least of all their constituents. We would respectfully remind them that it is those same constituents that they were elected to serve, and are paid to do so with public money.

"We would welcome their collaboration in our efforts to solve the problems Nigerians face on a daily basis. No one is asking them to waste their time attempting to impeach a democratically elected president at the end of his second term – certainly not their constituents.

"They should ask themselves: do they want to be in government or do they want to be in the headlines?

If they want to be in government they should start acting like it and stop undermining Nigerian voters".

FG: We’re Working to Bring Security Situation Under Control

However, making a case for the president, the federal government, yesterday, reacted to threats of impeachment by the Senate and House of Representatives, saying government was currently working around the clock to bring the country's security situation under control.

Briefing newsmen after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the president at the State House, Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, lauded the Senators for their patriotism and concerns, saying steps were being taken to address the security challenges.

According to him, "Resolution passed by Senators, as rightly said, it was passed when we were deliberating, but we thank them for their patriotism and their concern, but we are working round the clock, 24 hours, to ensure that the situation is brought under control.

“I want to assure you that the president is aware of all these and as a matter of fact, I think tomorrow there’s going to be another Security Council meeting. So, it's not a matter Continued on page 34

OIL THEFT, PETROL SUBSIDY, PUSH NIGERIA’S CURRENCY TO N700/$1 IN PARALLEL MARKET it closed the previous day. In the past few days, the naira exchange rate against the dollar has been on the decline on the parallel market.

Also, recent data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) revealed that yield on the 13 tracked Nigeria Eurobond prices has continued to dwindle.

The Eurobond price which opened trading in 2022 at $105.087 had dropped to $74.785, representing a decline of $30.30 or 28.8 per cent.

Nigeria, it was learnt, recently called off plans to sell Eurobonds this year due to the fear that it might be faced with low patronage as the country’s fundamentals continue to weaken.

In June, the Debt Management Office (DMO) put Nigeria’s total public debt (federal and state governments) at N41.6 trillion or $100.07 billion,” at the end of the first quarter of 2022.

To compound its economic challenges, Nigeria’s main source of FX revenue which is crude oil has also become a source of concern as the crisis in the sector continues to overwhelm the players.

Out of the 1.772 million barrels per day crude oil allocated to the country by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in June, Nigeria was only able to produce 1.158 million bpd, according to the latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR).

At a conservative average price of $110 per barrel for the month, a THISDAY analysis showed that Nigeria’s daily underperformance pegged against the OPEC quota yielded a whopping 614,000 bpd or 19.034 million barrels deficit for the month.

A further breakdown revealed that valued against the daily oil price for the period, Nigeria may have lost as much as $2,093,740,000 to its inability to, for months, increase the country’s production level.

For a country with huge foreign exchange shortages, if the loss had

been plugged could have helped the cash-strapped federating units (states and local governments) embark on major projects.

It is worthy to note that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has not been able to contribute a kobo to the federation account this year.

Identifying massive crude oil theft as one of the reasons for its inability to meet its oil quota, the federal government had months ago, deployed heavy military presence in the Niger Delta to curb the menace. But even that move has not helped much. The navy appears either unwilling or unable to curb the menace.

Indeed, the top hierarchy of the navy fighting the menace in the Niger Delta have been fingered by locals and several top Nigerians of complicity in the growing oil theft.

A former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, had admitted when he lamented the involvement of naval personnel in the illicit oil bunkering and theft in the country, warning them to desist.

“Any act of collusion with criminals or saboteurs of measures emplaced to checkmate illegalities will be met with stiff sanctions in accordance with the law of the land,” he had warned at the decoration of newly promoted rear admirals at the navy headquarters in Abuja.

Although there is no official figure for crude oil stolen on a daily basis, industry players put the losses between 200,000 bpd to 400,000 bpd.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) recently set up a committee to investigate the actual number. The group is yet to submit its report.

Tied to the country’s underproduction, a few weeks ago, the NUPRC Chief Executive, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, revealed that Nigeria lost $1 billion in revenue during the first quarter of this year

due to crude oil theft, warning that the development was a threat to the economy of Africa's top producer.

Komolafe noted that of the 141 million barrels of oil produced in the first quarter of 2022, only about 132 million barrels of oil were received at export terminals.

"This indicates that over nine million barrels of oil were lost to crude oil theft ... this amounts to a loss in government revenue of about $1 billion ... in just one quarter," Komolafe added.

However, any hope of a quick recovery from the current economic downturn remains forlorn with fresh data from the NNPC indicating that subsidy on petrol now exceeds the country’s total revenues from the sales of crude oil and gas.

Information from the NNPC’s monthly presentation to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held Tuesday, obtained yesterday showed that in the first half of 2022, petrol subsidy claims surpassed oil and gas revenue by a whopping N210 billion.

In addition, within the period under review, the NNPC recorded N2.39 trillion as gross revenues from oil and gas receipts, while subsidy claims amounted to N2.6 trillion.

The data further revealed that N1.59 trillion was used to cover part of the subsidy costs in the last six months, leaving an outstanding balance of N1.01 trillion to be recovered from July 2022 proceeds in August.

Nigeria is currently facing an economic crisis with rising debt servicing costs, fuel subsidy payments, which from all indications could exceed the budgeted N4 trillion this year as well as a massive drawdown on its Excess Crude Account (ECA). The federal government is projecting that petrol subsidy would rise to N6.72 trillion in 2023, if the country decides to continue with the controversial

policy.

In January, February and March 2022, data indicated that petrol subsidy payments gulped N210.38 billion, N219.78 billion, and N245.77 billion, respectively while in April, Nigeria spent N271 billion and N327.07 billion in May 2022 to cater for the shortfall of the importation of petrol.

A further breakdown of the subsidy claims showed that N564.65 billion was carried forward from the previous month as an unrecovered value shortfall and N263.95 billion from May 2022 subsidy outstanding, including N501.30 billion for the current month’s subsidy cost. Overall, the value shortfall for the period stood at N1.32 trillion.

Of the total figure, NNPC deducted N319.18 billion from the federation account, leaving an outstanding balance of N1.01 trillion to be carried forward and recovered from July proceeds due in August.

To compound the current subsidy crisis, Nigeria does not know its exact daily consumption of petrol and is believed to be subsidising neighbouring countries due to the arbitrage created by the subsidy in Nigeria.

The problem is expected to even worsen in 2023 with a current projection of as much as N6.72 trillion by the country in its 20232035 medium-term expenditure framework & fiscal strategy paper (MTEF&FSP).

Earlier in the year, the federal government deferred the planned petrol subsidy removal by 18 months, saying the impact would be too negative on the poor and the less privileged.

Nigeria imports all its petrol because it does not refine a drop of the product in the country as all the refineries have been nonfunctional for years. It operates a swap oil-for-petrol regime which is largely seen as opaque.

Continued on Page 36

THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022

POLITICS

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

Umeh: OBIdient Movement Driven By Masses Beyond Obi Former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Anambra Central Senatorial candidate of Labour Party in 2023 poll, Senator Victor Umeh, speaks with David-Chyddy Eleke, about Peter Obi presidential movement

W

hat is your observation of the support for Obi in Nigeria today?

This is a popular movement all over Nigeria. The Peter Obi movement is everywhere in Nigeria and here in Anambra State, his home state it is expected that the crowd of supporters will even be much, and you have always seen the mammoth crowd gathered at every Labour Party function since he joined the party, even at short notice.

Anambra will be the major state for Peter Obi in 2023. He is from here, and everybody in this state is OBIdient. Everybody, both traditional rulers, across political parties are all his followers, so we are happy. This is the momentum needed to start work. People are ready, and we will comb every corner in Anambra State, because we owe him the heaviest support in this presidential election.

And those of us who are in the party contesting election too, we are not new comers. We have our individual supporters and they are all over the place too, we have brought them into the movement. As you can see, all the groups (support groups) came together, for the purpose of delivering Labour Party in next year’s election and we are confident we will achieve it. Many politicians contesting election will win because of Peter Obi, he is loved, and many of our fellow contestants will win their election because they are in this party. I know what I’m talking about.

Let me say this is the hope Nigeria has to redeem itself, otherwise this place will collapse.

People have identified it and people want to lend a helping hand to ensure that Nigeria is salvaged in next year’s election. Peter Obi is the one already identified, who can do the job. Because he knows what the issues are and what the solution would be. Others are playing politics, but Obi is not playing politics, rather, he is offering himself for service to redeem Nigeria.

Umeh

taken it over. If you are in touch with events everywhere in the country, you will see that Peter Obi is in hot demand in the country. Nigerians need him. People he has never met before have been donating offices for him across the country. Because people know me and my closeness to Peter Obi, I receive all manner of calls from people who are serving even current governments across Nigeria, wanting to discuss with us over the aspiration of Mr Obi. Some want to join the movement because they have seen that only Obi can redeem this country.

Beyond Anambra, what do you say about support for Obi in the larger Nigeria?

Well Peter Obi is the driving itself. He is not the one doing it any longer, Nigerians have

People say the Labour Party does not have structure?

I have never believed that we do not have structure. I have always said it is just the figment of imagination of people who think that the only way they can feel they are in charge is to claim that he has false structure. In this coming election, the electorates, the voters are the structure, and even if you have everybody around you in your team, those people will vote against you in the election.

The issues confronting Nigeria today are the ones that Nigerians will not mind who is their relation in casting their votes, or who is their boss. They are going to vote for their recovery.

The country is down, so the voters are the most important people in an election process, not the party. The voters are the most important people. And as you can see, Labour party has the most important people, they have the voters in Nigeria and you can see that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has just set up a committee across the 36 states of Nigeria to mobilize the workers and electorates for Labour Party in the forthcoming election. Which political party has that kind of structure? None.

To make it even stronger, the voters are on their own driving this movement. It is not the party driving it, it is the people driving it themselves. Everyday you wake up and see people doing one thing or the other out of his or her own imagination. We have never seen that before in Nigeria. This is a popular political movement in Nigeria today.

What is your opinion on vote buying, do you think the people will sell their votes?

They (other political parties) say they are warming up to buy votes, but you see this election, people will collect your money and still vote you out. Nobody wants to continue in hardship. If you collect money and vote in somebody who will impoverish you, how is that of benefit to you? That is the message. You can not collect money and vote, and use the money to buy hardship for yourself. That is the message, when we will start the campaign, and I know that Nigeria will be much more mobilized than what you are seeing now.

The issues facing Nigeria today are the bedrock of the decision we make, not where you come from. This poverty is now ravaging the whole country. Everybody is getting ready, because the country is collapsing, and it’s a rescue mission and nobody is thinking in the line of where one come from. Those who wanted to forment ethnic and religious bias, you can see how they have been brushed aside. Nobody is talking about Obi being an Igbo man anymore, they are rather seeing him as somebody who carries the hope that Nigerians are yearning for. They see him as the instrument God will use to turn things around and we are already in the movement, so we are happy.

Emami: Shettima Will Be a Good Pair for Tinubu A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State, Chief Ayiri Emami in this interview with Adedayo Akinwale says the absence of South-south and South-east leaders at the official unveiling of APC VicePresidentialcandidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, has no political undertone.

H

ow sellable is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ticket in the South South where you come from?

Well, to some of us, he is good to go. When a product is good, you don’t need a lot of advertisement to sell it. Asiwaju is a very good product. If Asiwaju can get it in other parts, he can equally get it in the South South because he is a very good product to market on his own. It is easier for us to sell Asiwaju than some other persons that you will struggle and struggle to sell in the South South. Asiwaju is a household name in the South South. In my State, he is part of my State. To me, I will tell you that Asiwaju is from Delta State because in Itsekiri, they will tell you that the in-law is the third family member. So, after my father, mother, brother, the other person is in-law. Itsekiri or people from Delta don’t disenfranchise their in-laws. Asiwaju equally has the same right as I do to partake in anything, to be part of any meeting and have his own fair share in anything. I can boldly tell you Asiwaju is from Delta State. Being that he is from Delta, Asiwaju is from South South.

At the unveiling of Shettima as the VicePresidential candidate of APC, some key members from the South South and South East were not at the venue, is that not a sign of a crack in the party?

Even me, I was not there, because to us, Shettima has been unveiled before now by Asiwaju himself. So, I was sleeping at home that day, when they called me. What did I need to go and do there? So, I don’t see any political undertone in that. We have been told that it is Shettima and we have been talking. Everybody has congratulated him. The unveiling was just a ceremonial thing.

I assumed other leaders not in attendance were very tired and couldn’t attend. So, it is not an issue for me.

are all Christians. Go and see whether you will see any development. Governors running the region are all Christians. So, if Asiwaju has a partner that will make him succeed, will give us protection, good roads, good schools, I don’t care. So, whatever that can work for us, that is what we need at this time and Shettima is going to be a very good pair with Asiwaju. What we are saying at the moment is Asiwaju for transformation. We are not seeing the religious aspect of it because to some of us, the Vice President is a Christian under Buhari, what is the difference.

Some Christians because of politics will go to the North to go and turban. If you know you forbid something so much, don’t even go to their palace to turban. Why are you going there, don’t you know it is a different faith?

Emami

You have already established your passion for Asiwaju’s presidency, what I am trying to find out is the Muslim-Muslim ticket issue on ground. Naturally, the North might embrace it but in the region where you come from don’t you think that will be an issue?

Some of us even supported the candidacy of Shettima. We advised Asiwaju to go and look for good person that will give him support, whether Muslim or anything. Religion has not brought anything to our table. For example, Niger Delta Development Commission is an agency that is supposed to be taking care of the Niger Delta and so much money has come into the NDDC but the people monitoring those affairs

How are you going to sell APC in the South-South because it is a known fact that South South is PDP stronghold?

To me, I will not hide my feelings about the current government. As much as people have different feelings or perceptions about Buhari, some of us could bring very good votes for Buhari in my state despite the fact that APC reward system is very poor. But to some of us, we know that Asiwaju, if you look at his pedigree and people around him, you will know that he is a good product to sell. Even when we have a difficult product, we still moved in and we still sold him and people bought him. So, the way people are defecting from PDP, people are moving massively into APC, I don’t want to mention names. Somebody moved from PDP to APC for a purpose, somebody is also moving out of APC to another party for another mission. But when he is moving out did he tell you he will not support Asiwaju? So, these movements and a lot of people don’t have ideology and belief. In Nigerian politics, a lot of them move with their stomach. So, I call them stomach infrastructure

politicians. Someone like me, I have been in opposition in my State for almost eight years.

I don’t care, I don’t go close to the Government House, despite all my associates, my friends are in that State. But you will see some people who will tell you, we are APC in federal, we are PDP in Delta State and they will even benefit more than us. But in Asiwaju’s government, I don’t think such a thing will happen. I told my people, one of the problems in Delta is to ensure that the ports in Warri are working, some of us thought that Buhari was going to fix it, the shores in our place is actually being affected by the ocean.

The gas project that the foundation was laid by (Goodluck) Jonathan, some of us thought that Buhari will complete it. The Warri refinery, our belief is that with Buhari, it is going to be fixed and a lot of money has been budgeted for these projects. I don’t want to give him 100 percent blame on this issue, but knowing Asiwaju and his antecedent in Lagos and seeing Nigeria as a bigger picture and we want more money into Nigeria and not Lagos. There are various investments that Asiwaju is going to create so that money will come into Nigeria and there is no way you want to design that Warri is going to be out of it, Port-Harcourt will be out of it, Bayelsa will be out of it, Calabar will be out of it, because it is going to be bigger picture. He will want to attract more investors because he is a business like person and he is a politician.

The essence of this Muslim-Muslim ticket is this insurgency in the North. In the Niger Delta, yes, we must agitate but my own way of agitation is different from yours. Don’t burst the pipe, if they agree with what we want to start so that the federal government will not say they are budgeting money to do repairs.

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

17

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022

POLITICS

Eze: Enugu People Tired of One Party Rule, Godfatherism The senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Enugu North Senatorial District, Simon Ejike Eze, in this interview with Kingsley Nwezeh, while outlining his plans for his people if elected and the need to rout the monolithic Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State also expressed optimism that the presidential flag bearer of his party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will trounce his opponents in the February, 2023 poll.

Y

ou are the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Enugu North Senatorial District. What is it that is propelling you to go into this race? What have you seen in Enugu North that is not being done right?

Well, my desire is to serve. Service is the key issue for me. Not that others have not served but I believe I could make a difference, that with my experience in the civil service, I could offer a lot more to my people making sure that my people get what they call dividends of democracy. That’s one. Two, I believe that I can, because people say that politics is for people who are rough, who are not educated, I don’t believe in that. Politics is not a dirty game, it is service to the people.

Politics is bringing development to your people. I believe that with my experience in the foreign service and in retirement, I still have a lot to offer. That is why I am venturing into politics.

I joined APC early 2021 and I have looked critically into what is happening in my constiuency. First, there is what I call one party system in Enugu State where PDP from the inception of this democratic experiment has maintained power all through the chains of governance, local, state and federal government.

For instance, all our legislators, all the senators, reps, have all been PDP and I think it’s not healthy for a democratic society like ours.

There should be opposition to help those in government to carry our their responsibilities.

I also don’t like the issue that you must be annointed by somebody. A godfather, who will say go, you don’t go and then it makes nonsense of democracy, government of the people by the people and for the people.

When everything you do is dependent on a godfather, If they like your face they will say you should go for an elective office whether you can do the job or not.

These are areas we must begin to interrogate ourselves, interrogate our leaders, it is no longer where one man says you should go or not and when he says you should go, he will make sure that you win.

This phenomenon of money politics is also another aspect. If you don’t have deep pockets or a war chest, you can’t vie for any political position. Merit is relegated to the background.

So these are the issues that I looked at and I feel that we must begin to think about how do we change this scenario?

You know, another narrative.

We should have people who don’t even have much money but have ideas, ideas rule the world.

So, bring in ideas that can ensure democracy dividends and the greatest happiness for the greatest number of our people in every aspect of life, the more the merrier for our people.

If you bring more democracy dividends, it will impact more on society and that’s why I’m offering myself for service I believe, I should be in a position to do so, having worked for the federal government for 33 years and having seen the world.

I am conversant with what happens in Abuja, here in government establishments, in paramilitary establishments, in all departments or agencies of government and how do we get our people into these areas? How do we make sure that whatever is being offered by any government that is like the central bank, the loans they give, how do we make sure that it gets to our own people, the small scale farmers, the small scale industrialists, and all of others? So these are the things I believe that with me in the senate, I will be able to leverage on my contacts and help our people more What are you bringing to the table? What do you hope to change?

My main interest is in human capital development, employment for the youth even appointments for our people because I have looked around except during the era of Prof Osita Ogbu, who was a special adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nsukka Senatorial zone has not produced a minister since the inception of democratic rule in 1999.

reason. Even with the muslim-muslim ticket, the wife is a Christian. The key thing is that she is there for Christians. Obasanjo built a chapel in Aso Rock, I have worshipped there several times. If we have a muslim-muslim ticket, what happens to the chapel? Even in Tinubu’s era, it’s not going to be idle, the wife will pastor the church.

So as a pastor in the villa. It’s going to have a lot of activities in the chapel.

I believe that with what we are doing in APC and with the problem in PDP, you know we agreed that the president should go South. What Atiku has done is going to cause a problem in PDP. I believe it is already causing a problem for them.

Once, there is a breakaway faction of those who believe in southern presidency will move and we are expecting them in APC. The implosion in PDP will amount to expansion in APC.

Eze The issue is key to me. I have assisted a number of people secure employment in the civil service. If I am elected a senator, I will have more capacity to go all out to get employment for my people.

I am an ardent lover of my people.

Any Nsukka man I see seeking for anything, I always offered the little assistance I could. This I have done in the past years and I will continue to do it.

I cannot be a legislator and be alienated from my people. I don’t know how I can alienate my people, who have elected me to represent them. I will work tirelessly to make sure that even as we have federal character commission, to make sure that we get our own share of appointments.

We need to question that, we need to seek out that. That will help us to ensure that our people are out of the unemployment market.

Take for instance the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria since 1960 that the university was established in our land, in the land of our forefathers and we have not produced a vice chancellor, who is an Nsukka indigene.

I believe that it is something that we can focus more attention on so that in the next dispensation, an Nsukka professor can become a vice chancellor. We have many professors of Nsukka origin, many of them who are qualified to be Vice Chancellor. They should be facili-

tated to be there. There is pride he will exhibit while in office because he will say this is my home, I will do my best.

If I were there as an academic, I will bend backwards to ensure that normalcy is restored because I went there too. I have been there recently and I have seen unfinished projects, dirty hostels, nothing fascinating again like when we were there in the 80s.

This government has offered a lot of palliative measures, from CBN, NSRIL, Bank of Industry and a lot of other departments of government and other support given small and medium scale enterprises.

A legislator can go all out to seek these things for the people. He should be able to liase with the executive arm to attract infrastructure, roads, health facilities, among others, to the people.

Are you concerned about the level of insecurity in Nigeria?

Every reasonable Nigerian is concerned about insecurity in Nigeria. Being an Igbo man from Enugu State, I am worried about the prevailing rate of attacks on our people by the herdsmen, the unknown gunmen, IPOB, ECN, nobody knows exactly who is doing what.

But I want to advise governors to use more of their security votes to look for intelligence. The nation is yet to agree on state police. I believe in state police. I am an ardent believer in state police. It is one of the things I will canvass when I get there to help the federal police and agencies in locating the criminals.

Do you think that with what is going on in the country that APC will retain the presidency?

Yes. We will win. Tinubu will win the election.

I can tell you that for sure and I can give you the

There is what I call one party system in Enugu State where PDP from the inception of this democratic experiment has maintained power all through the chains of governance, local, state and federal government. For instance, all our legislators, all the senators, reps, have all been PDP and I think it’s not healthy for a democratic society like ours.

There should be opposition to help those in government to carry our their responsibilities

What is your message to your people in Enugu North about their PVC? It has become imperative because there’s a revolution going on in Nigeria. People have always been reluctant to vote but I don’t think it’s going to be the same in 2023.

I also want to urge our people in Enugu North to get their PVC. Their PVC is their power to decide who their leaders will be especially in Enugu State where one party has been dominant, with your PVC, you can tell the government that is there now, you have not done well. I need a change.

That’s the only way we can do away with the monolithic PDP government in Enugu State.

Let’s look at your academic background Thank you very much. I started my primary education shortly before the civil war and when the war started, we were pushed out of our places and could not continue till after three years. At the end of the war in 1970, I went back to primary school and subsequently, secondary school. I was at the new Obollo High School then later in Christ High School, Abor. I finished my secondary education in 1978 and then became an auxilary teacher which was in vogue then.

I gained admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1980 to read political science and in 1984 I graduated with a degree in political science and subsequently proceeded for national service in 1985.

After that, I started looking for jobs here and there. I was in Lagos from 1986 and luckily, I got employed in the Ministry of External Affairs.

That was in 1987 and subsequently went for various trainings after which I began a career in foreign service which lasted for the next 33 years.

Where did your diplomatic career take you?

Like I said, I joined foreign service in 1987. I had my trainings from 1987 to 1989. In 1989, I was deployed and in 1991, I was asked to go to our embassy in Berlin, Germany.

I started my career as a diplomat in Berlin, Germany, in 1991. I was there till 1998. I was there for almost seven years and then I came back from Germany. I was at the headquarters from 1998 to 1999 when this present democratic era commenced.

I was seconded to work with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. I worked with him from May 1999 to June 2007 after that I left for Ghana, the High Commissioner of Nigeria to Ghana. I stayed there for three years.

I wanted to go to Ghana to go and rest but I found out that there was much more work in Ghana than in the State House.

I complained and I was cross-posted to Cuba.

If you know what Cuba meant to us, you don’t even see Nigerians in Havana, Cuba, you only see Nigerian students, about 30 Nigerian students and some missionaries.

In 2011, I was returned to Nigeria, to my head office. In 2012, I was assigned to work with Pius Anyim as a senior special assistant. Pius was then the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). I worked with him till 2013 when I returned to the headquarters.

In 2014, I left for another posting in Portugal.

I was there till 2017 when I returned to the headquarters and retired in 2019.

18

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͶ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

FEATURES

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

BBNaija, 2023 Elections and How to Ensure Youth Involvement Given the interest reality television show, Big Brother Nigeria, best known as BBNaija, often generates, Michael Orodare writes on what should be done if we are serious about youth involvement in the forthcoming 2023 general elections

S

ince the announcement of the return of Big Brother Naija for the seventh season in June 2022, the Nigerian media space, especially social media, has been awash with diverse opinions. It was expected. In fact, what is BBNaija without 'strong opinions', using social media parlance, 'hot takes', from citizens?

