SATURDAY 29TH AUGUST 2020

As Growth Slows Globally, Nigeria’s Foreign Capital Inflows Contract By 78% CBN says situation happening worldwide due to Covid-19 and under control James Emejo in Abuja, Dike Onwuamaeze and Chris Uba in Lagos The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has urged Nigerians not to fret as the total value

of capital importation into the country fell drastically to $1.29 billion in the second quarter of the year (Q2 2020), compared to $5.85 billion in the preceding quarter.

The capital importation

figures for Q2 2020, released yesterday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed a contraction of 78 per cent compared to Q1 and by 79 per cent when compared to Q2 2019.

Speaking with THISDAY, the Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, said the loss of foreign portfolio flows in Q2, though unfortunate for Nigeria, was no peculiar to

the country.

Okorafor explained that since the fourth quarter of 2019, all emerging markets had been recording drop in capital inflow, adding that the Nigerian challenge is also

being experienced globally due to Covid-19, and under control by the CBN. “The oil producing countries lost flows because of the drop Continued on page 5

Akpata Takes over as NBA President, Pledges Electoral Reforms… Page 6 Saturday 29 August, 2020 Vol 25. No 9273

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FG Moves to Tackle Ghana over Harassment of Nigerians 825 Nigerians deported from Ghana in 12 months Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government has warned the Ghanaian authorities that it would no longer tolerate the incessant harassment and acts of hostility towards Nigerian

citizens in Ghana.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued the warning in a statement yesterday.

It also emerged yesterday that 825 Nigerians were

deported from Ghana between January 2018 and February 2019.

The minister said the federal government was deeply concerned by the hostile act and would no longer condone such.

Mohammed added that the federal government was urgently considering a number of options aimed at redressing the situation.

Although, the minister of information was silent on the likely measures Nigeria would

take against Ghana to protest the harassment of Nigerians, but sources told THISDAY last night the Nigerian government would soon roll out a number of stiff measures against Ghana and Ghanaian interest in the country.

The minister said the federal government had documented acts of hostility by the Ghanaian authorities towards Nigeria and Nigerians.

He said the unfriendly Continued on page 5

Buhari Demands Acceptable Transition Timetable from Mali’s Stiff Coupists Unhappy engagements with junta yet to achieve desired results Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja demanded for an acceptable timetable from the military junta in Mali for a return to democracy, warning that the country could not afford to stand alone in the sub-region.

This came as ECOWAS' leaders restated their resolutions, demanding for the composition of a transition government in Mali, led by civilians, as well as the return of the country to constitutional government within the next 12 months.

The demands of both Buhari and ECOWAS were made at a virtual Extraordinary Summit

of ECOWAS Heads of States and Governments on the sociopolitical crisis rocking Mali.

According to a statement by the president's media adviser, Femi Adesina, Buhari harped on briefings by ECOWAS' Special Envoy, former President Goodluck Jonathan, saying it showed that the regional body's engagements with the new military leadership in Mali were yet to achieve the desired results in several key areas.

However, the president was swift to add that he was happy to hear the news of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's release from detention, Continued on page 5

AKPATA IN THE SADDLE...

L-R: Corporate lawyer and Senior Partner at Templars, Olumide Akpata (L) being sworn in as the 30th President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, by the immediate past president of the association, Paul Usoro, in Abuja…yesterday

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PAGE FIVE BUHARI DEMANDS ACCEPTABLE TRANSITION TIMETABLE FROM MALI’S STIFF COUPISTS adding that the preparedness of the military rulers to free other detainees is welcome.

He said Nigeria’s position is that the new rulers yield to other areas of negotiations and appreciate the threat their action poses to their fragile country.

“With regards to other areas being negotiated, Nigeria believes that the people of Mali and the military leaders need to appreciate the fragility of their country and the imminent danger which it poses to the citizens of Mali, as well as the ECOWAS sub-region," the

president said.

Buhari tasked the military leadership to drop its rigid posture during negotiations by putting the interest of all Malians and the harmony of the sub-region into consideration.

The statement added that "Malian military was also encouraged to focus on securing the country, faced with severe security threats from its northern part, instead of an incursion into governance."

He also admonished the people of Mali to note that democracy and good

governance were crucial to their country's stability, as he proceeded to list other demands of ECOWAS from the coupists.

According to him, acceding to such demands is their highway to enjoying cooperation and collaboration from ECOWAS and consequent easing of sanctions imposed on Mali.

"Mali cannot therefore afford to stand alone, hence the need to come to terms with the realities of an acceptable and workable transition compact that inspires the confidence of all Malians.

“Meanwhile, I urge the

military leadership to consider: the immediate release of all the remaining senior government officials in detention, without pre-conditions; a transition process, to be completed in not more than 12 months, and which shall include the representatives of Malian stakeholders.

“This is a critical consideration for the new government to enjoy the cooperation and collaboration of regional and international community, and to allow the easing of sanctions imposed on Mali," he added.

The president reiterated the need for Mali’s Constitutional Court to cooperate with all stakeholders in the country with a view to ensuring quick and hitch-free return to a democratically elected government through free, fair and inclusive polls.

When this is done, Buhari said, Nigeria and ECOWAS would be willing to provide necessary logistics that would aid the conduct of the polls.

He thanked Jonathan and other ECOWAS leaders, whom he said had shown commitment

to amicable resolution of the crisis, assuring Malians of Nigeria's solidarity with them.

The statement also said Buhari commended the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Governments, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, for convening yesterday's extraordinary summit.

It also said the president condoled with Alassane Ouattara, President of Cote D’ivoire, on the loss of one of his close aides, Mamadi Diane.

definition of foreigners is Nigerians. He also noted that GIPC Act negated the ECOWAS Protocol. ''Media war against Nigerians in Ghana; the negative reportage of issues concerning Nigerians resident in Ghana by the Ghanaian media is fuelling an emerging xenophobic attitude towards Nigerian traders and Nigerians in general.

The immediate fallout is the incessant harassment and arrest of Nigerian traders and closure of their shops. ''Harsh and openly-biased judicial trial and pronouncement of indiscriminately-long jail terms for convicted Nigerians; there are currently over 200 Nigerians in the Nsawam

Maximum prison in Ghana alone,'' Mohammed said.

The minister said the federal government would like to put on record the fact that on the contrary, the over one million Ghanaians who reside in Nigeria are not subjected to the kind of hostility being meted out to Nigerians in Ghana.

He added that although the main reason given for the seizure of the federal government’s property at No. 10, Barnes Road in Accra was the non-renewal of lease after expiration, the Ghanaian authorities did not give Nigeria the right of first refusal or the notice to renew the lease.

He also said that by contrast, the lease on some of the

properties occupied by the Ghanaian Mission in Nigeria has long expired, yet such properties had not been seized.

Mohammed noted that Nigeria has time after time demonstrated its fidelity to the long cordial relations with Ghana, but that indications, especially in recent times, were that Nigeria's stance was now being taken for granted and its citizens being made targets of harassment and objects of ridicule.

He vowed this would no longer be tolerated under any guise, while appealing to Nigerian citizens resident in Ghana to remain law abiding and avoid engaging in self-help, despite their ordeal.

FG MOVES TO TACKLE GHANA OVER HARASSMENT OF NIGERIANS acts included the seizure of the Nigerian Mission's property located at No. 10, Barnes Road, Accra, which the Nigerian government used as diplomatic premises for almost 50 years.

He frowned that the action was a serious breach of the Vienna Convention which was ratified in 1969.

He accused Ghana of demolishing the Nigerian Mission's property located at No. 19/21 Julius Nyerere Street, East Ridge, Accra, also in breach of the Vienna Convention.

Mohammed also flayed Ghana for aggressive and incessant deportation of Nigerians from Ghana, noting that between January 2018 and February 2019, 825 Nigerians

were deported from that country.

“Closure of shops belonging to Nigerians; over 300 Nigerians’ shops were locked for four months in Kumasi in 2018; over 600 Nigerians’ shops were locked in 2019 and, currently, over 250 Nigerians’ shops have been locked.”

He also listed ''Residency Permit requirements, for which the Ghana Immigration Service has placed huge fees, far higher than the fees charged by the Nigerian Immigration Service.

These include the compulsory Non-citizen ID card ($120, and $60 for yearly renewal); Medical examinations, including for COVID-19, which was newlyintroduced (about $120), and payment for residency permit

($400 compared to the N7,000 being paid by Ghanaians for residency card in Nigeria),'' Mohammed said.

He also listed the outrageous stipulations in the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act as another act of hostility.

He said when the Act was promulgated in 1994, a foreigner was required to invest at least $300,000 by way of equity capital and to also employ 10 Ghanaians.

However, he lamented that the same Act has now been amended twice, with the 2018 GIPC Act raising the minimum capital base for foreign-owned businesses to $1 million, saying that although it was targeted at foreigners, it appeared GIPC's

AS GROWTH SLOWS GLOBALLY, NIGERIA’S FOREIGN CAPITAL INFLOWS CONTRACT BY 78% in oil prices from around the fourth quarter of 2019. But this became worse during the first and second quarters of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From charts made available by the Institute of International Finance, a global body which tracks capital flows, you will see that India, China, Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria and other emerging markets have lost large sums of flows. These investors actually recalled flows and have kept them in their own vaults, waiting to see when things eventually settle. Also, we can see that growth has decelerated in practically all economies of the world.

“Today, there is recession in the United States, England and indeed in China. So, COVID-19 has had its impact on growth and the drop in crude oil prices has had its impact on not only flows, but also on growth. We believe that as the uncertainty in the global economy due to the pandemic reduces, flows would pick up,” Okorafor said.

Data from the Institute of International Finance showed that COVID-19 triggered nonresident portfolio outflows of around $90 billion from across emerging market countries in Q1 and Q2 of 2020.

The fall in inflows was more significant between March and April 2020. This was sharper and deeper than any other stress episode, including the global financial crisis. While outflows reduced, emerging market countries have not witnessed significant inflows and equity flows are still down about $55 billion, the data from the global body showed.

For Nigeria, according to the NBS’ Capital Importation, Q2 2020 report, only six states of the federation, namely Lagos, FCT, Anambra, Kano, Niger and Ogun attracted capital inflow, leaving 31 others without value in terms of foreign investments, during the period.

Lagos maintained its lead as the top destination of capital investment in Q2 with $1.13 billion or 87.30 per cent of the total investment during the period.

The FCT recorded $145.30 million, Anambra $1.16 million, Kano $0.13 million, Lagos $1.13 billion, Niger $6.86 million and

Ogun $11 million.

According to the NBS, “other investment types” accounted for the largest capital inflow with $761.03 million or 58.77 per cent of total capital imported.

This was followed by portfolio investment, which accounted for $385.32 million, representing 29.76 per cent of inflows, while Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which accounted $148.59 million or 11.47 per cent of total capital imported within the review period.

Capital importation by shares dominated the Q2 results with $464.57 million.

However, among the top 10 investors, the United Kingdom maintained its lead as the top source of capital investment to the country with $428.83 million or 33.12 per cent of the total capital inflow in Q2.

Investment from South Africa accounted for $149.29 million, United Arab Emirates (UAE) $145.15 million, the Netherlands $141.30 and Singapore $137.40.

Others include United States $126.08 million, Hong Kong $33.78 million, British Virgin Islands $24.27 million, China $21.48 million and Mauritius $16.53 million.

The NBS further stated that Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited emerged at the top of capital investment with $425.21 million, representing 32.84 per cent of total capital inflow in Q2.

NECA: New Policy on 'Form M' will Cause Disruption to Businesses In a related development, the CBN said it has received the request by the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) for dialogue on its latest policy which phased out the opening of Forms ‘M’ whose payment are routed through a buying company, agent, or other third parties.

“We have received the letter from NECA and we would meet with them (NECA), but the point is that it is unlikely that we are going to shift ground,” Okorafor said.

NECA said in a letter to the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, that the apex bank’s directive did not take into consideration the impact on business drivers

of central procurement by manufacturing companies, challenges to immediate access to final supplier companies, noting that manufacturing operations are at risk of business disruption, potential to worsen the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the real sector and that it was necessary to have government’s crackdown on abuse of procurement companies.

The association, therefore, called for a meeting with the CBN governor to further engage on this matter in the interest of finding solution that would not negatively impact businesses or the economy.

The letter , which was signed by the Director-General of the association , Timothy Olawale said: “We take this opportunity to commend the Federal Government on its various policies aimed at ensuring the growth and development of the Nigerian economy.

“We have also noted the recent CBN directive to all authorised dealers on Forms “M”, which is intended to ensure prudent use of Nigeria’s foreign exchange resources and eliminate incidences of over invoicing, transfer pricing, double handling charges and avoidable costs that are ultimately passed to the average Nigerian consumers.

“However, it is imperative to note the following downside of the policy which has the potential to frustrate the ongoing efforts of government to return the economy to growth, create jobs and prevent an impending economic downturn already worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to NECA, the directive ignored the business drivers of central procurement by manufacturing companies, adding that, “in order to optimise operating costs, manufacturing companies in Nigeria with global operating companies find it essential to source for production inputs and services through a centralised procurement process.

“This structure enables the purchase of goods and services at competitive prices, leveraging the economies of scale. Without this structure in place, many of such companies in the current global recessionary times would have run aground.

“Securing lower prices through centralised procurement has

significantly contributed to the stability and resilience of their business operations in the face of global economic downturn. The benefit of the cost savings realised are shared by the multinationals’ operating companies, which serves to reduce pressure on Nigeria’s Forex reserve and ultimately the pricing of goods to the consumer.

“The directive also poses challenges to immediate access to final supplier companies. Central procurement companies play an essential role as a buffer during periods of foreign currency shortages, without which multinational businesses would find it challenging to sustain their operations.

“The procurement companies enable manufacturing companies to receive goods and services from final suppliers, which most companies would not ordinarily be able to access, due to the wide spectrum of parameters required by these suppliers or restrictions imposed by some original equipment manufacturers.

“The procurement agencies further support business continuity by purchasing, on behalf of Nigerian companies, and allowing for extended payment timelines, giving credit in periods of foreign currency scarcity. Without these credit provisions, Nigerian companies would not be able to meet the advance payments required by final suppliers, amongst other requirements,” said NECA. Olawale said: “Unfortunately abuses can occur even with the most genuine processes. Sadly, over-invoicing, mispricing and multiple handling charges are some untoward practices by unscrupulous elements seeking to undermine Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserve.

“However, not all manufacturing companies that use central procurement agencies are in any way involved in such practices, nor would abuse the opportunities that the process affords. Furthermore, these reputable companies that contribute significantly to Nigeria’s GDP and support economic stability appreciate the gains of the resultant increase in productivity and indeed their own business continuity.

“We recognise the urgent need in the globally challenged

economic climate to eliminate any abuses of our foreign exchange reserve. However, we must stress that an all-encompassing or blanket ban on centralised procurement will have significant negative impact on businesses and the economy.

“NECA appreciates the intention of the CBN to introduce a Product Price Verification Mechanism to forestall overpricing, and/or mispricing of goods and services imported into the country and is committed to collaborating with the CBN in any way practicable, to ensure this objective is fully met without jeopardising business continuity for member-companies.”

OPS Calls for Policies to Improve FDI Meanwhile, representatives of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Nigeria have stated that the report of the NBS, showing fall of foreign capital flows did not come as a surprise.

These representatives of the OPS, namely the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), in separate interviews with THISDAY yesterday, attributed the decline to the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, Nigeria’s macroeconomic situation, poor domestic policies of the Nigerian government, the management of the country’s foreign exchange market, the slump in the international oil market and the country’s risk investment environment.

The Director General of LCCI, Dr. Muda Yusuf said that it would not be a surprise that an oil-dependent economy like Nigeria’s would experience such decline at a time like this due to the slump in the crude oil market and the general macro-economic situation of the country.

Yusuf pointed out that though a large percentage of FDI into Nigeria goes into the oil and gas sector, “this sector is plagued with slump in oil price and policy uncertainty.”

He noted that the situation was not helped by the fact that foreign investors find it difficult

to take their profits out of the country because of its foreign exchange market management.

“Government has to tidy up the foreign exchange management framework in other to inspire confidence that if you bring in your money at a very good rate you will also take it out easily. “This is a very critical factor. Moreover, we need to mitigate the risks in the investment environment like political, policy and security risks because they determine investment decisions,” Yusuf said.

Similarly, the Acting DirectorGeneral of MAN, Mr. Ambrose Oruche said it was glaring that most pronouncements or inactions of some government agencies scare away foreign capital inflow into the country, apart from the uncertainties created by COVID-19 that made investors to withhold their money and watch national economies.

Oruche said: “Nigeria used to be a good investment destination but it is doubtful to say that we remain so currently because of policies that view repatriation of profit as round tripping. It is not sustainable that government will wake up and close the borders, which caught our members that have manufactured products to export off guard. This cannot attract genuine foreign capital investment into the country.”

According to the Director General of NACCIMA, Ambassador Ayo Olukanni, the lesson from the decline of foreign capital inflow is that Nigeria has to focus on local resource mobilisation by introducing policies that would increase productivity and enhance consumers’ purchasing powers in order to reflate the economy.

Government, he said should direct attention to domestic resource mobilisation, find means of increasing productivity to reflate the economy.

“The lesson is that it will take a while, because of the COVID-19 situation, for foreign capital to start flowing in. That is why we are saying that at the end of the day the Economic Stability Plan of N2.3 trillion holds the ace. But we must ensure that it is effectively implemented by releasing fund as and when due to the targeted sectors, like agriculture that is an engine of growth,” Olukanni said.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

NEWS Akpata Takes over as NBA President, Pledges Electoral Reforms

News Editor Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (sms only) Email ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

Alex Enumah in Abuja The newly inaugurated National President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olumide Akpata has called on his professional colleagues in the country to eschew every form of divisiveness and join hands with him in pursuing and realising the objectives of the association.

Akpata made the call shortly after he was sworn in as the 30th National President of the NBA. He emerged winner of the July 29 and 30 NBA Election after defeating two other contestants who are members of the ‘Inner Bar’ (Senior Advocates of Nigeria), Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN and Mr. Dele Adesina SAN respectively.

Although Adesina had alleged

Helicopter Crashes into Building in Lagos, Kills 3 Chinedu Eze Three persons have been confirmed dead, as a Bell 206-B3 helicopter, operated by Quorum Aviation, crashed into a building at 16 A, Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja Lagos, yesterday.

President Muhammadu Buhari immediately dispatched a condolence letter to Lagos, commiserating with friends and relatives of victims.

Giving a situation report shortly after the crash, the Director General and CEO of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency received distress calls concerning “a privately operated helicopter that crashed into 16 A Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja and immediately activated the emergency response plan.

“The helicopter was carrying three people, one is in the intensive care unit at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital while the other two were killed on impact and their bodies have been deposited in the mortuary. We are on top of challenges, especially crowd control. Operation is ongoing and updates will follow.”