One of the debates that caught this writer's attention on social media was the call for the suspension of this year's edition of the show "because Nigeria is preparing for an election, and we don't want any distraction".

Talking about BBNaija and its social, economic and political value for Nigeria and its people - is almost becoming a hobby for me.

In the last two years, I've argued in several articles about how the show has become one of the most promising routes for young Nigerians to escape from hustle life. The show is also contributing to Nigeria's economy. My position over the years is a product of empirical data from research by respected scholars and personal interaction with some young Nigerians I realised are making it big off the platform that BBNaija provides.

The show is becoming increasingly more prominent in influence and assurance of wealth and fame for many young people, aside from the men and women camped in the BBNaija house for about three months.

Just a year ago, I argued that through BBNaija, Nigeria is winning back a place it lost a long time ago as the nation other 51 African countries look up to in everything.

The 'Big Brother' of African nations.

Olusola Ogunnubi and Akinlolu Akinola, in a 2020 report, also confirmed that "The show confers respect on Nigeria. Via the subconscious association of the 'Big Brother' with Nigeria, there is a subtle affirmation of Nigeria's 'big brother' honorific status in the hearts of viewers across the continent," the duo argued.

BBNaija is arguably the biggest TV show in Africa today, and its place as one of the most dependable platforms for young Nigerians to realise their dream of a career in the creative industry is not in doubt.

When BBNaija season 6 ended in October 2021, Abeg Technologies, the headline sponsor

Whitemoney, winner of last year's BBNaija of BBNaija season 6, said users of its Abeg app soared by 7000 per cent following its sponsorship of the reality TV show.

According to Patricia Adoga, the COO of Abeg Technologies, the popularity of the BBNaija show rubbed off on its business.

Users of the Abeg app rose from 20,000 before BBNaija season 6 to 1.8 million users during the show. Such is the power of the show. The Abeg app is back as a sponsor this year, albeit with a new name - Pocket

by PiggyVest.

ID Africa, a Pan-African PR and communications advisory company, says the show generated over 55 billion media impressions between July 19 and September 25, 2020, with 7.7 million accounts using the word BBNaija over 20 million times on Twitter alone. Meanwhile, the 2021 edition of the

biggest football tournament in Africa, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2021), only generated about 950 million impressions across all digital channels from January to February 2022, according to CAF. BBNaija is a media and social phenomenon and a potent source of attraction, aspiration and admiration for Nigeria.

As we prepare for the 2023 election, we should find ways to leverage BBNaija's influence to galvanise the demography that BBNaija arrests its attention for 70 days that the show is on TV. Who puts such a powerful platform of influence on hiatus while preparing for a crucial election where young people should be the deciding factor? That's a risky 'hot take' that shouldn't have

made it to the public space.

Socio-political advocates should be harnessing and leveraging the power and influence of BBNaija to drive and mobilise young people to be part of the process that can and will produce Nigeria's next leaders. Especially in an election where issues that directly affect young Nigerians - insecurity, rising unemployment, and police brutality will dominate conversations and campaign points.

Now that young people have recognised their power and are ready to deploy it in the next election, this is not a task for only the politically inclined. Amid the advocacy for 2023 elections, there's still an army of young Nigerians who appear to be less concerned about who becomes the next President or local government chairman who is supposed to fix the life-threatening bad roads leading to their residence. Many of them are pop-culture enthusiasts. BBNaija is where to find many of them and properly sensitise and convince them with the right message to be part of the ongoing revolution.

In the face of a full-scale war in Ukraine, football tournaments like the English Premier League (EPL) became a platform to demand peace because of its global reach. Amid the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the United States in 2020, the America Got Talent (AGT) show did not distract protesters. The show continued.

Because we want to get the elections right, we shouldn't halt economic, social and other activities. If politics is indeed a game of numbers and INEC says 74.7% of newly-registered voters are youths between the ages of 18 and 34, and this same demography is the primary audience of BBNaija, what we should be doing is to take the message to them at their comfort zone.

In the past, we've seen how BBNaija housemates addressed social issues like rape, drug abuse and mental health issues with their daily tasks; it won't be a surprise to see the 2023 elections dominate their daily tasks during the seventh edition.

Rather than call for a suspension, political advocates and social crusaders should look into how to tap into the power of BBNaija to reach more young people and harvest their passion and numbers to drive social change.

Otti Throws Lifeline for Youngsters to Fly High that, the applicant must be a resident of Abia State irrespective of his/her state of origin.

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

A

fter rising to the peak of his banking career with the attendant affluence, Mr. Alex Otti has not stopped looking back to the difficult road he travelled before he became a man of means.

He is never ashamed to confess that his days as a student at the University of Port Harcourt was anything but rosy.

"I managed through the rigours of academics, with barely enough stipends to get by," he said. Even before making his way to the University, Otti said he had equally "struggled" through secondary school because "my father, a poor clergyman with eight children had (barely) managed to send me to school in spite of his daily struggles to cater for the family".

Having waded through the rough waters of life and came out a successful person, the former bank chief executive has taken it upon himself to throw lifeline to young persons that find themselves on the same rough road he had passed through.

With the Alex Otti Foundation, the renowned economist has over the years offered scholarships to brilliant but indigent students in the universities and other tertiary institutions "in recognition of the transformational powers of education, a social leveller, (which) takes people from nothing to everything" On July 23, 2022 a 'Scholarship Banquet' was staged at the Centenary Hall, Mater Dei Catholic Church Umuahia to induct a new batch of 26 beneficiaries into the Alex Otti Scholarship scheme.

The new set of beneficiaries formally added to the list of "Otti scholars" are all 200 level students from 11 tertiary institutions across

New batch of Otti Scholars in a group photograph with their benefactor(sitting, middle), his wife, Priscillia and Senator Victor Umeh the country. The event was graced by many dignitaries including the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi. The presidential hopeful, who was represented by the senator representing Anambra Central, Senator Victor Umeh, lauded Otti for "giving hope to people who desire education but lack the means to realise their dreams". "This is a legacy of service," he pointed out.

The Executive Director, Alex Otti Foundation, Mr. Chinedu Ekeke said that the scholarship offer was not politically motivated (though Otti is a politician and the governorship candidate of Labour Party in Abia for the 2023 General election).

"What we are doing here is a celebration of opportunity because in the villages

talents abound but opportunities are limited," he said.

He explained that by giving scholarships to young persons, Otti is helping to develop their talents hence he should be appreciated.

Ekeke further explained that the "scholarship we run is very competitive", adding that Otti doesn't know any of the beneficiaries whose number has now grown to over 100.

He said that to qualify to compete for the scholarship a student must have a minimum of cumulative grade point average(CGPA) of 3.5 for those in university and 2.8 for the ones in other tertiary institutions. Not only

For the new Otti scholars, their selection to enjoy the full scholarship scheme has become a great opportunity to fly high. It has also lifted heavy burden off their parents' shoulders.

Miss Chidinma Nwatu, a computer science student of the University of Ibadan, who spoke at the event on behalf of other scholarship awardees, acknowledged the impact the Otti scholarship would make on their academic pursuits and ultimate goal in life.

Addressing Otti she said: "You are touching lives and you have touched our lives. We are inspired to aim high. This is a stepping stone to greatness. We are going to make you proud in our academics and in our (future) professions because you are proud of us".

According to Otti, the scholarship lasts throughout the duration of the recipient's academic programme irrespective of the course of study.

Apart from tuition fees, the scholarship also takes care of "few other costs" till graduation in order "to free (the scholars) from all forms of distraction".

However, after winning the scholarship, retaining it comes with a caveat: the Otti scholar must not fall below the benchmark of 3.5 CGPA for universities or 2.8 for other tertiary institutions throughout the duration of the academic programme.

"We want you to focus wholly on your academics and engage in only extracurricular activities that will help develop you physically and mentally," Otti admonished his scholars.

He wants them to become a generation of leaders amongst who are "top career men and women, successful business owners, tech giants, great researchers, professors, and others".

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͶ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

19

PERSPECTIVE

Nigeria’s New Television Audience Measurement System – A Paradigm Shift Rotimi Pedro

I

n the hustle and bustle of life in Ikorodu, the sleepy community of Eruwen, has a long untarred muddy and bumpy road, leading to 'Up Chelsea' Bus Stop, where Ololade Adewale, an auto mechanic shares a workshop with four other male technicians, who work as welder, panel beater, spray painter, and automobile electrician (rewire).

On this cool Wednesday afternoon, she ushered this reporter to an open space, which had a few faulty cars that were being worked on by her male colleagues. At the right hand side stood a rickety carpenter's workshop and just in front also stood a small purpose-built enclosure used as the spray painter's department.

The open space was leased out to Ololade and her colleagues by a man popularly known as ' Daddy Semilore’, who does not want the land to be used for residential purposes except for shops and other businesses.

Ever since 22-year-old Ololade moved in there two years ago to work as an auto mechanic among the men, she said she has had no issues with them as they work together and individually, sometimes.

Hers is a familiar story for many female mechanics. But, in her years of training, Ololade didn’t meet another female mechanic or trainee.

Yet, that was not enough to deter her from a career she loves even though her choice of “masculine” job was considered to be unusual.

It was viewed as difficult, however minimal, because of her gender.

She recalled her experience thus far, saying, “Ever since I have been here, there have been no issues or fights between me and my male colleagues. We work differently, but there have been times when we worked together and they allow me to check the engine of faulty cars.

"When it’s my turn, they also come around to assist. Anytime I don't have work, I assist them in the painting and panel beating department.

So, I have a little knowledge of what they do in other departments as well, aside from the mechanical work.

“When I was small, I have always seen myself as a different person. I don't move in the same league with everybody. So, I asked myself one day how will I make a difference?

I thought of creative work, and there was a day I was watching TV and I saw one of my mentors, Engr. Sandra Aguabor, who is a lady mechanic being interviewed and I told myself that I can also do what she is doing.”

Watching Aguabor being interviewed was a sort of turning point for Ololade as she decided thereafter to check her up at her workshop in Yaba to see if she could become one of her apprentices. Unfortunately, that was the time Aguabor was preparing to move to a new office in Abijo in Lekki, and she could not see her. She thereafter proceeded to Government Technical College, Ikorodu, where she gained admission in 2016, and graduated in 2019, as a female mechanic. Afterwards, she did a six- month apprenticeship with a roadside mechanic. She said: “After that, I went for my internship at Parkway Auto Clinic located at Ijede-Elepe, Ikorodu. At the company, I learnt how to fix vehicles and I also went to Nenis Autocare in 2020 where I spent one year before resigning.”

For two years, Ololade has been working at 'Up Chelsea' with her brand name, 'Horllarz Auto Care'. She is saddled with the responsibility of scanning the engine of faulty vehicles brought to the workshop, test-driving, as well as suspending cars to remove bad tyres and fixing them. Working as a mechanic has been interesting because I believe that is my calling and I have passion for it, she said.

Ololade added: “There were some challenges working and schooling at the same time. People would wonder what I was doing in a man’s vocation. Some would taunt me by saying that only prostitutes work with men.

"But the word ‘No’ always comes to my mind, and I assured myself I can succeed in this job, that mental attitude somehow motivates me without inhibition. It’s been quite interesting and I have learnt not to look back.”

She said that her male colleagues have also supported her even when at times some customers look at them with scorn.

Whenever customers come to the workshop

Pedro to harass her, she said, her male colleagues usually would stand for her as brothers and protect her in a way and manner brothers would.

Another challenge, she told this reporter, is not having the right tools to work with. Such tools include harmer, spanner, screwdriver, and oil cup, which are essential for the engine work.

Asked if she has reached out to anybody to help her get the needed tools, Ololade said:" I have seen some people, but when it comes to the issue of men and you are asking them for help, they tend to misunderstand it and take you for granted.

For instance, when I told them about it, they replied by telling me that they will help me with some money, if only I can sleep with them. But I believe that this is my calling, so I don't need to sacrifice my body for anybody or before I could get the needed support."

She is, however, helping herself by buying some of the tools from the little profit she makes from the job.

“It hasn't been easy though. When we use tools to work most of the time, it will get broken and that means I have to replace them," she said.

Asked if she belongs to any of the engineering associations, she said: “I am aware of the associations, but my boss at Nenis AutoCare is also an engineer and she belongs to associations such as Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN).

She said she would help me make the move, but I have to go back to school to get a BSc. or HND degree before I could be allowed to join such associations."

Considering the poor state of the road, especially during the rainy season, which could make vehicles break down, Ololade said drivers of broken down vehicles usually call her and her colleagues to help tow them to the workshop for repairs, adding that if it is a problem they can fix, they do it.

She expressed hope that one day, she would be able to acquire land to build her own workshop where she can practice her trade.

“I love to dream a lot , I love teaching too, and I want a place where I can bring children together to learn , " she said , adding, :I got admitted into Lagos State Polytechnic to study Mechanical Engineering , but had to drop out in ND two because I was unable to pay the school fees.”

Ololade’s male colleagues, Musa Alamu and Ifeolu Akinruli, the spray painter and panel beater corroborated her story, adding that they have always given her the needed support by linking her up with customers and lending her working tools when necessary.

“Some customers sometimes ask us what she was doing at the workshop, but we usually tell them that she is one of us,” Alamu said.

Ololade's story however, is not an isolated one. Another lady mechanic, Mary John, has a similar experience too.

She has been working for BHN Logistic Limited, a haulage service provider located in Mowe, Ogun State, for six years now.

The organisation rents out their trucks to organisations like Lafarge Africa PLC, Dufil Prima Foods PLC (makers of Indomie noodles), Nigerian Brewery PLC, among others.

As a lady mechanic in the organisation, she works from Monday through Friday doing what she calls preventive maintenance of the trucks. Sometimes, she had to work overtime on Saturdays to support her husband, who is also a welder in the same organisation.

The 27 years old Mrs. Mary told THISDAY what her work schedule looks like.

“BHN gives out their trucks for companies like Lafarge, Indomie and Nigerian Breweries PLC, and as a mechanic, I am saddled with the responsibility of checking the trucks for any damage. I do preventive maintenance by servicing the trucks. We have annual and basic service.

"In the annual service, the trucks are maintained for one year while for basic, the trucks are serviced every three months.

"To sustain this continuing global cultural relevance (some call it reverse imperialism) that our creative sector continues to attain, the media market at home needs to be deepened to provide the much needed economic scale to further propel this very promising and strategic sector"

I also have the knowledge of checking and ensuring that injector pumps in these trucks are good. I can uncouple the injector pump and put it back."

Mary, who is six months pregnant, lamented that in a month, the company could do 200 basic services and 100 annual service or more, adding that the job is weighing her down. As a woman in a male dominated environment, though she finds the job very tedious despite her meagre salary of N50,000, she has to do it to earn a living for herself .

Asked how her male counterparts perceive her on the job, she said, “my male colleagues treat me as one of them and they teach me what I have to know; we work hand in hand.

They don't look down on me as a woman but respect me also as a mechanic."

Mary, who aspires to be a Mechanical Engineer, said her only challenge is the poor salary she receives at her workplace.

Joy Obi also runs Ladybenz Auto Mechanic in Lekki-Ajah Expressway. She is the first female mechanic, who specialises in Mercedes Benz in Nigeria, and has been working as a mechanic for over 20 years.

She started out at age 12 as an apprentice in a Mechanic Village in Niger State. Afterwards she decided to further her tertiary education at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, where she studied Mechanical /Automobile Engineering. She was equally the only female in her department at the time.

She had worked with Mercedes Benz Automobile for 18 years as their only female engineer to hone her skills as she said that working with her male folks didn't come easy. Her clientele base is customers who drive luxury cars and she also manages the organisation's fleet of cars.

When this reporter encountered her on this particular hot Friday afternoon, she was busy with one of her client's luxury cars. But she was polite enough to give our reporter the needed attention for a brief chat.

She said: “I just had to behave like the men and adapt, but sometimes, they bully me and I often retaliate too. I never gave them the space to harass or ridicule me. Some funny ones sometimes will make passes at you. But it’s fun as I’m now used to such antics."

Her major challenge on the job however, is funding. She said that her rent for her workshop in Lekki, has expired and the landlord had given her quit notice or an option of paying N5 million as against the N1.5 million for the plot of land. Joy said she trains young men and women for free in the workshop, adding that she also has the challenge of shipping in some of the spare parts she uses for her job.

“The spare parts for the kind of exotic cars I repair are pretty expensive, "she noted.

Asked if she has reached out for support from either NSE or APWEN, as an engineer, she said: “I am a member of Council of Registered Engineers in Nigeria (COREN) and National Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE). I once applied for 'YouWin', but I didn't get the funds. I also applied for an international fund under 'We Empower', and I didn't get it either."

The only loan she got was from the Bank of Industry (BoI), as she used the N10 million for a period of four years to establish her workshop, which had since been paid back.

She described the automobile industry as a lucrative business, adding that she has about 20 staff members working under her.

People, she said, prefer to patronise her more because they believe that women are more honest than the men and articulate in what they do.

“Truly when I fix your car, you will not want to patronise anyone else. So, I have a lot of customers that I have been servicing their cars for over 15 to 18 years. I also get referrals.”

She encouraged young women to key into the automobile industry, saying that so long as automobiles remain a means of transportation, technicians will never go hungry. “People move from one point to another with their vehicles and when they go bad, it is the technicians that fix them," she said. t1FESP JT $IBJSNBO 'JSTU .FEJB &OUFSUBJONFOU *OUFHSBUFE /JH -JNJUFE <'.&*-> NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

20 T H I S D AY THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022 TR

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Thursday July 28, 2022 Vol 27. No 9970

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

THE RENOVATION OF FALSEHOOD KEHINDE BAMIGBETAN takes on Reno Omokri in defence of the APC presidential candidate

See page 21

THE BALOGUN MARKET IMBROGLIO SONNIE EKWOWUSI examines the legal tango between the Balogun Business Association, Lagos (BBA) and some members

See page 21

EDITORIAL RETHINKING PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES…11

See page 22

1

The government should tackle the challenges in the bakery sector soon enough, advises MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE

LEST WE FORGET THE POWER OF BREAD In reaction to the current supersonic swelling in the prices of bread across the country, a 1984 cartoon by famous Nigerian cartoonist, Josy Ajiboye, has gone viral in the social media. “Your Excellency, you promised cheaper bread, now a 10 kobo loaf of bread is 70 kobo,” it reported.

You already know who the excellency was that year and you might have concluded that de javu is occurring but this piece will not be devoted to the bashing of President Muhammadu Buhari who was the military head of state at the time. The president has announced repeatedly that he has done his best. No one should deny him the right to assess himself and voice it out; the same way the people too have their own ULJKW WR GHWHUPLQH ZKHWKHU WKH HͿRUWV RI his government are yielding the desired results.

Come to think of it, how vital is bread?

Many food historians agree that bread is, perhaps, man’s oldest processed food and trace its origin to Egypt and the Middle East. Today, it is a citizen of the world, appearing on breakfast tables especially in various forms, sizes and diverse recipes. Wheat, corn, rice, oat, barley DQG FDVVDYD WXEHUV DUH XVHG LQ GLͿHUHQW SODFHV WR SURGXFH VHGXFLQJ ÁDYRXUV LQ order to satisfy varying visceral needs. It is on record that while both the rich and poor consume bread, it occupies a special position in the lives of the less-privileged.

Two reasons are responsible for this. One, in normal circumstances, it is cheaper than most other foods. Secondly, oftentimes, it possesses a certain staying power, something to “take hold belle” for a longer period before the next meal.

These peculiar characteristics probably informed a declaration in the early 17th Century by foremost Spaniard author, Miguel de Cervantes in his epic novel, Don Quixote, that, “With bread, all sorrows are less.” That assertion was corroborated centuries later by the late global icon, Mahatma Ghandi. As he put it, “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” Could those men have overstated the importance of a simple, unassuming consumable item? Most certainly not. Hunger and the constant need to quench it through naturally designed and acceptable ways are among humanity’s most distinguishing and binding attributes. Numerous wars have been fought, struggles and intrigues have been staged at institutional, home and personal levels in attempts to gratify this basic necessity.

Mary Frances Fisher, celebrated 20th Century American food writer, painted an even loftier picture of bread. According to her, “It does not cost much. It is pleasant: one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It

OHDYHV \RX ÀOOHG ZLWK SHDFH DQG WKH KRXVH ÀOOHG ZLWK RQH RI WKH ZRUOG·V VZHHWHVW smells. But it takes a lot of time. If you can ÀQG WKDW WKH UHVW LV HDV\ $QG LI \RX FDQQRW ULJKWO\ ÀQG LW PDNH LW IRU SUREDEO\ WKHUH LV no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.” With that beautiful prose, she brought to light the therapeutic properties of bread, something, I guess, would be better appreciated in societies where food shortages are not common, where more energies are devoted to higher ideals since solid foundations have already been laid for the perpetual sustenance of the populace.

Nigerians have for long been compelled by circumstances and bad governance to live without what should ordinarily not be viewed as luxuries but fundamental necessities. For most of them, bread is about survival. Sadly. The alternatives to it are fast thinning out because of the worsening social and economic realities.

Last week, national and state bakers’ bodies threatened to shut down their bakeries.

The series of meetings they have held with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment have not produced meaningful outcomes. On Wednesday last week, the President, Premium Breadmakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN), Emmanuel Onuorah, tried to articulate the frustrations and expectations of his colleagues and provide the rationale for the planned strike.

Historically, bread has proved to be PRUH WKDQ MXVW DQRWKHU VWXͿ RQ WKH PHQX list. The events that culminated in the French Revolution present some of the most dramatic and brutal manifestations of its dominance. Bread was a major feature in the diet of average French workers. As a matter of fact, about half of their daily wages was spent on it alone. The grain crop failure of 1788 and 1789, however, conspired to shoot up that expenditure to close to 90 percent of their earnings.

The people, in turn, blamed the ruling

When people are pushed to the limits, anything is possible. The issues that snowballed into the French Revolution were deeper than bread but it was a ready catalyst when the cup of the aristocrats became full

class, the aristocracy, for their increasingly despondent condition.

It was in the midst of the strained nerves that Queen Marie Antoinette made her sarcastic remark, “Let them eat cake (brioche),” in response to the masses’ cries for bread. French philosopher, JeanJacques Rousseau, later credited the original pronouncement of that infamous VWDWHPHQW WR DQ XQVSHFLÀHG SULQFHVV LQ Confessions, a book he wrote in 1766 when Antoinette was only a child. Never mind the controversy. That moment of indiscretion triggered the overwhelming rage that led her and the husband, King Louis XIV, to their early graves on July 14, 1789 via guillotine. Almighty bread then became an instant priority of government.

Linda Civitello explained the prevailing environment succinctly in her book, Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People: “Bread was considered a public service necessary to keep the people from rioting… Bakers, therefore, were public servants, so the police controlled all aspects of bread production.”

France, of course, is not Nigeria but only doomed nations and leaders would ignore lessons from the past, no matter how distant. When people are pushed to the limits, anything is possible. The issues that snowballed into the French Revolution were deeper than bread but it was a ready catalyst when the cup of the aristocrats became full. Yes, the ongoing 5XVVLD 8NUDLQH FRQÁLFW KDV VHULRXVO\ undermined wheat and energy supplies but then many unresolved matters VXUURXQGLQJ WKH SURGXFWLRQ RI DͿRUGDEOH bread had been in existence before the warfare started. Excuses built around that SUHGLFDPHQW ZLOO WKHUHIRUH QRW Á\ LQ WKH minds of Nigerians, many of whom have continued to endure various degrees of trauma.

You would be surprised at the volume of the micro economy and physical and social wellbeing directly related to the operations of the teeming ‘mai shai’ in virtually every street corner in Nigeria. Not to mention the domestic or family stage. Who would have believed just a year ago that a loaf of bread would cost 800 to 1000 naira today? ,WV TXDOLW\ LV D GLͿHUHQW WKLQJ DOWRJHWKHU $ friend told me the other day that there was no point appealing to this government for anything, that its response capacity has been grossly compromised. But who else should Nigerians turn to? The sage.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, said something in his work, Voice of Reason, about the rebellion of the stomach being the worst.

No one will enjoy the full weight of that admonition.

Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

321

T H I S D AY THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022

KEHINDE BAMIGBETAN takes on Reno Omokri in defence of the APC presidential candidate

THE RENOVATION OF FALSEHOOD Reno Omokri hates the All Progressives Congress (APC) for aborting his dream job as a Special Assistant when it defeated President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections. That hatred also related to his colossal failure as a political consultant hired by the president from his base abroad on the grandiose claim of having superb skills in using social media to mobilise legitimacy for governments and wooing voters for his principal.

That the APC guillotined his professional career as a political communications guru

and fried his ass has left him in trauma, the psychotic state that propels him to stay online to spew gibberish and strut the media landscape as an apostle of doom.

Between 2015 and 2019, Omokri turned the bashing of President Muhammadu Buhari into a vocation, demarketing the leaders of the party that sent him out of Aso Villa to an obsession. Thus, when it comes to dressing his negative and destructive campaign of calumny against the APC presidential ticket as normal journalistic criticism, Reno is unable to escape the vigilant watch of many of us who are familiar with his digital prints.

Balloons hate pins, however small. The half-truths that Reno tried to renovate in THISDAY edition of Tuesday 26th July this year is another of Omokri’s balloons of character assassination to curry the favour of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He probably imagines that if he is able to assemble all his anarchist literature, he might secure another four year tenure in the presidency of his delusion.

Omokri murders truths naturally because his writings are designed to market his services to prospective and existing clients. He stays on social media to post regularly because he is afraid of losing followers and value. His content is negative because he lacks the positive, constructive patriotism that sees a country as work in progress. Thus, he habitually sets standards that the administration that he served could never contemplate.

In this particular instance of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC and the allegation of having professional dealing with a person found to be involved in narcotics, Omokri rehashed a story that the Nigerian public has been told since it was broken by TODAY Newspapers in 2001 not because he seeks to promote public interest but to exploit the non-issue for incendiary

purposes. Any professional hunting for business can innocently fall into the hands of criminal elements. This is my reading of the investigation of the Akandes that led to the discovery of their association with Tinubu and the forfeiture of his account.

The decision of Tinubu to prove his innocence and secure the release of the money is concrete evidence that he believed the allegation was false. The fact that he won and secured a million out of 1.4 million dollars is further proof that his FODLP RI LQQRFHQFH ZDV ODUJHO\ MXVWLÀHG ,W ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ D GLͿHUHQW PDWWHU LI WKH initial total forfeiture was sustained or if only a paltry sum of the total money was released. In all these proceedings, there is no instance where he was convicted.

Omokri tried to use his judicial appellation to hoodwink otherwise less learned persons that forfeiture is conviction. This is blatant falsehood. A key condition for plea bargain is co-operation with investigators by sharing intelligence necessary for the prosecution of the case and circumstantial evidence that refutes ZLOOIXO FRPSOLFLW\ ,Q KLV HͿRUWV WR EORZ the matter out of proportion, Reno even goes further to decorate his victim with the status of “Drug Lord”. It is on record that Tinubu, convinced of his lack of complicity, ÁHZ WR WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV WR ÀJKW WKH forfeiture and got justice. He accomplished this task and returned home to continue his activities. :RXOG WKH 86 $XWKRULWLHHV DOORZ someone so described as Omokri such liberties and clearances? Certainly not.

Omokri is very notorious for skipping facts inconsistent with his hatchet job.

When many journalists wanted to get to the bottom of this controversy in 2003, they turned the heat on the Nigeria Police to demand a status report on Tinubu by WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV RI $PHULFD 7KH UXOLQJ PDP federal administration believed it was going to be the last joker to criminalise its HQIDQW WHUULEOH DQG WDNH KLP RͿ WKH EDOORW It encouraged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun to request the American government to declare Tinubu’s VWDWXV WK )HEUXDU\ ZDV D VDG GD\ IRU President Olusegun Obasanjo and the PDP establishment.

Replying to the IGP, the legal attachee in the American Consulate, Michael H. Bonner wrote: “Our sincerest greetings to you and all of the law enforcement personnel in WKH 1LJHULD 3ROLFH )RUFH ZKRVH FRQWLQXHG assistance is very much appreciated. In UHODWLRQ WR \RXU OHWWHU GDWHG )HEUXDU\ UHIHUHQFH QXPEHU 65 ,*36(& ABJ/VOL. 24/287, regarding Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, records check of WKH )HGHUDO %XUHDX RI ,QYHVWLJDWLRQ·V )%, 1DWLRQDO &ULPH ,QIRUPDWLRQ &HQWUH (NCIC) was conducted. The results of the checks were negative for any criminal arrest records, wants, or warrants for Bola $KPHG 7LQXEX '2% 0DUFK )RU information of your department, NCIC is a very centralised information centre that maintains the records of every criminal DUUHVW DQG FRQYLFWLRQ ZLWKLQ WKH 8QLWHG States and its territories.”

Bamigbetan, former Chief Press Secretary to Tinubu, wrote from Lagos

SONNIE EKWOWUSI examines the legal tango between the Balogun Business Association, Lagos (BBA) and some members

THE BALOGUN MARKET IMBROGLIO To assert that we are presently witnessing the summit of the steady and progressive deterioration of all that we hold dear in Nigeria is an understatement. Never in the past had our country been so challenged on practically all fronts--politically, socially, culturally, rule of law, governance, intellectually and morally-than now. While terrorists and bandits and continuously and progressively lay siege WR GLͿHUHQW SDUWV RI WKH FRXQWU\ WKHUH LV D complete collapse of state the machinery for protection of lives and property. Perhaps the best way to put it is that anarchy is loose upon Nigeria at the moment.

Barbaric abductions, bloodletting, kidnappings, banditries, gun running and so IRUWK QRZ UHLJQ VXSUHPH LQ GLͿHUHQW SDUWV RI 1LJHULD LQFOXGLQJ IRU WKH ÀUVW WLPH WKH KLWKHUWR SHDFHIXO )HGHUDO &DSLWDO 7HUULWRU\ )&7 $EXMD $PLG WKH UHLJQ RI PD\KHP LQ GLͿHUHQW SDUWV RI 1LJHULD IUXVWUDWHG DQG IHDUIXO RUGLQDU\ FLWL]HQV RQ VRFLDO PHGLD LQ the pulpit, lecturer rooms, marketplaces, stadia and other fora are soberly asking the pertinent question: What does the future hold for us and our children? As far as they are concerned, the future is bleak. As far as they are concerned, there is a betrayal of hope and optimism by those who ought to labour to promote peace and peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.

The most pathetic aspect is that the judiciary which is supposed to be the last hope of the common man is presently engulfed in a serious crisis of integrity. The National Judicial Commission (NJC), the disciplinary body, which ought to discipline corrupt judges, is seriously ailing and needs urgent redemption. Life Bencher and Chairman Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) 0U (PPDQXHO & 8NDOD UHVLJQHG RYHU ZKDW he conceived as lack of discipline and undue interference by the Body of Benchers in the activities of the LPDC. 0HDQZKLOH ÁLSSDQW DEXVHV RI FRXUW RUGHUV FRQWLQXH XQDEDWHG LQ 1LJHULD )RU H[DPSOH anybody who has been following the multiple law suits between the Balogun Business Association, Lagos (BBA) and some members over the last few years could readily attest to the serial abuses of court orders and disobedience to court orders by these disgruntled members of the BBA. The story started two years ago when the incorporated trustees of the BBA brought a lawsuit against these members as ZHOO DV WKH &RUSRUDWH $ͿDLUV &RPPLVVLRQ (CAC) Abuja.

Despite being served with the necessary court processes relating to the suits, the CAC FDQFHOOHG WKH FHUWLÀFDWH RI WKH %%$ DV ZHOO DV LPSRVHG VRPH QHZ R΀FHUV RQ WKH $VVRFLDWLRQ Impelled by the action, the BBA approached WKH )HGHUDO +LJK &RXUW DQG REWDLQHG D FRXUW order stopping the implementation of the &$&·V FDQFHOODWLRQ RI WKH FHUWLÀFDWH XQWLO WKH GHWHUPLQDWLRQ RI WKH VXLW 7KH %%$ DOVR ÀOHG a stay of execution against the said order after going on appeal. The court processes relating to the Appeal and the stay of execution were duly served on these members.

8QIRUWXQDWHO\ LQ GLVREHGLHQFH WR WKH aforesaid court order and in utter disregard for the court processes relating to the stay of execution and the Appeal duly served on WKHP WKHVH PHPEHUV PRELOL]HG PRUH WKDQ 300 policemen from Lagos State and Ogun State and proceeded to Balogun Market and attempted to take over the Market and install themselves as the new management of the BBA. But the attempt failed.

It is trite law that any party who is aware of a court decision against him is obliged to uphold, comply with it or obey it until it is said aside by a court of a court of competent jurisdiction. It is incomprehensible that a group of people can ignore a court order obtained against them and court processes served on them to resort to self-help and over-reaching both the High Court and the Court of Appeal and other litigating parties in the suits. Once a party submits himself

to the jurisdiction of a court for the purpose of adjudication of a suit, whatever actual or perceived rights he has or may think he has subsumed under the jurisdiction of the court and the parties must maintain the status quo until the court pronounces on their rights. The party must not dispose of or tamper or attempt to tamper in anyway with the res or the subject matter of the dispute through self-help or otherwise, so as to render the courts decisions on the suit nugatory.

6SHFLÀFDOO\ LQ WKH FDVH RI (]HJEX Y )LUVW African Trust Bank Limited (1992) 1 NWLR (PT. 220) page 699 at 724 the court held: “It is trite law that where a matter is before a court of law, none of the parties can legally or wrongfully take any unilateral action that will prejudice or tend to prejudice the hearing or adjudication of the matter by the court. Parties who have submitted to the jurisdiction of the court are under a legal duty not to do anything to frustrate or make nonsense a possible court order.

They must, whether they like it or not, wait for the court order. They must, whether they like it or not, wait for the court to take a decision one way or the other…the parties cannot jump the gun and do their own thing in their own way. That will be tantamount to undermining the integrity of the court” Rather than resort to self-help and forceful illegal activity of the Balogun Market, one would have expected the aggrieved traders to seek remedy in a court of law as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution. Resorting to self-help or force in the settlement of disputes is a recipe for anarchy. Consequently, the police hierarchy is humbly advised not to allow the police to be used in settling civil disputes which are already before the courts. The Balogun Market, arguably, is an economic behemoth of the nation.

Therefore, anything hampering the Market will hamper the economy.

Ekwowusi, wrote from Lagos

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T H I S D AY

THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

RETHINKING PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES…II There is an urgent need to find enduring solutions to the problem of funding public universities in Nigeria

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LETTERS

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022

23

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 7 , 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%

Again, .ng Domain Name Registration, Renewal Slide to 178,813 in June, after Reaching 179,420 in May

Emma Okonji After a slight increase from 179,336 in April to 179,420 in May this year, Nigeria’s .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration, suffered a slight decrease as the total number dropped again to 178,813 in June this year, according to recent statistics released by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).

The statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NiRA, showed that in May 2022, total registration of domain name was 5,866, renewal was 4,863, while restoration was 122.

From the additional registration, renewal and restoration in May, the active third level domain name increased to 114,647, while the active second level domain name increased to 64,773, which brought the total number of active domain name in May 2022 to 179,420.

The .ng domain name figure

however dropped in June 2022 to 178,813, showing a slight decrease in the total number of active .ng domain name users. Details according to the released statistics, showed 5,926 domain name registration, 4,936 domain name renewal, with 127 domain name restoration in June this year. With the additional registration, renewal and restoration of domain name in June 2022, the active third level domain name was 111,351, while the active second level domain name was 67,462, which

brought the total number of active domain name in June 2022 to 178,813, which is a decrease from the 179,420 active domain name attained in May this year.

Although there was an increase in the number of registration, renewal and restoration in June, compared with the number of registration, renewal and restoration in May this year, but the total number of active third level domain name dropped by over 3,000 to reach 111,351 in June, after reaching 114,647 in May this year, which

was the major factor for the decline in .ng domain name figure in June this year.

According to the statistics, registration alone in May this year was 5,866, but in June, the registration was 5,926. Renewal in May this year was 4,863, but in June, renewal was 4,936.

Restoration in May this year was 112, but in June, restoration was 127, which are indications that more .ng users registered, renewed and restored their domain names in June, compared with the figures recorded in May

this year.

The ccTLD .ng domain name is Nigeria’s identity in cyberspace, which has the .ng at the suffix of every official email address that originates from Nigeria. In the United Kingdom, official email addresses end with .co.uk, in United States of America, they end with .com, while in South Africa, official email addresses end with .co.za.

In Nigeria, NiRA has carried out several campaigns to Continued on page 24

Lai Mohammed: FG Strengthening APCON to Attract Investments to Advertising Industry Raheem Akingbolu The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said that the federal government has given approval for the implementation of reform initiatives of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) in order to strengthen the advertising ecosystem, encourage inclusive growth as well as attract investment to the industry.

The Minister disclosed this in

Epe, Lagos State during the 49th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN).

“As many of you are aware, one of the bold and necessary steps we have taken in recent times is the approval of the ongoing reform initiatives of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). The reform is aimed at strengthening the advertising ecosystem, encouraging inclusive growth as well as attracting

investment to the industry,” he said.

In his paper, titled, “The New World Order: Digital Transformation in Communication,’’ the minister said advertising and brand marketing are prime examples of sectors where consumer data is critical, hence the need to leverage technology for direct engagement with the audiences.

He said in a world that is rapidly changing in its dynamics of opportunity and risks, talking directly with consumers in a

data-enabled environment, has taken brands and entrepreneurs closer to their consumers more than ever before.

“The odds of success or solution to any challenge in this new world order, is as high as our regard for the power of digital technology. And the entrepreneurial opportunities lying in wait at that crossroad between technology and the economy of sectors like advertising and brand communication is vast and you,

as industry leaders, must continue to harness a variety of talents and competences to take maximum advantage of the opportunities presented, ”Mohamed said.

He said the realisation of the power of technology in brand communication necessitated the setting up of the Ministerial Task Team on Audience Measurement System to give legal and constitutional framework to a national, systemic, accountable and data-driven understanding

of the impact of communication on consumer behaviour.

The minister expressed the desire that all the relevant parties in the Ministerial Task Team are able to complete the tasks in order to initiate the legislative processes necessary for the implementation of the audience measurement before the end of this administration.

He, however, advised AAAN to be wary of the potent impact of deliberate fake news, orchestrated disinformation and demarketing

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT M O N D AY, J U LY 2 5 , 2 0 2 2 BILLS

BONDS DESCRIPTION Price ^14.20 14MAR-2024 13.53 23MAR-2025 ^12.50 22JAN-2026 ^16.2884 17MAR-2027 ^13.98 23FEB-2028

Yield

Change (%)

104.87

10.86

1.87

104.77

11.39

0.00

103.38

11.30

-0.14

115.70

11.79

0.07

110.43

11.40

0.00

Updated Time July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022

MATURITY

Discount

Yield

OTC F X F U T U R E S

CPS

Change Updated Time (%)

NTB 11Aug-22 NTB 8-Sep22 NTB 13-Oct22 NTB 10Nov-22

11.10

11.17

0.00 July 22, 2022

9.75

9.88

0.00 July 22, 2022

9.00

9.19

0.00 July 22, 2022

3.90

3.95

0.00 July 22, 2022

NTB 26-Jan23

7.50

7.80

0.00 July 22, 2022

MATURITY TRBH CP V 26-JUL-22 FSDH CP VI 1-AUG-22 NENL CP I 24-OCT-22 FSDH CP VII 27-OCT-22 SIBP CP III 27-OCT-22

Discount Yield

Change Updated Time (%)

18.99 19.03

1.45 July 22, 2022

15.15 15.21

1.20 July 22, 2022

17.19 17.99

-2.73 July 22, 2022

11.41 11.76

-2.65 July 22, 2022

10.59 10.90

-2.65 July 22, 2022

CONTRACT Current TENOR Contract Rate ($/₦) (MONTH) NGUS JUL 27 1 429.51 2022 NGUS AUG 31 431.36 2 2022 NGUS SEP 28 3 433.21 2022 NGUS OCT 26 4 435.06 2022 NGUS NOV 30 5 436.92 2022

Updated Time

July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022 July 22, 2022

24

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Izedonmwen: Teesas’ App Will Enhance Nigeria’s Educational System Founder and CEO, Teesas, Africa’s learning gateway, Mr. Osayi Izedonmwen, in this interview with Emma Okonji, speaks about the local content built around Teesas’ educational app and how the app will enhance Nigeria’s educational system from cradle. Excerpts: app, irrespective of the educational background, can immediately navigate and make sense out of the app at the first instance. The focus group, which comprises of app developers and children, worked until we were satisfied that we had reached our objectives. It was from the focus group research that we developed our current user interface, which users have said, it’s simple and easy to use.

Teesas developed educational app with local contents that are pre-installed in digital tablets.

What is the app all about and what category of learners does the app address? eesas is an educational app that focuses on the delivery of education contents to pupils between 2-11 years in English and in local African languages and the contents align with national curriculum and structured to develop the total child both from academic stand point and social emotional learning. The app comes with several products like primary school educational content and the common entrance preparatory product that is designed to prepare children for secondary education. It comes with short videos, fused with animations. It also covers past exam questions of different categories of schools like the National Unity Schools, British Schools, Military Schools, Mission Schools, Private Schools, among others. We also identified the difficult learning areas for children, simplified them and embedded them into the app. The animations that are infused into the app help to meaningfully engage the pupils and give them retentive memory. The contents of the app make learning fun for children.

T

Who are your partners and what are their contributions in enhancing digital skills?

We partnered with one of the biggest social emotional learning company in the world, called FranklinCovey, and through the partnership, we are going to be their exclusive partner for educational content in Africa. The partnership will give us access to world-class content around leadership, collaboration and in developing some of those social emotional skills in children like accountability, and ownership. It will help us to teach children how to develop critical-centered mindset. So with our educational app, we will be addressing societal ills and teaching children how best to stay safe from societal ills.

We have developed a robust educational video content around online bullying and we got one of the top Nigerian actresses, Mercy Johnson to lead the campaign. We also got the best social emotional advisors to help us develop content that will address bullying. Children will be thought how to avoid and resist bullying. Our app stands us out from others because it is a platform that helps to develop a total child. In addition to that, we focus on delivering our contents in local languages. All the major languages of Nigeria such as Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo,Tiv, Benin, Ijaw, are covered in our educational app. So our app can be used to engage children in different localities through animations that ensure learning is fun for the children.

In terms of local content development, how indigenous is the app to meet local demands?

From the structure of our office, 99 per cent of our staff members are Nigerians and we believe in the capabilities of Nigerians who are hard working. I am a firm believer that talent and intelligence are evenly distributed. What is not evenly distributed is opportunity.

We employ young Nigerians, give them world-class training that will enable them to develop and reach their full potential. So from our content developers to our cinematographers, to our tech engineers and tutors, they are all Nigerians. Although we have few expatriates who provide high level expert advisory roles to help develop our Nigerian team, but the majority of our staff members are Nigerians. We are Africans and we believe in the development of the African people.

How many schools is Teesas currently engaging with in Nigeria and outside of Nigeria?

Our strategy is to partner a number of schools and at the same time, reach out to parents directly. So we do not really see the number of schools that we partner as a key metric. What we consider as key metric are the number of users on our platform. As of today, we have tens of thousands of people who are using our app on a daily basis and we are getting good feedback from the user experience.

So how do you connect with the large numbers of users on your platform?

We connect with them through our links. For

What could be your choice for choosing the young age bracket for the development of the Teesas app?

We believe that early child education is key to transform the future of Africa. We also believe it is a sustainable solution to gaining economic prosperity by improving literacy rate and that is why we are focusing on children education, especially at the early stage of children. In developing the early child, we believe we will develop children to love learning, to be principled and to have in-depth knowledge of education.

What is your view about coding as essential part of digital learning, and is there any plan to infuse it into the Teesas learning app?

Coding is essential for leaning, but if I should take it further, I will say it is not advisable to build on nothing.

If a child does not understand the basics like quantitative analysis, verbal reasoning, and reading skills, it will be useless building a coding scheme for such child.

What I will like to see in the development of tech platforms, is the consideration for the development of a total child. Emerging technology skills like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics and Coding are good, but the child must first understand and get the basic skills on which those emerging technology skills will be built upon.

Izedonmwen example, at teesas.com, which is our website, we have customer service representative and within the first two minutes after clicking on the site, someone will pop up and say hello and ask if the user needs specific help. Aside that we also have our social media platform, which we use as means to encourage people to talk to us directly. Our app is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple iOS platform as well.

Our platform is a multi-channel platform that can link with Android phones, i-phones and the web. So with the computer, Android phone or i-phone, any user can access our app with ease.

Our ultimate goal is to carry all learners along without leaving anyone behind.

So what are your targets in relation to the number of learners that you want to reach with the Teesas app?

We have ambitious goals to connect with millions of users and our goals are not limited to Nigeria and Africa alone, and that is why we pride ourselves as Africa’s learning gateway.

Over the next five years, our vision is to be in every African country and reaching every single undeserved community on the African continent.

Currently we are in Nigeria and we are already making moves to enter into Ghana and Kenya.

Before the end of the year, we will cover these African countries.

How did you assemble your team of app developers and what are the parameters for selection?

There is a rising demand for tech developers, especially in the Nigerian tech space. For organisation like us that is mission driven, we have a unique advantage to attract people who have the burning desire to add value. The truth is that our vision is not about money making, but to create significant value by transforming the educational landscape in Nigeria and the rest of Africa. That mission alone enables us to attract good talents in app development, using the quality of our mission and goals.

Is there any control on the app that protects its users from falling victims of cyber bullying and online intimidation and from entering into wrong sites like pornography sites?

I will use this question to talk a little about our sister company, call Imose Technologies, which is a core technology company, a leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of kids’ educational tablets. It has a brand of educational tablets that come with strong parental control and pre-installed Teesas educational app. So today we have the tablet and the Teesas educational app that are available at the customer care centres of telecoms operators.

The Teesas app comes with the companion parent app because we want parents to be fully engaged with the education of their children and wards. When a child downloads the Teesas app for usage, the parent is expected to download the companion app on their own device so that they could monitor what the child is doing with the app and to also get real time performance feedback about the child. This is an additional service that Teesas provides on its app and it’s a unique selling point for us because not all app has such control and monitoring capabilities.

The companion parent app is free for parents to download and it comes with a unique code that is linked to the child’s app to enable parents and guardians keep an eye on what the child does with the app.

How will you describe the ease of use of the Teesas app, given the fact that the children that will use the app are from different family background with different up-bringing?

What we did at the initial stage of the app development, was to carry out what we called focus group research. We had a focus group that we worked with for almost six months, testing different aspects of the app. One of the key things we tested during that period was the navigation, user experience and user interface.

The purpose was to ensure that any user of the

You donated educational tablets that were preinstalled with educational app to orphanage home recently. What informed such gesture?

Our mission is to liberalise access to quality education and our goal is to eliminate educational barriers. We have since discovered that under-privileged children tend to be left behind as things evolve, but we believe that no child should be left behind, in spite of their socio-economic background. When a child is an orphan and lives in a displaced people’s home, such child could be deprived of basic education if proper attention is not given to the child. So we decided that reaching those under-privilege children will be part of our corporate social responsibility. So we created the Teesas Donate Program and a portion of our revenue is used in funding the initiative.

With the donate programe, we are encouraging individuals that have used or damaged tablets to donate them to us. We receive the tablets, refurbish them and make them as good as new and we will install our educational app on the tablets and deliver them for free to under-privilege children for their use.

We are glad when see the excitement on the faces of the children when they are using our tablets for the first time. We delivered the refurbished tablets bundled with our educational app to the children and we just delivered some to Little Saints Orphanage (Abule Egba Home) in Lagos recently. We not only give them the tablets bundled with our educational app, we also give them internet access for one year.

How many of the tablets were donated. Are they enabled with internet access?

We donated 25 pieces of the tablets to Little Saints Orphanage in Lagos and the tablets were internet enabled. They come with accessories like charger, and earpiece that could enable them enjoy any content without distracting anyone close to them.

Do you have any form of support from government and the private sector to drive the Teesas Donate Program?

As at the moment, we do not have support from government but we will like to collaborate with government and the private organisations on large scale to enable us reach out to many children who are in need of the digital learning tool. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the learning processes of children are uninterrupted.

UNIDO: FG SHOULD NOT TAKE 90% MSMES CONTRIBUTION TO NIGERIAN ECONOMY FOR GRANTED by unscrupulous and faceless purveyors online, which present huge risks to brand communication as they undermine the most critical ingredient to successful consumer engagement,

which is trust.

“We need you, as seasoned communicators and critical stakeholders, to also consider the roll-on effect of fake news and disinformation on the economy of

advertising and brand marketing, both in the short and long term.

It lays ambush on every brand promise and every potential argument you make to the benefit of your products and services,

”he said.

He said the Federal Government is committed to exploring all the opportunities offered by the social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram and WhatsApp, for the benefit of the people, noting that some of the major tech giants have shown interest in investing and exploring business opportunities in the Nigerian digital space.