In its reaction, the Accident

Investigation Bureau (AIB) said it was notified about the accident by LASEMA at about 12:30 pm yesterday and that it has commenced investigation into “an accident involving a Helicopter Bell 206-B3 with the Nationality Registration Marks 5N-BQW operated

by Quorum Aviation coming from Port Harcourt to Lagos, which occurred on 28 August, 2020 at the Opebi Area of Ikeja Lagos. Three Passengers onboard - two fatalities and one hospitalised.”

However, AIB confirmed that the third person on board the helicopter, who was a fitter, died later in the hospital.

AIB, as the investigating agency, requested that people with useful information should assist them. “We want the public to know that we would be amenable to receiving any video clip, relevant evidence, or information any member of the public may have of the accident; that can assist us with this investigation. “The Bureau will appreciate that the general public and press respect the privacy of the people involved and not assume they know the cause of the accident until formal report is released,” the agency said.

160 New COVID-19 Cases Recorded Nigeria recorded a record low 160 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, taking the number

of confirmed cases to 53,477 with 41,017 discharged and 1011 deaths.

APC Confirms Abiru, CEO of Polaris Bank as Lagos-East Senatorial Candidate Bennett Oghifo The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress has chosen Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Bank as its consensus candidate in the upcoming Lagos Senatorial bye election.

Abiru, a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, was picked as the party’s consensus candidate by party elders, including the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, according to News Agency of Nigeria, which quoted Lagos APC Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr Abiodun Salami, “Mr Abiru is the consensus

candidate of the party; it is confirmed. The elders, under the platform of Governor’s Advisory Council, met and consulted widely and they resolved on the choice of Abiru as the consensus candidate.

“The choice has been endorsed by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; all the other aspirants have stepped down in agreement, it was a unanimous decision,” he said.

The formal process of validating Abiru’s candidature for Lagos East Senatorial District would be done in due course, Salami said, adding that they would soon pick the candidate of Kosofe 2 state constituency bye-election.

manipulation of the entire electoral process and called for the cancellation of the poll, Ajibade however accepted the outcome and congratulated the winner.

Addressing members of the NBA in his first speech as NBA President, Akpata, in a no victor, no vanquished, posture sued for unity, noting that the task before him and his other executive was enormous and could only be achieved with the cooperation of all and sundry.

“It is apposite to begin the formal part of the address by tackling two major issues arising from the 2020 NBA election – the seeds of discord that were sown during the election campaigns and the issues pertaining to the election process itself.

“I am not oblivious of the cleavages that emerged during the campaign and the attempt to pitch senior members of the bar against their younger counterparts.

We were all witnesses to the widespread agitations against the holders of the enviable rank

of Senior Advocates of Nigeria to the extent that some people were eagerly anticipating a revolution. In some ways, this was understandable, having regard to the issues that characterised the election and the uniqueness of my candidacy, being the first non-Senior Advocate of Nigeria to win an election as NBA President in thirty years.

However, the elections are now over, and we must, of necessity, retrace our steps.

“The mandate that I have from Nigerian lawyers is to work for all members of the Bar irrespective of who they voted for. There is so much work to be done to revitalise our Bar and make it work for everyone without discrimination”, he said.

He described as unfortunate very recent events and agitations that had tended to divide the NBA along regional and religious lines, stressing that the Bar he intends to lead shall be one that is “united on all fronts and that recognises that our diversity is, perhaps, our greatest strength.

“I plead with all Nigerian lawyers to bear this philosophy of unity in mind as we commence a new journey together today”.

Akpata noted that this enormous task could not be achieved if members continued to fan the embers of division at a time when they desperately needed to unite and speak with one firm voice.

“We must be kind, magnanimous, respectful, and sensitive in our words and actions, as doing otherwise would be a great disservice to our vision of building a stronger and formidable Bar. Now is the time to come together because a divided Bar is a defeated Bar”.

As part of immediate measures to appease aggrieved members on the outcome of the election, Akpata announced the constitution of a 12 member Electoral Reform Committee, chaired by Mr. Ayo Akintunde SAN. “It is pertinent to state categorically that, in my view, the 2020

Election – the voting and result of which were monitored live by a significant proportion of Nigerian lawyers and non-lawyers alike – was ultimately free and fair, and the result was, by all estimation, truly reflective of the will of Nigerian lawyers. The above notwithstanding, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that there were several glitches in the build up to the Election. As Nigeria’s foremost professional Association, our electoral process ought to be the standard for others to follow and should, to the extent humanly possible, be devoid of the glitches that we witnessed.

“It was with this in mind that I personally wrote two separate letters to the ECNBA Chairman on 20th July 2020 and 29th July 2020 to highlight the issues that threatened the conduct of a credible election and to recommend measures to immediately address those concerns.

“The consensus is that there is need to urgently review the 2020 elections and to institute urgent reforms of our electoral systems.

MALI ON THEIR MINDS. . .

L-R: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; and National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd), during a virtual ECOWAS extraordinary Session on Mali held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa , Abuja ...yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

Ondo Guber: Secondus Caution against Using Amotekun to Rig Election Chuks Okocha in Abuja The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday cautioned the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu to avoid the temptation of using the just inaugurated South-west Security Network, the Amotekun in rigging the October 19 governorship election in the state.

He also chided the federal government for signing into law the controversial Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), stating that government had no business in church activities.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 147 man PDP National Campaign Team, Secondus said, “Intelligence available to us shows that the outgoing APC Government in Ondo State in its panic has hurriedly gone ahead to

launch the local security outfit, Amotekun, with the aim of deploying them to intimidate and harass opponents.

“We want to warn that state security outfits are at experimental stages and any abuse will mean the end of it.

The people of the South-west desired Amotekun, to secure them, anything otherwise would be undermining the will of the people,” he stated.

He called on the federal government to remain neutral in the October 10 governorship election, explaining that, “This government can do this by ensuring that they respect the Constitution and the Electoral Act as well as the ruling of Supreme Court of Nigeria that say that security operatives particularly the military should not meddle on election matters outside providing adequate and equal security to all the parties

within the requirements of the law.”

PDP, Secondus said, expect that in both Edo and Ondo states elections, the military should be kept out of it completely and Police and other security agencies who are supposed to be at election venues should be made to operate within the dictates of the law.

Also, Secondus charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to refuse to be intimidated and strive to always carry out their duties strictly as set out by the law.

Secondus who called on the federal government to reverse the CAMA law, said, “I will not end this address without putting a word on the raging debate on the newly signed controversial bill, the Company and Allied Matters Acts, CAMA. The new law permits the

Registrar General of Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and supervising Minister to strictly supervise and scrutinise the financial operations of nongovernmental organisations including religious places as well change their trustees.

“I find this needless especially at this time that a government that is confronted with myriads of problems and with loopholes in every government department they cannot block wants to look into the finances of religious places as their priority,” he said.

The national chairman of PDP asked, “Has any church or Mosques complained of financial misappropriation?

And even if they do, these religious houses have internal mechanism of resolving their problems including changing their leaders not for government that is engrossed in corruption to do it for them.

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08054699539

Tackling Diversions By Revenue-Generating Agencies

he situation at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), as reflected in its recent presentation to the Senate’s Joint Committee on Finance and Planning, represents the corruption, mismanagement and ineptitude in virtually all federal revenuegenerating agencies. The DPR, one of the agencies that have failed to remit good money to the Federation Account as expected, was queried by the Senate for sending a meagre N44.5 billion into the Consolidated Revenue Fund out of the N2.4 trillion it generated in 2019. The situation at the DPR is mind-boggling.

The agency’s Head of Planning, Mr. Johnson Ajewole, who stood in for his DG, Sarki Auwalu, during the enquiry at the Senate, confirmed the frightening gap between what was realised and what they remitted. The DPR management deducted N88 billion from the N2.4 trillion generated last year as 4 per cent approved collection fee. A monstrous N88 billion as cost of collection in one year?

I wonder who approved this.

The DPR could not even convincingly account for the remaining unremitted collections, as it simply said overhead and operational costs swallowed the remaining money, without specific figures tied to them. We are talking about over N2 trillion balance here; that’s about 20 per cent of Nigeria’s budget 2020.

The Head of Finance and Accounts of the DPR, Mrs. Lilian Ufondu confirmed that the agency had already collected N1.13 trillion in the first eight months of this year for the federal government and it is projecting N3.4 trillion as revenue for 2021. The bulk of these are usually diverted.

Also recently, a N7 billion under-remittance by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was confirmed. The agency collected the revenue and claimed it was spent on inspection of factories. Over N7 billion spent on inspection!

The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Faleke scolded NAFDAC: “In the past few weeks, we have been talking about Chinese loans when the money is there in the system. We have the money in Nigeria but we are not doing the needful. We are not remitting what we are supposed to remit. The private sector will not remit the taxes and you, government agencies, being paid salaries, will not remit. Where will the government get money to fund the capital projects when we have deficit budget every year.”

At the Securities and Exchange Commission, N10.3 billion is spent annually on the salaries of about 600 staff. That’s an average of N15.7 million per person. SEC is one of the most lucrative places to work in Nigeria. Revenue of N8.36 billion generated in 2019 could not even cover its salaries. So, SEC hardly remits

Auwalu

anything to the Consolidated Revenue Fund Account. That was why it projected a revenue of N8.3 billion in 2021 while its expenditure was put at N14.4 billion.

At the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), good money is made from sold confiscated items and executive services rendered by its operatives. This money is never remitted to the Federation Account.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is the biggest culprit when it comes to diversion and wastage of revenue. Last year, it deducted over N300 billion from revenue collected, under all manner of approvals – seven per cent cost of collection and another two per cent cost of collecting VAT. Customs expenditure in its approved 2020 budget is frightening. Personnel cost will gulp N98.61 billion while overhead cost will guzzle N15.95 billion while it voted N123.59 billion for capital cost. This year, the Nigeria Customs will consume N238 billion of the revenue it would collect for the FG. I have persistently stated that this country has no business taking loans to fund its budget if the revenue-generating MDAs are well managed. With a good government, the corruption, mismanagement and ineptitude will be tamed, and these agencies will provide enough funds for our budgets.

The other day, I heard the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila raising the alarm over the continuous diversion of revenue by government agencies. He vowed that the House of Representatives would stop MDAs from diverting revenues they are supposed to remit to the Federation Account. Gbajabiamila also specified that the

failings of the revenue-generating agencies pushed the federal government into seeking loans to finance infrastructural development.

He said: “We need to impose deep cuts in the cost of governance and improve internal revenue generation and collection so that we can free up resources that can then be deployed to fund policy initiatives that will enhance the lives of our people. The revenue-generating agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria have a vital role to play in this regard. There has thus far been a consistent failure to adhere to the revenue remittance agreements to which many of these agencies have committed.

“We have credible reports that these desperately needed funds have in many cases, been diverted to finance unnecessary trivialities. At the same time, the Government is left scrambling for alternative sources to fund priority projects. We cannot afford this dynamic, and we will not tolerate it anymore.

The legislature remains the keeper of the public purse, with broad constitutional authority to act on behalf of the Nigerian people, to ensure that our collective resources are efficiently administered in service of the public good. Let no one be in doubt, the House of Representatives will not hesitate to act on our constitutional authority notwithstanding whatever objections may arise.”

Good that Gbajabiamila recognises that corruption in almost all the MDAs is depriving Nigeria huge revenue. It is not enough to just query these MDAs. The Speaker and his colleagues in the National Assembly should take pragmatic action to end this mess. They should back their tough talks with action, by putting pressure on the Executive to do the needful. A serious Executive, genuinely fighting corruption, would have ended poor remittance of revenue in weeks. Over five years after President Buhari commenced his so-called war against corruption, the story is the same in virtually all the MDAs. Yes, corruption in MDAs predates the Buhari government, but he told us that it won’t be business as usual under him. It was a sham.

Nigerians are agitated by the rising debt profile of the country, with many raising concerns over external loan agreements between Nigeria, global bodies and countries, especially China. Clearly, Nigeria does not need to seek external borrowings, especially from China, if the MDAs fully and honestly remit revenues collected on behalf of the federal government.

State governors should also show interest in the activities of federal revenue generating agencies because they are co-owners. These agencies belong to all the three tiers of government; not just the federal government.

This is the truth. Governors must insist on

Aisha Buhari’s Medicals in Dubai

Aisha

The First Lady, Aisha Buhari returned to the country extremely excited after her 21-day medicals in Dubai. It was for the treatment of a neck pain. In this clime, those in government, who should put our medical facilities in shape, run abroad for all manner of medicals. What a country! Hospitals in mother Nigeria are still not up to the standard that could take care of

ordinary neck pain. That is what Aisha has demonstrated. I thought the First Lady would return to chastise her husband, who after over five years, has failed to raise the quality of healthcare in Nigeria. Rather, she came back telling Nigerian healthcare providers to take advantage of Central Bank’s N100 billion healthcare facility to expand the frontiers of the health sector. Over five years after the Buhari government assumed office, Aisha is still talking about “building/expanding the capacity of the Nigerian health sector and ultimately reducing medical trips and tourism outside the Country.”

This First Lady is obviously just showboating.

Her son was flown abroad for medicals after his bike accident. Her husband, until the COVID-19, was also persistently on foreign medicals. I am horrified by the First Family’s persistent medical trip abroad. Unfortunately, there is no law stopping them from doing this. The burden on them is more of a moral one, considering that President Buhari had doggedly preached that we should look inwards for our needs to strengthen the Naira and save our limited forex earnings. My foremost issue with the first family is that they are spending public money abroad for medicals; more so in a recessed economy.

This must not be allowed to continue in a country where millions of Nigerians are

wallowing in abject poverty. The other day, our President spent about $50,000 treating ear infection. That was after he clearly stated that taxpayers’ money would not be used to pay for foreign medicals of public servants. As a reminder, Buhari announced in April 2016 that his administration would no longer provide allowances for medical trips by government officials, unless the case can’t be handled in Nigeria. He stated this at the opening ceremony of the 56th Annual General Conference and delegate meeting of the Nigeria Medical Association in Sokoto. The President, who was represented by the then Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole said: “The government would not encourage medical tourism with the nation’s resources. While this administration will not deny anyone of his or her fundamental human rights, we will certainly not encourage expending Nigerian hard-earned resources on any government official seeking medical care abroad, when such can be handled in Nigeria.”

With focused investment in equipment and manpower by a forward-looking government, I doubt if there is any health challenge that can’t be handled in this country. Five years is more than enough for any serious government to put healthcare in shape in our dear country.

full remittance of revenue collected to the Federation Account. All manner of crooked expenditure must also end.

El-rufai

The Good News from Zangon-Kataf The most soothing news for me came last Saturday when the Atyap Chiefdom, Fulani and Hausa communities in the troubled Zangon-Kataf Local Government Area met and brainstormed on a lasting solution to the persistent killings in Southern Kaduna. The over 40-year old attacks took a dangerous dimension under Governor Nasir el-rufai, with people killed almost on a daily basis in Kajuru, Kauru, Jema’a and Zangon-Kataf LGs. It was heartwarming seeing the Agwatyap, Dominic Gambo Yahaya, discussing with the leaders of the Hausas and Fulanis at the Yakubu Event Centre in Ungwan Wakili, Zango-Kataf LGA. Kudos to retired Air Vice Marshal Stephen Shekari and Dr. Salim Umar, who co-chaired the peace summit. A communiqué at the end of the meeting called on all residents of Atyap Chiefdom not to take laws into their hands and instead submit all grievances to the lawful authorities. The communiqué “appreciated the fact that all Nigerians have the constitutional or fundamental right to move and reside anywhere in Nigeria, including Atyap Chiefdom, without any fear, molestation or harassment from anybody or any source whatsoever.”

The diverse communities in Southern Kaduna must learn to live in peace with each other. For years, I have been advocating for this. Forgiveness, reconciliation, community healing, roundtable negotiation over land and neutrality of government/security agencies are essential. That’s how to end killings in Southern Kaduna. This peace summit should be expanded to include all the leaders of communities in the entire Southern Kaduna. As for the Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Major Gen Chukwuemeka Okonkwo, he must ensure that his boys operate dispassionately.

Wike and Rivers Pensioners About three weeks ago, pensioners in Rivers State appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike to pay their four years arrears and gratuities to help them change their “pitiable living conditions”. Nothing has changed 19 days after. The pensioners, in a statement by their spokesman, Lucky Ati, said some of them had not received any kobo from the state government since 2015. “We have written several letters to Governor Nyesom Wike to no avail,” said the pensioners. Yes, four years of unpaid pension and gratuities. That’s the situation in Wike’s Rivers State. It has been four years of pummeling hapless pensioners.

This is man’s inhumanity to man. This garbage must not be happening in a state that has been spending billions of Naira on flyovers. Rivers state Governor should show some respect to these senior citizens.

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SATURDAY AUGUST 29, 2020 •T H I S D AY

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPA P PER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

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SUPER SATURDAY

Hanan Buhari Gets Her Man It is now confirmed. President Buhari’s youngest y g daughter, g Hanan will marryy Turad Sha’aban, son of a former lawmaker, Mahmud Sani Sha’aban next Friday. y The venue is the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, the first-ever wedding g to take place p in the Villa. Ferdinand Ekechukwu captures the excitement in the camps of the two families

I

nvitation to President Buhari’s daughter’s g wedding g to Turad Goes Viral, a news platform p had p posted shortly y after the invitation to the marriage g Fatiha between President Buhari’s youngest y g daughter, g Hanan, and Mohammed Turad Sha’aban was sent out. Of course, it is not unexpected p that invitation to such grand event would trend for many g y reasons. In the last few days, y reports p had emerged g that Hanan, was set to marry y Tuarad, a Special p Adviser to the Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola.

For one also, the high g p profile wedding, g dubbed the ‘First Wedding’, which is scheduled for next Friday y at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, j will mark the first of its kind in the p precincts of the seat of p power. Hanan’s husband is the son of a former lawmaker, Mahmud Sani Sha’aban, who was a member of the House of Representatives p and a friend of the president. p He was also a former governorship g p candidate in Kaduna State twice, under the defunct Action Congress g of Nigeria and the ANPP in 2007 and 2011.

“His Royal y Highness, g the Emir of Zazzau, Alh. (Dr.) Shehu Idris wishes to inform you y of the wedding g Fatiha of his children Mohammed Turad Sha’aban (Wakilin Tudun Wadan Zazzau) and Aisha Hanan Buhari,” reads the regal g invite, attached with a collage g of Buhari and his daughter. g Hanan Buhari g graduated with a first class in Digital g Photography g p y in December 2019 from Ravensbourne University, y London. She is passionate p about p photography. g p y Hanan had in 2017 held an exhibition in Abuja, j where she showed some of her proj p jects. Tagged gg “Innovation by y Hanna”, the exhibition attracted top p names in g government and the industry’s y A-lists. She was lauded for contributting g to changing g g the p perception p about photography, p g p y which is no longer g for drop p outs and the less-privileged p g in the society, y but for the highly g y talented. Following g her passion p in arts, the art loving g photographer p g p has since begun g her Master’s Degree g in Fine Arts in the same university. y Muhammad Turad, who currently holds the title of Wakilin Tudun Wadan Zazzau is the first son of Dan Buram. Turad Sha’ban who is ag graduate of Finance and Manageg ment, also holds two masters degrees g Hanan including g an MBA. He had his first Degree g and also Master’s Degree g in Finance and Management g from the American University y of Dubai.