In his address of welcome, the President of AAAN, Mr. Steve Babaeko, commended the Minister for his untiring efforts towards repositioning the advertising ecosystem in Nigeria.

AGAIN, .NG DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION, RENEWAL SLIDE TO 178,813 IN JUNE, AFTER REACHING 179,420 IN MAY sensitise Nigerians on the need to populate .ng domain name, which is Nigeria’s identity in

cyberspace.

Reacting to the increased number of registration, renewal

and restoration of.ng domain in the month of June, even though the total number of active .ng

domain name users dropped in the same month, the President of NiRA, Mr. Mohammed

Rudman, told THISDAY that Nigerians were beginning to understand the need to identify

with .ng domain name for every online transaction and communication.

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THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Boboye: Jobseekers, Employers Can Secure Work, List Job Openings for Free on Our Platform Mr. Oreoluwa Boboye is the chief executive officer of Jobberman, Nigeria’s leading recruitment and linkage platform. In this interview with Raheem Akingbolu, he speaks about starter promo, Nigerian education and other sundry issues.

In 2022, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is estimated to reach 33%.

This figure was projected to be at 32.5% in the preceding year. What are some of the things Jobberman is doing to close this gap? obberman is a recruitment opportunity platform or a linkage platform. So, our strength and the reason why we operate in that space in Nigeria are to bridge the gap between the demand and supply. Demand in this case is the job and supply means the candidates.

There are many reasons why the unemployment rate is skyrocketing right now and the most common one is our economic situation. Another issue is the continuous brain drain. Many talented people do travel out of the country to look for jobs elsewhere.

Interestingly, one thing we have found responsible for this is lack of access to opportunity on the part of job seekers.

So, the role that we play at Jobberman Nigeria is to bridge that gap as much as possible, and that is why we come up with initiatives at every point in time that can help encourage the demand side.

For instance, our new initiative stater Boboye product focuses on entry – level jobs where are happy with the placement and most of the people in the unemployment candidates also rejoicing that they bracket break in. With this, employers get a job, the unemployment gap can get to post entry-level jobs to an continues to reduce. audience of multiple job seekers for free, over the next 3 months. We also do a What impact will this have on lot of communications with candidates the Nigeria’s labour market? informing them that a certain job exists.

The starter promo will make job At the end of the day, as employers

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seekers privy to more employment opportunities.

Companies that have engaged us over the years realised that there is a reason to have a recruitment budget.

They identified the fact that to get quality in a recruitment process there is need to invest some money into it. But there are a lot of SMEs or small employers that do not have that budget. Some do but they have it reserved for their higher -level targets.

With this starter promo you can post your entry level positions for free and have people engage without having to spend the cost of recruitment.

Why have you decided to focus on early starters?

When you look at the employment rate for now, we have few executives compared to entry level. If you want to drive impact especially from an employment point of view, you drive impact where it is most needed. Every year the Nigerian education system produces thousands and thousands of graduates that do not have experience who are looking for where to have experience. For us, we want to ensure that on the demand side, that’s on the employee’s side, opportunities are feasible enough to capture a very sizable percentage of that.

Lack of skill and experience are some of the reasons young Nigerians do not get employment.

Will the newly launched starter

promo address this issue?

It is true that many companies prefer experienced candidates. They however need to understand that education and learning are beyond the walls of the classrooms. Some of these youths are still versatile and learn everywhere.

Organisations cannot write off the importance of entry level in their companies. There are basically things that need to be done by entry-level people because they are young enough to do that and also because they are repetitive, so it makes sense for employers to also hire entry level people.

One of the thing that these people drive is that they will balance out their employer’s requirements as It is obvious that some companies cannot afford some of the very experienced guys. We also encourage job seekers to embark on selfeducation and training. This is what we have been advocating for in the last two years, and we have made training free on our platform for these candidates.

Beyond you being proficient in your profession you will realise that such skill is what will keep you going in your job.

Employers will rather hire someone that is teachable and has a good understanding of empathy, emotional intelligence, time management and someone that is just a high performer. Apart from what you have learnt in school or gained from other learning environments, you are valuable enough to the employer in spite of your zero work experience because you can understand things quickly to start to impact on the business.

Arravo, Cisco Harp on Future of Work in Digitalised Economy Interswitch, ACI Worldwide Assure Customers of Financial Crime Management

Emma Okonji

Cisco, a technology solution company, in collaboration with Arravo, one of its partners in Nigeria, last week, organised a forum in Lagos, where they spoke about the future of work in a digitalised economy and the need for organisations to create intelligent work space that will enable staff members work from distant locations outside of the office, while still contributing to the growth of the organisation.

CEO of Arravo, Mr. Ayo Adegboye, who spoke to journalists about the future of work, said: “The focus of the forum is on how to make work

much more convenient, seamless and secure for organisations, despite security threats in the cyberspace. Today there is a paradigm shift in work space, where people can work remotely from outside of their offices and still contribute meaningfully to the growth of the organisation, and this can be achieved successfully if the right technology is applied.”

“Another challenge to future of work is security and Cisco has invested so much in security in order to address the issue of insecurity and to put the future of work in good perspective.

Arravo had always gone ahead of customers to invest

in technology that will enhance customers operations in the last 14 years.

We have maintained our Gold Partner position with Cisco in the last 13 years, which required huge investments in order to ensure the smooth operations of our customers. We have operations across Nigeria and we are expending outside of Nigeria to meet the needs of our customers that have branches outside Nigeria,” Adegboye said.

In his presentation, the General Manager, Enterprise Business at Arravo, Mr. Tola Olaayan, said the survey carried out on future of work after the COVID-19 lockdown, showed

that 55 per cent of employee had positive impact on work motivation, 84 per cent preferred working from outside of the office space, 67 per cent saw security as their main challenge, while 40 per cent saw remote working as a challenge.

Systems Engineer at Cisco, Mr. Dexton Ojigho, presented a paper on ‘The Power of Hybrid Work’, while Technical Solutions Specialist at Cisco, Mr. Charles Nzioka, presented a paper on ‘The Future of Work’.

Nzioka stressed on seamless and flexible staff interactions and collaboration, using the right technology integration that Cisco offers.

Nigerian Breweries Donates to Kano State Road Transport Agency In line with its corporate philosophy and commitment to winning with Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries Plc recently donated 3 motorcycles, 50 reflective jackets and 25 safety helmets to Kano State Road Transport Agency(KAROTA), the traffic management agency of Kano State to support the agency to deliver on its mandate of effective management of traffic in the state.

Speaking at the donation of the items held at the palace of the Emir of Kano, the Chairman, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Chief Kolawole Jamodu explained that

the company made the donation to complement the effort of the Kano State government in reducing traffic congestion in the Kano metropolis.

Jamodu noted that the company as a responsible corporate citizen remains absolutely committed to supporting the Kano government and other state in any way that would improve the economic growth and development of the state.

“Ahead of the Sallah holiday and even beyond, we recognise that there is a pressing need to improve

traffic flow within the Kano metropolis to make the Sallah celebrations more enjoyable for our consumers. In our company, we believe that safety is very important, and so we fully align with the mission and vision of KAROTA. I commend the DG of KAROTA, Mr Babba - Dan’agundi and his team for their efforts in ensuring that the roads are safe and free in the state” He said.

Receiving the items at the Emir’s Palace, the Managing Director, Kano State Transport Agency(KAROTA) Alhaji

Ahmed Isa Disu thanked NB Plc for their various contributions towards the socio-economic growth of the state.

Also speaking, the Corporate Affairs Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc (North), Kabiru Kassim further revealed that beyond the donation to the Kano State Transport Agency, the company through its flagship non-alcoholic brand - Maltina will continue to identify with the people of Kano through the sponsorship of the Durbar and its various CSR investments in the state and region.

Emma Okonji ACI Worldwide, in collaboration with its Nigerian partner, Interswitch, last week in Lagos, organised stakeholders form, where they introduced innovative solutions in the payment space, while assuring customers of adequate protection from cyber attacks.

Managing Director, Interswitch Systegra, Mr. Jonah Adams, said the stakeholders’ forum became necessary in other to address issues in the payment ecosystem, using the right technology solution.

“The stakeholders’ forum is an avenue to bring ACI to Nigeria to meet with customers who are using ACI solutions that are deployed by Interswitch. We have partnered ACI for 20 years and there is need to bring ACI to Nigeria to interact with customers and share new innovations that are currently trending globally.

“Technology in the payment space has evolved over the years and we had to bring ACI to share some of the latest technology innovation in the payment space. Currently there six new capabilities that are trending and ACI have shared such evolving capabilities with customers that were present at the forum to help enhance their businesses. We have new capabilities around Issuing and Acquiring, Emerging payment, API management, Open banking, among others. The forum was also designed to thank Interwitch customers that are using ACI solutions and to assure

them of the continued support from ACI,” Adams said.

Principal Product Sales Specialist, ACI Worldwide, Mr. Damon Madden, said: “ACI Worldwide is a global leader in real time payment and we believe in the Nigerian market, because a lot of digital innovation is taking place in Nigeria, and Nigeria is driving the future of payment in Africa. As a company, we focus on card-based payment and non-card-based payment system, as well as fraud and financial crime management.

We believe in our Nigerian partner, Interswitch in delivering quality solutions in the Nigerian payment market,” Madden said.

According to him, ACI provides scalable technology solutions and run central infrastructure globally with the support of partners. We carry out research on new products and deliver them through our partners like Interswitch. Emerging and faster payments are currently trending and we provide the service to customers through our customers, Madden further said.

Speaking on the value that ACI and Interswitch bring as well as the benefits, Adams said: “Today banks are relying on our technology services for the support of their digital banking. The core technology which Nigerian banks use in providing payment services in Nigeria is owned

by ACI and being a partner to ACI, Interswitch offers the technology solution to the banks.”

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INTERVIEW

Azoji: Nigeria Needs Executive Order to Mandate Public Hospitals to Prioritise Made-in-Nigeria Medicines The MD/CEO, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Matthew Azoji in this interview with Kayode Tokede urged the federal government to sign an Executive Order that medicines and other health commodities that are made in Nigeria are on the priority list of purchase in public hospitals.

Local manufacturers complain of unfriendly government policies. Would you say the government is doing enough for the Pharma sector? do not think that Government has deliberately made unfriendly policies against the local industry. Rather some policies intended to other purposes may adversely affect local companies.

For instance, the decision of the Government to provide subsidy only for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol and not for Diesel and Aviation fuel has left the price of diesel which manufacturers use to power their factories at the mercy of the forces of demand and supply.

As a result, the current disruption in the supply of petroleum products due to RussiaUkraine war has led to less than 135% increase in the price of diesel but the price of PMS has remained largely stable except for the time the bad petrol supplied to the market caused scarcity and proliferation of black markets of the product. The current very high price of diesel has therefore heavily affected the manufacturing industry, significantly increasing the cost of production which cannot be passed 100% to consumers because of the overall adverse economic situation in the Country. The meaning is that profitability is significantly reduced for the average Manufacturer but that is not the intention of the Government.

Also, in the process of making open, the procurement process Government often throws open the purchase of drugs for Government facilities and programmes to both local manufacturers and importers. And you know that some of the foreign manufacturers operate in environments, which enjoy low cost of production. This makes products of local pharmaceutical companies un-competitive.

This procurement policy has for a long time stifled patronage of local health commodities

by Government and Government agencies.

There are many such policies with unintended negative consequences. Even the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which the government signed to promote trade in the continent can breed negative aftermaths if the industry does not rise to take advantage of the platform.

Regarding what the government is doing

I

Azoji for the pharma industry, I can say that some things have been done right by the Government and more needs to be done to promote the industry. The COVID 19 pandemic woke the government up to the cries of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) for a fund to boost capacity in the sector. The government through the Central Bank of Nigeria gave out a N100 billion capacity expansion lowcost loans from which many manufacturers benefited.

Last year the government launched the new National Drug Policy 2021. That policy seeks to promote the local pharmaceutical sector by encouraging local production.

For instance, the policy seeks to ensure that by 2025 Nigeria would be able to

achieve 75 per cent local manufacture of essential medicines needed in the country.

The policy goes ahead to seek the use of fiscal and other measures to promote the local production of drugs in Nigeria.

The Pharma Industry will need to rise to the occasion and work closely with Government to take advantage of this new policy.

However, we request the Government to do more to actively create a better enabling environment for the local Pharma industry to thrive for the benefit of Nigerians in the areas of enhancing access to medicines, creating of jobs and generating foreign exchange through export to other African Countries.

For instance, the pharma industry is a part of the larger economy and whatever

happens to the economy is bound to affect the sector. All the problems of the economy, namely infrastructure deficit, poor power supply, high interest and exchange rates, corruption, and others that perennially plaque the economy impact the sector negatively. Tackling those challenges will help tackle problems in the pharma sector.

But specifically, interventions such as the CBN intervention fund is a welcome idea.

This fund will definitely energize multiple efforts in the industry to ramp up capacity.

The fund will also assist ameliorate the issue of revenue and profit drop which has bedevilled the pharmaceutical industry in the past few years because it offers a minimal interest rate of 5% in the first year, which will later be increased to 9%. There is an aspect that the Government needs to look into again. Being the biggest buyer of medicines, Government can deliberately make a policy that they will always patronise local products. They can only buy imported medicines if there are no quality locally manufactured alternative brands in Nigeria. The Executive Order to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods has not been extended to pharmaceuticals. The Government should sign an Executive Order that medicines and other health commodities that are made in Nigeria are on priority list of purchase in Nigeria’s public hospitals.That is a way of creating an adequate market for local pharmaceuticals. So, if the Government is buying from local manufacturers, this can boost their capacity.

Infrastructure development is another area we need Government assistance. In moving drugs from one area to the other we need good roads, then a constant supply of power is crucial to local manufacturing.

Every company manufacturing in Nigeria will have to run on a generator and this is quite expensive, especially with the current price of diesel at about N730.00 per litre. So, the power plan needs to be fast-tracked. And of course, low-interest loans being offered by CBN should be expanded.

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

INTERVIEW

Hiccups in Achieving Food Security Ugo Aliogo examines the challenges in attaining self-sufficiency in food production and the need for government to embrace backward integration

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igeria has the most significant arable land in Africa, yet there is huge dependence on imported food overseas. The country is still far from achieving food security in major parts of the country, especially regions rampant with insecurity and conflicts. As a result, many farmers have fled their homes and farming communities to urban areas in order to avoid being killed, therefore hindering agricultural activities.

Data from Statista shows that between 2014 and 2016, the rate of food insecurity rose by 6.6 per cent.

This increased to 9.3 per cent between 2015 and 2017; 12.1 per cent between 2016 and 2018; 14.8 per cent between 2017 and 2019 and 21.4 per cent between 2018 and 2020. This confirms the 2021 Global Hunger Index (GHI), which ranks Nigeria as the 103rd out of 135 countries with an index of 28.3 in the same league with Afghanistan Production of food and cash crops was relatively self-sufficient but this gradually changed after Nigeria shifted from agriculture to oil production. As oil prices went up, interest in agriculture waned. Now, the country is feeling the brunt of rising food items, which have gone up by over 100 per cent since 2006.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) selected Food Price Watch for the month of May 2022 shows that the average price of 1kg of beans rose on a year-on-year basis by 37.22 per cent from N382.37 in May 2021 to N524.70 in May 2022. Also, on a month-on-month basis, this increased by 1.09 per cent from N519.05 in April 2022. The average price of

1kg of a Yam tuber increased on a year-on-year basis by 37.87 per cent from N269.98 in May 2021 to N372.23 in May 2022.

On a month-on-month basis, the average price of the item increased by 3.05 per cent in May 2022. Similarly, the average price of 2kg of Wheat flour: pre-packed (golden penny) on a year-on-year basis, rose by 34.92% from the value recorded in May 2021 (N785.87) to N1,060.26 in May 2022.

On a month-on-month basis, it increased from N1,047.74 in April 2022 to N1,060.26 in

May 2022 indicating a 1.20 per cent growth.

In the same vein, the average price of Palm oil: (1 bottle, specify bottle) increased by 42.81 per cent from N593.36 in May 2021 to N847.39 in May 2022. It also grew by 0.55 per cent on a month-on-month basis. The average price of 1kg of beef (boneless) rose by 34.11 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N1,513.43 in May 2021 to N 2,029.59 in May 2022. In addition, the average price of Groundnut oil: 1 bottle, specify bottle stood at N1,040.88 in May 2022, showing an increase of 47.99 per crnt from

N703.36 in May 2021.

It rose by 3.29 per cent from N 1,007.68 in April 2022. At the state level, Ebonyi recorded the highest average price of beans (white, Black eye, sold loose) with N899.79, while the lowest was reported in Borno with N262.79. The highest average price of 1kg of a Yam tuber was recorded in Akwa-Ibom with N804.45, while the lowest was recorded in Bauchi with N134.17. In addition, Abia State recorded the highest price of Wheat flour: prepacked (golden penny 2kg) with N1, 393, while Yobe recorded the lowest with N755.03.

As a key player in the Nigeria agro-processing and allied value chain, Buhler Nigeria says it is committed to supporting federal government efforts to address food security through initiatives such as the construction of the Grain Processing Innovation Center in Kano, which will become the centre of competence for the milling of local grains such as maize, sorghum, millets, fonio, cassava, soya and alike.

Managing Director of Buhler Nigeria, Mr. Manuel Murrenhoff, disclosed that Nigeria had the most significant arable land in Africa, and that Buhler Nigeria was committed to supporting the nation’s goal of achieving food independence through provision of reliable food processing technology.

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

THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Dealing with Sickle Cell Disease in Modern Society Despite counseling by medical experts to intending couples not to marry partners with incompatible genotype so as to reduce cases of sickle cell anaemia, over 150, 000 children are born annually in Nigeria with the disease according to World Health Organisation records. Blessing Ibunge reports on the inherent challenges therein

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non governmental organisation, Nirvana Initiative in partnership with Hacey thought it wise to sensitise the public on sickle cell disease and best way to manage the crisis if one is a carrier.

The group through Sickle Cell Awareness and Health Foundation, stormed the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) where many with sickle cell trait and their parents disclosed their challenges.

UNDERSTANDING THE SICKLE CELL DISEASE Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder, caused by flawed hemoglobin, an essential component of the blood largely composed of iron and protein.

Dr Casmir Ifeanyi, an Infectious Disease expert and Moleculera Biologist, who explained how a person can inherit the disease said “The protein in the globin has two chain, the alpha and the bitter chain. The globin comprise of amino acid and each of them have their positions. So usually, on the sixth position of the amino acid chain, is glutamic. Is a mutation which can be a disorder arising on its own, there can be substitution of glutamic acid with valine.

“When that happens from one parental source, then the person will have the carrier status which is the X-gene in one. But when it happens and the individual is unfortunate to inherit this abnormal hemoglobin from both parent, it means the person will have the homozygous status of SS and that means the person will now have the sickle cell disease”.

“When that sickle cell happens the blood cell are unable to pass freely in the blood vessels. This can lead to a whole lot of disease condition: pain, hemolysis and even stroke and death.

“So, because there are triggers like malaria, infection and stress, which will potentiate or increase the likelihood of it sickling when it discharge with oxygen to deliver at the tissue”.

Speaking with THISDAY on the status of Sickle Cell disease in Nigeria, he explained that it is largely a preventable disease, stating that the approach to it is premarital counsel when couples are advised to know their genotype and follow the one that is compatible.

Dr Ifeanyi further explained that “If an individual is AA, that individual can marry anybody. If an individual is AS that individual must not marry AS because if that happens that individual will have the chances of producing by probability one SS, two AS and one AA per every probability of one over four child birth.

“But the point is that this is not like a normal probability where an individual determines what happens. So you can even have four life birth and all of them will be SS and is why it is advised that people who are AS do not go ahead to marry same genotype partner.

“The person who is AS can safely marry someone who is AA and you wouldn’t expect them to have an SS.” Dr Ifeanyi also disclosed that sickle cell disease is more prevalent and predominant amongst the West Africa Coast, largely Africa and India; adding that the thalassemia disease is common along the Mediterranean and Arab.

“There are local and international data of people living with sickle cell disease.

Example, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) about 150, 000 children are born annually in Nigeria with sickle cell disease.

“Out of this 150, 000 over a hundred thousand of them do not celebrate their fifth birthday. So, it is one of the leading cause of deaths amongst children. And now, the challenge is that many of them who got to do their fifth birthday, some do not progress beyond 25 years, the fact is that a sickler is perennially ill disposed, debilitated.

“The point is that AS person marrying a AS person is creating a problem to themselves not only but a societal problem, they are going to put more burden on our very wicked structure and in Nigeria we do not have an advanced technology and facilities to manage sickle cell disease.

A member of Nirvana Initiative presenting a food package to one the victims of sickle cell anaemia, Miss Somto Omekukwu “In developed world today, you can do a stem cell therapy, you can do a bone marrow transplant and you can resolve the diseases of sickle cell but you will not be able to change the Hemoglobinopathy”.

POSSIBLE INTERVENTION TO REDUCE CASES OF SICKLE CELL DISEASE IN NIGERIA In as much as the federal government is tackling some challenges as regards to security of the country, politics, oil and gas, Dr Ifeanyi has noted the social economic implications and the health burden associated with sickle cell as better imagine than experienced.

Dr Ifeanyi said is a preventable disease condition, just as he stressed that Sickle cell disease is real, adding that “the disease is debilitating. A sickle cell offspring destabilize and can destroy marriages”.

He urged that “There is a bill actually about sickle cell disease trending in national assembly. I expect that the bill should expeditiously passed, but one of the essential thing that should be in the bill is that those who are with incompatible genotype should not be allowed to marry in Nigeria”.

EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE At the sensitisation and give out food package programme by Nirvana in Port Harcourt, some people living with SCD, as well as their parents shared their experiences.

When asked how she feels amongst her peers knowing she is living with sickle cell trait, Miss Prayer Orounwo, a 29-year-old graduate of Agricultural Science, stressed “its actually about yourself. I have grown to have self confidence.

“My genotype is something I tell somebody at the first time. As my friend, I will want you to know everything about me should in case something happens, I won’t want you to be ignorant of what to do. I don’t feel ashamed of it because is not a death sentence at all.

So I live my life normally, I go out, I have friends, I go to work.

“I had my last serious crisis when I was in primary six, I think I was 12, I was writing my common entrance my mum had to be going through and fro with me. I didn’t stay in the hospital because I don’t like staying there, it makes me get sick the more.

“But since then, the only thing I feel is headache, dizziness, tiredness maybe when I have stressed and I know what to do most time. I try to take a long rest, I eat, I get blood belting. So its been really good with me (she laughs)” Miss Nwokocha Goodness, a 22 year old undergraduate of English Language, Rivers State University, expressed “When I was younger I was feeling devastated, sometimes frustrated but as time goes on I start feeling better.

“I am not depressed as before because there are situation that are worse than my own. I just take life the way I see it, I appreciate it.

“My parent feel down knowing I have sickle cell disease. Most times my mother blame herself for being ignorant about the whole situation but even at that she still takes care. She does what needs to do to help me relief the pain”.

Goodness who felt bad that her crisis always arises during her birthday explained “Before I used to have crisis every month but now is when I stress myself much, examination period and my birthday, every May. Anytime my birthday is coming up the crisis increases and it become torturing”.

Also sharing her experience Somto Omekukwu, 22 years years old and a graduate of Plant Science and Biotechnology, said being a sickler has limited her from things she passionately desire to do.

“I have been relatively stable most of my life but it has its challenges.

Sometimes plan something and you woke up not able to do it that day.

You learn to manage the challenges and move on with your life.

“I like sports but most time I am not

“According to WHO, about 150, 000 children are born annually in Nigeria with sickle cell disease. Out of this 150, 000 over a hundred thousand of them do not celebrate their fifth birthday. So, it is one of the leading cause of deaths amongst children”

able to do as much as I was to. My parent realized that I am a sickler when I was about a year old and my mum was already pregnant with my little sister who also had sickle cell.

“My immediate younger sister died about five years ago but I have another sister that have sickle cell disease, we were three but one had died” Rukvwe Aride, 27 years old graduate of Biochemistry and Chemistry Technology, recalled how he felt the first time he knew about his status.

Aride who a serving National Youth Corp Member in Rivers State, expressed “I felt not really good when I knew about my status because I am wondering why me” We are three in my family by my mum: my elder brother is AS, my younger brother is AA and I am SS. “But as time went on, I began to live with it and felt this is my fate, so I had to work on myself. The crisis usually come when I was much younger because of academic stress but I learned how to control myself, taking a lot of water, vegetables and basically taking my drugs at when due.

“When relating with my peers I feel timid sometimes but I found out all about it myself.

I knew how to relate with my friends. I knew who to tell or who not to tell”.