He equally q y had MBA from Northampton University, United Kingdom. g Turad p provides fi financial leadership p for many y private p and p public companies p both in Nigeria g and abroad.

He has worked with reputable p companies p in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) such as Nexus Financial Advisors. Upon p his return to Nigeria, g “Turado” as he is fondly y called by y his family, y completed p his National Youth Service Corp p (NYSC) scheme with the Nigeria g LNG Limited. Furthering g his career in fi finance, he jjoined the Nigeria g Deposit p Insurance Corporation p (NDIC), while also pursuing entrepreneurial interests by y the side.

Already the political atmosphere in Kaduna State is

Turad

thrilling g as people p p from diverse political p leanings g are commenting g on the epic p wedding g and how the union would alter the political permutations in the state for the better.

Preparations p for the wedding g fatiha of Hanan and Muhammad Turad reached advance stage g earlier this year. Recall that Nigeria’s y g First Lady, y Aisha Buhari, flew to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in a jet j belong ging g to billionaire Mohammed Indimi for the p purpose p of shopping pp g for luxury y items for Hanan’s wedding.

Indimi’s son is the husband of Hanan’s sister.

The g groom’s father, who holds the title of Dan Buram of Zazzau has a very y long g robust political p relationships p with President Buhari since their days y at the defunct All Nigerian g Political Party y (ANPP) to the present day at All Progressives Party (APC).

Their political p journey j y started in 2007 when Dan Buram, having g successfully y completed p his first term as a member representing p g Sabon Gari at the House of Representatives p and General Muhammadu Buhari then, contesting g for the President of the Federal Republic p of Nigeria g under the ANPP. The organisers g of the wedding g took note of the prevailing p g circumstance via the invite, indicating g that they y won’t allow a crowd, and pleaded p for underrstanding. g “In view of the current COVID-19 p pandemic and compliance p with the directives of the relevant health authorities of the country, y usual gathering g g in such events will not therefore be healthy. y We therefore use this medium to request q y you to bare witness of the matrimony y as we also solicit for your prayers for the success of the occasion.”

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ͺ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

OSINBAJO: SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE Mustapha Bello writes that the vice-president is a hardworking and efficient politician versed in getting things done

D

id you hear the story of the cleric who attended a meeting in a small room filled with smokers puffing on their cigarettes? Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo relived that experience during a church service in Lagos on February 10, 2019. The pastor and Law Professor said the incident occurred between 1999 and 2007, when he was Lagos State Attorney-General.

As the meeting with the men progressed that evening, he was discomfited by the smoke. Osinbajo said: “I was so upset by the fact that there was so much smoke and when I was leaving the place; my entire body smelled of cigarettes – my hair, my clothes – my entire body.

“As I was leaving, the first thought I had was why should I be in the company of these people who are smoking cigarettes and pipes? Why? Is it not wrong? Should I be in their company? After all I am a Christian, a born-again Christian. A pastor!”

Just like whiff after whiff of tobacco smoke assailed his nostrils that day, so has Osinbajo had to bear smear after smear of a network of seemingly coordinated fake news campaigns in recent years.

Perhaps after the Commander-in-Chief, the former university don has been the softest target of fake news merchants in the last five years of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. The funny thing is most of the attacks don’t even make any sense. They are often so easily disproved by basic fact-checking, that the sinister intent of the tale-bearers is obvious at a glance.

Sadly, the barrage of fake news has been perpetrated, at least in recent times, by professionals: a lawyer – Femi Fani-Kayode; a journalist – Jackson Ude; and, not surprisingly, a former political attack dog – Timi Frank. The malicious publications have even been extended to the VP’s family.

Take the recent falsehood that Osinbajo’s daughter Kiki, who runs a fashion retail outfit in Abuja, owns an N800m property. The absurdity was propagated by Ude, a blogger and a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, in a July 10 tweet from the comfort of his New York abode. The VP’s daughter debunked Ude’s claim in an Instagram post.

Kiki said: “For me it is completely unbelievable that a grown man will sit in his home and lie about me; a grown man who possibly has children my age! Like many young women in Nigeria, I work hard.

“It may be difficult for people like him to understand that a young woman can work hard and succeed on her own steam.

Anyone can verify the ownership of the property of Glamd Africa at AGIS in Abuja. I am a tenant in the property. My landlord’s name is Musa Adams.”

Her landlord confirmed her statement, adding that the said property was never, at any point in time, sold to the vice- president’s daughter or to anyone. He challenged anyone in doubt to check with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities.

That was not the first of Ude’s claims that suffered a rebuttal. Ude tied the N800m fake news to a previous even more stupendous claim that Osinbajo collected N4billion from the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, who is being probed by a Presidential panel.

The VP debunked the allegation and even asked the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to probe Ude’s claim and prosecute him for criminal defamation, if the claim is found to be untrue. Similarly, Magu also debunked the claim.

“I did not tell the panel that I gave the Vice President N4

THE FUNNY THING IS MOST OF THE ATTACKS DON’T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE. THEY ARE OFTEN SO EASILY DISPROVED BY BASIC FACT-CHECKING, THAT THE SINISTER INTENT OF THE TALE-BEARERS IS OBVIOUS AT A GLANCE.

billion. Where will I get such money? Do I have access to such funds? It is part of mudslinging. Please clear this. I do not have any control of such cash, I did not order the transfer of N4 billion to the VP or to anybody,” a member of the investigating committee reportedly quoted Magu as saying.

Rather than provide proof, Ude clutched at straws and his response belied his true intention: getting the Vice President out of office. He said: “If he (Osinbajo) indeed wants to go to court, he needs to resign first, and sue me.”

Not done with his campaign, Ude again made a series of tweets on August 8, 2020 claiming in 2016, the VP connived with the Auditor-General, Anthony Mkpe Ayine and illegally took N10billion belonging to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) account.

Barely an hour later and, in a clearly coordinated plan, spokesperson of the Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, issued a statement lapping on the spurious claims calling on Vice President to step aside and “clear his name.”

Showing their connivance, Ude’s online portal was the first to publish the CUPP comments. Sensing that the allegations were false and perhaps because of Ude’s track record of falsehood against the Vice President, no serious media organisation published that story. Again Ude claimed that the EFCC’s Secretary worked with the Simons Cooper law firm where VP was a partner before he resigned to take the oath of office, insinuating that the VP planted him in EFCC to cut deals.

But the law firm asserted that the said secretary neither ever worked in nor even visited Simons Cooper! Weeks ago, Rudolf Okonkwo, aka Dr. Damages, ran a similar video clip attacking the Vice President based on a news report that had already been falsified. Okonkwo repeated a fake story and joined in the smear campaign against a truly honest public official.

Also featuring prominently in the campaign against the vice president is a former deputy publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Timi Frank. Last September 23, Frank accused Osinbajo of mismanaging N90 billion allegedly provided by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as campaign funds for 2019 elections.

He did not provide any evidence to support his claim, but challenged Prof Osinbajo to sue him regarding the allegation, a challenge which the vice president took up immediately. He also asked Osinbajo to resign for a thorough investigation and unbiased prosecution in court.

The vice president declared his readiness to waive his constitutional immunity to clear his name and instructed the commencement of legal action against Frank, and another Katch Ononuju, who put their names to the allegation. The FIRS has also since debunked Frank’s allegation, saying the agency’s annual allocation was not even up to N90 billion.

Interestingly, Osinbajo never tries to hug the limelight, but the few times he has, by providence, been cast into the public glare, he has been praised for being decisive. The actions he took while standing in for Buhari during the president’s holidays in the United Kingdom are reference points.

For instance, on May 18, 2016, Osinbajo, as Acting President signed an executive order on transparency and improving the business environment. It contained far-reaching initiatives to be implemented by MDAs to ensure easier access to information, processes and documentation, as well as promote efficiency in public service delivery.

Bello, a law practitioner, wrote from Abuja

THE BREWING STORM IN EDO Let the will of the people prevail, writes Asishana Bello

H

e is the chief security officer of the state yet set the stage for violence in the coming election. He roared early in August that, “… Nobody has (a) monopoly of violence. If they want violence, we will show them violence. So, if I see anybody, if you see anybody, smashing any car because my sticker or poster is on the car, let us know. We will show that person that we are in government…

“And I am sending a clear warning – very, very clear – if I find anybody misbehaving, no matter who you have been, I will arrest you and I will deal with you,” the governor said, in obvious reference to the gale of attacks lately in the state”.

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki does not give a damn if the state burns over his desperation to cling to power at all costs. He echoed the constitutional immunity he and his deputy, Philip Shuaibu enjoy as a license to act with impunity.

An instrument of law to protect the executive from frivolous distraction has become a tool of intimidation in the hands of a tyrant. No wonder a renowned transnational leadership expert, Myles Munroe of blessed memory says “When a purpose of a thing is unknown, abuse is inevitable”. But in the case of Obaseki, he knew but wanted to misuse his power since he wouldn’t pay for his action immediately.

True to his threats, Obaseki’s men went to work and turned the state on its head. They unleashed fury on the House of Assembly Complex and created anarchy. Obaseki was

fulfilling his threat that he will show whoever cares that he controls the reins of power in Edo. He ordered for the roof of the Assembly complex to be removed in a desperate move to prevent the House from sitting.

He feared that his sin might find him out.

He had earlier shut out 17 pro-APC lawmakers from the House. When the progressive lawmakers resolved to take back their constitutional rights, the governor got scared and he orchestrated chaos. He pulled down the roof and claimed he wanted to ‘remodel’ a non-defective roof.

The evil men were sent to prevent the 17 pro- APC lawmakers from conducting the legitimate legislative business of the day. The provocative invasion was part of the grand plan to turn the state into turmoil if APC had responded with violence but pro-APC members-elect thwarted the sinister plot and relocated to an undisclosed location in Benin City where they elected Mr Victor Edoror as Speaker, after impeaching, Mr. Frank Okiye who was unjustly forced on the majority.

The long arm of the law caught up with suspects. They were reportedly arrested with five double-barrel long guns, two single barrel long guns, and 10 live cartridges within the premises of the Assembly complex.

The Vice-Chairman, Media, and Publicity Committee of the All Progressives Congress National Campaign Council, Mr Patrick Obahiagbon, speaking on the despicable and reprehensive invasion said, “On this occasion, the governor supervised both the vandalism of the state House of Assembly by ordering

the removal of its rooftops, carting away public properties from the House of Assembly and tipping trucks of granite sand at the front of the gate of the House of Assembly’s premises.

“Why would the governor lead his party members and thugs to stop the majority members of the Edo State House of Assembly from having and enjoying a peaceful sitting following their constitutional obligations?

“We call on the police to conduct a transparent investigation on who were their sponsors and prosecute all those arrested and make sure the full weight of the law is brought to bear on those arrested and their sponsors”.

The police have already charged the suspects before court. The presiding judge, Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, ordered that the suspects be remanded in police custody till Sept. 3 when their plea would be taken.

It is very obvious that Obaseki is ready to go for broke in a desperate bid to hold on to power. The governor cares less if anarchy ensues in Edo and the state goes up in flames.

That is not his base, he was brought to power by benevolence of his predecessor. He has no strong affinity with the people.

Intimidation of opponents and blackmail won’t save Obaseki next month. He is busy blackmailing the opposition leaders yet stoking fire of violence underneath.

The needless over-heating of the polity by Obaseki and his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attracted the attention of the electoral umpire, the Independent National

Electoral Commission (INEC) and Amnesty International. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye said, “The Commission is documenting incendiary statements aimed at inflaming passion. The commission is also documenting violent acts and threats to the smooth conduct of elections.

“We will continue to emphasise and reiterate that the commission is a regulatory agency and not a political party and has no partisan political leaning. Political parties must realise and come to terms with the slippery constitutional timelines embedded in section 178(2) of the constitution.

“The commission will not condone the present slide towards violence and the present escalation of abusive, intemperate, slanderous and base language designed to provoke violent reactions”.

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, who is the chairman of the PDP’s campaign council in the Edo State gubernatorial poll is also not helping matters. Obaseki’s new godfather whose antecedent is well known had vowed to return Obaseki as governor.

Their desperation is always playing out in the suit to disqualify Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the candidate of the APC. The party saw the hand of Wike and raised the alarm calling for the withdrawal of the trial judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo on the basis of his closeness to Rivers State governor. Governor Obaseki should be advised that power is transient and the will of the people of Edo shall eventually prevail.

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ÍşÎ Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

The rage of heavens

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Lagos and the Coming Rains

A

t the outset of the year, experts had predicted that Lagos would witness more rains than it has even experienced. Surprisingly, however, it is like the heavens have shut its windows against rains in the past two months.

Considering the attendant challenges of rainfall in the metropolis, many residents would be quite relieved by the situation.

Experts have, however, cautioned that the current situation might not last for too long. Consequently, the state government has forewarned residents on imminent heavy rainfall from the beginning of September, with a pledge that it is intensifying actions to minimise the effects on Lagosians.

According to the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, work is ongoing on more than 200 secondary channels with over 80 percent at various stages of completion, just as 46 primary channels are presently receiving attention.

Bello further disclosed that the ongoing projects are in addition to the continuous work of the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang (EFAG) deployed round the state to undertake quick fixes to free manholes or clogged drains manually.

The commissioner affirmed that one of the new measures put in place to combat flash flooding is the provision of pumping stations, with a pilot model being planned for Ilubirin in Lagos Island, explaining that the stations will promptly pump out the water from flooded Neighbourhood to reduce the risk of damage to property.

Major flood-prone areas in the state that are natural buffers to the lagoon, like Isheri and its environs, Owode, Agboyi-Ketu, will also benefit from the initiative.

The efforts of the government in taking calculated precautionary measures to mitigate the effects of rains would best be appreciated by the discerning residents, considering Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; peculiar topography. For a coastal metropolis as Lagos, once it rains constantly for a minimum of eight hours, there is bound to be flashflood caused by the increasing inability of effective discharge into the lagoon, which is brought about by a rise

Snakes in Gombe State

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hy must the people of Gombe State, especially the in order to reduce movement to the in the ocean level.

Kaltungo province, continuously pin their hopes on barest minimum. In fact, if it could be This naturally leads to drainage obanti-venom shots as the best response to poisonous avoided, it is better not to drive while struction and, until the water level goes snakesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; infestation of their countryside? Is this a case down, the drainages would be unable to it is raining heavily. Similarly, residents of typical Nigerian unimaginativeness? The Kaltungo region discharge. This is what happens in most should maintain strict personal and of Gombe State and the Pankshin region of Plateau States are global coastal cities, including those who environmental hygiene at all times to notorious for lethal snakebites year-in year-out. avoid being victims of water borne have adopted the best of technological When I ponder on the Kaltungo-Biliri axis of Gombe diseases. advancements to curtail flooding.

State, I usually recall my barracks-boy contemporary, Dr. Since we now live in a hi-tech Experts are of the view that while Ayuba Dauda, who should be far advanced as a consultant information age, it is also imperative states like Ogun and Ekiti suffer from haematologist by now. Yet a simple, natural remedy to this urban and river flooding, Lagos is at the that people listen to news reports and menace is the introduction of the mammal mongoose into information on weather situations from receiving end of three types of floodthe wild in these regions. various available credible media. This ing - coastal, urban and river flooding According to informed sources, mongooses are noted for will aid in planning movements and because of its unique location. their audacious attacks on highly poisonous snakes. In fact, avoiding flood prone locations.

It has, thus, become imperative for it is generally held that they relish a meal of snake â&#x20AC;&#x153;dish.â&#x20AC;?

Also, in view of likely destructive residents of low-lying areas that are What is the government of Gombe State waiting for? thunder strikes that usually accompany contiguous to the Ogun River to be windy rainfall, residents are strongly prepared for the possibility of their Sunday Adole Jonah, advised to always disconnect all electrihomes being flooded.

Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, As always, the government is commit- cal appliances whenever they want to Minna, Niger State ted to a cleaner environment and quality sleep or go out. This will go a long way public health through implementation of in checkmating rain induced electrical debacles. Similarly, children should be community-based solid waste managediscouraged from touching electrical ment, flood control, vegetal control and equipment when wet. high standard of home and personal local newspaper has an article about a major Residents are enjoined to call 767 in hygiene, sanitation, control of environissue of concern to Sportspeople and their case of emergency as well as report all ment pollution (air, water and noise), partners. The partners are tired of being beautification and advertisement control. cases of drainage blockages, dumping of labelled as WAGs, Wives and Girlfriends, as waste into canals and other unauthorConsequently, its approach to they consider it demeaning and want to be labelled as ised places to the appropriate authority. tackling flooding is multi-faceted and SOs, Significant Others. To many this seems a rather silly multi-dimensional. It includes dredging, request given the real-world problems of COVID and Tayo Ogunbiyi, Deputy Director, massive construction and expansion of numerous conflicts and natural disasters. The two terms drainage channels, desilting and excava- Public Affairs, Ministry of Informacould be combined to SWAGs although that might not tion and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja tion of silts to dumpsites, regular repair, be flattering as in Australia that refers to a form of clearing and cleaning of bedding. drainages, canals and There should be some recognition of other collector drains across the labelling options with the LGBTQI communities state.

T H E S AT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R although none of the top-level male players have Currently, the governEDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE admitted to being a member of these communities. ment is combining public MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO A number of the players in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competiDEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE enlightenment strategies CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI tions are more honest. The only acronym that I to sensitize Lagosians EDITOR NATIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN could find that uses most of the letters is GASLIT on this development MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE and that seems appropriate as many of them may and had taken the time be gaslit by the media after their SOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career is to proffer solutions so over. that the volume of rains T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D What a lot of football WAGS or SOs forget is that being expected wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA there are literally about 3,000,000,000 other SOs have devastating effects GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, out there in the world and not many of them have on lives and property.

ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI sponsorships or companies wanting to give them Whenever it is DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE cars and expensive clothes. As many of them do observed that the DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI have a public voice and a social media presence, at intensity of the rains is SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH least for a few years, they could make a better use much, it is advisable ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO of their voices and help with many social issues. that people vacate flood CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for a bit of SOS - Save our Sanity.

DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO prone areas. Equally, HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA it is also important for Dennis Fitzgerald, the citizenry, especially TO SEND EMAIL: ďŹ rst name.surname@thisdaylive.com Melbourne, Australia children to stay indoors

Save Our Sanity

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

NEWS Ugwuaji Land Dispute: Enugu Govt Sets Up Panel of Inquiry

FAREWELL BAMIDELE OLUMILUA… L-R; Vice Chancellor bauchi state University, Mr. Auwalu Uba; Commissioner for agriculture and rural development Bauchi state, Samaila Adamu; Country L-R: Former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; former Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, during the funeral service for former Governor of old Ondo State, Evang. Bamidele Ishola Olumilua at the Great Expectations Hall, Ikere-Ekiti…yesterday.

The Enugu State Government has constituted a six-man Administrative Panel of Inquiry into the disputed land in Ugwuaji Community, in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state.

In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof.

Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, the panel which has Chief James Ikeyi, SAN, as Chairman, is to establish the true owner of the parcels of land in dispute as well as ascertain the entire area of disputed land.

Other terms of reference of the panel are “to ascertain individual claims or title to parcels of land in the disputed area” and “make any other finding that will ensure lasting peace in the area Prof. Ortuanya, who disclosed

that the setting up of the panel was approved by the State Executive Council in its 10th meeting held on Friday, August 21, 2020, added that it was expected to complete its assignment within two months.

“To this end, all claims to, and/or activities on the disputed parcels of land should cease forthwith until final submission of panel’s report and state government’s disposal action on the matter,” the statement said.

Other members of the panel are: Brigadier General Godwin Ugwoke (Rtd); Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu; Mr. Godwin Ishiwu (Surveyor General, Enugu State); Mr. Chudi Ozokolo and Mr. Robinson Odoh, who serves as the Secretary.

$15m Modular Refinery Begins Operation NextYear in Delta Gunmen Abduct Four in Kaduna Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Indications have emerged that one of the modular refineries expected to complement existing structures in petroleum products refining in the country will commence its operations as early as August 2021.

Managing Director, Alexis Refinery, Mr. Joewy Obue, disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen at the end of an all-inclusive stakeholders scoping workshop on Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA), yesterday in Asaba, to determine the likely positive or negative impact of the

John Shiklam in Kaduna

proposed Alexis (Modular) Refinery project located at Abuator, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.

Obue assured that the modular project was conceived and designed as business enterprise that had taken adequate steps to avoid the pitfalls of the past where communities were pitted against oil companies.

He said that the Delta State Government with at least 10 per cent equity shares, the primary host community of Abuator, the neighbouring communities of Abalaga, Aboh, Beneku and Okpai as well as the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Content

Management and Development Commission (NCMDC) were among stakeholders in the project.

“The communities are an integral part of part of the project; they are stakeholders in the project. They are all being carried along in the spirit of the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) with a lot of local content,” he stated.

In his comments, Executive Assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Economic Planning, Dr. Kingsley Emu, said that the state government would not only ensure that an enabling environment was provided but would also

ensure that the local economy is protected, in terms of fair share and jobs.

“Delta State Government has at least 10 per cent equity shares in the project, which has already been approved by the State EXCO,” Emu stressed, adding, “That definitely is a major commitment to the project.”

Speaking earlier, a representative of Alexis Refinery, Mr. Duru Ikechukwu, explained that the site for the project at Abuator in Ndokwa East was chosen on the advice of Agip, which would also field the refinery with the projected 10,000 barrels of crude to be refined daily.

Buhari Pledges Sustained Support for Chad-based MNJTF Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that Nigeria would continue to support the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) based in N’djamena, Chad Republic, despite being at “the low ebb of resources caused

by COVID-19 and fallen oil prices.”

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi

Adesina, said his principal made the promise in the State House while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Head of MNJTF Mission, Ambassador Mamman Nuhu.

Buhari, the statement said, noted that despite Nigeria’s lean resources, the security of Nigeria and that of its neighbours must be accorded its own pride of

place, “so I will consult with all the relevant officials, and we will do our best.”

Adesina said Nuhu at the meeting, gave the president updates on the proposed recharge of Lake Chad, which he said was one of the priorities of Lake Chad Basin Commission.

He said Nuhu noted Buhari’s “great passion” for those priorities, telling him about the support of

the governments of China and Italy and expressed optimism that positive actions would commence soon.

The statement added that Nuhu also commended countries that have contributed troops to MNJTF, noting that “kinetic military approach alone would not eradicate insurgency, and emphasis must also be placed on the root causes, particularly poverty.”

Dissolve Cabinet, Remove Ministers Politicking for 2023, President Buhari Told

Emir of Kano Preaches Love, Tolerance, Cultural Beliefs

Ahamefula Ogbu

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A non-governmental advocacy group, National Council for Democratic Development (NCDD), has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to rejig his cabinet and offload those mired in quest for 2023 political contest as they had allegedly abandoned his agenda for personal ambitions.

The group said it observed with dismay that the cardinal programmes of the president were being sacrificed on the altar of personal ambitions leading to strides made especially in agriculture and anti-corruption crusade to stall.

The advocacy group in a statement by its Executive Director, Prince Nweze Onu, said since 2023 was still far, such political distraction could tell poorly on the performance of the President’s agenda which necessitated the call.

“Our organisation has followed keenly, the performance of President Buhari and have identified

huge gains and progress made on agriculture and infrastructural development. The fight against corruption has steadily been confronted with the right spirit and commitment.

“We have also observed that while President Buhari is working round the clock to deliver on his campaign promises to Nigerians, some of his appointed ministers manning sensitive ministries are not helping him in that regard. We observed with dismay, that certain ministers are already launching political organisations to actualise their 2023 agenda.

“The implication of this deviation is that government infrastructure and instrument is now being used to serve the political agenda of these ministers thereby affecting the discharge of their given mandate. It is in the news that one of the ministers recently, launched a political organisation with visible posters and office for his 2023 Presidential election. Such is a distraction and abuse of trust.

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, yesterday in Ilorin called on Nigerians to continue to love each other irrespective of their tribes or cultural backgrounds so as to enhance the socio well-being and political development of the nation.

The monarch arrived Ilorin on Thursday and was received by a mammoth crowd at Ilorin International Airport.

He was on three days official visit to Ilorin emirate and was received at the palace by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

However, speaking at the Government House, Ilorin, during a courtesy call on the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the royal father said that, “ Nigerians should remain united and assist each other at all times.”

He explained that, “if God had wanted us to come from

one single tribe and culture he would have done it.

“We should see each other as one irrespective of our tribes.”

Alhaju Bayero expressed appreciation to the people of Kwara State for the warm reception granted him during his visit In his remark, AbdulRazaq said the monarch’s visit would rekindle the long tie that existed between Kano and Ilorin emirate.

He said the traditional institutions of the two states had also contributed in the reshaping of agriculture and commerce among other areas.

AbdulRazaq said the state government would ensure more collaboration that will engender growth and development in the states.

He however called for strengthening of traditional institutions to enable them contribute in the introduction of community policing in the country.

Four people, including a 14-year-old girl and two security personnel have been abducted by gunmen in Mararaban Rido area of Kaduna metropolis by suspected bandits.

The bandits also attacked the residence of the Chairman of the Kaduna North Local Government Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Elijah Dreams, which is located in the area.

The incident was said to have occurred at about 12 midnight on Thursday when the hoodlums invaded the area. According the CAN chairman, two security personnel, a 14-year-old girl and one other man were abducted.

Dreams said his house came under heavy attack as the gunmen attempted to force it open, but luckily for him they did not succeed.

He said they rained bullets on the door and hit it several times but they didn’t succeed as God

helped him.

Dream said, “The kidnappers came around 12 midnight on Thursday and attempted to forcefully enter my house. They rained bullets at the door and hit it several times but God helped us and they could not open the door.

“They abducted personnel of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corp, a police officer, a 14-year-old girl and one other person.

“While the incident was going on, I called the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs and he alerted the police, but before they could come, the hoodlums had finished their operation and left.”

The clergy man lamented the increasing rate of abductions in the area, saying residents live in perpetual fear of gunmen who break into homes at will to abduct people for ransom.

Last week, six people, including two nursing mothers were abducted when gunmen broke into a hotel in the neighbouring Damishi community.

Adopt Proactive Infrastructural Rebirth in Aba, Ikpeazu Told A non-governmental organization, Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) has charged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State to adopt proactive measures to rebuild collapsed infrastructure of Aba, the once productive commercial centre of the South-east.

The body in a statement by its Executive Director, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said Abia State was blessed with such a commercially viable centre which could make the state to be economically viable even without other revenue sources.

“Undoubtedly, anyone from the Southeastern part of Nigeria will easily tell how economically viable the city of Aba is, which dates back to history. Ever before the establishment of a British military post there in 1901, Aba was a traditional market town for the Igbo race.

“When the incumbent Governor Okezie Ikpeazu mounted the saddle of governance in the state in 2015, he quickly unveiled his roadmap for the state with special emphasis on industrialisation and infrastructural revolution for the commercial town of Aba, the industrial capital and entrepreneur centre of Nigeria.

“Despite these lofty promises by the current administration, there hasn’t been sufficient investment in the city necessitating concerns that Aba, which previously was the industrial and production centre for most of the locally manufactured goods in Nigeria and saw buyers from across West Africa trooping in mass to the city is gradually losing its economic attraction due to continuous neglect, poor management and lack of deliberate efforts towards infrastructural revolution.

“HURIWA has tasked the Abia State Governor; His Excellency Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to be more pragmatic in acting on the issues bordering on the development of Aba as it will go a long way in justifying the confidence the people reposed in him based on his lofty promises to them,” they said.

Onwubiko, regretted there were no good roads to transport manufactured goods and other services adding that the more troubling, that streets and roads in the city, which were in deplorable conditions, are pest-ridden with dirt, including artificial marshes and mountainous roadside refuse dumpsites.

SATURDAY AUGUST 29, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾AUGUST 29, 2020

NEWS

to Introduce ‘Z-file’ Buhari Redeploys 12 Permanent Secretaries INEC for Credibility in Edo Poll Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the redeployment of 12 permanent secretaries and the deployment of 28 others in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The latest exercise was communicated in a circular issued yesterday by the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan.

Yemi-Esan said the handling and taking over processes should be completed on the effective dates indicated in the statement.

Those affected included Chinyeaka Christian Ohaa, who was

redeployed from FCT Administration to Ministry of Power with effect from August 27, 2020; William Alo from Ministry of Labour and Employment to Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs; Olusade Adesola, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to FCTA; Esther Walson-Jack, Ministry of Power to Water Resources; Ernest Umakhine, Office of Head of Service CSO to Works and Housing; and Abel Enitan, Federal Civil Service Commission to Ministry of Environment.

Also redeployed were Maurice Mbaeri from Police Affairs to OSGF GSO; Festus Daudu, Special Duties to Head of Service CSO;

Dr Magdalene Ajani, Head of Service PSO to Ministry of Transportation; Nebolisa Anako, Police Service Commission to Ministry of Information and Culture; Ahmed Aliyu , Ministry of Finance (Special Duties) to Ministry of Finance and Temitope Fashedemi, Head of Service to Ministry of Police Affairs.

Those freshly deployed were Babangida Hussaini, Ministry of Defence; Dr Yerima Tarfa, Labour and Employment; Dr Kumo Ardo, Niger Delta Affairs; Dr Adaora Anyanwutaku, Women Affairs; Dr Anthonia Akpabio Ekpa, Foreign Affairs and Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade, Mines

and Steel Development.

The rest included Aliyu Mohammed, OSGF Special Service; Dr Emmanuel Meribole, Head of Service PSO; Monilola Udoh, Federal Civil Service Commission; Mamman Mahmuda, Head of Service Carrier Management Office; Bashir Nura Alkali, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Dr Shuaib Belgore, Ministry of Interior.

Those retained included Adedayo Apata, who remained at Ministry of Justice; Dr Abdulkadir Muazu, a one time medical doctor of the Super Eagles, also retained his office as the Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that in addition to the card reader authentication, it was going to deploy another innovation called the “Zip with Z-file.”

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, INEC National Chairman made the disclosure in Benin City, capital of Edo State while addressing staff of the Commission.

He explained that the Zip with Z-file, was a tablet with a camera, which at the end of voting and sorting out of ballots, will take a picture and transmit same to a dedicated portal for everyone to view the polling unit result live and direct.

His words: “The Z-file is a tablet with camera that captures the entire voting exercise in every polling unit. It functions in such a way that at the end of the process after voting has been concluded and sorted out, the ballots counted, the picture of the form ECBA would be taken and transmitted to a dedicated portal so that Nigerians can view the polling unit results live and direct by those closed to the polling units.”

He said the innovation was deployed at the Nasarawa State

Central Federal Constituency byelection that before the declaration of results, Nigerians were able to view the few clean results of the polling units.

“It was a great enhancement of the previous elections and this is the major election after the Nasarawa State by-election, so Edo will set the pace for the conduct of other major by-elections and we look forward to a successful not transmission but availability on form ECBA for public views on election day.

The INEC boss admonished staff of the Commission on the need to be neutral in all their doings during the exercise stressing, “Neutrality and professionalism are very important as we are not supporting any political party or the candidate and we are not against any political party or the candidate either.

“Our concern is the integrity and transparency of the process.

The choice of who became the governor of Edo State is entirely in the hands of Edo people and we are going to protect the process,” he said.

Stressing the importance of opening the polling unit early because the period of election had been adjusted in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.

Akwa Ibom NUJ Bars Journalists against FFK Visit Okon Bassey inUyo

FOR GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE...

L-R: Project Manager, State NEWMAP, Barr. Vincent Obeta; Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Chairman of Ezeagu Local Government Area, Hon. Chukwudi Ani; and former Chairman of the council, Hon. Fred Ezinwa, when the governor inspected an erosion ravaged road in Obinofia, Ezeagu LGA, Yesterday

Quantity Surveyors Disown UNILAG Kwara Commissioner Resigns over Local Govt Funds Alumnus Convicted of Rape Bennett Oghifo The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), the umbrella body for all Quantity Surveyors in the country, has disowned Mr. John Osagie Otema who has been sentenced to 50 years’ imprisonment for raping a 19-year old student of the University of Lagos.

The President of the Institute, Mohammed Abba Tor, FNIQS, made the clarification in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday, saying Mr. Otema is not a Quantity Surveyor.

Tor made reference to several reports which referred to the convict as a “Quantity Surveyor and a facility Manager.” The report said Otema was found guilty by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on two-counts of rape and harming his victim, a 19-year-old student of the University of Lagos.

But the NIQS President, in a state-

ment titled, “Re: UNILAG Alumnus Jailed 50 Years for Raping Student on Campus” noted that Otema is not a member of the Institute.

The statement reads in part, “It is necessary to inform the public that as the professional body saddled with the responsibility of training, regulating and continuously enhancing ethical standards and technical competence of Quantity Surveying practice in Nigeria, we can say without any fear of equivocation that convict under reference, Mr. Otema is not a Quantity Surveyor.

“Available record shows that Mr. Otema was at no time either trained or certified by the Institute to practice the profession of Quantity Surveying in Nigeria.”

The statement added that the Institute would never harbour or spare any of its members that commit crime, emphasising that the NIQS is a responsible body run by a strict code of ethics.

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The crisis over the alleged diversion of N300m local government funds in Kwara State yesterday took another dimension as the state Commissioner for Special Duties, Hajia Aisha Ahman Pategi, resigned from the cabinet of the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq with immediate effect.

The government however accepted her resignation and wished her well in her future endeavours.

Hajia Pategi was a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs before she was moved to Special Duties by the governor following the altercation that ensued between her and her counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Florence Oyeyemi over the alleged monthly diversion of the local government funds without due process.

Already, the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRazaq has set up a commission

of inquiry headed by retired Justice Mathew Adewara to look into the alleged diversion of the N300m local government funds.

Various stakeholders in the local government administration in the state have appeared before the panel and made submission that, no funds was diverted as being allegedly raised in certain quarters in the state.

Also, the chairman of the panel, Justice Adewara has decried the non-submission of memorandum by the people of the state to the panel In her letter of resignaton and addressed to the governor, dated Friday 28th August, 2020, obtained by journalists in Ilorin and signed personally by her said , “I, Aisha Ahman Pategi, the outgoing Hon. Commissioner for Special Duties, effective from today, Friday 28th August, 2020, humbly wish to formally announce my resignation from the cabinet of His Excellency, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

Aero Begins Abuja-Kaduna Shuttle from September 1, 2020 Chinedu Eze

Nigeria’s oldest carrier, Aero Contractors will from September 1, 2020 begin shuttle services from Kaduna to Abuja in response to the yearnings of its customers, as travellers from the Northern states capital have shunned travelling by road due to potential security threats.

The airline said providing the

shuttle had become necessary as business is picking up after COVID-19 lockdown, necessitating increasing movement of people between the Federal Capital Territory and Kaduna.

After shunning travelling by road, Nigerians from Kaduna resorted to travelling to Abuja by rail but the rail system can no more meet the high demand of commuters, thereby making air shuttle necessary.

Aero Contractors said it will deploy its Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft and will fly from Kaduna to Abuja twice daily, in the morning and in the evening.

The airline’s decision to shuttle between the two cities has become a huge relief to businessmen and women, administrators and many others who traverse between the two cities regularly whose travel plans

have been hampered by security fears and the struggle to travel by train.

The CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi said that the airline decided to respond to the call of its customers to introduce the shuttle service and also contribute in boosting the economy of Kaduna State with the service after the Coronavirus lockdown.

The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) yesterday directed its members to boycott any press conference planned for Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation during his visit to the state.

In a statement, the chapter asked journalists not to attend any activity organised by the former minister.

This came days after FaniKayode insulted a journalist for asking him what he described

as a “stupid question” at a press conference after his tour of Cross River State.

The directive to all chapels in the state was singed by the state chairman, Amos Etuk and Secretary, Dominic Akpan. “line with the disposition of the national leadership of our great Union, the State Council has directed that no journalist should attend a media parley with Femi Fani-Kayode or any of his activity at any location in Akwa Ibom State.

“The NUJ is not part of the visit,” said the statement.

Stakeholders Commend Runsewe for Composition of Sub-Committees on Creative Industry Charles Ajunwa The all-inclusive composition of sub-Committees on the implementation of creative industry intervention by the Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, has attracted commendations from stakeholders in the industry.

Otunba Runsewe who is the Chairman of Central Implementation Committee for Creative Industry inaugurated recently by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, rolled out a comprehensive list of sub-Committees to capture the entire gamut of the sector, with intent to address the needs and expectations of the players.

The 13 sub-Committees are drawn from culture and tourism, media industry, Hollywood, writers, travel professionals, tourist boat operators, hotels, resort owners, artistes, ICT, fashion designers and many others.

Unveiling the sub-Committees in a brief ceremony in Abuja, Runsewe stated that time had come for the industry to build bridges and work together for the speedy growth of

the sector and to benefit Nigerian people.

He commended the minister for the selfless and committed service to the industry and for helping to reposition the industry by putting together the framework to address the immediate and future impact of COVID-19 on the industry.

The NCAC boss noted that the creative sector was very broad and massive in content and context hence the need to approach the implementation of post-COVID-19 interventions with all hands on deck in order to avoid rancour and divisive sentiments which could jeopardise the progressive intentions of the federal government and stall efforts to build a formidable and competitive industry.