A mother of eight years old disclosed to THISDAY how his family sold a landed property to save their son.

“I noticed my son is a sickler when he was 8 months old. Then, sometimes the body will swollen, he sometimes cries too much, so we brought him for test in UPTH where he was discovered to have sickle cell disease.

“Whenever the crisis come, we normally bring him to hospital in two to three months interval. The situation has cost us so much, we had to sell our land property during one of the crisis to save his life”.

Commemorating World SCD Day Meanwhile, Dabata Omubo Pepple, Executive Director of Sickle Cell Awareness and Health Foundation, explained that the gesture by the NGO to reach people living with the disease was in commemoration the world sickle cell day.

Pepple who is a nurse with UPTH stated that “Is a day set aside to create awareness about the disease, to remind people that the disease is congenic condition and not a contagious disease. It is preventable.

Also to remind people with the disease that they can do alot with their life”.

The nurse further revealed: “The Nirvana Initiative is doing a welfare package. A way of reaching out with people living with sickle cell disease with a welfare package which has to do with food reminding them that food is important in their day to day and also to support them”.

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022

29

NEWS

Daily Needs @50: Nigerians Medical Directors Canvass Not Proud of Locally Sourced for Healthcare Reforms Pharmaceuticals - Says NAFDAC ˾ ËãÝ ͑͘ϯ ÒÏËÖÞÒÍËÜÏ ÍÙ×ÏÝ ÐÜÙ× ÚÜÓàËÞÏ ÝÏÍÞÙÜ Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

Founder/Chairman, Daily-Need Group, Otunba Oyin Jolayemi (left); Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and the Kwara State Deputy Governor, Mr Kayode Alabi who represented the state governor at Daily-Need’s 50th anniversary dinner in Lagos

Rebecca Ejifoma The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that Nigerians are more proud of imported pharmaceuticals than homemade.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojosola Adeyeye, said this at the 50th Manufacturing Anniversary Dinner of Daily Need Industries Limited which held in Lagos.

“We knew what we went through during that pandemic. That is why the whole efforts by companies like DailyNeed in times like that are highly appreciated,” Adeyeye expressed.

Hence, she commended pharmaceutical companies in the country for their fair share of experiences during the pandemic.

The DG recounted: “During the pandemic, the companies had to ensure that the needs and expectations of the customers were met.

“And companies will reposition optimally. I want to say thank you again to pharmaceutical manufacturers for what they went through during the pandemic.”

According to the NAFDAC boss, “I am very proud of the pharmaceutical industries,” adding that they challenged them and many pharmaceutical companies in the country rose to the occasion, increased improvement. “NAFDAC has witnessed this.”

As Nigeria’s foremost

manufacturer, Daily Need Industries Ltd joined the golden jubilee club in grandeur. It also recognised and rewarded some deserving staff members for their unwavering resilience.

In his remark, the Group Managing Director, Daily-Need Industries, Mr Oluwatosin Jolayemi described the journey as interesting. “It has been very interesting for us to do business in Nigeria for 50 years,” adding that they don’t see challenges as a discouragement but as opportunities for them to celebrate.

According to Jolayemi, the figures and volumes Daily Needs Industries sell from year to year have improved; hence, it is worthy of celebration.

While acknowledging the significance of the workforce, the GMD highlighted, “We are celebrating our staff because we see them as the greatest asset that we have. It’s enough to have machines and structures.

“But if you don’t have human capital, which is necessary for your machines to work and for you to achieve the purpose, objectives and vision you set for yourself.”

Despite the economic downturn, Jolayemi narrated that in the past few years, Daily Need staff have been very dedicated, tremendous and resilient.

While urging staff members and guests to draw inspiration from the survival of the manufacturing company,

the GDM emphasised the need to tweak some of their success stories to this point.

With much glee and fulfilment, the Group Head of HR, Daily Needs Group, Uche Odanibe commended the firm for creating a conducive and enabling environment for employees to thrive.

She conceded that the staff is the major asset of any company, noting that without the staff, no amount or quality of technology would make it work.

She expressed: “Our staff are a part of the journey.” The head of HR recognised the staff members as a part of the success story.

Having spent 11 years at the firm, the Compliance Officer Daily Need, Wusu Michael heaved a deep sigh of excitement.

“It has been great working here. I have had a lot of opportunities. I have served in four capacities in different departments.”

For Michael, he remains grateful to the leading manufacturing firm for helping him take home the bacon. “Daily Need has put food on my table for 11 years. My 11 years haven’t gone in vain. The welfare is good.

The salary is good. And I am happy.”

As a leading manufacturing firm in pharmaceutical, food and personal daily products, the firm hopes to be a brand producing premium daily need brands with premium quality of its product, integrity and transparency.

The Guild of Medical Directors (GMD) is canvassing for a workable healthcare reform in the country and has said that this is long over due.

The guild which made the call in a communiqué it issued at the end of its inaugural Business and Leadership Summit in Abuja recently, said for success to be recorded in the Nation Health Insurance Act (NHIA), the private sector needs to be effectively involved.

Speaking on behalf of the Guild, its president, Dr. Raymond Kuti, reiterated that there’s need for the federal government to strongly review the issue of partnership and actively lease some of its facilities to be managed by the private sector under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, noting that 70 per cent of healthcare providers are in the private sector.

According to the communiqué, rather than continuous engagement in medical

tourism by Nigerians, the Federal Government should publicly advocate the use of Nigerian private hospitals with the innovative services that they go abroad to access.

The guild also advocated an urgent set up of the working committee for the continuous and permanent communication between the Federal Ministry of Health and the private sector with the representatives of GMD as key members.

The way we want PPP to run is for the government to give backing to the policies that will allow and approve that those doctors in medical practices in private sector can partner and integrate with government hospitals.

Lagos state is already doing that and there are hospitals in Lagos in which the sub services are being ceded to doctors in the private sector.

“And they run them for it, the agreement is there and I think this is what we can replicate all over the country,’’ he said.

70 per cent of doctors work in the private sec-

tor, so their skills should be used in government hospitals as well, which is the PPP segment the group is interested in.

We have policymakers, let us sit down regularly and see how these things will work. Let us know the government policies and see how we in the private sector as doctors can use them.

“Not every hospital should have its own theatre.

If the government hospital has, for example seven theatres, we have doctors in private hospitals that can take their patients there and even operate on government patients round the clock.

So doctors in private hospitals can then be using or utilising government’s infrastructure to give the best to the patients at affordable prices.’’

He also said that the guild which was being repositioned to remain a strong partner in the Nigerian health care sector, was wholly complimentary to the public health sector and comparatively better equipped to deliver quality health care.

‘Why CBN Supported Reddington to Set Up Duchess Hospital’, Says Emefiele Mary Nnah The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has said that the Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja, owned by the Reddington Hospital Group which successfully carried out leg surgery on Vice President Osinbajo recently is an exemplary model of federal government intervention through the CBN, in providing world-class health facility in Nigeria to discourage medical tourism abroad by Nigerians.

Emefiele made this statement at the press briefing following the recent Monetary Policy Committee meeting held in Lagos.

While responding to questions from the media regarding CBN interven-

tion funds in healthcare, the CBN Governor used the Reddington Hospital and Duchess International Hospital as examples of where the Central Bank of Nigeria has supported Nigerian healthcare institutions in building local capacity towards the reversal of medical tourism which costs Nigeria billions of dollars annually.

Emefiele thanked the Vice President for choosing to have his surgery done locally in Nigeria, setting an exemplary example, and for the confidence he reposed in our healthcare system.

Reacting to the CBN Governor’s statement, the Group Medical Director of Reddington Hospital, Dr. Olutunde Lalude, explained that the Red-

dington Healthcare Group established the Duchess International Hospital Ikeja as a unique brand to promote access to affordable world-class healthcare for all Nigerians with its strategic location just 10 minutes drive from the Lagos airport and less than 90 minutes by air from Abuja and all state capitals in Nigeria.

In demonstrating affordability, Dr. Lalude emphasised that it cost N5000 for a patient to register and see a Doctor at the new Duchess International Hospital. This has been made possible due to the impact of the CBN intervention fund in establishing the hospital.

Lalude thanked the CBN Governor and Access Bank Plc for all their support in building our local capacity and transforming our healthcare institutions.

DASH Generates N187m in Six Months, Says CMD Igbawase Ukumba The Chief Medical Director of the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH), Dr. Hassan Ikrama, has said the hospital has generated over N187 millon as revenue in the last six months.

The DASH Chief Medical Director disclosed this when management of the specialist hospital appeared before the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on health to explain the hospital’s 2022 budget performance.

This was even as Ikrama added that the revenue generated by the specialist hospital has overshot its target by N56 million.

Ikrama said: “Our approved revenue is N262 million and so far, what we have acrued is N187 million in six months as we have overshoot our revenue target by N56 million.”

However, the CMD has assured of the hospital’s management continued readiness to be up and doing in order to improve on the health status of the

people of the state.

Speaking on behalf of the assembly committee on health, chairman of the committee, Usman Labaran Shafa, lauded management of the DASH for generating N187 million from January to June, 2022 which was above average of the hospital’s approved revenue target of N262 million for the fiscal year.

Shafa lauded the management and staff of the hospital for providing good services to the people of the state, hence he called on them to sustain the tempo.

30

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022

INTERVIEW

Steve Omojafor: PPP in Healthcare Best Way to Engender Development Sir Steve Omojafor, OON, is a Board Director of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, IHVN, and former Chairman of Zenith Bank. In this exclusive virtual interview with Rebecca Ejifoma, Omojafor spoke extensively on the new IHVN Campus and its plans to train large and skilled clinical researchers in preventing infectious and non-infectious diseases across Africa. He also deliberated on the need for public-private partnership in health care delivery as the best way to engender development to Nigerians and West Africans because of the prevalence of multifarious medical problems such as male and male sexual relationships, gender violence and little kids being abused.

Our trained personnel go around collecting relevant data on the prevalence of these cases. All materials returned to the labs go back to the training rooms, and workshops, and determine what each area requires.

These are not activities to be effectively coordinated and implemented in rented and inadequate offices and buildings. Like a mustard seed, IHVN’s multi-disciplinary staff strength has grown to almost 600, spread across the country from just two pioneer and visionary staff, led by its indefatigable Chief Executive Officer, Dr Patrick Dakum, and versatile Chief Operating Officer/ Managing Director, Dr Charles Olalekan Mensah, both of whom gathered in Chelsea Hotel in the Central Business District, Abuja, in 2004 to plough the ground and give the Institute a solid foundation. Today, we have a new Campus – an imposing Twin Towers – for effective coordination of multifarious activities from different parts of the country for analysis and exploring medical and scientific solutions to the nation’s health care problems.

What is so remarkable about the successful completion of the IHVN new campus? part from the continuous provision of prevention, treatment, and care services to people living with HIV and others affected by other infectious and non-infectious diseases, IHVN will, through this International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE), promote public/private partnership for quality health services, capacity building and research in West Africa and will bring quality health services within reach of millions of Nigerians. It will also provide world-class infrastructure for collaborative studies on diseases of relevance to the local community such as HIV, TB, Malaria, Cancer, non-communicable diseases, and emerging infectious diseases.

A

What is the IHVN new campus for, and for whose benefit?

A key focus of IHVN through its new Campus is the development of the next generation of African researchers in preparation for future epidemics through mentorship, training, and capacity building. The new Campus has prerequisite human resources and is setting up a state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure for clinical diagnosis, clinical trials, storage, and management of bio-specimens. The campus is also for collaborative groundbreaking research, training, and capacity building to curb future infectious and non-infectious disease outbreaks in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

The Institute has an extensive network with renowned research Centres and facilitators within and outside the country, which ensures up-to-date information during training, mentorship, and capacity-building exercises.

What were the financial, technical, and operational risks involved in this project?

During the conceptualisation stage, there was palpable apprehension that funds may not readily be available to complete the project; however, the Board was focused on exploring all available avenues - including active fundraising support and appeals to high-net-worth individuals and corporate organisations. The primary technical challenge faced by the Management and the Board was selecting the best available main contractor for the project. This involved interviewing both local and foreign contractors. We had extensive deliberations, followed by visits to the project sites of the shortlisted contractors. We finally settled for a reputable local contractor.

A project as big as this requires good maintenance including human, technical and financial resources to serve as cover against adverse operational risks. We were concerned about this, but the Board/Management was assured of adequate technical competence and financial resources for the Project take-off and completion. Also, adequate provisions had been made for fire prevention and fire-fighting equipment – including fire hydrants strategically located on the campus, fire hoses on every floor of the buildings, and smoke detectors and fire alarms on every floor of the building.

You mentioned something about training and its significance. What kind of training are you talking about?

As I said earlier, the International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE) was established to promote public/private partnerships for quality health services, capacity building, and research in West Africa. Our Research Centre conducts biomedical research focusing on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and non-communicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes. It has, in this regard, provided capacity building to health care providers and ancillary workers across all implementation and research activities of the Centre and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria. For example, as of December 2021, the Centre has provided over 48,000 health professionals with training and the capacity to identify and manage diseases such as HIV, TB, and other non-communicable diseases. The Centre is managed by an Executive Director, Professor Alash’le Abimiku, and Professor of Medicine in the School of Medicine of the University of Maryland in Baltimore, USA. It is worthy to note that Prof was the first to identify the prevalent HIV in Nigeria in 1993 while working as a postdoctoral fellow under the tutelage of Professor Robert Gallo, the globally recognised co-discoverer of HIV. What are we going to do with our research

Sir Steve Bamidele Omojafor

“Remarkably,IHVN has contributed to Nigeria’s capacity to control the spread of HIV. As of December 2021, 653,260 patients received care and support for HIV/AIDS, and 538,937 received anti-retroviral drugs and treatment under its Action to Control HIV Epidemic through Evidence (ACHIEVE) Project” and training programmes in Nigeria? Simply, we’re going to continue and expand on what we’re already doing – training and retraining our health care providers, who’re mainly medical doctors, clinical laboratory scientists, pharmacists, nurses, statisticians, and other social workers, on how to handle the various types of diseases that Nigerians grapple with.

Even in journalism and communications, proprietors place a high premium on training and retraining their personnel to serve the public better.

We need to identify areas practitioners are best suited in terms of expanding their knowledge and capabilities to handle challenges effectively, in terms of research findings in their specialised areas. That’s the direction we’re going. So, our focus is on training and retraining health providers to suit multiple thematic areas of health intervention in Nigeria and beyond. I may not have the exact figures currently, but over 47,904 medical scientists, research experts, and health providers have been trained by the Institute including medical people and institutions who’re already either working directly with us or who’re coming to do part-time research findings. Indeed, we’re busy turning out a lot of researchers, scientists, and medical people.

We believe that at some stage, this pool of trained manpower will impact the various medical institutions in Abuja and around Nigeria.

How does this new campus help the institute meet its goal of training large and skilled clinical researchers in preventing infectious and non-infectious diseases?

IHVN has many programmes and activities in no fewer than 23 states of the country, and with laboratories that it is supporting in most of the geopolitical zones of Nigeria. For example, it is supporting the Biosafety Level 3 laboratory for diagnosis of Multidrug-Resistant TB at

the National TB /Leprosy Training Centre in Zaria and 17 PCR laboratories across the country for early infant diagnosis and viral load tests, and repositories to receive, process, store and ship samples. IHVN’s presence is felt all over the country, especially in rural areas. Our personnel transverse the country to disseminate information on HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and other infectious and non-infectious diseases. We have personnel moving around the country collecting samples for diagnostics in our specialised labs in Abuja and regional Centres of the country and supporting in treating the sick and managing chronic diseases etc.

Undoubtedly, keeping records and reporting the same to Abuja are quite tasking and better done in a well-coordinated environment – hence the need for this new IHVN Campus and exit from all our rented apartments and properties that the Institute used for almost two decades. So, the new IHVN campus and its world-class International Research Centre of Excellence now host specialised laboratories to better understand the manner of the development of diseases and immune responses to infectious diseases in Nigeria. This will help the country to improve its capacity to diagnose, control and treat diseases. Before moving into our new Campus, critical laboratory facilities and tools were spread over rented apartments, buildings, and offices in different parts of the country.

When you look at our operational map, you discover that we’re spread around Nigeria.

Wherever we go, we look at the medical institutions and facilities, and personnel.

We look at the medical requirements of the people. Getting people who’re infected to come out, to be tested and treated and to build a database that enables us to know where we should be directing our attention is a major task for IHVN. In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, we maintain a huge presence

What inspired this project? Could it be the outbreak of COVID-19?

The inspiration for this project predates the outbreak of COVID-19. It started soon after IHVN became one of the prime implementing partners of the United States of America’s largest public health investment in the world. IHVN, which is now a local non-governmental organisation, was established in 2004 to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Nigeria through the development of infrastructure for treatment, care, prevention, and support for people living with HIV with funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

It initially started as an affiliate of the Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA, established to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Nigeria through the development of infrastructure for the prevention, treatment, care, and support for people living with HIV. The Institute has since grown and extended its areas of service to include tackling other infectious and non-infectious diseases in Nigeria. Before the scourge of COVID about three years ago, IHVN has been tackling HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Cancer, and all kinds of diseases plaguing Nigerians.

It’s been a long-running institution. In 2015, the idea was mooted to place all our services under one premise where we can holistically plan our strategies and be of more relevance to our local community and, of course, communities around us in and out of Nigeria. Essentially, IHVN is a nonprofit making organization that’s supported by Grants from PEPFAR, Global Fund, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), US National Institute of Health (NIH), and other donor agencies. Our services are virtually free and humanitarian. These streams of funds enable us to provide care and support to over 653,000 patients and ARV drugs and treatment to over 538,000 people living with HIV under the PEPFAR programme.

IHVN is the first Principal Recipient for the Global Fund TB Public Private Mix Scale-up in Nigeria for 2019-2020, which was later renewed for 2021 to 2023. This grant has enabled us to identify 97,871 TB cases via the notification of non-national TB providers in private and non-governmental facilities that the Institute is supervising. The Institute has also identified 9,036 bacteriologically confirmed drug-resistant TB cases while 6,515 drug-resistant TB patients enrolled for treatment under its programme. We have also provided HIV Testing Services, Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Antiretroviral Therapy, and TB/HIV, services in 10 states of the country as a sub-recipient to FHI360.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022

NEWS

Choice Dental Opens in Ikeja, Harps on Preventive Dentistry Mary Nnah Choice Dental, a digital dental clinic with state-of-theart equipment has opened at GRA Ikeja, Lagos with services focusing on preventive dental care.

Managing Dentist, Choice Dental, Dr. Sade Akiode during the opening ceremony said, “Our preventive dentistry includes comprehensive dental examination, digital X-rays, sealant, oral cancer screening, and Dental Cleaning”.

Akiode who had over 20 years of successful dental practice in Los Angeles, California said she decided to come back to Nigeria in 2011 to avail Nigerians of the same world-class dental care that her patients in the United State are enjoying and to reduce the incidence of Nigerians traveling abroad for medical tourism.

“We have since set up a thriving dental clinic at Karimu Kotun, Victoria Island Lagos with Ikeja branch being our second in Lagos and Nigeria,” said Akiode.

Choice Dental Ikeja has nine operating suites made up of the general section, VIP, and Children’s sections.

Operated by well-trained dentists, radiographers, and other ancillary dental staff, Choice Dental can offer a wide range of other services in addition to preventive dentistry.

These are Cosmetic Dentistry which includes teeth whitening, splinting, and smile makeover; General Dentistry such as white fillings, root canal therapy, dentures, extractions, children’s dentistry, and dental implants, among others.

Akiode explained that Choice Dental also offers specialised services such as full mouth reconstruction, oral surgery, Laser Surgery, orthodontics, and Invisalign in the Ikeja facility.

She decried the global and local attention on such diseases as malaria, HIV AIDS, and COVID-19 to the neglect of Dental disease conditions which she said can lead to other ailments such as erectile dysfunction, Cardiovascular diseases, and even death in

some cases.

Chairman of the Board of Choice Dental, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe called for attitudinal change among Nigerians by going for a regular dental checkup instead of waiting until they have toothache or pain in the mouth before

going to see a dentist. Dr. Ndukwe said Choice Dental is well-positioned to serve the residents of Lagos Mainland and its environs.

The World Oral Health Day 2022 which was celebrated on March 20, had as its theme: Smile Be Proud Of Your Teeth.

The Global Burden of Disease study 2019 estimated that oral diseases affect close to 3.5 billion people worldwide, with caries of permanent teeth being the most common condition.

Dr. Clement Azodo, Chairman, Nigerian Dental Associa-

tion, Edo State branch said in a recent press interview that a global loss of $200 billion annually is associated with a lack of attention to oral health.

According to him, “Nigeria losses between N300 to N500 million yearly because of lack of interest in oral health care.”

Board of Chairman of Choice Dental, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe (middle) cutting the tape at the grand opening of Choice Dental in GRA, Ikeja. He is flanked from left by Chairman, Dr. A Smile and Sleep Spa, Washington DC, United States of America, Dr. Oluwole Ajagbe; Managing Dentist, Choice Dental, Dr. Shade Akiode, and Director Choice Dental, Dr. Titilayo Goncalves

Lagos State Raises Awareness Campaign on LASG Releases Guidelines on Abortion to legal indications, pre, and guidelines on safe termination health outcomes.

Rebecca Ejifoma and While persisting that abortion post-procedure care, methods, of pregnancy which highlights Esther Akinola HIV Anti-stigma Law the compendium of conditions in Nigeria is not illegal but and monitoring.

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) has begun an awareness campaign to enlighten the media on the state’s HIV anti-stigma law.

Passed in May 2007, the law was put in place to protect persons living with HIV/AIDS against discrimination, stigmatisation and denial of access to healthcare with penalties in place for offenders.

And LSACA has the mandate to lead, coordinate the control and prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS, and mitigate its impact on both infected and affected in the State.

At the sensitisation training for the media in Ikeja, the Head, LSACA Project, Dr Oladipupo Fisher, “The media is responsible for affecting the citizenry and as such, the role of the media remains central in the effort to mitigate HIV-related stigma and discrimination through the dissemination of accurate information and awareness creation.”

Consequently, Fisher emphasised the need for the media to have a clearer and better understanding of the state’s HIV Ant-stigma Law. In her presentation, the Principal Partner, Odikpo & Associates and Executive Director, Centre for Rights and Development, Josephine Ijekhuemen, recounted, “We have cases we have done where one of the parties have come up to say they

don’t want to continue with the case because his wife has threatened to commit suicide.

“This was despite the assurance that their testimonies will be done in such a way that their identities won’t be revealed.”

The lawyer, however, noted that if people are prosecuted when they offend and the media projects that in the papers and online or air it on the radio, then people will be afraid to discriminate.

“Thus their rights will be protected,” she added.

According to Ijekhuemen, people living with HIV have suffered so much inhumane and degrading treatments as a result of their status.

With this law in place, it hopes to correct such dehumanising treatment meted out on sufferers and protect them, ensuring the constitutional provisions are enforced through criminal legislation.

The executive director highlighted that if adequately interpreted and effectively enforced, the law may go a long way in reducing incidences of stigma and discrimination.

She, therefore, implored participants – print, online, and electronic media – “As members of the press, having a grasp of the provision of this law will also assist in your reportage and research when issues that affect persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS arise.”

The Lagos State government, last Tuesday, launched guidelines for the development of safe and lawful abortion services within the ambit of the state’s criminal law.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, presented the 40-page policy document tagged, “Lagos State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications” at a stakeholders’ engagement on Tuesday.

Ogboye said the need for the guideline was borne out of the desire for evidence-based data and information for health workers in the public and private sectors.

The perm sec further explained that while therapeutic termination of pregnancy is permissible under the law in the state, the post-procedure absence of clear guidelines has stalled the effective implementation at appropriate levels of care resulting in preventable deaths.

He recounted: “In 2011, the Lagos State House of Assembly updated the criminal code, providing for abortion to save the life and protect the physical health of the woman.

“While physical health is covered under the Lagos legal framework, services conforming to the law have not been available in the procedure of the State health sector.”

This document, he added, provides information on relevant laws applicable in Lagos State while providing standards and best practices with regards

“I must state here that this document has undergone wide consultation with relevant technical stakeholders within the legal and health service context in the state,” says Ogboye.

He further noted that the follow-up development of the guidelines commenced in 2018 with the Safe Engage project led by the Lagos Ministry of Health and hosted by the Society for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Nigeria (SOGON), with support from the Population Reference Bureau (PRB).

According to Ogboye, stakeholders in the state’s health sector worked with key opinion leaders in Lagos and the southwest region to develop a tailored advocacy tool for terminations within the legal context.