Speaking on the initiative, President of National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mrs. Susan Akporiare, shared in the vision behind the setting up the 13 sub-Committees, adding that it’s only Runsewe that has proven over the years to give answers to the many challenges confronting the industry in Nigeria.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ΁˜ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

This is the Original Cuppy Chris Iheuwa I Was Bitten By the Acting Bug During FESTAC ‘77 pg. 20

‘King of Boys’ Sequel Excites Nse Ikpe-Etim pg. 21

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ΁˜ 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

This is the Original Cuppy DJ Cuppy’s hotly anticipated debut album “Original Copy” was released during the week. The exciting 12-track album, with a sound she describes as “neoAfrobeats”, features 14 guest artistes, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

F

inally… after many weeks to months of exciting tease, Nigeria’s finest female disc jockey, singer, producer, philanthropist, and Apple Music Radio host, Florence Otedola, better known as DJ Cuppy, released her debut album, “Original Copy”. The recording artiste had some days back unveiled the 12 tracks on the album ahead of her ‘Original Copy’ project, which has shocked the music industry. The positive reviews that followed the albun’s release have been unprecedented.

With a track list stacked with West African talents, some based at home and some over in the UK, DJ Cuppy’s debut album has been highly anticipated, for over a year now, by both fans and critics. ‘Original Copy’ features an array of collaborations and sees Cuppy tap into a sound she describes as “neo-Afrobeats”, with themes ranging from independence, to love lost and African pride with good impression to fans and lots of top features. The ‘Original Copy’ album features 14 artistes in all, among which is Nigerian music star, Rema and Tanzanian recording artiste, Rayvanny who were featured in the first single off the album. The ‘Jollof On The Jet’ lead single charted in over 15 countries, and the recently-released ‘Karma’ featured award-winning dancehall star Stonebwoy.

Other songs on the album have titles such as ‘Epe’ featuring Efya; ‘Labalaba’ featuring Seyi Shay; ‘Wale’ featuring Wyclef Jean; ‘Cold Heart Killer ’, featuring Darkoo; ‘P.O.Y’ featuring YCEE & Ms Banks; Litty Lit with Teni; Feel Good with Fireboy DML and the title track ‘Original Copy’ as interlude. Beginning with a mission statement to rep roots, whilst creating globally appealing sounds, using a concoction of music influences, on the ‘Epe’, DJ Cuppy starts the album with a strong afro-house groove that reminds one of where the experienced DJ started.

Epe’, which emerges an intro, sets the bar incredibly high for the rest of the project. Further star-studded tracks include Grammy winner Wyclef Jean making an appearance on the feelgood ‘Wale’ and Bob Marley’s son, Julian, linking up with Nigerian favorite Sir Shina Peters on the cross-continental anthem ‘54’.

The project also features UK breakout stars Ms Banks and Darkoo.

Creating this body of work was a journey for Cuppy: “I went back to my roots, where I am from (Epe in Lagos State) and mixed with the locals for inspiration. I visited my family’s farm and recorded lots of ambient and animal sound samples.

If you listen very carefully, you can hear these in each track”.

Beaming about the arrival of her album, Cuppy adds: “I am so proud that the album is now out.

For me it’s not about numbers and statistics and charts. It’s about the fact that I was able to focus

‘Original Copy’ album cover

and actually achieve my dream of having an album. So honestly, I’m already happy regardless of what happens. Nonetheless, I encourage everyone to join this journey and I hope they enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed making this album.”

Cuppy, the Apple Music Radio host has quickly risen through the ranks to assume a supreme lead role as a global pan-African tastemaker.

With her loveable personality and undeniable hard work ethic, she has embarked on a number of projects, including her Cuppy Takes Africa Tour. ‘Original Copy’ body of work

brings together some of Africa’s most star-studded artistes for a celebration of the continent’s ever-growing influence on the global music scene.

Initially making a name for herself as an afro-house DJ, Cuppy’s first venture into music-making, over six years into her DJing career, came as an instant hit. With the Tekno assist on “Green Light” back in 2017, DJ Cuppy’s music debut was an inescapable bop, thus building her catalogue as an afro-pop curator with singles featuring artistes like Zlatan, Sarkodie and many more.

Full track list: 1. Epe ft Efya 2. Jollof on the Jet ft Rema & Ray Vanny 3. Wale ft Wyclef 4. Feel Good ft. Fireboy 5. Cold Heart Killer ft Darkoo 6. Original Copy *Interlude* 7. Karma ft Stonebwoy 8. Litty Lit ft Teni 9. 54 ft Sir Shina Peters & Julian Marley 10. Guilty Pleasure ft Nonso Amadi 11. P.O.Y. ft Ycee & Ms Banks 12. Labalaba ft Seyi Shay.

19

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ΁˜2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Tiwa Savage’s WaZoBia Looks The release of Tiwa Savage’s next album “Celia” is around the corner. So, she has been dishing out sensual behind-the-scene pictures, plus visuals from the video shoots, leaving her fans longing for the upcoming album. This week, Tiwa rolled out WaZoBia photos of herself from the visuals of “Koroba”, one of the songs in the album. They are indeed, gorgeous

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ΁˜2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR Chris Iheuwa

I Was Bitten By the Acting Bug During FESTAC ‘77 The beautiful story of Nollywood won’t be complete without mentioning Chris Iheuwa. Chris has journeyed with Nollywood from cradle to where the industry stands now. Chris began his acting career with Village Headmaster series. He went on to feature in blockbuster movies such as Rattle Snake in 1995, Phone Swap in 2012 and Joba in 2019, among others. Having made a mark in English Nollywood segment, he is now making a statement in Yoruba movies genre. Chris recently clocked fifty. In this interview with Chinedu Ibeabuchi, he shares his sojourn

H

ow did your acting story start?

I was bitten by the acting bug when I witnessed with my parents some stage plays during the FESTAC ‘77 festival at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu in Lagos. I went on to participate in various stage plays including Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, Arrow of God, The Lion and the Jewel, The Gods Are Not to Blame and several other stage plays at the National Arts Theatre and other stage venues across Nigeria. My TV initiation started with roles in The New Dawn Club, Glimpses, Ripples, Checkmate, The Third Eye, and The Village Headmaster where I played alongside Dejumo Lewis, late Elsie Olushola, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Layode and a host of others. I also featured in Amaka Igwe’s Rattlesnake where I played the multi lingual crook Bala, a member of the notorious Armadas robbery gang and Fuji House of Commotion as Taiye Fuji and later as the Assistant Director.

Incidentally, it was on the set of Fuji House of Commotion that I got the role of Nkem in my first Yoruba movie, Temi Ni Nkem, alongside Bukky Wright, Segun Arinze, Ngozi Nwosu and Ejike Asiegbu.

I have featured in several other Yoruba movies and even directed three till date – Ipade in 2019, Magun a short film in early 2020 and recently The End Game.

It’s not common to see Igbo Nollywood veterans spreading their wings to Yoruba movie industry. What’s the inspiration behind this?

I grew up in Lagos and Oyo States – Ibadan and Orile Iganmu respectively – and this has afforded me the opportunity to speak and write the Yoruba language. Also, I was able to familiarise myself with the culture and tradition of the western part of Nigeria. Somehow this makes me feel like I am part of this terrain.

Would you say you are accomplished?

No, I am not. There are many scripts I have written that I am yet to either shoot as a film or put on stage as an actor. There are many actors and directors I am yet to work with and many awards and nominations I am yet to get. So quite frankly, I am many

there. But only the folks with quality and professionalism will have their boats sail or else be anchored at the harbour. Jobs are created every day and even the veterans are being rejuvenated and rediscovered daily. We recently had a stage performance of Village Headmaster. All the veterans who are alive graced the stage commemorating the 50th anniversary of the creation of The Village Headmaster. These veterans even outshone some younger ones.

So, basically, we can never run out of talents both as cast and crew and, this would surely enhance the quality of the Nollywood industry.

Thus far, what’s the highpoint of your career?

This may sound funny but there’s non for now. There is plenty of time maybe in a few years’ time when we probably have another chat, we will discuss high points, but if there’s any, it’s the fact that I am alive.

Tell us about your beautiful family Hahahaha, my brigade of guards.

I have a lovely wife who’s a banker.

Together we have five beautiful kids – three boys and two girls. The last two are a set of twins. All the kids one time or the other have either been on stage or acted in a movie or two.

Chris Iheuwa

things but accomplished.

You recently celebrated your 50th birthday. What are you most grateful for?

Life, family and being able to shift from a profession to another almost seamlessly. There are mates who aren’t alive and juniors who have left but here we are. Should I say thank God! If given the opportunity to turn back the hands of time, what would you do differently?

Afforded the opportunity of a second chance at life, I would probably do some things differently. However, since I am alive, I give thanks and

appreciate the opportunity to look at the present state and make the best of today so that I don’t say in 20 years’ time, I wish I did this or did that

As a veteran, what worries you most in the way things are done in today’s Nollywood.

Mediocrity. Some people are still stuck in their ancient ways, cliques and cabals. Believe it or not, it exists.

You also have people who believe that they are holier than the pope or more up there than Steven Spielberg or Anthony Fuqua or some Hollywood big shot. Maybe it has a lot to do with age or signs of the time, but it would be easier to get a Tade Ogidan or an Ngozi Nwosu or even an Olu Jacobs to sit and chat with you than it would be for the younger ones today.

At 50, are you living your dreams? Or you are enjoying a Let’s define Chris Iheuwa now dream you stumble into?

Definitely the dream. I studied at 50 vs 20yrs ago.

Chris is a much wiser person, more Theatre Arts from Diploma to Masters and presently practising what I read. mature and tolerating. Over the years, I have learnt to manage my emotions What else can I say? and expectations. Stuff I used to do Having come this far, what before I do no more, but there are future do you see for Nollywood? three things I need to do or start The future is bright. From NTA to doing or do better which are: Learn pay-tv, to Amazon and now NETFLIX. to swim better, take more risks and Opportunities are bound here and read the bible more often.

21

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ΁˜2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

‘King of Boys’ Sequel Excites Nse Ikpe-Etim As the news of the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster movie ‘King of Boys’ gathers momentum, it gladdens the fans of Nse Ikpe-Etim that the screen actress will be among the lead cast. The Nollywood star tells Ferdinand Ekechukwu what fans can expect

T

he upcoming ‘King of Boys’ sequel will feature new faces, mostly from the just concluded #KOBstayHomeChallenge.

Nollywood star, Nse Ikpe-Etim is one of them. She recently shared her excitement on this project with showbizflair: “This year has been a mixture of all sorts. So many interesting projects and KOB (King of Boys) has added to the excitement I have felt. Just butterflies in my belly. It’s always an honour to work with great talent and this I have gotten; looking forward to so much more.”

Ikpe-Etim first shared a photo of her script with an inscription by Kemi Adetiba which reads, ‘To the incredible talented Nse… Can’t wait to create magic w/you!!!” The actress further confirmed that she would join other Nollywood celebrities set to star in the forthcoming “King of Boys”. “It’s official. I am joining the ‘King of Boys’ family on its sequel. Thank you @kemiadetiba for your inspiring work and I cannot wait to create magic with you and the rest of the team,” Nse posted on her Instagram page.

The 2018 political thriller tells the story of Alhaja Eniola Salami (played by Sola Sobowale), a businesswoman and philanthropist with a promising political future. She is drawn into a struggle for power which in turn threatens everything around her as a result of her growing political ambitions. To come out of this on top, she is caught up in a game of trust, not knowing whom really to look up to, and this leads to her ruthlessness. The gist of Nse starring in the movie gladdens the fans of the screen actress.

The co-producer, writer and director of the film, Kemi Adetiba had days back announced that Nse, alongside Nollywood actors Richard Mofe-Damijo and Efe Iwara are among the top cast to feature in the second part ‘King of Boys’.

According to Kemi Adetiba, the actress will play the role of Jumoke Randle.

“Love notes to a Spectacular Actor!!!

Been wanting to work with you. Nse for so so long I finally get the chance, and can’t wait for you all to meet Mrs. Jumoke Randle. Wife to Governor Tunde Randle! Oh what a character!!! The King of Boys might have her hands full in this sequel,” Adetiba’s post revealed.

On the first part of the movie, Nse describes it as “Bold and defiant,” adding that she liked it for its unconventionality. “I liked it. Non conformity is my default. Actually I loved it...” Nse’s extraordinary acting, her gracefulness, mystery, and beautiful interpretation of roles make her a beloved of Nigerian film lovers. Interestingly, as an allround actor who has grown over the years and made her mark in the film industry, Nse has lived the life she constantly watched on the screen even though she had no knowledge of how to achieve them.

As much as she has played so many roles in diverse films, for most actors, there seem to be a favourite character

Nse Ikpe-Etim

they have lived. One film that stands out to her is the silent film, “A Hotel called Memory.” She explains in a recent interview on the Akin Omotosho and Ego Boyo feature.

“The silence of my character was everything. It helped me deal with my health issues at the time, plus it was

something I’d always wanted to do… a dream come true.”

Another striking thing about the actor is the way she exudes confidence. Nse, who ran back to Nigeria following the global tension occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, expresses her feelings that she misses home and just can’t wait

to go back to the UK. “Just can’t wait to go home… Home is where my heart and family is,” she reiterates. “I can’t wait to go home. I say again.” Asked if she’s carrying a UK passport, she quipped. . . “Just residency. No rush. . . It takes 10 years to get a British passport; it’s not America.”

22

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ΁˜ 2020

AUTO Toyota Upgrades Popular SUV,Workhorse Models

Nord car

Nord Auto Assembly Plant Debuts in Nigeria, Guarantees Lower Cost Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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nautocompanyhassetupshop to roll-out wholly Nigerian model of cars, assembled by Nigerians.

A statement by officials said the Nord assembly plant is located in Sangotedo in Lagos, on a 2,100 square meters of land, and that it is constructing another plant at Epe, on 3,400 square meters of land, recently acquired.

They said the Epe assembly complex is being prepared to meet the growing automotive market and increasing customer demand, according to Oluwatobi Ajayi, Chairman and Chief Executive of Nord Automobiles Limited.

He said Nord Automobiles Limited evolved based on the need for a remarkable made-inNigeria automobile brand, adding that the huge investment targets low and middle income earners, including corporate organisations, and that it would make it easy for hardworking Nigerians to buy and use new vehicles.

Ajayi said models that would rollout of the new assembly plant include the Nord Tank Pick-up, Max Pick-Up, Flit bus, Aso Truck, Lasgi big bus,A3 sedan,A5 SUV, Yarn family/business shuttle, Tripper bus, Bolt bus, Ben SUV, Urban sedan, among others that are being designed.

He said the journey to setting up the Nord automobile assembly plant followed several inspection visits, series of discussions and subsequent approvals from the relevant supervising federal government’s ministries, departments and agencies.

These include the federal ministry of trade and investment, the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), federal ministry of finance, budget and national planning, and the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS).

Nord was incorporated in 2017 as a Nigerian automotive manufacturer/assembler with headquarters in Lagos.

He said Nord brand takes the Nigerian environment into consideration, stating that he nurtured the dream to give Nigerians the

best of automobiles in 2016 while he was the managing director of Jetvan Automobiles Limited.

He said all the vehicles would be durable and elegant, and competitively priced. “They have low total cost of ownership compared to the competition. That is why we are confident that the Nord vehicles would soon be household names in Nigeria.”

The company’s operations, he said focuses on delivering quality expertise in the value chain of the entire auto assemblage which includes the design, sourcing, development, assembling, distribution, marketing, provision of sales and after-sales service of their unique Nigerian branded automobiles.

He said Nord Company has foreign partners and that they were collaborating with some of the biggest automotive firms in Europe and Asia, “which offer the company an edge in its pursuit to deliver durable, safe, reliable and affordable vehicles for Nigerians and give buyers of the brand good value for money.”

CFAO Offers N1m Discount for Suzuki Vehicles

C

FAO Motors, sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in Nigeria, has unveiled a special COVID Business Support package for Suzuki vehicles to all corporate organisations in any part of the

country.

Suzuki is a Japanese auto brand which has been in existence for over 65 years and sold in different countries.

According to the General Manager of Suzuki

by CFAO, Mrs. Aissatou Diouf, “This package which is aimed at providing succor to corporate organisations because of the negative effect on their businesses as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, will offer N1 million discount for some models of Suzuki vehicles betweenAugust 15 and September 30.”

With this package, corporate organisations are entitled to the N1 million discount when they purchase any of these Suzuki models- Alto, Dzire or Ciaz within the given period. All three models are suitable for corporate organisations as official vehicles for executives or pool cars.

The Suzuki Ciaz is a 1.5 litre engine luxury sized sedan; the Suzuki Dzire is a medium sized sedan with a 1.2 litre engine displacement, while the Alto is a small smart city car.

Since CFAO Motors secured the exclusive franchise for Suzuki vehicles in the country last year, it has unveiled a couple of mouthwatering packages and incentives for sales and after-sales.

Key among the packages is the trade-in

Suzuki Alto option which gives owners of vehicles the opportunity to trade-in any brand of vehicle for a brand new Suzuki vehicle. CFAO Motors is also partnering with major Nigerian banks to offer finance scheme.

The company is also offering a water-tight service package which guarantees quality servicing, genuine spare parts, as well as after-sales pick-up and drop off service in Lagos.

Aside the Alto, Dzire and Ciaz, CFAO Motors also sells other reliable Suzuki models like the Jimny, Vitara, Swift, Baleno and the Ertiga. All Suzuki models are sold with 3 years /100,000

kilometer warranty, and CFAO Motors offers Test Drives to prospect customers to experience the Suzuki range.

CFAO is a key player in specialised distribution in Africa and the French overseas territories and a partner of choice for major international brands. The Group is a market leader in automotive and pharmaceutical distribution and continues to grow in consumer goods, new technology, and energy solutions. CFAO has a direct presence in 36 African countries and provides a gateway to 49 of the 54 countries that make up the African continent.

Toyota has reinforced its “continuous improvement” mantra by introducing new features that advance the appeal of its stylish C-HR crossover, 4WD LandCruiser 70 Series workhorse and its best-selling RAV4 SUV. C-HR benefits from a significant upgrade to safety and convenience, while the LC70 Series range is equipped for the first time with satellite navigation and RAV4 gains new features that further enhance its comfort and convenience.

Toyota Australia Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said regular model upgrades kept faith with customers and helped foster a remarkable loyalty to the market-leading brand.

“Toyota moves as quickly as possible to ensure customers benefit from new and upgraded features that improve safety, increase comfort or just make their life behind the wheel easier,” Mr Hanley said.

“As people look to explore their own backyard more as we come out of COVID restrictions, driving holidays - whether they be extended trips or a quick weekend away - will be high on the agenda and the improvements we have made to our SUV and workhorse models that deliver greater safety, comfort and connectivity will make those trips even more enjoyable,” he said.

Upgraded Toyota Safety Sense technologies for C-HR enhance the model’s ability to avoid crashes or minimise their impact by detecting and, if necessary, braking to help avoid other vehicles and pedestrians across a wider range of situations.

Using an on-board camera and radar, C-HR’s pre-collision system1 now incorporates the ability to detect pedestrians at night, not just during the day. It has also been further refined to detect cyclists in daylight.

New features include the ability to provide a warning and automatically brake the vehicle when turning at intersections to avoid oncoming vehicles, as well as pedestrians crossing the road1.

The new addition of Toyota’s Emergency Steering Assist function (ESA) will also help maintain stability and help prevent the vehicle swerving into another lane during an emergency steering manoeuvre1.

C-HR’s sophisticated lane-keeping technology has been advanced beyond the audible and visual warnings, to what is known as Lane TraceAssist (LTA). This system provides gentle steering assistance that helps the driver keep the vehicle in the centre of their intended lane.

It does this by providing steering assistance based on lane markings, the position of the vehicle in the lane ahead, and the boundary lines between the road and adjacent grass, soil or kerb.

C-HR is also equipped with a new roadsign assist feature that indicates speed-limit changes, which can also be used to reset the vehicle’s cruise-control speed setting.

In addition, the Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA) system1 on high-grade C-HR Koba further supports safe reversing by automatically applying the brakes if it detects an imminent collision with a stationary or moving object.

Entry-level C-HR is now designated GXL and gains the convenience of keyless smart entry and push-button ignition.

C-HR - with 1.2-litre 2WD and AWD variants and a Koba-only 2WD 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain - has out-performed the market this year, lifting its share of the affordable small SUV segment to 10.3 per cent from 9.8 per cent.

Toyota’s LandCruiser 70 Series models - in cab chassis, wagon and iconic Troop Carrier variants - provide new creature comforts for hard-core off-road enthusiasts who rely on the vehicle’s outstanding 4WD capability.

For the first time, all variants in the 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel workhorse range gain a multimedia system with a 6.1-inch touch screen that incorporates satellite navigation with voice recognition and Bluetooth connectivity.

Owners will also appreciate two front USB ports, a 12-Volt accessory power input, a larger smartphone holder and the addition of a cupholder in the passenger-door bin.

The final set of updates applies to RAV4, which was Australia’s best-selling model last month with 4,309 sales with a staggering 88 per cent of the total being hybrid.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

PERSPECTIVE

OML 130:TheTruce to Unlock $510m Gas Revenue Promise Ating

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f there is anything the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari will be remembered for, it is his knack for resolving long-standing disputes and responding proactively to emerging global trends in the oil and gas sector.

First, it was his intervention that led to the reopening of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 25 flow station after two years of inactivity as a result of squabbles between the host community/Belema Oil and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Rivers State. The closure robbed Nigeria 35,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

For those who have coursed through the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry, disputes and hostilities are common sight. In fact, it will be interesting for posterity to capture Kyari as a man who stoops to conquer, because when warring parties refuse to back down, he steps in with the perfect prescription for tranquility, for no personal benefit of his.

Those with private sector orientation know that Kyari’s target-driven style is uncommon in public service; as it is bogged down by incredible bureaucracy. But Kyari, a seasoned technocrat with vast knowledge of the petroleum industry appreciates the importance of industrial harmony and he has placed a premium on it. So, he has obviously designed strategic ways of getting results, amid lean resources, without veering off the due process path. He insists that disputes are dangerous blights that must not be allowed to suffocate the sector and by extension the Nigerian economy.

So, it was a most soothing development when the media was recently awash with the news of the amicable resolution of yet another perennial dispute - Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130.

This particular deal comes with phenomenal fortune. It seeks to rev up crude oil production to 3million barrels per day and unlock gas revenues to the tune of about $225 million in the short term and $510 million in the long run for the country. If this is not a remarkable achievement, one wonders what is.

The magic wand was the accord the NNPC reached with its partners, China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) and South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETROL), to settle all outstanding issues surrounding the development of Oil Mining Lease, (OML) 130.

Kyari For emphasis sake, OML130 block, a deepwater project, is comprised of prolific bloc’s four oil fields: Akpo, Egina, Egina South and Preowei. Production from the Egina Field block discovered in 2003 is and the second development in production after the Akpo field, located 150 km off the coast of Nigeria in approximately 1,600m of water started in January 2019 and consisted of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit and a Subsea Production System.

CNOOC International has a 45 per cent working interest in the OML130 block, and its partners Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, who is the operator of the block holds a 24 per cent working interest, Prime Oil and Gas (16 per cent working interest) and South Atlantic Petroleum Limited (15 per cent working interest).

At the recent signing of Head of Terms (HoT) agreement with the partners Kyari, said the deal was part of the Corporation’s Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) Dispute Resolution and Renewal Strategy of 2017 aimed at securing out of court settlement of all disputes around the 1993 PSC and agreeing on terms for their renewal.

Kyari’s words were properly captured by the Corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Ken-

nie Obateru. He explained that the dispute arose from recognition of certain cost and discordant interpretation of the fiscal terms of the PSC by NNPC and the Contractor parties. With the resolution and signing of the Head of Terms (HoT) document which sets out the terms agreed in principle between parties in the course of negotiations, apart from unlocking over $225 million of gas revenues, it will also enable settlement of renewal fees and create an environment conducive to further development of OML 130 with associated benefits to the Federation.

The NNPC boss clearly explained that this effort is replicated with every other partner in the PSC dispute. As a man who believes in equity and justice, he assured the NNPC partners that the HoT will clearly enable them to proceed and have a full settlement to the benefit of all stakeholders.

He commended CNOOC and SAPETROL for their understanding, while expressing delight that the HoT will facilitate the conclusion of all renewal issues. For a fact, such an effort does not go without appreciation. So, the Managing Director of CNOOC, Mr. Xie Vincent Wensheng, said the agreement has opened a new chapter in his company’s relationship with NNPC, stressing that it has provided a win-win situation for all parties.

On his part, Managing Director of SAPETROL, Mr. Toyin Adenuga, said the resolution of the dispute was a very important step towards further development of OML 130 and other new fields as the terms are now clearly spelt out. The execution of the HoT signals the resolution of a tax dispute that arose from the $2.3bn acquisition of a 45% stake in OML 130 by CNNOC from SAPETRO in 2006.

The OML 130 consists of the Akpo and Egina Fields which have been producing since 2009 and 2018 respectively. It is operated by Total Upstream Nigeria Ltd which holds 24% stake, while Petrobras Oil and Gas BV and SAPETRO hold 16% and 15% stakes respectively.

A cursory assessment of the Kyari’s transformational strides in the past 13 months has reflected remarkable innovations and the attendant positive developments, especially when understood against the backdrop of the pervasive effects of the economic sluggishness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Again, the efforts of Kyari to take the NNPC to the next level can be gleaned by his interventions in a broad spectrum like technology deployment, dispute resolution, transparency and diversification.

–––Ating writes from Abuja

Sadiya Umar Farouk and the Burden of Office Temitope Ajayi

W

ithout any doubt, Sadiya Umar Farouk, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is in charge of one of the significant Ministries.

She is saddled with the job of managing and coordinating national response to many calamities that have almost become a permanent fixture. Because of the omnibus configuration of the Ministry and its expansive scope of work, the job comes with a huge burden.

The Ministry as proclaimed by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 21, 2020 was a major reform initiative designed to recalibrate the way Nigeria deals with crisis of existence that happens from time to time as a result of man-made and natural disasters.

For some inexplicable reasons, many people hailed the idea of a separate Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. It was a necessary intervention to make government more humane. That a sharply-focused Ministry would serve as the major driver for the management of recurring disasters across the country was well thought-out by President Buhari. Before the creation of the Ministry, the missing link in previous efforts had been the lack of co-ordination and synergy among various agencies and between the states and the Federal government. There is no better indicator yet, of the premium the Nigerian government placed on the lives of citizens than this Ministry that is a year old.

To run a new Ministry is not a tea-party. Unlike her cabinet colleagues who had well established Ministries to run, Umar Farouk did not have the good fortune of an existing Ministry with functioning and running infrastructure to rely on. She had to start from the scratch; literally from scratch with issues as basic as looking for office accommodation and getting her staff together through the civil service bureaucracy for effective takeoff. Without skirting around the issues, she started from ground zero. On assumption of office, undaunted by the enormity of tasks ahead, she picked herself up and plunged into the job. One year after, it is to her credit and that of the management and staff that the Ministry is effectively fulfilling the purpose for which it was established by the President as the main driver of Federal Government’s response to humanitarian services, social development, disaster and other existential threat Nigerians confront from day to day.

For the people of the North East of Nigeria, life has been brutish, laborious and meaningless in the last 10 years as a result of insurgency. Boko Haram’s unrelenting onslaught on the region continues to complicate humanitarian crisis. Terrorists’ attacks have taken the lives of over 30,000 people mostly women and children, communities in Borno State still being ravaged, and over

2 million internally displaced people at IDP camps. Mangled limbs; destroyed schools and worship centres are still tell-tale manifestations of the level devastation unleashed on the North East region by terrorists.

The scourge of banditry in Zamfara, Sokoto, and the entire North West is also creating a new challenge of socio-economic dislocation. When fire outbreaks at sprawling markets like the one at Dugbe in Ibadan, Akesan in Oyo Town and apocalyptic floods afflicting communities across the country are thrown into the mix, the cycle of woes become more staggering. Dealing with these myriad of problems and providing succor to the victims of these disasters, in a manner that recognises their dignity and humanity, became the lot of effervescent Sadiya Umar Farouk.

To even understand and begin to proffer any impactful solution to the legion of humanitarian situations that beset our country requires sufficient brain power. Sadiya Umar Farouk is one of the women who came well prepared for high public office. Fortified with a degree in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and two Master’s Degrees from same University, the Minister is well endowed with the right aptitude to keep her own side of the bargain. In 2008, Umar Farouk bagged a Master’s degree in Business Administration. She followed it up with another Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy in 2011. It is good to add that the Minister combines brain power with the abundance of her physical attraction. With a missionary zeal, Umar Farouk plunged herself to meet the demands of her office.

Within a year in office, her Ministry has become a monument of refuge for the weary, broken-hearted and other afflicted Nigerians through timely interventions and material mobilization to those affected by one crisis or the other.

Under her guidance as the supervising Minister for North East Development Commission, the NEDC has embarked on building 10,000 houses for IDPs in Borno State out of which 1000 units are under construction. On June 26th 2020, Umar Farouk was in Borno on inspection tour of the housing project and other intervention projects that will quicken the recovery for the IDPs and help them return to their communities to start normal life outside the discomfort of camp life. Apart from working very hard with NEDC to rebuild shelters for the displaced, the Ministry under the compassionate leadership of Umar Farouk is also working with the commission to revamp social infrastructure across the 6 states of North East. Recently, the NEDC launched N6billion Education Endowment Fund for the region. This fund will be replenished every year with 10% of annual statutory allocation to the commission and other funding sources. With education, the Ministry and NEDC believe the problem of widespread poverty, insecurity, absence of opportunities for earning reasonable livelihood and several other factors that are direct and indirect outcomes of the decade-long insurgency in the region will be tackled. For

Umar-Farouq thousands of families that could not send their wards to school due to the insecurity and destruction of schools, a new lease of life has begun. More than 910 schools were destroyed and another 1,500 were forced to close at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency.

These destructions and closures left more than 600,000 school-age children without access to learning. That is almost a lost generation, as far as education is concerned.

Under the Endowment Fund, NEDC and the Ministry set lofty goals. If faithfully executed with the cooperation of the affected state governments, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, religious leaders and multilateral agencies, the fortunes of the region in terms of the educational disadvantageous position, it currently occupies, will be reversed within 10 years. Under its broad framework, the Endowment Fund will regenerate human capital for the region through scholarships, make investment in ICT skills for citizens of the region, rebuild school infrastructure destroyed by terrorists, provide vocational training for the youths and sponsor other training opportunities for those in the Almajiri system, invest in sports development and sustain the education of 2,400 beneficiaries of the Safe Schools Initiative up to tertiary level.

There has been no better way to demonstrate unalloyed and unshakable commitment to the most vulnerable and the disadvantaged than this period of global pandemic. Government imposed lockdowns and restrictions created a lot of inconveniences for all regardless of status.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

POLITY Malami: Steadily, Silently Driving Judicial Reforms, Anti-corruptionWar Sunny Amadi

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olitical observers have maintained that individual capacity has been driving different sectors of Nigeria’s development and that assertion holds truer, especially with those adroit but silent achievers driven by results which most times, are missed in the hustle of boisterous others.

However, a closer look at consistent and systematic adoption of approaches to getting things done still stand out some and therefore worthy of mention since glossing over such would not only amount to social injustice, but unfair reward for patriotic zeal which often come with baggage from those benefitting from an obtuse system that abhor change of the old order for gains.

The justice system of any mandate determines its evolvement or ruin for the simple fact that its pivot stems from the natural order of unswerving firmness in fairness without which society disintegrates and witness a quick return to the Hobbesian order.

Unknown to many, a taciturn but gifted achiever with an uncommon drive straddling the Justice ministry has been assertive in enthroning an order out of the embedded syndrome which had imbued Nigeria with the status of a buccaneer society where anything goes.

Although no single regime perfects every facet of needed development, which itself is evolving, sure-footed administrators however are like track layers of a rail system with the understanding that once the superstructure has been rightly in place, would ensure a smooth run of other engineering needs of the entire effort. That is the reason that a clear vision with onerous mission, added to drive has stood the Justice Ministry and the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami out of the lot.

The list is long and the intention to do more is gargantuan, hence, with space-limiting realities, it would be like grabbing the wind to attempt listing all; however, I shall, within the possible time and space, touch some while others in the public domain might be left which makes this effort inexhaustive.

For the first time in a very long while, Malami has steadily started an order that seeks to be systematic in doing things with the rule of law as the bedrock of the intention and efforts so that the style where rule of the thumb held sway is steadily being replaced by consistent order.

His imprints span the project of reviewing obsolete laws to align them with current global realities and covers money laundering, tax, copyright and the greatest albatross of the country, anti-corruption legislations. Another area also is his push to make socio-economic rights of citizens justiceable while he strives for all parastatals under him to work seamlessly in accordance with global best practices.

Transparency has ruled his appointment and duties to the extent that financial figures and recoveries that use to be done under the table are now in the open so that even before such are concluded, every Nigerian will know what was coming and from where, thereby foreclosing the settlement syndrome.

An example might suffice here; Malami has been consistent in ensuring repatriation and recovery of what is correctly Nigeria’s like the insistence and recovery of $62 billion arrears due the country from oil companies; recovery of $311 million Abacha loot from the United States and the State of New Jersey; $ 200 million from Netherlands and Switzerland and enthronement of whistle-blowing scheme from which

the nation had so far recovered N685, 784,751.09 and still counting.

Under him, asset tracing recovery, management and disposal have been standardised and those who meant to flout the rule have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Before now, heads of parastatals and agencies used to adopt indiscriminate discretions in asset disposal which often ended in the hands of cronies with the federal government losing huge revenue from such; but with a standardised rule, better records are being kept courtesy of his firm rubrics.

For closures, cases and complaints that had been lingering for years at various commissions and courts have witnessed some closures like the case of the Apo six who were shot by the police where Malami in order to ensure that their families were assuaged, initiated and concluded the compensation disbursement to their families of N133 million.

Another human face action and piece of legislation was the presentation, passage and assent of the legislation to ensure compulsory treatment of Nigerians with gunshot wounds before asking for police report.

Many died some innocently even when they were victims of violent crimes but with the issue rested, the country has worn a human face to its anti-crime scheme.

This is in addition to his ensuring the formation of a committee to review operation of security agencies which adopted torture and harassment of citizens. The result was reform of sub security units like the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) which had earned an unenviable level of notoriety in its operations.

The blight of the anti-corruption fight had been failure to achieve high-profile convictions and investigations but with the inter-agency committees he had formed in all the anti-corruption agencies, the monitoring, evaluation and adjustments to ways of handling such cases are now in place. This led to the setting up of National Prosecution Coordinating Committee (NPCC) as well as Code of Conduct for Federal Prosecutors (CCFP) to monitor, evaluate and ensure that best standard practices that would ensure justice were in place. This accounts for steady progress being made on such cases. There had been a notion that until big and influential offenders were made to face the law and punished when they infract, high profile corruption will still hold sway and he is making commendable headways in that direction.

To stem compromises that usually lead to loss of watertight cases in courts, he initiated and set up code of conduct for prosecutors and followed it with trainings, workshops and conferences to hone the skills of the law officers whose welfare he has improved to make inducement less attractive.

While the debate rages on setting up of special courts to try corruption cases, some Federal High Courts in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt have been delineated for the pilot scheme. This is a step that will stand the country better in the committee of nations where the image of the country has been battered by the corruption perception. Judges and assistants are being retrained and requisite working tools provided to ease justice delivery. This is added to the drive for crime database which some advanced countries have been relying on to deny high level information sharing and granting of business concessions to Nigerians. When done, it will further add to the ease of doing business in the country.

Currently, the realities of the COVID -19 in the legal sector means

Malami updating procedures and evidence to bring it in line with current realities where courts can sit online without infringing of provisions of the Evidence Act, so Malami has moved for review so that the global trend will see the country in tow which shows how visionary and up to speed he has been on the seat.

From Malami’s stable has emanated documents that metamorphosed into executive orders especially the Order 10 which has ensured transparency in running of government and respect for separation of powers.

He initiated the Executive Order signed by President Muhammadu Buhari for the first line charge and autonomy of state legislatures and the freedom of the judiciary from the apron strings of other arms of government. The encumbrances removed by those orders have started yielding quantum leaps in transparency and development.

Earlier that which ensured direct funding of local governments across the country had been implemented which saw to the freeing of local governments from the financial shackles of states thereby ensuring bottom-up development since local governments is the first port of call in governance with the grassroots.

For a country where cost of access to justice is beyond the ordinary citizen, Malami activated the Access to Justice Fund to simplify and make available, access to legal aid as well as broaden the scope by having a register of those involved in providing legal aid across the country to ensure accountability in the funds which adds to the silent revolution in the President Buhari change agenda.

For the Attorney General, the staccato of methods and ways from different anti-corruption agencies whose duties often clash, leading to public odium in the perception of how the government runs; so he had synchronise all the operational methods of the agencies as well as redefined with better understanding of the provisions in law of what each should be doing, thereby providing strong supervisory role for delineation of duties and efficiency.

Part of the visible judicial reforms of the embracing community service in sentencing in Nigeria as well as the bold move to decongest prisons as it is said that nearly 70 per cent of inmates in the country’s correctional centers are awaiting trial.

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Austin Opara’s Bourgeoning Milestone Austin Uganwa

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ormer deputy speaker, House of Representatives, Austin Adiele Opara turns 57, Saturday, August 29. For his political associates, former colleagues in the National Assembly, business partners and teeming enthusiasts this milestone is essentially enthralling, cheering and worthy of celebration.