He also hinted that the advocacy messages on the Safe Engage project focused on ensuring that safe abortion services were available within legal indications in Lagos, and domesticating the Violence Against Persons Prohibition, VAPP, Act supporting women to terminate a pregnancy caused by rape or incest.

He outlined: “To guide the implementation, one of the follow-up outcomes recommendations of the project was the adaptation of the National Standards and Guidelines for Safe Termination of Pregnancy within Legal Indications within the Lagos State context.

“The Federal Ministry of Health had developed and disseminated the national

and circumstances under which termination of pregnancy could be instituted.”

Continuing, he said the guideline was intended to build the capacity of health professionals to identify pregnancies for which legal termination could be instituted.

“Marie Stopes International in Nigeria in collaboration with the Population Reference Bureau proposed to support the State government to adapt the document.”

Ogboye said that the process for National guidelines adaptation included technical meetings to discuss sections of the law supporting safe abortion and conditions permitted within the legal framework to save the lives and the physical health of mothers; and validation meetings with the broader stakeholders to review the document.

“All that hard work has culminated in today’s dissemination of the guidelines.

We hope this dissemination today will help guide health providers to provide this service within the ambit of the law”, Ogboye highlighted.

The Country Director, Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria, MSION, Mr Emmanuel Ajah, explained that the development and dissemination of the policy document have once again proven that Lagos is leading the way for State-level intervention to stem the tide of unsafe abortion and give women and girls improved

restrictive, Ajah said significant numbers of health providers are unaware of the legal indications for safe termination of pregnancy.

He shared the significance of healthcare providers with the responsibility to determine when the life of the woman is in danger as prescribed in Nigeria’s laws need to have the right understanding and make those critical decisions based on sound medical judgment and not on religion, culture, or other biases.

Accordingly, the country director said the domestication of this policy provides needed guidance to healthcare providers on medical conditions in pregnancy that poses a high risk to the woman’s life and health if the pregnancy progresses to term, and on the standard management of abortion within the extent of the law in Lagos state.

“This policy is a demonstration of the commitment of the Lagos state government to improving maternal health, especially mitigating the impact of unsafe abortion practices in the State,” Ajah stated.

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences, Otukpo, Prof. Innocent Ujah, who was one of the Consultants who developed the document, said the enunciation, deployment, providing, and use of the guidelines will preserve the lives of pregnant women and women whose physical or mental health would be compromised with the continuation of their pregnancies.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Alleged Duty of Care Breach: Appeal Court Sets Aside N1.7bn Judgment against Zenith Bank Alex Enumah ÓØ ÌßÔË The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which found Zenith Bank Plc guilty of alleged breach of Duty of Care to one of its customers, Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, and subsequently entered judgment against the bank.

A three-man panel of the appellate court voided the judgment on the grounds that the lower court erred in law when it arrived at the decision that the bank failed in its Duty of Care to The Daily Times. The Court of Appeal in the judgment delivered on Tuesday, held that banks’ mandate changes for corporate account holders can only be done by means of a validly passed resolution of the directors of that customer.

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja,

had on December 9, 2020, held that Zenith Bank breached its duty of care to Daily Times Nigeria Plc (Daily Times) when it honoured Daily Times’ cheques and therefore directed Zenith Bank to refund the sum of over N1,696,189,449.03 representing the judgment sum and accruing interest thereon.

Dissatisfied, the bank in Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1131/2020, urged the appellate court to set aside the decision of the lower court for wrongly reaching the conclusion that it failed in its Duty of Care to the plaintiff/ respondent. Zenith Bank through its lead counsel, Professor Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), argued that Zenith Bank acted in compliance with its contractual obligations in line with its customer’s mandate with respect to the 1st respondent’s (Daily Times) account.

Responding, Daily Times, through its counsel, Kalu Onuoha,

argued that Zenith Bank allegedly breached the duty of care it owed Daily Times which resulted in damage to the company by way of financial loss.

However, delivering its judgment on July 26, 2022, the Court of Appeal agreed with the submissions of the appellant, Zenith Bank, by allowing the appeal and setting aside the judgment of the lower court marked: FHC/ABJ/45/2019, on the grounds that the bank cannot be held liable for an act done prior to any directive by a resolution to it by Daily Times.

Essentially, the court held that Zenith Bank was only bound to alter the existing mandate through a valid board resolution and that letters by a customer’s solicitor cannot substitute the need for resolution for any change in the account mandate of a customer.

L-R : Former president, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX), Raymond Obieri; Founder, Elizade Nigerian Limited, Ade Ojo; wife of former Chairman, Berger Paints Nigeria PLC, (BPN), Clement Olowokande, Folashade; his son, Kunle ; Non-executive Director, BPN, Ogechi Iheanacho and Chairman, Abi Ayida, during unveiling of Clement Olowokande Training Centre in Berger Paints on Wednesday

MARKET INDICATORS

First Bank Firstmonie Agents Processes 1bn Transaction Worth N22trn First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has announced that its agent banking network – Firstmonie agents across the country has collectively processed transaction volume in excess of 1 billion, amounting to over 22 trillion naira. The bank in a statement said itcurrently has over 180,000 Firstmonie Agents, spread across the country’s 772 Local Government Areas.

“Firstmonie Agents have been integral to bringing financial services closer to the underbanked and unbanked segment of the society, providing convenient banking services that are easily accessible, thereby saving time and travel costs

for individuals in the suburbs and remote environments with no access to financial services.

“Popularly referred to as the ‘Human ATM’, Firstmonie Agents are empowered to reduce the reliance on over-the-counter transactions while providing convenient personalized services.

Amongst the services carried out by the Agents include; Account Opening, Cash Deposit, Airtime Purchase, Bills Payment, Withdrawals and Money Transfer, “the bank said.

Expressing his appreciation to the agents, CEO, FirstBank, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, said, “since the relaunch of our Agent Banking scheme in 2018, our

Firstmonie Agents have played a vital role in bridging the financial inclusion gap in the country, as many more people have been able to undertake various financial and business transactions in cost-effective ways, thereby saving a lot of time and money in travelling over long distances for basic banking services.

“We are delighted by the giant strides of our Firstmonie Agents in promoting financial inclusion and commend them for their efforts in taking banking to the doorsteps of Nigerians - irrespective of where they are – in a very effective way, ”he concluded.

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

Access Bank, Visa to Reward Customers

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

Nume Ekeghe

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

Access Bank has partnered with Visa, the official payment services partner of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, to reward its customers with exceptional opportunities to win tickets for an all-expensepaid trip to Qatar to watch the FIFA World Cup match live and a chance to win other fabulous consolation prizes.

Speaking to newsmen during the launch of the campaign, Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank, Chizoma Okoli, in a statement made available to THISDAY said: “We are extremely excited to partner with Visa to bring the FIFA World Cup 2022™ closer to our loyal customers. This campaign is an opportunity for the bank to give back to its loyal

cardholders whilst strengthening our relationship with Visa for future partnerships.”

Senior Retail Advisory, Access Bank, Robert Giles, also said the bank is pleased to partner with Visa to bring the biggest event in the world closer to her customers.

According to Giles, “In addition to winning consolation prizes and all-expense paid trip courtesy of Visa, our customers can also connect to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ by walking into any of our branches nationwide to request for a brand new personalised limited edition FIFA design Visa card; this can be a fresh request or replacement for an existing valid Visa Debit card.

Furthermore, this offer is not restricted to existing customers

as new customers can simply open an Access bank account by dialling *901# from their phone and follow the prompt or visit the nearest Access Bank branch to open a new account, signup for their limited edition FIFA branded Visa card, activate it instantly and start transacting for a chance to win in the Road to Qatar promotion, ”Rob concluded.

Country Manager, Visa Nigeria, Andrew Uaboi added: “As the Official Payment Services Partner of FIFA, Visa is proud to partner with Access Bank to bring the thrill and excitement of this event to Nigerian fans who will be able to enjoy an experience of a lifetime.

Visa will be celebrating the spirit of football in Qatar and is looking forward to showcasing the future of digital payments with fans from Nigeria and the rest of the world.”

FBNQuest Hosts Webinar on Social, Cultural Development for Women FBNQuest, the investment banking and asset management subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc, recently hosted a session themed ‘Lifting the Glass Ceiling’ which was designed to encourage women to continually strive to pursue and achieve their goals as a working professional and entrepreneur.

The virtual event was hosted as part of the organisation’s Leading Conversations with FBNQuest Series and the FBNQuest Women Interactive Network (FBNQuest WIN), in recognition of the critical role

women play in the economic, social and cultural development of any community and FBNQuest WIN was created as a platform for female employees within the firm to learn, interact and progress in their careers.

The session provided an avenue for the panelists to discuss challenges women face in the workplace such as gender diversity and inclusion. It also provided insights on how women can thrive in both their professional, business and personal life by making a plan, showing up as your most authentic self, personal develop-

ment, having a strong support system and mentors who will guide and encourage you.

Commenting on the session, Barbara Ezeife, Head Marketing and Corporate Communications at FBNQuest Merchant Bank stated that “At FBNQuest, we are committed to having conversations that empower women to rise above challenges and participate fully in life. We believe that it is pivotal to not only build a strong network of women but to also support and create more opportunities that will empower women on all economic levels.”

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT THURSDAY, MAY 7

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).

33

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022

MARKET NEWS

Presco Shareholders Gets N7.5bn Dividend for 2021 Financial Year Kayode Tokede Shareholders of Presco Plc have approved payment of 660kobo per share final dividend, amounting to N6.6Billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2021.

This brought the total dividends paid by the company for the year to N750kobo per share, which amounts to N7.5Billion, an increase of 380 per cent over the 2020 financial year.

The company had paid an

interim dividend of 100kobo per share, amounting to N1Billion.

Speaking at the 29th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held by proxy at Obaretin Estate, IkpobaOkha Local Government Area, Edo State, Shareholders commended the board, management and staff for sustaining the company on the path of growth despite various challenges.

Speaking on behalf of shareholders, Bishop Goodluck Akpore, Chairman, Onitsha Zone Sharehold-

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

ers Association commended the board and management of the company for the outstanding result which he described as fantastics performance.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Felix Nwabuko, while addressing shareholders advised investors to take advantage of the huge opportunities in the sector.

He commended all stakeholders including staff for contributing to the growth recorded in 2021.

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Earlier in his address, a member of the board, Mr Osa Osunde, who presided over the meeting explained that the company within the year under review attained revenue of N47.43billion, representing a 98.5 per cent increase when compared with N23.89Billion in 2020. The company also recorded gross profit of N31.75billion, which is 97.4 per cent higher than the N16.08Billion of 2020.

Profit after tax (after accounting for changes in fair value of biologi-

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

cal assets) stood at N19.32Bilion, a 267.2 per cent increase over N5.26Billion achieved in 2020.

Osunde explained that following the final commissioning of the new vegetable Oil Plant, Presco Plc achieved remarkable higher production level of refined oils and fats. He said: “I am happy to report that the hope that we expressed last year concerning the final commissioning of the new 500 tons per day vegetable oil refinary materialized.

O F

2 7

“The final commissioning was achieved in March 2021, and we have recorded significant positive impact in added value derived from the increased production and sales of refined Oils and fats“.

According to the Chairman, within the year, Refined, Bleached and Deodorized Oil (REDO) produced was 46,237 tons, compared with 19,486 tons in 2020 while Olein and Stearin produced was 17,912 tons as against 7,352 tons in 2020.

/ 7 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

34

THURSDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

NATIONAL POLICY DIALOGUE...

L-R: Director Legal and Regulatory Services, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Hadiza Ali-Dagabana; Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D), Mr. Solomon Musa Odole; Acting Director General, National Population Commission (NPC), Ugoeze Patience Mbagwu; National Commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, Dr. Vincent Olatunji and the PHOTO: AYO AJAYI Acting Deputy Controller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Dora Amahiah, during the ID4D 2022 Nàtional Policy Dialogue, held in Abuja...recently

Terrorists Continue Attacks in Kaduna Communities as Police Deny Shooting on Dantata Bridge, Ministers' Hill Nasarawa closes public, private schools, Abuja private varsity shuts down Again, gunmen strike in Owo, attack construction workers Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

ment, a contiguous state to Abuja, has ordered the immediate closure of both public and private schools, as a proactive step to safeguarding the lives of students from across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.

Similarly, Veritas University of Abuja, has announced the end of its 2021/2022 academic session in view of security threats in the capital city.

However, there were viral reports on the social media about sporadic gunfire around Dantata Bridge in Lugbe, and Ministers' Hill in Maitama, Abuja, causing more panic in the nation's capital.

However, the latest Kaduna attacks, according to a statement

by Chairman, Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU), Ishaq Kasai, started on Monday when the criminals, in their numbers, invaded Damari town of Kazage Ward at about 6:00pm, killing three people, namely,Hashimu Dan-Daura, Nazifi Adamu and Alhaji Dangude.

“The terrorists operated in the town stylishly unchallenged for about an hour,”the statement stated, adding that, the bandits

returned to the community by 6pm the following day (Tuesday) and looted many shops, and on their way back to the forests, abducted 13 people at Hayin-Gada of the same Damari community.

According to the BEPU, “The attacks came after Ansaru members, who were considered to be defending the locals deserted the area for about four days now.

“It could be recall that, Ansaru members clashed with the bandits when they earlier invaded the town on 13th July, 2022, where damages were made to the town, including burning of private hospital, two vehicles and one shop.”

The statement said, following the series of attacks, residents, especially, women and children have continued to flee the community for safety and therefore called on the government to address the continued loss of lives and property in the area as a result of the constant invasion by terrorists.

Also, the FCT Police Command said, in a statement that, operatives were deployed in the the direction but found the reports to be a false

OVER 80 SENATORS, MAJORITY HOUSE MEMBERS MOVE TO IMPEACH BUHARI OVER INSECURITY

resolve all lingering issues with ASUU without further delay.

A statement issued in support of the labour protest described as worrisome the closure of the federal universities for over five months.

The statement signed by the newly elected president of TUC, Festus Osifo said the congress was in total support of the national protest, describing it as a just and patriotic cause.

"The clear ineptitude in this administration is becoming more worrisome, unfortunately there appears to be no end in sight, making the country a laughing stock in the comity of nations.

“Government must engage ASUU without further delay in constructive negotiations to find a lasting solution to their complaints.

"Education is one of the factors that influences the progress of any society but in our clime, it appears there is a deliberate effort to stifle the sector to keep

Terrorists have continued to attack communities in Kaduna State, despite efforts by both the federal and state governments to stem the tide of insecurity.

This followed the recent killing of three people by the terrorists while 13 others were kidnapped,following attacks in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

This came as the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, has denied reports that there were gunshots around Dantata Bridge in Lugbe and Ministers' Hill in Maitama District of the city.

Similarly, the Guards Brigade, has reacted to viral pictures of corpses of soldiers on an undisclosed road side being loaded into a vehicle.

Spokesman of Guards Brigade, Captain Godfrey Abakpa, told THISDAY that the soldiers were killed in an accident on Kaduna Road and not in connection with any terror attack in Abuja.

"It's not even in Abuja. They were killed in an accident on Kaduna Road," he said.

Also, the Nasarawa State govern-

alarm.

"The attention of the FCT Police Command has been drawn to reports making the rounds, especially, on the social media spaces, suggesting that there was heavy gunfire simultaneously around Dantata bridge in Lugbe and Minister’s hills in Maitama yesterday 26th July 2022 at about 19:38Hrs. "Following the receipt of the news, the command’s intelligence and tactical asset deployed to the scene, where the alarm was found to be false.

"Having maintained monitoring and surveillance of the area all night, and with the intelligence at the disposal of the command, it is important to categorically state that the report is on every scale unfounded and should be disregarded.

"Members of the public are, therefore, enjoined to go about their lawful business without the fear of harassment or molestation of any kind from any quarters," it said.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Babaji Sunday, while

reassuring residents of the command's unalloyed commitment to the safety of all and sundry in the territory, called for calm, noting that an investigation had commenced into the sources of this and many other maliciously crafted publications targeted at promoting panic and apprehension in the territory.

He urged residents to only believe information released from official stables.

Meanwhile, from Lafia in Nasarawa, the Commissioner for Education, Fatu Sabo, said, “The decision became necessary considering the proximity of the state to the FCT, as well as the resolve of the government to ensure that schools in Nasarawa State, operate within a safe environment.”

She clarified that the directives excluded students writing their final examinations in the secondary schools and therefore appealed to parents not to panic over the decision.

"We are appealing to parents not to panic. We all know that Nasarawa State is safe but this decision was taken as a proactive measure to ensure that our children

UNIVERSITIES’ CLOSURE: LABOUR PROTEST GROUNDS ACTIVITIES IN ABUJA

the president is taking lightly and like I’ll always say, some of the measures we’re going to take are not measure that you can discuss openly here, but we're as concerned as you are, we're not going to abandon our responsibility.”

On the reported threat by terrorists to kidnap the President, the minister described it as laughable and mere propaganda.

“As to those who have issued threats to Mr. President, I think it's more of propaganda than anything.

It’s laughable,” he said.

Mohammed also said the FEC had approved a memo by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, for a standard operation procedure on maintaining the civilian and humanitarian character of asylum seekers in Cameroon.

His words: “You all know that

due to the insurgency in Cameroon, Nigeria has witnessed an influx of Cameroonian asylum seekers and there's basic standard procedures for you to be granted status as an asylum seeker.

“This is what the council considered and approved today.

And basically, it’s that anybody from Cameroon who's seeking asylum in Nigeria must first convinced the authorities that he or she has actually renounced armed struggle, before you can even be considered as an asylum seeker.

“Also, there are cases of some of them, who have come even when they claimed to have surrendered their arms, go back at times, to join the separatist movement in Cameroon. So, the procedure was explained and approved today that will evaluate the basic criteria to grant asylum.”

the country perpetually in dark and under-developed.

"Nigerian politicians unfortunately, do not care because their children and wards school abroad. They arrogantly walk out of meetings called to resolve industrial issues and travel abroad to celebrate with their children on the day of graduation; this level of impunity will not be condoned anymore by the working people.”

Usifoh said the TUC would be strategising with the leadership of the NLC and ASUU on how best to get government to meet the demand of the university teachers.

Wabba who declared the protest as very peaceful presented the letter containing the demand of the workers to the representatives of the principal officers of the National Assembly.

While receiving the letter on behalf of the Senate President, Senator Chukwuka Utazi told the workers that the lawmakers were

on the same page with them as far the demand for speedy resolution of the dispute in the universities are concerned.

Speaking amidst booing from the protesters, Utazi assured them that the leadership of the National Assembly would do all within their powers to resolve the matter as soon as possible and reopen the universities.

Addressing the aggrieved workers, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who was represented by Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Robert Borrofice, assured that the National Assembly would work hard to ensure the issue was resolved.

Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was represented by, Hon. Mohammad Wudin, promised to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are brought together as soon as possible to address the challenge.

are safe and continue to remain safe. That is for those within the state and those that came from other states to study here.

“We want to also appeal to our principals and heads of respective schools to also ensure that while we are closing these schools, we do it in an orderly manner. There’s no threat to any life or property as at now in Nasarawa State,” she said.

Veritas University of Abuja, in a statement by the spokesperson, Ms Evelyn Obekpa, said the examination for first year students was postponed due to the directive by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory over the security tension in the capital city.

“The Management of Veritas University wishes to notify the general public that the University has successfully completed the 2021/2022 academic session.

“However, due to the current security tension and the directives of the Minister of the FCT for the closure of schools in Abuja, examinations for our 100-level students shall be conducted at a date to be announced later.

“Candidates seeking admission into Veritas University for the 2022/2023 academic session are encouraged to visit the University or the university’s website – www. veritas.edu.ng to obtain an admission form. All correspondences may be forwarded to the following emails,” it said.

Gunmen Strike Again in Owo, Attack Construction Workers

Gunmen, last night, reportedly struck again in Owo, Ondo State and attacked Craneburg Construction Company.

According to reports, there were gunshots at the construction company site.

Ondo State Police, in a Tweet, confirmed that some people were injured during the attack.

“Tonight, there was a shooting incident at Craneberg Construction Company, Owo.Policemen are currently at the scene, victims have been taken to hospital and they are in stable condition," the police wrote.

35

THURSDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

UNVEILING ADC VP CANDIDATE...

L-R: Chairman, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Raph Okey Nwosu; Secretary, Alhaji Said Baba Abdullahi; Vice presidential candidate, Ahmed Buhari, and presidential candidate, Dumebi PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN Kachukwu, during the unveiling of ADC vice presidential candidate in Abuja...yesterday

Okoh Yet to Fulfill Conditions to Emerge President, Says CAN Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has denied the emergence of Most Rev. Daniel Okoh as its new president.

A statement by the Media Assistant to the out-going CAN President, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, said the processes for the election

of the next president of CAN was ongoing and would be completed today.

He explained: "The attention of CAN has been drawn to the story going the rounds that the Most Rev. Daniel Okoh has emerged the new President of CAN.” According to him, the announcement was contained in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja,

by the CAN's General Secretary, Barrister Joseph Daramola.

The statement added: "For the record, Daramola is not the spokesman of the association but the General Secretary. The letter being referred to was the invitation letter sent to the members of the National Executive Council and the blocs’ leaders of the association to complete the process that will

lead to the emergence of the new president.”

Oladeji said according to the CAN’s Constitution, Article 17 (9) viii-xi, the National Executive Council and the General Assembly must ratify the nomination of the candidate before the new president emerges.

"So, the process is still ongoing and it will be completed

on Thursday. It is true that the Most Rev Okoh has emerged the candidate from the Electoral College but this must be ratified by the National Executive Council and the General Assembly.

"Perhaps, it is imperative to state what the Constitution says about the remaining process Article 17 (9) (viii), states: “The candidate who secures majority

Anglican Church Slams APC over Muslim-Muslim Ticket, Says It's Indefensible Dogara: CAN's rejection of same faith ticket is God's position PDP federal lawmakers lobby Daniel Bwala to join opposition party Chuks Okocha, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Anglican Church has joined other Christians as well as groups in the country in condemning the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to choose a former governor of Borno state, Kashim Shetima as his running mate.

Also, the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has aligned with the position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) which rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC. According to the Anglican Church, the decision of the party to go with a Muslim-Muslim ticket was unacceptable, indefensible and a great insult to Christians in Nigeria.

Addressing journalists in Abuja the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Kubwa and Director of Ecumenism and Inter-faith Dialogue, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rev. Duke Akamisoko, said the action of the ruling party could never be rationalised.

He said: "There can never be a rational explanation for such a selfish, greedy and self -centeredness decision by the APC. This is totally unacceptable to us as a Church it constitutes a gross abuse of our collective sensitivity as a nation.

"Muslim-Muslim ticket at a time like this is a demonstration of insensitivity to the plurality of religion; the polarised nature of Nigeria; the plight of Christians in Nigeria and the feelings of Christians in northern Nigeria etc.

"In fact, it is a direct insult on the entire Christendom. APC has made

a choice; it is left for Christians in Nigeria to also make their choice," he said.

Akamisoko said it was irresponsible of APC to choose its political survival over the stability and peace of Nigeria.

"The party ought to have taken a cue from the opposition against his vice presidential ambition and how President Muhammadu Buhari opted for a Christian running mate in 2015 instead of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

"A Muslim-Muslim ticket is the greatest insult on the Christian community, especially in the Northern region. Is APC saying that there is no northern Christian who is intelligent enough to be its running mate? Is APC saying that there is no Northern Christian who has a political value to deliver victory to it? Definitely, the answer is no," he said.

The church also said its plan was to complete its ultra-modern, 250 bed hospital. Also the church said it intends to raise funds for the face-lifting and upgrading of its Anglican Comprehensive Secondary School, which is situated on 25 Hectares of land in Kpeyeghi, Abuja.

Akamisoko said that one of the cardinal focus of this year’s Synod was to raise funds for the face-lifting and upgrading of the Anglican Comprehensive Secondary School, which is situated on 25 Hectares of land in Kpeyeghi, Abuja.

Dogara: CAN's Rejection of Muslim-Muslim Ticket is God's Position

Meanwhile, Dogara said the position of CAN was the position of God. He maintained that adopting a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a diverse country like Nigeria was a recipe

for disunity and disaster.

He spoke yesterday at the 12th General Assembly and Leadership Transition Ceremony and Symposium on the Role of Christian Women and Youths in Politics, organised by CAN in Abuja.

"The position taken by CAN is not only CAN's position, it is not only the position of notable Christian leaders like Babachir David Lawal, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and many others who have spoken against it. It is also God's position because we serve the God of justice, our God is righteous, our God is the author of diversity and He wants as diverse as we are to come together.

"So, CAN’s position as much as it is a righteous position, it is the position of all of us who love righteousness, justice, diversity and are working to harness it for the advancement of this country.

"Anybody can say anything but in as much as what we are standing on is godly, any other position is ungodly. It is either you are for righteousness, inclusiveness, justice or you are against the unity of this great country.”

PDP Federal Lawmakers Lobby Daniel Bwala to Join PDP

In a related development, the House of Representative Minority caucus yesterday called on the former Special Adviser to the Deputy Senate President on Constitutional and Legal Matters, Daniel Bwala to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Bwala a member of the APC had resigned his membership of his party because the presidential candidate of the APC picked a Muslim as his presidential running mate.

He equally resigned as a special adviser to the deputy Senate president.

But yesterday, Ndudi Elumelu leading other principal officers of the PDP in the House of Representatives urged Bwala to join the PDP, describing the APC as bus bound to nowhere.

Speaking at a meeting with Bwala, Elumelu said: "This is the first time that parliamentarians will come to an individual in Nigeria, it is because of your kind of person.

That shows that we respect you and we Nigerians want you to participate in rescuing Nigeria.

“This is the first time the parliament will deem it feat to recognise a Nigerian, so we decide to come and see that personality. We are doing that because of your kind

of person, we are doing because of your belief in our diversity.

"We're doing that because of the way you have distinguished yourself. You speak like somebody who is a true Nigerian, a man who does not believe whether you are a Christian or a Muslim or a pagan or whatever, you just speak based on the law and the truth. "'We have come to ask you to join the PDP to rescue Nigeria.

Our presidential candidate provides such body. Of all of them, at least he is the first to face the press with undiluted submission to the Nigerian people about what he intends to do when he becomes the president. He didn't hide it. So we have come to tell you to join PDP and let us rescue Nigeria," Elumelu told Bwala.

vote of the Electoral College for each office shall be recommended to the National Executive Council.”

Article 17 (9) ix states: “The National Executive Council shall accept the recommended candidates for the offices of the President and the Vice President and present them to the General Assembly for ratification by the majority of votes of those qualified to vote at the General Assembly.

"Article 17 (9) x states, “In the event that any candidate fails to secure the majority vote of the General Assembly, the procedure in paragraphs (4), (5), (6), and (8) herein shall be repeated by the Electoral College to reconsider the suitability or otherwise of all the candidates based upon the reasons adduced by those who opposed the candidature.

"The Electoral College may or may not substitute any candidate for any position based on majority vote of its members.”

Article 17 (9) xi states, “In the event of a deadlock in which case the candidate represented is rejected by the General Assembly, a combined meeting of the Electoral College and the President-in-Council of the Association will examine the issue(s) and make a final choice from all the nominated candidates for the office.”

Oladeji said CAN was scheduled to hold its General Assembly on Thursday, July 28, where the new President would be made known to the public.

Tee Mac: Tinubu is My In-law, He’s 86, Not Fit to Run Nigeria Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Renowned flutist and former President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, has warned Nigerians against voting the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Bola Tinubu, saying he was older than he claimed and therefore unfit to run the country.

Tee Mac, who disclosed that he was an in-law to Tinubu , noted that the former Lagos governor’s total existence was too shrouded in secrecy to be given the job of leading Nigeria.

The musician, who responded to a Facebook post by one Yemi Olakitan, who was declaring his support for the politician, alleged

that Tinubu was 86 years and not 70.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians not to vote for him, stressing that he was not qualified to run the country as president with all the unanswered questions surrounding his life.

For instance, he pointed out that, the controversies surrounding Tinubu’s age, background and how he made his money remained unresolved.

“Any body can choose any candidate, but an intelligent person will ask himself the question: do I choose rightly? Is the man qualified?

Is he honest? Did he tell us the truth about his age, background and how he made his money? Is this man healthy enough at 86 to take up the task of a totally run down country?” Tee Mac said.

According to the flutist, he (Tee Mac) stopped visiting Tinubu after he sold President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians in 2015, adding that even as his in-law , he won’t support his ambition to rule Nigeria.

“You see, Tinubu is my in-law.

His wife Remi is my cousin. Her Itsekiri mother and my Itsekiri mother are sisters. I have known Tinubu since the mid 1980s personally and even arranged for him to stay in my stepfather’s house (Sir Mobolaji Bank-Anthony) in London, when he went on exile.

“I stopped supporting him and stopped family visits etc when he sold that Buhari to the nation in 2015. My advice to the nation is that this man is absolutely not qualified to become our next president,” he wrote.

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NEWS

STRENGTHENING SECURITY SURVEILLANCE...

L-R: The new Regional Bank Head (Enugu/Ebonyi), Fidelity Bank Plc, Chiwetalu Nwatu; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and the outgoing Regional Bank Head (Enugu/Ebonyi), Charles Chukwu, when they presented a brand new Toyota Hilux Van donated to Enugu State Government by the bank for security surveillance in the state, Enugu… yesterday.

N109bn Fraud: Ex-AGF Idris to Remain in Prison as Court Adjourns Ruling on Bail Application to Today Prosecution counsel tackles AGF's lawyer over submission that offence was ‘small one’ with only seven years jail term Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Justice A. O. Adeyemi Ajayi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama Abuja, yesterday reserved ruling on the bail application for the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris and his co-defendants - Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman - till today.

The trio were arraigned alongside a company, Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited, on a 14-count charge bordering on gratification, abuse of office and money laundering to the tune of over N109 billion fraud.

A statement by the EFCC said the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.

At the resumed hearing, counsel to the first and fourth defendants, Chris Uche urged the court to release his client on bail pending the determination of the case.

Uche told the court that his client would be available to face the charges against him while drawing the attention to the fact that the EFCC

had earlier granted administrative bail to his client, and that the alleged offences were bailable.

“So, we therefore ask this court to grant him bail on liberal terms,” he stated.

In the same vein, counsel for the second and third defendants, Peter Abalaka and Mohammed Ndayako, also prayed the court to admit their clients to bail.

The defendants urged the court to discountenance separate counter-affidavits filed by the EFCC to oppose their release on bail.

However, while moving the counter affidavit he filed on July 26, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs urged the court to consider the gravity of the charge, the cogency of the proof of evidence against the defendants as well as the severity of the punishment upon their conviction, and deny them bail.

“My lord, the learned silk said the offence is a small offence, and that it only attracts seven years jail term in the ICPC Act, but he deliberately ignored the charge of criminal breach of trust against the

defendants that would attract 14 years imprisonment.

“My lord, this is the kind of practice that is making the world look at us as an unserious nation”, he said.

Jacobs further argued that the temptation for the defendants to

jump bail has become stronger because the case is now before the court, and they have seen the weighty nature of the evidence against them.

“We have placed materials before this court and will therefore leave the issue of whether to grant bail

or not, at the discretion of your lordship.

“What we want is urgent determination of this case because it is a case that affects the entire nation, and we are willing to produce our witnesses immediately.

“We further apply for an order

for accelerated hearing of this case, because we already have ten witnesses on ground, and I am optimistic within two weeks we shall be able to close our case,” said.

After listening to all the parties, Justice Ajayi adjourned the matter to today for ruling.

PDP Reconciliation: Atiku, Okowa, Ayu Meet Senate Caucus Chuks Onicha in Abuja As part of the reconciliation moves in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, have met with the PDP senate caucus and those of the House of Representatives Tuesday night.

The two legs of the meeting became necessary as the National Assembly had also scheduled to proceed on a long break after its session today.

THISDAY gathered that the meeting was part of the ongoing

reconciliations following the fallout of the PDP presidential primary election and the nomination of Okowa as Atiku’s presidential running mate.

Atiku confirmed the meeting on his verified tweeter handle.

According to the PDP presidential candidate, the meeting took place Tuesday night and issues of unity of the party was discussed.

Atiku said of the meeting: "Last night, my Vice Presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi A. Okowa, our National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu and I met with the PDP Senate Caucus led by Senate

Minority Leader, Sen. Philip Aduda.

It was a fruitful meeting that focused on the unity of our party ahead of the 2023 election."

Also, yesterday, Ayu led the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting with all the party's states chairmen at its Secretariat in Abuja.

Though the outcome of the meeting was not officially made public, a chairman from one of the South-south states, told THISDAY that the meeting was about how to achieve reconciliations in the party ahead of the 2023.

According to the source, "Since it

was the first official meeting with the Ayu-led NWC, we outlined areas of grievances and how to move the party forward, starting with the Osun State governorship victory as a stepping stone.

"We believe that with a united party, there is nothing that cannot be done to ensure victory for PDP. The meeting ended on a sweet note as the leadership of the party agreed to be calling a regular meeting to decide issues than relying on former this and former that, who are not in tune with developments in the states for decision making," the source stated.

OIL THEFT, PETROL SUBSIDY, PUSH NIGERIA’S CURRENCY TO N700/$1 IN PARALLEL MARKET Added to that, it has in recent years experienced massive oil theft, deteriorating upstream infrastructure, critically reducing its capacity to push enough barrels into the international market.

In a related development, an oil pipeline capable of hauling 180,000 barrels per day across Nigeria has ceased transporting crude since mid-June due to theft, a person familiar with the information, told Bloomberg yesterday.

The Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) has yet to be formally shut, said the person who declined to be identified because the information isn’t public. The link’s capacity is about 15 per cent of Nigeria’s most recent average daily output, according to Bloomberg calculations.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and a member of OPEC has tried to stamp out sabotage on its pipeline network in recent years.

Producers received as little as five per cent of crude volumes pumped through the pipeline between October 2021 and February, an industry union reported earlier this year.

It reflects a larger issue for Nigeria, which is facing shrinking investment and hasn’t been able to meet its OPEC+ oil-production quota in order to benefit from a surge in prices.

The TNP was illegally tapped in about 150 places, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) said in March when local government checked some of the areas where the theft occurred.

TNP is the same line that has recently drawn comments from Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Mr Tony Elumelu, among several industry operators who have raised the alarm on the growing oil theft in the country.

Senate Summons Emefiele

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday resolved to summon the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to educate and inform the lawmakers in a closed session, on the reasons for the rapid depreciation of the value of the naira.

The red chamber also mandated its Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions to assess the impact of CBN intervention funds meant to support critical sectors of the economy.

The resolutions were reached by lawmakers after the upper chamber considered a motion sponsored

by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (APC - Ekiti North).

The motion was titled, “State of CBN Intervention Funds and

Free Fall of Naira.”

Adetunmbi bemoaned Nigeria’s economic reality amid an urgent call for “extraordinary measures”.

He noted that the CBN through its numerous multi-sectoral intervention funds, provided special funds to support critical sectors of the economy.

He explained that in view of such interventions, it had become necessary to assess the state of implementation and effectiveness of the funds deployed for the purpose.

The lawmaker, recalled that the CBN in 2021, placed an indefinite halt on forex bidding by Bureau de Change operators (BDCS) and importers over allegations of abuse and mismanagement.

He observed that the halt by the CBN resulted in a spike of the exchange rate.

According to Adetunmbi, “the two instruments of Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) and Business Travel Allowance (BTA) could only serve less than 20 per cent of the total forex demand by travelers and businesses.”

He expressed worry that the import and export window meant to serve the forex needs of business giants, “has become a rare opportunity that only a privileged few can access.”

“These and a number of others

have contributed to the excessive scarcity of forex in Nigeria today”, he added.

He noted that as at the July 26, 2022, the exchange rate in the autonomous segment (BDCs) of the forex market is N670 to $1 and projected to end at N1000 by end of the year based on the current rate of depreciation.”

He, therefore, advised the central bank to take new measures to curb forex scarcity and address the sliding rate of Naira exchange.

In his contribution, Senator Sani Musa (APC - Niger East), faulted the central bank’s decision to halt forex biddings, thereby cutting off the parallel market - BDC operators.

According to him, the attempt by the CBN to control the value of the naira with the continuous exclusion of BDCs would only lead to its further depreciation.

He, therefore, advised the apex bank to rather ensure the regulation and monitoring of the parallel market.

“What CBN used to do was to give out $10,000to each of these BDCs with a clear directive for it not to be sold above N470 as against the $419 exchange rate.

It worked.

“But today, nobody is determining where the rate is going and I can assure you we can’t have that solution because we are only

importing,” he said.

On his part, Senator representing Katsina North District, Senator Ahmad Babba-Kaita, said one way to improve the value of the naira was to encourage foreign investments to attract inflow of other currencies into Nigeria.

“The only way we can access the dollar will be determined by other economies and not ours,” he added.

He, however, attributed the lack of foreign investments into Nigeria on the poor security situation caused by banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities.

The Senate, in its resolutions, called on the CBN to urgently intervene to stop the rapid decline in the value of the naira vis-à-vis the dollar and other international currencies.

It also mandated the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions to conduct an assessment of CBN intervention funds and the declining value of naira to come up with sustainable solutions.

However, speaking with THISDAY, the Head of Consulting at Agusto Consulting, Mr. Jimi Ogbobine said: “We all are witnesses to recent actions in the world, particularly the RussianUkraine crisis. However, I think it's not enough to just hinge Nigeria’s

forex troubles on the Russia and Ukraine crisis.

“We have been at this for a few years now, where the central bank has largely deployed demand management, and somewhat down orthodox monetary policy measures to try to curb money supply, on one hand and demand for forex, on the other hand. A lot of what we're seeing today is the foundation that lies with the consequences of those actions.

“The recent jump we are seeing is basically a result of a supply crisis in the forex market. So the foundation of all of these is demand versus supply and when demand outweighs supply you will see this kind of currency depreciation.

“If the central bank was able to meet forex demand, then we will not see this kind of price distortion.

On one hand, Nigeria is not able to meet forex supply and on the other end we are trying to restrict and constrict demand which means that quite a number of legitimate requests for forex are now being diverted to the parallel market.

“So, while the official market seems relatively calm, the reality of the supply shortage is playing out in the parallel market where more legitimate request for forex is being diverted to because the official market is not able to demand.”

THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Olanipekun: Body of Benchers Doesn’t Supervise Disciplinary Committee Alex Enuma in Abuja A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Chairman, Body of Benchers (BOB), Chief Wole Olanipekun, has explained that the BOB does not supervise the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Olanipekun spoke yesterday against the misconception that the BOB has oversight over the LPDC and interferes in its proceedings.

His clarification also followed a letter written by the NBA President, Olumide Akpata, at the weekend asking that he (Olanipekun) step down as BOB chairman.

According to Akpata, this was to avoid undue interference in a petition against a partner in Olanipekun’s firm, Ms Adekunbi Ogunde, before the LPDC. In an earlier July 20 petition,

the NBA also asked the LPDC to consider whether the partners of Wole Olanipekun & Co. are not liable to be disciplined alongside

Ogunde for soliciting a brief from SAIPEM Contracting Nigeria Ltd, which already had the law firm of Henry Ajumogobia, SAN

working for it.

But clearing the air yesterday at the call-to-bar ceremony of newlyinducted lawyers, Olanipekun

clarified that the LPDC does not influence the outcome of matters brought before the BOB. “The BOB does not and will

not interfere with any of the proceedings or outcome of such proceedings before the LPDC,” he said.

NATIONAL LICENCE FOR TAJBANK…

L -R: Chief Compliance Officer,TAJBank, Mr. Saheed Ekeolere; Executive Director, Mr. Sherif Idi; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Hamid Joda; Group Head, Shariah Unit, Mr. Usama Saleh, and Deputy Chief Risk Officer, Mr. Kamoru Adeyemi, during the media briefing on the issuance of national licence to the bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Abuja…yesterday

INEC Receives Voters Cards Osun, NAF Partner to Build Africa’s Largest Aviation City Found in Bayelsa Forest Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa The Bayelsa State Independent National Electoral Commission has received 320 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) found in Bayelsa forest.

Receiving the PVCs on behalf of the Bayelsa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, the Administrative Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Okop Umobong thanked the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service for bringing the cards to the commission and for keeping the neighborhood safe.

Umobong said that he would hand over the cards to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Alex Hart, and assured that the commission would investigate

the circumstances that led to the cards being found in the forest.

He noted that the investigation would determine whether the PVCs were abandoned in the process of printing or they belong to genuine voters.

Presenting the voters’ cards to Umobong, the Bayelsa State Commandant of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service, Mosses Okanu said the 320 voters cards were found in an uncompleted building in the forest along Elebele-AIT Road.

Okanu noted that the hoodlums on sighting the men of his command who were on routine operation combing the bushes take to their heels and abandoned the voters’ cards.

Ekiti, Chinese Firm Partner to Develop Nuclear Science Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Cui Jianchun, has assured Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the readiness of the Chinese Government to partner with the state to develop a knowledge Zone project on utilisation of nuclear science and technology in developing critical sectors of the state.

The Chinese Ambassador gave the assurance on Tuesday when he led experts from China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and other Chinese delegation on a courtesy visit to Governor Fayemi in Ado- Ekiti.

Jianchun, who was also

accompanied by the Director General, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Professor Yusuf Ahmed, was in the state for a three day feasibility study of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone and on how to apply nuclear technology in the development of agriculture, health, biotechnology, education and other critical sectors of the state.

He explained that Ekiti State’s partnership with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is a technological collaboration that would promote understanding on how to peacefully apply nuclear energy to serve the people of the state.

Port Harcourt Mall Shut over Fire Incident

Blessing Ibunge inPort Harcourt

A popular shopping mall in Port Harcourt, Spar, was temporarily shut to customers over minor fire incident that hit the outlet yesterday afternoon.

THISDAY gathered that the fire was caused by a fault in one of the Air Conditioners which reportedly burst into an inverter and ignited into fire. It was also learned that the incident caused pandemonium in the widely visited facility, as customers

trying to have access to the mall for shopping were shutout, while operators and workers at the Spar facility were carefully aided out of the place to avoid any untoward incident.

In June 2019, a gas explosion at the same shopping mall, ignited a fire which left at least five persons injured.

A source, an engineer at the mall, said:” There was an issue with the AC. It burst and the line went into the inverter. So there was

As part of his administration’s efforts to stimulate the state economy, Osun government has partnered with Nigerian Air Force to build Africa’s first and largest aviation city in Ido-Osun.

The initiative, according to the government, is a testament to the current administration’s untiring efforts to keep the dream of having an airport in Osun alive.

This is even as Osun

Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, yesterday handed over the runway and airport corridor for the commencement of the construction phase of the project.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Oladayo Amoo, who led the Nigerian Air Force delegation to Osun, lauded Oyetola for what he described as a major milestone in the state’s history, describing the partnership as another developmental stride in the State.

According to him, the aviation city is sequel to the relocation of the Research and Development Centre of the Force from Kaduna to Osogbo in 2021, in addition to the existing Nigerian Air Force Institute of Safety and a Special Operation Force Group at Ipetu-Ijesha.

Describing the components of the project, Amoo, who was represented by the Principal Director, Air Force Research and Development Centre, Air Vice

Marshall M. O. Onilede, said: “The project would include an aircraft manufacturing plant, a maintenance repair organisation and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle production centre, amongst others.

“It would be the first of its kind on the continent.

“The runway is therefore, a critical requirement for these facilities. This is why this occasion today is not only a laudable one but a major milestone towards many other achievements.”

Oyo Reinstates 129 Primary School Teachers Sacked by Previous Administration The Oyo State Government has reinstated 129 public primary school teachers, unlawfully sacked by the previous administration.

The Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, stated this yesterday while congratulating the teachers.

He said the Executive Council of Oyo State has approved that

a total of 129 officers wrongly dismissed by the Oyo State Government between 2011 and 2019 for reinstatement, subject to agreeing not to demand for arrears payment for the period they were away which the state converted to leave of absence.

Adeniran appreciated the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde for his kindness and selfless consideration in

administering the Pacesetter State.

He noted that the recent reinstatement of the state’s 129 school teachers who were fired by the previous administration, is a symbolic achievement that cannot be neglected.

“This is a plus for the education sector. Apart from being an addition to the dwindling number of teachers in the public primary sector,

thousands of family dependents who have been subjected to untold economic hardship due to the layoff of their breadwinners will now have a new lease of life”, Adeniran said.

He therefore, called on teachers in the state to reciprocate Makinde’s gesture, through commitment to duties and redoubling their dedication to work.

2023: SANs Battle in Suit Seeking Disqualification of Lagos Senator James Sowole in Abeokuta Two Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SANs), Seni Adio and Bode Olanipekun, yesterday, differed sharply as the hearing began at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on the eligibility of the Senator Representing Lagos West, Solomon Olamilekan to contest for the same office in Ogun West.

Adeola, popularly known

as Yayi, had emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for Ogun West for 2023 Election, having won the primary of the party.

Not pleased with the development, some members of the party, approached the Federal High Court, seeking disqualification of Adeola from contesting for the seat sine he was still a serving senator in Lagos State.

The plaintiffs in the suit FHC/Abk/05/132/22, are Johnson Akindele, Moses Oluwasaanu and Taiwo Orobiyi while the defendants are Senator Solomon Adeola the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressives Congress (APC) and the National Assembly.

While Adio represented the plaintiffs in the matter, Olanipekun is the counsel for the first defendant, Adeola, just

as another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Ogala, is the counsel for the Third Defendant, APC. At the hearing yesterday, Senator Olanipekun told the court that the case did not qualify as a pre-election matter under the 1999 Constitution.

According to Olanipekun, only an aspirant or a political party is entitled to file a preelection case and none of the plaintiffs fit into these categories.

Police Arrest Two Ex-convicts, Recover Stolen Car in Lagos The Police Command in Hundeyin said that the the Ikoyi Correctional Centre. tip-off from some civic-minded Lagos State has arrested two recently released inmates of Ikoyi Correctional Centre for snatching a car in Lagos State.

The spokesperson for the Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest in a statement yesterday in Lagos.

suspects, who were recently released from prison few weeks ago, were arrested on July 24, 2022.

“The suspects, Abiodun Nurudeen, 36, and Anthony Richard, 45, were both recently released on May 5, 2022 and June 4, 2022 respectively from

“They were intercepted on Egbeda Road at about 1:30 a:m., on Sunday shortly after they had snatched a Toyota Corolla 2000 model with registration number LND-664-GF from its owner.

“Operatives of the command arrested the suspects following a

members of the public.

“Preliminary investigation reveals that the vehicle was snatched around Lekki area of Lagos State.”

The spokesperson urged the owner of the vehicle to come with proofs of ownership to claim it.

A’Ibom Chief Judge Sentences Human Rights Lawyer to One Month Imprisonment

Okon Bassey in Uyo

A Human Rights Lawyer, Mr. Inibehe Effiong, has been jailed

by Akwa Ibom State High Court that sat in Uyo and presided by the State’s Chief Judge, Justice Ekaete Obot, who sentenced him to one month imprisonment for

unruly behavior while the court was in session.

Effiong had appeared in the court as counsel for another legal practitioner, one Mr. Leo Ekpenyong that was dragged to the court by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, over alleged defamation.

Ekpenyong had accused Governor Emmanuel of bribing the Chairman of the 2019 Election Petition Tribunal in the state, Justice W. O. Akanbi with $1.4million to secure victory for Senator Chris Ekpenyong of the PDP against Senator Godswill Akpabio of the APC in respect of

Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District’s election.

Justice Obot, after examining the contemptuous acts, ordered that Effiong should use the correctional facility to purge himself of insolence and uncouth acts that tend to bring the court to disrepute.

THURSDAY JULY 28, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSXTRA

Electoral Fraud: Prof. Uduk’s Medical Report Forged, Police Reveal Wale Igbintade and Okon Bassey in Uyo

An investigation conducted by the Commissioner of Police, Special Squad, Lagos State Police Command, has revealed that the medical report tendered in court

by Professor Ignatius Uduk, as a reason for not appearing in court was forged.

Uduk a professor of Physical and Health Education, University of Uyo is standing trial before the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo on a three-count charge of electoral fraud bordering on announcing fake results, publication of fake results, and lying under oath.

Prof Uduk had through his lawyer presented a medical report from Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), dated June 17, 2022, and signed by the Snr. Registrar, Dr. Akintunbo A. O, that his client was suffering from Bladder Outlet Obstruction(stricture) and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (B. P.H).

However, a letter by the Office

of the Commissioner of Police, Special Squad, Lagos State Police Command dated July 25, 2022, and signed by CSP Kehinde

Johnson, stated that the said medical report was fake as it did not emanate from the LASUTH. The letter addressed to

Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN stated that the name of

Dr. Akintunbo that signed the said medical report is not on the nominal roll of LASUTH. The letter reads: “I refer to

your letter dated 187 July 2022 on the above subject matter, and I forward herewith the Police Investigation report as requested.

KUMUYI IN IKORODU …

L-R: Acting Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Dr. Oluremi Nuruudeen Olaleye; General Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi; his wife, Pastor Mrs. Esther Kumuyi, during a media briefing on a six-day Global Crusade Campaign in Ikorodu, Lagos… yesterday

NCoS Arrests Officer Kwara SDP Urges AbdulRazaq to Declare over Missing Arms Work-Free-Day for Collection of PVCs

MichaelOlugbodeinAbuja

The Controller of Corrections, Kogi State Command, David Igbago, has ordered the immediate arrest of an officer of the Command for complicity in the disappearance of two riffles and some quantities of ammunition belonging to the Command.

According to a statement by the Kogi State Command Public Relations Officer, Nihi Sesan, the officer was eventually put through administrative mechanism before being handed over to relevant security agency for further

interrogation.

He said the missing items were discovered during a routine monthly audit of arms and ammunition in the Command’s armory.

Sesan said while the suspect is being grilled, the State Controller has vowed to ensure that no stone will be left unturned in unravelling the circumstances surrounding the criminal act and bringing the culprits to justice.

The Controller assured members of the public of his irrevocable commitment to the security of Kogi State in general and the Custodial Centres in the state in particular.

IDPs to Vote in Next Year’s Election, Says INEC Laleye DipoinMinna Those displaced from their ancestral homes as a result of insurgency will have opportunities to exercise their franchise in the 2023 general elections, the National Commissioner in charge of Niger, Kogi and Kwara states Professor Mohammed Sani Adam, has disclosed.

Professor Adam said in Minna Niger state yesterday that the Internally Displaced People (IDPS) are already being registered and issued with their PVCs to enable them cast their ballots during the election. “The commission has created a special scheme to make sure all IDP’s across the country are

captured for the general elections in the country” Adam insisted, saying the commission is also taking care of all disjointed communities in the country.

Adam, who spoke to newsmen in Minna after a tour of INEC facilities in the Niger state capital, said the commission is ready for the conduct of the 2023 general elections as all logistics have been put in place.

He disclosed that the July 31 deadline for registration of voters still stands, adding that the focus of the commission there after will be to ensure all those registered got their PVCs but said INEC is not encouraging “ Mass collection or distribution of the PVCs”.

ADC Guber Candidate Decries Bad Governance in Abia Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bishop Sunday Onuoha, has stated that the parlous state of affairs in Abia State is worsened to the extent that “God now weeps for Abia.”

Speaking at an interactive forum organised by a political pressure group, Oganiru Ndi Abia, at Umuawa Alaocha in Umuahia North Local Government Area, Onuoha noted that a lot of things have gone wrong with the state.

According to him, “We are where we are as a people because of moral deficit. We are having insecurity because the connecting (moral) system is cut-off.”

The governorship candidate, who is a Methodist cleric and president of Vision Africa, said the time has come to “cleanse Abia State and get the state working for the people,” adding: “We want to open a new page for Abia State.”

Onuoha, who described himself as a technocrat, businessman, intellectual and minister of God, said he was prepared to provide effective leadership for the state and usher in good governance that has been eluding the state.

He made a clarion call for the people of the state to rise up and use their votes to redeem their state and hand it over to selfless leaders to manage the affairs of state in 2023, adding: “The time of timidity, sycophancy is over.

Let us redeem Abia State.”

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Ahead of 2023 general elections, opposition, Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kwara State has urged the State Governor, Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to declare a ‘work-free-day’ to allow the state’s civil servants to

enroll for the continuous voter registration exercise and also to collect their permanent voters cards (PVCs).

The voters’ registration exercise would come to an end on July 31, 2022.

A statement that was issued in Ilorin yesterday and signed

by the State Chairman of the SDP, Mr. Afolabi AbdulAzeez, emphasised that the PVC is the only weapon needed by any patriotic citizen to perform their civic responsibility to the state.

AbdulAzeez noted that Kwara, being a civil service state, the civil servants are

critical in the formulation and implementation of public policies and programmes.

He said: “Therefore, it would be a great disservice to the people of Kwara State should government disenfranchise such critical stakeholders by false pretense.

Osun Ex-commissioner, Bolorunduro, Resigns from APC Party (PDP) yesterday at a of the developmental projects have had to assess the APC party Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo A former Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning in Osun State under the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bolorunduro, who announced his resignation from the party to join the People Democratic

press conference in Osogbo, said that his defection has nothing do with eyeing political appointment from the Osun Governor-elect Senator Ademola Adeleke.

He explained that he left the APC after 11 years of active politics after a wide consultation from his followers and lovers across the state. He noted that the abandonment

by the administration that succeeded Aregbesola has left the people to doubt the progressive tendency of the APC in Osun State.

He said; “I have consulted wisely with my followers, admirers, friends and families, who felt we should pitch our tent with PDP to join this party and to work with them to shine the light (Imole Osun).”

“During the 11 year period, I

against my expectations of the political ethos of our Avatar, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who would ever be my political hero. His free education program of 1979, his biographies, his autobiography and stories from my father, a previous Zikist, who left Zikist Movement to join Awolowo in Ibadan in the early fifty’s, have made me to fall in love with welfarism and progressivism.

Police Nab Man for Raping, Impregnating 15-year-old Step-daughter in Ekiti VictorOgunjeinAdoEkiti A Suspected Pedophile, Mr. Ojo Babatunde, has been arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Ekiti State Command, for raping and impregnating his 15-year-old step-daughter.

A statement that was made yesterday in Ado-Ekiti by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, DSP. Sunday Abutu,

said that Babatunde was arrested by the Juvenile Welfare Centre (JWC) of the State Criminal Investigation Department.

Abutu said that the culprit allegedly had carnal knowledge of the victim, which led to a fourmonth pregnancy. The police spokesperson noted that the suspect would be arraigned in court soon.

He also revealed that the culprit had allegedly confessed to have

committed the crime, claiming that it was the handiwork of the devil.

The statement reads: “The victim, who is already four months pregnant, claimed that the suspect, Ojo Babatunde, who is also her step father, had unlawful carnal knowledge of her several times before and after she became pregnant.

“She explained that the step father started raping her when the mother

gave birth through Caesarean Section (CS) and had to spend about three weeks in the hospital leaving her and the stepfather at home.

“According to her, the step father used to have unlawful carnal knowledge of her at home when her mother was away and oftentimes lures her into the farm and defiles her after which he will threaten her never to tell anyone or face the consequence.

Ugwuanyi Lauds Contributions of Diaspora Nigerians to National Devt Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has commended the 17 million Nigerians in the Diaspora for their exceptional contributions towards the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

Speaking at the event to mark this year’s Diaspora Day celebration in Abuja, with the theme, “Diaspora Engagement in Global challenging Times for National Development,” Ugwuanyi pointed out that the

topic was aptly chosen in view of contemporary economic and social challenges facing many countries in the world including Nigeria.

Represented by his SpecialAdviser on Diaspora, Mrs. Olangwa Ezekwu, Ugwuanyi expressed delight that the event was designed to facilitate engagements among Diasporans with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of governments, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

and all-important stakeholders in the implementation of the national framework for the effective engagement of Diasporans for national development.

The governor disclosed that his administration has continued to follow the examples set by the federal government to establish policies and legislations and embark on projects aimed at enhancing Diaspora engagement for the overall benefit

of the nation.

He added that the state government has set up numerous projects in the health, education, housing and other sectors in that regard, disclosing: “Just recently, I gave permission for the Enugu State Diaspora Bill to be presented to the State Executive Council (EXCO), and thereafter sent to the State House of Assembly in our bid to establish a full State Diaspora Commission.

Two Killed as Robbers Attack Bullion Van in Abia The Abia State Police Command, on Tuesday, along Port Harcourt/Enugu highway, by Ntigha junction, in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of the state, shot dead a bullion van robber.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the state, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, said: “Six mobile policemen attached to 28

PMF Umuahia and Counter Terrorist Unit Base 4 Aba, while escorting a bullion van conveying cash from one new generation commercial bank in Aba to Umuahia, suddenly ran into a blockade/ambush mounted by armed robbers.

“The armed robbers opened fire at the van which forced its driver to swerve into the

bush where the Bank Cash Officer was shot dead by the hoodlums while the driver escaped.

“During the gun duel that ensued between the police escorts and the hoodlums, one of the hoodlums was neutralised and his AK 47 rifle with ammunition laden in three magazines strapped

together was recovered.”

According to the PPRO, three of the escort men sustained gunshot injuries and were subsequently rushed to the hospital.

He said the corpses of the deceased bank staff and that of the neutralised hoodlum were deposited at the morgue.

39

THURSDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Nigeria's Flag Hoisted at Athletes’Village as 22nd Commonwealth Games Begin BIRMINGHAM 2022 Duro Ikhazuagbe The 22nd quadrennial Commonwealth Games begin today in Birmingham with over 5,000 athletes from 54 countries and territories participating in 20 sports and multi events.

Nigeria’s green white green flag was hoisted in the Athletes’ Village yesterday with a large enthusiastic crowd of officials and athletes dancing rancorously as Kizz Daniel’s street-anthem Buga song boomed through the loud speakers.

Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Banji Oladapo, who was delighted with the reception given Nigeria, said the country’s athletes would fight for all medals on offer in disciplines they are competing in.

Representative of the Chef De Mission, Maria Wophil, thanked the organisers of the reception, promising that Team Nigeria will be worthy competitors at the Games.

Team Nigeria is being represented by 127 athletes in 17 disciplines at the Games England is hosting for the third time with the most recent the Glasgow 2014 edition.

Girl of the moment, Tobi Amusan, who smashed the 100m world

record is the defending champion in the women’s sprint hurdle. Other star athletes who are expected to sparkle for Team Nigeria include Blessing Oborududu who won gold at the last Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in the women’s-68kg category; Odunayo Adekuoroye will also be defending her gold medal in the women’s wrestling -57kg category, just as Aminat Adeniyi who won gold in the -62kg event. the country’s Table Tennis contingent is led by Aruna Quadri with Olajide Omotayo among other top stars expected to win medals from the ping pong events.

Amongst the earliest visitors to Team Nigerian athletes at the Games Village include Sports Minister, Chief Sunday Dare, NOC President, Habu Gumel, scribe of the NOC, Banji Oladapo and Team Nigeria Coordinator, Yussuf Alli.

Dare, accompanied by Gumel, Oladapo, and Yussuf Alli, congratulated some of the athletes who were part of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America.

He urged the athletes to demonstrate the same level of zeal and commitment seen in Oregon, tasking them to stay disciplined and focused.

IGCNA Begins Preparations for Nigeria Cup 2022 The Nigeria Cup, one of the premier golf tournaments in the country is scheduled to hold between September 24th and October 1st, 2022 at the prestigious golf section of Ikoyi Club 1938.

This will be the 25th edition of the tournament.

The Nigeria Cup is organised yearly by the Ikoyi Golf Community Nigeria Association, (IGCNA).

The Chairman of IGCNA, Chief Felix Majekodunmi, is confident that this year’s edition of the tournament will be a success as it is already generating a lot of interest within the golf circuit.

A committee saddled with the task of organising this year’s edition has been put in place and is headed by former Lagos Open Golf Champion, Peter Eben-Spiff.

The Committee has been working hard to raise funds to organise a befitting Nigeria Cup golf

tournament.

Already, corporate sponsors and individuals have started making enquires on how to be part of the famous competition.

The weeklong competition will involve children, Staff of the golf section, Caddies, Professional Golfers, Ladies, Men and invited guests.

Over the years, apart from the course action, proceeds from the competition have also been used to impact on the golfing environment.

Played annually since its debut in 1997, the Nigeria Cup is one of the most sought after competitions in Ikoyi Club 1938.

The Nigeria Cup was put in place to celebrate Nigeria’s Independence anniversary. As the country marks her 62nd anniversary as a nation, this edition is themed “to create an atmosphere for harmony through recreation”.

300 Golfers for Tiger Club’s New Executive Inauguration All is now set for the grand tournament that would usher in the new Executive Committee of the Tiger Golf Club situated inside the vast Army Barracks at Odogbo, Ibadan. Some 300 golfers from across the country would be part of the event fixed for this Saturday.

The arrow head of the new Exco and indeed the new Captain of the Club, Tunde Salami, clearly indicated yesterday that his new committee would hit the ground running by building on recently achieved landmark projects of the club like the construction of Green Putting surfaces and revamping of its 18-room Guest House that now run like the Ritz.

“I must confess that my pre-

decessors have done creditably well, but there are still a lot of work to be done”, Salami who is a sharp thinker and not a man given to doubt said. “Immediately, I will move into upgrading the club’s reception area and create a central cashing point. There will be total clean up of the fairways and general revamping of our bunkers. I need not say much now. I can only assure all that this new committee would meet up with expectations of our numerous members”.

A notable member of the club’s Board of Trustee, Colonel Ade Sunmonu, however disclosed that he was sure the new Exco would eminently deliver on its mandate.

Minister of Sports, Chief Sunday Dare (2nd left), addressing Team Nigeria’s contingent yesterday at the Athletes Village ahead of today's opening ceremony of the 22nd Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

Amusan, Brume, 12 Others Beneficiaries of NOC Scholarship Grants, Says Gumel The President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel, yesterday revealed that the two Nigerian athletes who excelled at the just concluded World Athletics Championships, Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume, were on the sponsorship of the Olympic body.

Gumel noted that the NOC, as an organ of the Federal Government, placed Amusan and Ese on a scholarship programme since 2018 with an annual stipends to them till date.

Working in concert with the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the NOC president further hinted that the duo of Amusan and Brume are among the 14 Nigerian athletes that have continued to receive NOC support till Paris 2024 Olympics.

According to Gumel, the scholarship fund is from the IOC Solidarity Fund secured by the NOC. “We have 14 of our notable Grade A athletes on this scheme and we have never failed to give

them their training and school grants.

Gumel stressed that these athletes need to pay for all their coaches and other support staff like chiropractors, physiotherapists, etc so that they can stay in top shape.

“This is why grants are essential for athletes,” Gumel stressed.

In addition, the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, came up with the Adopt-an Athlete initiative in which the Delta State Government adopted Brume while Ogun State adopted Amusan.

It is believed that each of Amusan and Ese received about $36,000 in recent time apart from what they enjoy as adopted athletes of Ogun and Delta states.

“They have also collected monthly upkeep money since January till date. These are facts but we don’t need to put these information in public space but it is important to note that the AFN, NOC and the FG are working round the clock to boost the fortunes of the country’s athletes who are our ambassadors,” concludes Gumel.

FOR THE LOVE OF SPORTS...

L-R: Head of Digital, Afrosport, Mr. Victor Isikhuene; Acting Managing Director, Mr. Adeola Ogundele; Operations Manager, Angela Nweke; and PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT Production Partner, Mr. Deji Omotoyinbo, during a Media Parley to unveil Afrosport TV in Lagos...on Tuesday

Lagos State Sports Commission to Transform Sports in Schools with LASSIP The Lagos State Sports Commission has commenced the training of 600 school sports masters, PE teachers, across Lagos as a first step in the deployment of the Lagos State School Sports Intervention Programme (LASSIP).

Speaking on the commencement of the programme, Executive Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku, said that the programme will be deployed as a pilot scheme

in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education as part of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s unprecedented investments in young Lagosians to provide them with more options and opportunities for the future.

The inauguration ceremony of the knowledge-based LASSIP scheme will hold on Friday at the Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere at 11:00amprompt.

”We conceived LASSIP because we had noticed the lacuna in school sports in Lagos as we wanted to fully reintegrate sports back into schools in the state. Governor Sanwo-Olu is the biggest supporter of LASSIP. As you know, he is at the forefront of any platform that develops young Lagosians and he has fully bought into this and has provided all the resources necessary to make this intervention successful.

"We are very delighted that the Ministry of Education has been extremely great partner on this and we are all excited for the opportunities LASSIP will unleash for young Lagosians and the state in general,” Aiyepeku noted.

Speaking on the capacity development programme, Aiyepeku said the state wide training programme is first of its kind in Nigeria and is fundamental to achieve the full potential of LASSIP .

Thursday, July 28, 2022

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Imran Ahmed to Muazu Sambo “I am a brother to one of those in captivity. He paid for a trip from Abuja to Kaduna on 28th March. The corporation has been unable to deliver him to my father, his wife and kids. We are here basically to remind government that they have failed us because our family members are in the hands of armed terrorists. They are being traumatised, beaten, not well kept and suffering from things we cannot imagine”--- Family member of one of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack victims addressing Transportation Minister

OLUSEGUNADENIYI ‘A Moment of Sporting Immortality’ I THE VERDICT

n a pinned tweet posted six years ago, precisely 7th November 2016, Oluwatobiloba (Tobi) Amusan wrote what has turned out to be prophetic: “Unknown now, but…I will be unforgettable…I will persist until I succeed.”

On Sunday night in Oregon, United States, Tobi Amusan wrote her name into ‘sporting immortality’.

I took that phrase from Tim Hutchings, a former English athlete who ran the commentary at the World Athletics Championship Oregon22 alongside American athletic legend, Gail Devers. Amusan has not only become the first Nigerian to win a Gold medal at the World Championship but also the first athlete to break the global record on the track twice within one night!

This perhaps is one of the most depressing periods in the history of our country. Our public universities have been under lock and key for almost six months with marooned students effectively having lost an academic season as a result of the strike by lecturers. The prevailing climate of general insecurity has reached Abuja where school authorities are asking parents to collect their children/wards and soldiers of the Guards Brigade are being ambushed by terrorists who appear to have infiltrated the Federal Capital Territory. The Naira is dancing Buga in the exchange rate market almost every day as prices of goods and services skyrocket. The energy sector has practically collapsed along with the power grids and oil thieves have hijacked the oil and gas sub-sector. Since we now spend far above what we earn as we continue borrowing to stay afloat, the macro-economic indices are, to put it mildly, frightening. Sadly, there is hardly anything to cheer in our country today.

To worsen matters, those who seek to become our next president are busy fighting dirty in the marketplace over inanities. Many of these politicians over whom Nigerians squabble and take sides as Christians and Muslims, according to a Twitter post, actually meet at secret fraternities. In any case, despite our profession of Christianity or Islam, we should all feel a sense of shame as to what Nigeria has become. That of course does not discount the issue of inclusivity in a plural state that a religiously balanced presidential ticket suggests. Or the provocation of some politicians hiring unknown ‘godmen’ almost as if Christianity is about wearing ridiculous regalia. But these are issues that can wait. Today, I want to stand up for the champion, our own Tobi Amusan!

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Amusan For Nigerians who may not fully understand or appreciate what happened at the World Athletics competition in Oregon, let me take them through the commentary that followed the amazing 100 metre hurdles race. Hutchings started it: “Tobi Amusan looks at the clock. I cannot believe it; she’s done it again. Two world records in one night and she makes history by becoming Nigeria’s first world champion. What a way to do it and what a stage on which to discover sporting immortality!

Records can be broken; titles will stand the test of time and tonight she’s done both - two world records: 12.06. Tonight will never, never be forgotten by anyone lucky enough to be here. That was utterly extraordinary. We doubted she could do it again. How dare we? How dare we? Nigeria, a proud African nation, are on top of the world tonight. And Amusan has delivered an evening of unprecedented glory and speed. That was utterly, utterly incredible.”

After describing the line-up of the eight

athletes as the fastest in a World Championship final according to records posted by each of the contestants, Hutchings turned to his colleague in the commentary box: “Gail Devers, I know that you have scaled the heights but surely, surely, we never would have expected two world records on one night. Surely, Amusan should have gone tired there, but she was even better.”

Devers, an American two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters and only the second woman in history to have successfully defended that title (with three Olympics Gold medals to her name), responded: “I am going to tell you what I wrote.

I wrote that ‘let me put myself in her shoes’…”

Devers then went on to describe the difficulty that faces any athlete who breaks the record in the qualifying heats and the challenge before Amusan barely an hour later when she had to compete for Gold medal in the final: “They are thinking that she cannot repeat (what she just did) but you got to believe in yourself. It’s not what other people

Another Organised Waste of Time

I

don’t understand what point the House of Representatives wants to make with its proposed investigation of the fuel subsidy regime under President Goodluck Jonathan.

For me, the so-called ‘Special Ad hoc Committee to Investigate the Petroleum Products Subsidy Regime’ established on 29th June is no more than another organised waste of time. It is an admission that our lawmakers do not read their own reports. If they do, they will realise the futility of another probe of the oil and gas industry, after what they did a decade ago. Except of course there is something they are not telling Nigerians.

In 2012, following the crisis that followed the unsuccessful attempt by President Jonathan to fully deregulate the petroleum sector, the House of Representatives set up a similar ad-hoc committee to probe the subsidy regime. The current Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila was a prominent leader in that House. Chaired by Hon Farouk Lawan, who would later be jailed for taking a bribe from Mr. Femi Otedola, the committee conducted its sessions in public (beamed live on television) and received memorandum and testimonies from

major stakeholders in the oil industry.

With the authority of the then Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (current Governor of Sokoto State), Mr Boniface Emenalo (secretary of the committee who would later be a prosecution witness against Lawan in his court case) availed me all reports, audio tapes and raw transcripts from the committee secretariat and provided clarification whenever needed. It took me two years before I eventually completed the work in June 2014 but given the political environment at the time, I deferred its publication till after the 2015 general election.

Principal testimonies include that of the then Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; then Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke; then Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN; two Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governors at the time, (Dr Kingsley Moghalu and Mr Tunde Lemo); then Chair of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs Ifueko Omougui-Okauru; then Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Bright Okogu; then

Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mr Elias Nban; and the then Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission (NNPC), Mr Austin Oniwon.

Also captured in the report were testimonies from 93 oil marketers and importers, heads of relevant institutions (NPA, Customs, PPPRA, PPMC, PEF etc.), senior officials from the Nigerian Navy, auditors appointed by the Ministry of Finance to verify subsidy claims, members of the professional bodies in the downstream oil sector, foreign oil traders, as well as the managing directors of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries.

Although I began the effort with a mind to put the resultant book up for sale, the end product was too voluminous. I ended up putting the 857-page book, ‘The Verbatim Report: The Inside Story of the Fuel Subsidy Scam’ on my web portal for free download. So, if our lawmakers are interested in what transpired regarding subsidy payments, especially under President Jonathan, they should access the publication on http:// bit.ly/1EY9s80.

believe about you. It’s what you believe about yourself and what you are willing to do. And on this night, she had to execute. And she did!”

Hutchings was back: “That was absolutely incredible. When you think, Gail, how long it took Kendra Harrison to break (Bulgarian Yordanka) Donkova’s world record and she did it by a hundredth of a second. And suddenly, in the space of one evening, the record tumbled by a further 0.14 of a second which, for this event, is a colossal drop.”

Devers took over, again: “I mean, it is unbelievable like you said. I was there (in 1988) when Donkova made that world record and to see it come down twice. This is one of those days when people are going to be like ‘where were you when that happened?’ And I am going to say I was right here watching.” Hutchings interjected: “And so am I. Toby Amusan is making history, the first Nigerian to win a world title and two world records in one evening. Unprecedented!”

My friend, Chris Adetayo who shared one of the screenshots from Amusan’s twitter page believes that the story of Amusan is going to be a subject of attention by many motivational speakers. I feel inclined to join that crowd today. On 18th September 2016 when the (now former) World record holder, Kendal Harrison turned 24, Amusan tweeted a photograph she had taken with her and this message, “Happy birthday @KeniUSATF. 100MHurdles World Record holder…Watch out, I’m gonna break it soon” which she ended with a laughter emoji. And now, she has done it!

The story of Amusan is indeed incredible but there is also an unfortunate Nigerian angle to it.

At the Rio Olympics trial in Lagos in June last year, Amusan posted what could have been a new African record of 12.3 seconds, but the timer failed her. “About 80 meters into the race, as I approached the home stretch, from the corner of my eye, I couldn’t help but notice that the display clock stayed at Zero the whole time. I had never experienced that before,” Amusan wrote as she reflected on what might have been. “...the timer not working, happening during one of the biggest races of my career? Hell no! So, it was quite astonishing seeing all that effort come down to an important moment of just simply timing the final…”

Continued on page 22

Leadership and the Teens

“And let me repeat: You are never too young to lead and never too old to learn.

So, I call on the young generation to put its remarkable energy, insight and passion in the service of reconciliation and peace.

The path is yours to construct and pursue.”

T

he foregoing statement by the former United Nations SecretaryGeneral, the late Kofi Annan, is the anchor for the 2022 edition of the annual Teens Career Conference of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), The Everlasting Arms Parish (TEAP). Speakers include Samson Itodo, Executive Director, YIAGA-Africa and member of the Kofi Annan Foundation Board, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, an awardwinning actress and model, as well as Seun Onigbinde, a social entrepreneur, open data analyst and co-founder/CEO of BudgIT. The conference holds on 20th August, but participation is by online registration at www.rccgteapteens.ng

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