Unlike many politicians of our time, Opara’s humility, approachability and pleasant mien endear him to many. And this is inexorably linked to his humble beginnings and piousness resulting from his inimitable parental tutelage.

Opara’s bewitching attitudinal patterns became far more manifest when he was a presiding officer of the House of Representatives at the wake of the new millennium between 2003 and 2007. He freed his office from undue protocol and officialdom. His office thus turned out to be a hub of activities. His constituents and friends flowed freely to see him. His colleagues were overawed by his meekness and unrivaled listening ears classifying him as the rallying point of the House. These realities account for the large army of supporters, friends and admirers still milling around years after leaving the political office.

At 57, Opara is known for his panache, consistency, assiduousness and reliability in politics. Since 1998 he played a formidable role in the formation of the People’s Democratic Party in Rivers state, he has remained bonded and wedded to the party. Contrary to the glibness of some politicians who brazenly jump from one party to another, Opara has never abdicated PDP for any other party.

Over the years, he has been working closely with Governor Nyesom Wike and Prince Uche Secondus to build and consolidate PDP at state and national levels. He has as well been supporting Governor Wike towards the accomplishment

of his vision for the state. As chairman of the 2019 Rivers State Governorship Inauguration Planning and Handover Committee he put in place an effective continuity roadmap for the re-elected governor anchored on Wike’s infrastructural revolution initiative. Wike’s conscientiousness and dedication to the roadmap have been yielding positive results.

Earlier in the year, Opara was sent to Edo state by the PDP at the national level to supervise the party’s congress held in the 18 local councils in the state in February 2020. He latched on this critical assignment to inject treasured and genuine inputs into PDP Edo desirable for its revitalization and consolidation. It was on this score that he predicted PDP’s victory in the nearing governorship election slated for September 18, 2020. He told journalists after the PDP congress in Edo state: “I can tell you from what we have done in the state; PDP can only come out stronger during the governorship election and emerge victorious”. This prediction was made before Governor Godwin Obaseki joined the party last month. Consistent with Opara’s insight the chances of PDP winning the governorship election are now on the rise and much more convincing Opara’s frontline role in the 2020 Edo PDP congress clearly underscored his selection as a member of the PDP National Campaign Council on Edo governorship election. The council which is headed by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike is mandated to support and collaborate with the State Council towards ensuring the victory of PDP during the oncoming governorship polls. When the Council met in the River State Government House, Port Harcourt, July 14, 2020 Opara was one of the notable members who attended to draw up a roadmap and hands-on strategies on how PDP would enlist victory at the governorship polls. The deeply troubled nature of the planned poll accentuated by the manifested overzealousness and bias disposition of the security operatives deployed to the state by the ruling APC federal government enhances the challenges

faced by Wike-headed PDP campaign council.

It is however imperative to recollect that as a presiding officer of the House of Representatives at a young age of 39 Opara played a leading role in defining the nascent National Assembly in the new millennium. At 57 he deserves to be celebrated significantly over consensus- building and stabilizing role he played at such an embryonic phase of the Fourth Republic National Assembly when it faced lots of challenges, leadership instabilities and edgy relationship with the executive arm.

Apart from serving as deputy speaker of the House, at 57 Opara has held other strategic political positions, Including: Chairman, House Committee of the Whole; chairman, House Constitution Review Committee, member, ECOWAS Parliament and Governing Council of the International Parliamentary Union, the umbrella body that governs all parliaments in the world. It was at the 103rd session of this body held in Manila, Philippines in 2005 that Opara canvassed strongly that the parliaments of advanced democracies should exert pressure on their executive arm to grant Nigeria debt relief and cancellation.

This request coupled with the intensification of the debt pardon campaign on the international front by the then Olusegun Obasanjo headed government yielded positive results as $18b out of $30b Nigeria owed at time was histrionically cancelled.

As a presiding officer, Opara evoked sterling leadership qualities and immeasurable degree of devotion to duties. The result was the inestimable latitude Masari who was speaker at that time gave to Opara to preside over the House plenary sessions. Opara thus set a result as one deputy speaker that chaired the highest number of plenary sessions since the inception of the Fourth Republic National Assembly in 1999. The House consequently witnessed significant transformation and an upsurge on the volume of committee tasks, quality and quantity of bills passed.

––Dr. Uganwa wrote from Abuja

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

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POLITY Allen Onyema

I ‘m a Beneficiary of Buhari’s Love for Ndigbo The Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, recently interacted with reporters after touring ongoing cargo airport at Umuleri, Anambra State. He weighed the potentials of the airport, saying contrary to the views that President Muhammadu Buhari is ill-disposed to the people of South-east, the administration has indeed helped his business in so many way. Olaoluwakitan Babatunde was there

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overnor Wille Obiano is putting together this massive cargo airport project at Umuleri.You have visited that site. What is your impression?

All this while, sitting in Lagos, I was hearing about Anambra State Airport project.

The State Government had previously called on me to come and see the place, and I hadn’t been there. But yesterday I was privileged to visit the Airport. I felt proud to be called an Anambra son.

Honestly, I never knew that level of work had been put in there.

The runway is almost ready. And it is a lot of work because of the topography of the place and the nature of the soil. But they are doing a lot.

Every infrastructure that will make an airport of international standard is there. They are doing everything; taking care of all those complains we used to have in Nigeria hitherto. There are plans to do runway lightings of the highest grade. There are plans to install the instrument landing system that will be top notch, so that pilots can come in and land blindly even at zero visibility. So, and these are what we are yearning for.

That Airport, to the best of my knowledge, and by God’s grace, if everything pulls through the way they are planning it and the way they are going, it might end up being the best airport in the entire African region; not just Nigeria, because what I saw; everything has been provided for. There are places for cargo. There are places for passengers; everything. And the spacing gives room for more development. And that is what you need in an airport. The runway is one of the longest in Africa; 3.7km. That is the runway that can land 777 (aircraft), Airbus380 and others.

As a big player in the industry, tell us the value chain benefits for Anambra State, South-east?

Let me say something: when you go to a place like United

bra man, in doing business. They will want to fly to China from there. They will want to go to every part of the world from there.

It will help Nigeria, not just the South East. It will help the entire country because of the industry of the people. People should not be scared to allow development go to other places. And I thank God for President Muhammadu Buhari. It is very untrue that he does not like the Igbos. Without me being a member of his party or any party, I am a beneficiary of his support for indigenous businesses, but people don’t know. People believe what they read out there. The Federal Government, President Buhari, through his Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has given me China, London, Portugal destinations and the entire Europe.

I am an Igbo man; he has even given me Jedda. I am not a Muslim, but they have given me Jedda. They have given me U.S., India, and etcetera. So, the government has given me about twenty designations to fly to. I am Igbo man. It is not true that President Buhari doesn’t like Igbos. The President wants equal economic development for every part. And this President, for sure, I will tell you categorically that when the time comes, he will give his assent to this Airport to be a full blown international airport.

Onyema States, for instance, you will see airports dotted all over the place.

You see, aviation is catalyst for economic development, and until we begin to realize that it is not elitist, then we will never have it going well with us. It is a catalyst for economic development.

If that Airport comes on stream, tens of thousands of jobs will be created. And I know the Igbo spirit of the people, the Anam-

What special use will Air Peace put the Anambra Airport to?

I was impatient with governor Obiano. I asked him right there, where is my space? Because, to be honest with you, I want to be able to build a maintenance hanger for aircraft coming from all over the world. If they showed me the space, Air Peace can come and do it. So, I am ready to start building the maintenance hanger so that by the time the Airport is being opened, it will be ready.

Read full interview online - www.thisdaylive.com

Ajibola Basiru: Nigeria’s Security Situation Worrisome The lawmaker representing Osun Central in the Senate and current Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Suraju Ajibola Basiru, spoke with Hammed Shittu on a wide range of national issues. Excerpts

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he state of insecurity in Nigeria today is disturbing, what’s the Senate doing to address the problem?

The security situation in the country is very worrisome and has pre-occupied the Senate in the last one year. No less than 20 resolutions have been moved and considered in the last one year dealing with various manifestations of the state of insecurity and putting forward different resolutions to address the problems. One of the highpoints of the intervention of the Senate was the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Nigeria Security Challenges whose report was considered and approved in the plenary of Tuesday, 5th day of May 2020. The committee made wide-ranging recommendations that were also approved by the Senate.

As spokesman of the 9th National Assembly, will you say the current 9th Assembly has been living up to the expectations of Nigerians in terms of legislating that can add values to the people of the country?

I will modestly say that the 9th Assembly has been doing its best in delivering on its constitutional mandates which are: making law for good government and public welfare; oversight function to prevent corruption, waste and inefficiency and ensuring that only fit proper persons are confirmed to hold public offices in respect of which confirmation of the Senate is prescribed by the Constitution and other laws. In the one-year period of the life of this Senate, it has prioritised legislative interventions by enacting new laws and/or modifying existing legislations for the attainment of good governance. One of such interventions was the amendment of Finance Act 2019. Perturbed by dwindling national revenues largely due to vulnerabilities in international price of crude oil, it took steps towards improving revenues from other avenues notably Value Added Tax (VAT). Accordingly, it passed an Executive Bill which proposed an increase in VAT from 5% to 7.5% in record time by invoking its powers under Order 79(1) of the Senate Standing Rules.

This was an extraordinary step to take.

Another laudable and progressive intervention was the extensive work done on the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract (Amendment) Act 2019 to repeal and replace Section 16 of the Act. Astatutory mandate to review the Act

was never complied with for decades and the country lost valuable revenue. Thus, the amendment passed by this Senate achieved four major milestones which are: It revised upward the regime of royalty payable on crude produced in deep waters, It deleted Section 16 of the Act which provided for the trigger for a review of the Act, It introduced Section 16(A) which mandated the Minister of Petroleum to cause the NNPC to undergo a review of Production Sharing Contracts every 8 years, and introduced Section 16(B) which provided for offences and penalties. The cumulative effect of this amendment is that the sum of N320 billion has been unlocked according to several reputable industry experts and it goes without saying that the injection of such huge revenue into our economy will catalyse several positive outcomes. With a view to getting maximum return from the oil industry, the 9th Senate is committed to prompt consideration and passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill once same is received from the executive. Necessary training and sensitisation programmes have been organised and attended by Senators belonging to all the relevant committees of the Senate. Aside from its intervention to address economic challenges, this Senate also led the way to find a lasting solution to the perennial security crisis this country has been plagued with. It has extensively engaged leaders of our various security agencies on attacks by Boko Haram in the North-east, kidnaping and banditry in the North-east and North-central Zones, clashes between herdsmen and farmers all across the country, proliferation of light and small arms and other forms of criminality. Its Ad-hoc-Committee on Nigeria Security Challenges made up of 19 Senators and headed by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi has offered 60 recommendations to be implemented in the immediate, short and long term. It is noteworthy that the decentralisation of the command and control structure of the Nigerian Police Force recommended by this Committee has now been adopted by the President as the official policy of the federal government.

Other sectors like the Power Sector also received strong attention from this Senate over the last year. Its 20-man Ad-hoc Committee led by Senator Dr. Gabriel Suswam has issued its report and implementation will find traction in the weeks ahead. The Senate is also working on other useful Bills that will impact positively on all spheres of the Nigerian society. The Senate has also set up

Basiru the Constitution Review Committee under the Chairmanship of His Excellency the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and referred to the committee several constitutional amendment Bills aimed at improving governance in the country.

Similarly, this 9th Senate has consistently acted proactively when required in the last one year.

On electoral reform, much work has been done to review the Electoral Act and the work of committees will be advanced to the next stage in the days and weeks ahead. This Senate has collaborated in extraordinary manner with the executive arm of government and this has significantly accounted for the calm in the polity over the last one year and tangible gains we see in several sectors. Overall, the 9th Senate will continue to provide the necessary legislative support to the executive arm of government to drive socio-economic development and ensuring the delivery of democratic dividends to Nigerians. This support includes expeditious passage of the Appropriation Bill and other executive bills that will reposition the economic on the path of sustainable recovery, growth and development as well as confirming key appointments of the executive.

Read full interview online - www.thisdaylive.com

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Ë&#x153; Ëž AUGUST 29, 2020

JOE/FAJ

THEFRONTLINES

Are Foreign Loans the Only Option for Infrastructure Financing?

JOSEPH USHIGIALE

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ou may loathe or like former President Olusegun Obasanjo but the one thing you can not take away from him is his clear vision and direction for a great Nigeria. And so it was that in the eight years that he lead this country, you can pin point without any equivocation that the Owu chief left legacies on the sand of times.

I will point out just two areas where he left profound footprints during his eight year reign.

Telecommunications Remember that Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inability to join the global community to embrace the global system for mobile communications also known as GSM was becoming an embarrassment to the point that even a small country like Benin Republic, mechanics were already brandishing mobile phones long before Obasanjo took office.

He went about it by first setting up the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) punder Engr Ernest Ndukwe and mandated him and his team to deliver the new communication technology in Nigeria. Today, the rest, as they say is history and its contribution to the gross domestic product is there for all to see.

Exit from Paris and London Clubs According to records at the Debt Management Office (DMO), Obasanjo inherited a foreign debts profile of $28,039.21b made up largely of Paris club and other multilateral financial institutions contributing 87% while London Club and promissory notes made up the balance of about 13%.

That same year, the price of crude oil from which Nigeria has always depended on for its primary revenue was $19 per barrel.

By 2007 when Obasanjo left office, crude oil price never peaked at above $73 per barrels.

Yet, the Owu chief prudently managed the economy, estabb lished an excess crude account and saved for the future. He also established the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to reinvest funds accruing to the excess crude escrow account.

By the time he left office, he had paid off both the Paris, Lomdon Clubs debts including the promissory notes. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debts stock fell from $33b to just $3.3b only which was owed to the World Bank and African Development Bank Groups.

Today, barely 13 years after Obasanjo relinquished power, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debts stock has climbed to $27.6b comprising loans from World Bank, AfDB, China, Bonds. Nigerians are being made to believe that all these money are being used to finance infrastrucc ture. Really? How did we get back to this embarrassing past? The answer is that there is something fundamentally wrong with our system especially the approach to infrastructure financing.

Let me be clear here. President Muhammadu Buhari adminn istration has shown some enthusiasm in completing some of the ongoing projects like the rail, roads etc which is quite commendd able. Why I disagree totally with those touting Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overrated interventions is that I believe that the provision of basic amenities for the people is statutory.

If an administration does not find it expedient to provide such basic necessities of life for its citizenry, then it has abdicated its responsibilities and has no moral right to be in power.

Let us face it. Buhari tried thrice before 2015 to become Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s President and failed in each attempt until 2015 when he won. In all these years he was struggling to be President, I do not want to believe this is the best he can produce. It is truly a big shame and embarrassment to see the country sliding into recess again. The second of its kind under his five year watch.

With the second recession kicking in and the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS) announcing that the our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined by -6.10%, the economy is in shambles, inflation is in double digits, unemployment figures, out of the roof, opportunities limited and the naira now exchanging for over N500 against major currency as scarcity of especially the United States dollar bites harder. So where is the change that Buhari promised Nigerians?

The truth of the matter is that the Buhari administration missed the boat from the get go majorly because it failed to learn from the mistakes of past administrations. If he did, he would have written his name in gold by now by choosing in line with its change mantra to creatively run government.

Given the change he professed, Nigerians thought Buhari was going to make a remarkable shift from the norm and project towards an entirely new trajectory.

Sorry, Nigerians...Your Messiah Is Dead!

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oday, we conclude our self-appointed missionary expedition of probable â&#x20AC;&#x153;legaciesâ&#x20AC;? of inimitable political musician-critic, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who left us 23 years ago, without a thunder to strike at our thieving and reckless so-called leaders in diverse shapes and fields.

So, here are the main â&#x20AC;&#x153;contendersâ&#x20AC;? to the admittedly dreadful but ultimately glorious stool of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief mourner of our collective devastation, and the unrepenn tant advocate of the threatened majority.

LAGBAJA: The stoic gentleman behind the mystery has the education, the exposure, the sensitivity, the technique and the expertise of his chosen music form. However, he is tragically decimated by his own quaint style and the ambivalence of his ideology.

Lagbaja uses the idiom and idiosyncrasies of the African masquerade to enunciate his politically correct positions on the side of the common man. He exploits his â&#x20AC;&#x153;facelessnessâ&#x20AC;? to vent the spleen and frustration of his contemporaries on their oppressors. Good, so far as vision goes.

What is more: he also uses the authentic contraband, the irrepressible vigilante, the political music form, AFROBEAT, as his vehicle. Very good, indeed. But the attractive, suspenseloving mystique of his performance and public image seriously reduces the potential of his impact - contrary, perhaps, to his initial projection. The FELA in LAGBAJA is only imaginary, just as his commonality is ironically deprived and reduced by the aloofness of his luminous image.

Therefore, his focus and representations cannot go beyond the inadequacies of the middle-class (usually, the sop easily deployed by the oppressor-class). And perhaps the peripheral idolization of the poor and the needy. The danger is dear: there is a strong probability that the poor and helpless (FELAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre of creativity) will remain alien to Lagbaja and his music; and the oppressive leadership (Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre of malcontent) blissfully unscathed by Lagbajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soliloquies. In fact, during the immedii ate decade after Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demise, this same irresponsible class, and their sops, were noticeably enchanted by Lagbajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mastery and mystery, without their consciences seared as they revelled and raved about the â&#x20AC;&#x153;anticsâ&#x20AC;? of the tall masked entertainer. Paradox!

FEMI ANIKULAPO-KUTI: Here, before we go too far, it will be instructive to quickly dispense with all the actors having biological affiliations with Anikulapo-Kuti. Kunle, Shalewa, Motunrayo, do not have any known or suspected affinity to music production of any kind - apart from Shalewaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reported attraction to the saxophone. Yeni, and Sola (late) were addicted devotees of the dance milieu - gyrating and pivoting wildly and expertly to the beats of their brother, Femiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music. Their part in the growth of Femiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band, The Positive Force, is indelible; however our purview is not on the dance, but the soul of Afrobeat - as breathed by the creator, FELA. Seun was a 10-year veteran of the stage in 1997, chanting and ranting on the same bill with FELA. Seunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only visa to

such incredible opportunity is not a precocious talent - he is simply FELAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last known son. It is very apparent, beyond the flippancy of showmanship and the excitement of a tiny FELA, bold for his age (4-6 yrs) to amuse thousands of FELAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adult fans. Some, in indulgent admiration, hailed him as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;born-againâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FELA! This is what I wrote when Seun was 14: â&#x20AC;&#x153;... when the blanket is coolly thrown off, Seun is still a beginner; his teeth still milky; his future still uncertain - let him concentrate on acquiring education (whichever will develop his mind and consciousness); concentrate on acquiring experience and expertise on as many instruments as possible (Fela controlled at least five); learn to read and write songs in notations (only FELA and Baba Ani - his friend and band leader of 32 years could read and transliterate Afrobeat music in Egypt â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80, Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band!).

Seunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise, if unchecked by caring and visionary hands, will turn to an excrescence on the glorious heritage of FELA - a parody, a misnomer, a moniker of doubtful pedigree. In another 14 years, we shall be able to inform ourselves if Seun has crossed the river or he is still wallowing in confusion and disillusionment.â&#x20AC;?

Well, here is the first decade report: Though he was only able, as a bellicose 24 years old (even younger than Fela), to debut with Think Africa, a brisk listening shows promise in its arrangements, backed by the vastly experienced Egypt 80 band... the vocals betray his youthful aggression, and the lyrics facile. Albeit, the promise keeps growing...the aggression more controlled...the lyrics and vocals more nuanced...(see Rise, 2011). Yet, there are few miles to cross...in the context of lyrical connection with the people... to be anywhere near his illustrious fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pedigree.

Now, to Femi. He has the music, the energy, the resilience and exposure FELA was secretly proud of. For at a similar age (27) when Femi became a band leader, FELA turned tail when he confronted the biggest challenge in his fledgling career Geraldo Pino (I saw the former Sierra-Leonean star at FELAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s graveside). When Pino was on centre-stage, the world revolved around him and his pompous pop music: FELA was stifled, disenchanted and frustrated. He had to run to Ghana!

However, when FELA was in his full glory, several times more illustrious and magnificent than Pino, the strapping young fella, Femi Kuti began his solo career in 1986 - the year of the great Teacher, Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Teach Me Nonsense. Yet, the young man struggled through the maze of FELAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatness: disadvantaged by his greatest advantage - being genetically linked to FELA. He made the most vital, dangerous decision to plant a distinct tree in the garden of Afrobeat, whose swashbuckling owner was alive and flourishing.

Femi wobbled with No Cause For Alarm (1989); sulked with Mind Your Own Business (1991) and matured with Plenty Nonsense (1995). His naive insistence and wishful desire to sound and act differently from FELA produced harried,

jushigiale@yahoo.co.uk, joseph.ushigiale@thisdaylive.com 08023422660 (sms only)

For instance, almost every administration before his, borrowed to build infrastructure. So if they had succeeded what would he be building today? He would not have any reason to invest in infrastructure because that has been taken care of.

Therefore, Buhari was expected, when he assumed office, to announce a revolutionary plan of action, a sort of big picture vision to chart a new course and embrace a new financing model that would shore up the infrastructure gap, without liability accruing to Nigeria. Such a model would have engendered transparency, good governance and banished corruption and cronyism from the system.

One popular argument that people often make is that governn ment has no business in running a business. If that is the case, why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t government hands off its current push to borrow and finance infrastructure and rather limit itself to playing a regulatory role alone? Of course that is what obtains in advanced countries where most of the infrastructure and utilities nare largely provided by large private equities.

I strongly believe the Buhari administration would have received wide applause by now if it adopted a private sector driven approach also known as Public, Private Partnership (PPPs) in which private investors are given the opportunities to invest in different areas of the economy like power, roads, rail system, medicare using their own money while government gives them tax incentives, and specific period to recoup their invested capital with interest.

There are three types of PPPs. The Buildâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Developâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Operate model s where the private sector party buys or leases an existing asset from a public agency, invests capital to enhance and develop the infrastructure, and then operates it according to the terms of a contract with a public agency.

The Buildâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Ownâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Operate involves the public agency awarding a single contractâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which bundles the construction and operation of the infrastructureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to a private entity. The public agency is responsible for specifying the design of the project, but ownership of the asset remains with the private agency once it is built.

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FEMI

AKINTUNDEE-JOHNSON fajalive1@gmail.com 08182223348 - (SMS Only)

fast-tempo music with messages cascading in staccato exuberr ance. Of course, the ideological and compositional depth was suspect, if not gallantly submissive.

Mercifully, his music later took up some character, depth and focus with Plenty Nonsense - even the tempo of his music simmers into the fringes of profundity. It is obvious that Femi Kuti is on a sure path - 20 years after FELA gave him the gifts of a piano and sax.

But the issue under review is the soul of Afrobeat, the entire kaleidoscope of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;African classical musicâ&#x20AC;?; the militant, political, ideological and spiritual elements of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most internationalized indigenous music form. Without mincing words, there is no evidence that Femi has attained even the semblance of any one of these elements.

Of course, Plenty Nonsense is perhaps too meagre to represent the yardstick with which to judge Femi (within the confines of the first Post-FELA decade). It is also gladdening that in spite of the presence of Fela, an album of such promise and velocity as Plenty Nonsense was produced by Femi.

Now, with the death of FELA, old flakes that had been lost to the subconscious will now escape, catapulting him into sublime height. With Why, Plenty Non-sense, Frustration of a Young Man, Stubborn Problems, etc., Femi has only scratched the surface; and until he realises that what he is running away from, will be the cornerstone of his greatness, he may continue to pant after European tours, to survive.

Until he realises that an improvement on Wonder Wonder is to bury himself in FELAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apotheosis; to envelop himself with the huge regalia of Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mighty masqueradeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paraphernaliaâ&#x20AC;Ś until unashamedly and with serious attention to his inner will, he soaks up the aura and airs of FELA, reinventing the music with his own embroidery and energyâ&#x20AC;Ś re-ascertaining the puritan essence of FELAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideology; and maintaining an unshaken belief in his own roots and talentâ&#x20AC;Ś until he assumes all these ethos and responsibilities, and stamps his manhood and sensibilities on the offensive depression and oppression surrounding himâ&#x20AC;Śuntil then, he may remain a side-event, a mirage, a short dream. And Afrobeat, a fad, a glow light dimmed by death and forsaken by posterity. Sorry Nigerians...your messiah is dead...and his offsprings seemingly crippled by circumstances.

Final prayer: May we be permitted the grace and space to endure a third missionary expedition, in not too distant a time, when the subsequent decade, post-Fela (2008 - 2018) will be clinically conducted. Perhaps....

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

29. 08.2020

NEWS

MORE THAN A CHARITY PAGE. 29

Eberechi Eze Can He Replicate Championship Form on the Big Stage?

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

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GLOBAL SOCCER

Eberechi Eze Can He Replicate Championship Form on the Big Stage?

It was never in doubt that he would be dumping Queens Park Rangers at the end of the season after a scintillating performance; his next destination, however, was the question, after he had been linked to several Premier League sides. From Tottenham Hotspur to West Ham United and to Arsenal, he was never short of suitors, and, speculations were rife as to where Eberechi Eze would don the colours in the new season. At the end of the day, it was Crystal Palace that won the heart of the beautiful bride. Whether he can re-enact his Championship performance at a higher league however, remains the awaited expectation. Meanwhile, with countries now warming up for international football, his international allegiance has to be sorted out fast to forestall any distraction

A

Eze

fter series of speculations as to his next destination, England-born Nigerian and Queens Park Rangers forward, Eberechi Eze will be dumping Loftus Road for Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace agreed to a £16m fee with QPR for Eze in a deal that could rise to £20m.

The additional £4m is seen as ‘achievable’ add-ons, with QPR also having a 20 per cent sell-on clause built into the agreement.

Eze, who scored 14 goals in 46 appearances in the Sky Bet Championship for QPR last season, has jetted to Palace for a medicals where he is also expected to finalise personal terms.

The 22-year-old was left out of QPR’s squad last Saturday’s friendly with AFC Wimbledon, with the club keen to avoid putting him in an awkward position amid Premier League interest.

While Palace have struck a deal with QPR, Fulham, West Ham and Newcastle have all also expressed interest in signing Eze. Speaking to Sky Sports News after last Saturday’s 3-0 win at Loftus Road, manager Mark Warburton indicated Eze would only leave QPR if the club’s valuation was met.

“Any situation for any player is resolved when the value of a player is met, that’s how you resolve a situation,” Warburton said.

“You make sure the value is appropriate, the value is correct, and when that value is met we wish everyone the best of luck going forward. That’s the way it is at QPR. Right now if it is not reached, then he’s a QPR player. As long as we pay the wages, he’s one of ours.”

Eze is an important player for QPR - in a number of ways. Not only is he without question their most talented individual, he also signifies the results of the change in business philosophy at the West London club. No longer do they hemorrhage money on big names, they have put in place an environment for young talents to flourish.

Eze, snapped up for nothing from Millwall is a devastating ball-carrier, possessing a glide with the ball that only a unique talent can boast. This season he has added work-rate and tactical awareness to his game without the ball, which has triggered significant interest from the Premier League.

The 22-year-old joined the Championship side from Millwall in 2016 and has played over 110 games for the Hoops in the Championship.

Eze made 112 appearances for QPR, scoring 20 goals and providing 13 assists for the club in four seasons.

The player has just one year remaining on his current deal at QPR and could leave on a free transfer next season.

He is an exciting young player, who can play in different positions and execute various roles on the pitch. Eze has predominantly played as an attack-minded midfielder, either in central midfield or as an attacking midfielder. In the 2019-20 season, he also played as a winger, on the left side, and a few times on the right flank as well.

He is a fearless attacker who likes to take on defences with his confident dribbling from the midfield area. The right-footed player is a technically gifted operator who has loads of flair and can beat opposition players in one-onone situations. In the 2019-20 Championship season, he averaged three successful dribbling attempts per game.

Eze also likes to play quick, short passes and move the ball forward, which adds more variety to his approach play, something modern wingers fail to show in abundance.

He is also capable of playing long balls to catch the opposition out, averaging 1.7 long balls per game in the last season. The England U-21 international is a gifted player who could light up the Premier League in a year or two.

Palace would benefit hugely from a supreme talent like Eze, as they lacked a cutting edge in attack last season.

There is also, a slim possibility that he might be considered a long-term replacement for Wilfried Zaha if the Ivorian decides to leave the club ahead of the 2020-21 season. Although his natural position is in the middle, he did an excellent job out wide on the left, which is where Zaha played last season as well. If Zaha stays, Eze could be accommodated in an advanced midfield role, as part of the three-man midfield that manager Roy Hodgson deploys.

With his transfer now sorted out, Eze’s international allegiance is another thing he should try and put behind him fast so as not to act as a distraction to his club football.

Eze has been named in the England U-21 squad for their UEFA European Championship qualifiers against Kosovo and Austria today, but he still qualifies to play for Nigeria as he is yet to feature for England in a competitive game at senior level.

Back in 2017, Eze trained with the Super Eagles while the team was in London, an experience he says he enjoyed it.

But he insists he doesn’t want to rush into a decision as he weighs up more playing time with Nigeria or potential European success with England.

“I’m very happy to be part of England’s youth setup right now, but I enjoyed training with Nigeria,” Eze once said.

Even the President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has never hidden his admiration for the former QPR midfielder, with the NFF boss expressing his desire to see Eze form an integral part of Nigeria’s World Cup campaign in Qatar in 2022.

Indeed, Super Eagles Manager, Gernot Rohr had made approaches to the Anglo-Nigerianborn midfielder, who is seen as the long-sought successor to Austine Jay Jay Okocha if he eventually chooses to star for Nigeria.

“We have approached him, but not directly.

Tunde Adelakun, my assistant, spoke to his mum. What we understand is that there is a lot of pressure on him and Ebere Eze doesn’t want to give an answer now. Obviously, we would love to have him in the Super Eagles, of course! We continue to work on getting him. It may take some time,” Rohr had said.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29 2020

GLOBAL SOCCER

COMMUNITY SHIELD

For Arsenal, Liverpool, it’s More than a Charity Just five weeks after Liverpool’s captain, Jordan Henderson lifted the Premier League trophy, Jurgen Klopp’s side kick off the new season against Arsenal in the Community Shield today at Wembley Stadium. While their league title defence doesn’t get underway until September 12, the Reds are keen to make their intention known to their title rivals and Henderson has urged teammates to show their hunger to retain the title when they face Arsenal today

F

or Arsenal, it would be less than a month after they brought a unique 2019-20 English football season to a close with victory in the FA Cup final as they will kick off the 2020-21 campaign in the Community Shield against Premier League champions Liverpool at Wembley.

The traditional curtain-raiser takes place two weeks before the start of the new Premier League season and gives both clubs the chance to earn an early piece of silverware.

There will be just 28 days between Arsenal lifting the FA Cup aloft and kickoff in this match, with last season’s coronavirus-affected campaign forcing a quick turnaround ahead of what is bound to be a hectic 2020-21 season.

As ever, there will be optimism ahead of a fresh start, and particularly so for these two clubs as Arsenal look to build on some promising signs under Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool aim to somehow improve on their recordbreaking title-winning campaign.

The Community Shield only ever offers a slight glimpse into what is

to come - Liverpool lost last season’s final to Manchester City but then beat them to the Premier League title by 18 points, for example - but it will be the closest we come to seeing the two sets of players in competitive action before the new Premier League season begins on September 12.

Arsenal will no doubt take confidence from the fact that they beat Liverpool towards the end of the season - albeit after the Merseysiders had already clinched the title and victories over Manchester City and Chelsea in the FA Cup point at the possibility that the Gunners could fare better against their fellow ‘big six’ sides under Arteta.

However, there is certainly work still to be done and, while they may fancy their chances in a one-off game even against Liverpool, they must realistically accept that they are still some way from bridging the mammoth 43-point gap which separated these two sides in the final Premier League table last season.

For Liverpool, the challenge for the upcoming season is clear; having ended a 30-year wait to finally clinch their 19th

English crown, they must now back that up with another success this time, one which would draw them level with Manchester United on 20 titles.

The class of 2019-20 cemented themselves as one of the greatest single-season sides in English football history, but the very best teams build an era of success and that is what Liverpool will be attempting to do now.

Klopp will be expecting a much firmer challenge this time around, particularly from Manchester City, but the recordbreaking nature of their title triumph last season - wrapping it up with seven games to spare - will leave them as favourites in the minds of many to retain the crown.

It may not be so emphatic this time around - a team dropping just two points from their opening 27 games may never happen again - but they can also point to the fact that last season was by no means a freak one, having amassed 97 points and 99 points respectively over the past two campaigns.

Liverpool are now the team to beat, which is a position they have not found themselves in for three decades, and staying

on top often proves harder than reaching the top.

The Community Shield would by no means be the most prestigious piece of silverware won by Klopp at Anfield following a glittering year or so in which they have been crowned champions of England, Europe and the world, but it would strengthen the recent habit of winning trophies nonetheless.

This is a trophy both clubs have lifted 15 times in the past - only Manchester United have won it more often - while it will be their 24th appearance in the traditional season curtain-raiser too.

Liverpool arrive back to England having taken part in a pre-season training camp in Austria, during which they beat Stuttgart 3-0 but needed to come from two goals down to draw with Red Bull Salzburg.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have played just one pre-season game ahead of this match, beating MK Dons 4-1 on Tuesday.

Today’s match is set to be one of the last chances both managers have to look at their full squads before the new season begins, with a large contingent due to jet off on international duty next week.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 29, 2020

GLOBAL SOCCER

Peter Olawale during his unvieling

messi

Hapoel Ra’anana Sign Nigerian Wonderkid, Olawale UKSC Partners Dynaspro Despite links with Borussia Dortmund and Lille, the 18-year-old Nigerian teenager Peter Olawale has teamed up with the Israeli side, Hapoel Ra’anana after he was signed from Tripple 44 Academy.

Following an impressive outing at the 2019 U17 Fifa World Cup staged in Brazil, where the Golden Eaglets crashed out in the Round of 16, the striker attracted interest from a host of European teams like Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Galatasaray and Anderlecht.

The Liga Leumit side confirmed the news via their official Twitter handle which read: “We are pleased to announce the signing of 18-year-old winger Peter Olawale.

“Olawale, a former player of the Nigerian U17 national team was wanted

by renowned teams like Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas but finally chose to sign with Hapoel Raanana.”

Speaking about the move, the striker tweeted: “I’m proud to join Hapoel Raanana FC where I believe my talent will be fully groomed for a greater future. I promise to put in my very best to justify the club’s trust in my abilities.

I’m happy to be in Israel.”

His manager and mentor, Samuel Olatunji-Okuku, added: “Olawale is a classy player who is blessed with enormous talent and can be used in various attacking positions by Ra’anana.

“He has been under my watch for over three years and I can beat my chest when it comes to his technical skills as well as good physical toughness.

“In Israel, he will gain valuable experience and hopefully in no time, he

will be set for a move to any of Europe’s big teams.”

At the Karnei Oren Memorial Field, he is expected to develop his all-round game, while he will be relied upon for goals in the 2020-21 campaign – as the club chase a return to the Israeli topflight following their demotion in the 2019-20 season.

Meanwhile, Olawale began training with Gal Cohen’s team where he scored four goals in a practice match.

He becomes the third African in the Hapoel Ra’anana after compatriot Bede Osuji and Gambian forward Ousman Marong.

They youngster will feature in his first competitive game when Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam welcome Hapoel Ra’anana to the Ness Ziona Stadium as the Israeli league commences on September 2.

WBC Gives Go ahead for Joshua, Fury World Title Fight

Messi won’t Make Man City Unstoppable, Says Carragher

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury relished the opportunity to talk up their British rivalry as they received the go-ahead for an undisputed world title clash next year.

The WBC has confirmed Fury has no restrictions to prevent a blockbuster battle with Joshua after WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte suffered a shock loss to Alexander Povetkin last weekend.

Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC president, has revealed how Joshua was in line for a WBC title fight earlier in his career, but the governing body would still welcome a fight between their belt holder and the WBA, IBF and WBO champion.

Sulaiman told Sky Sports: “Joshua fought for the IBF title when he was WBC No 2, and he received an opportunity, so weunderstandandappreciate thathegotanopportunityand went in a different direction,

Jamie Carragher admits he would relish watching Lionel Messi playing in the Premier League, but he does not believe the signing would make Manchester City unbeatable.

City are in the strongest position to sign Messi - if the Argentina forward can get out of Barcelona this summer.

Sky Sports News has been told both Messi and City boss Pep Guardiola want to renew their partnership at the Etihad - putting the Premier League runners-up in a commanding lead over other suitors.

“I’d love to see Messi in the Premier League,” Jamie CarraghertoldSkySports.“Iwant to to watch him and I want to analysehimandlookathimon Monday Night Football. The only place he can really go is Manchester City with the historyhe’sgotwiththemanager and with the financial clout the club have got.

however, the WBC was the first organisation to rank him, ranking in the top 10, top five.

“We knew the value of Joshua.

“Joshua to do an ultimate unification with Wilder, if he wins, or Fury if he retains, would be magnanimous.”

Unified champion Joshua remains confident he can topple Fury, predicting how he would overpower the WBC champion during an appearance on ‘A League of Their Own.’ “First six, I know I’m going to take him out,” said Joshua.

“I’ve had a shorter career, so I’m fresher. Been in the deep end longer, so I’m used to the pressure.

“I believe I’m going to handle the pressure and I’m going to take him out.”

“I believe I’m better than Wilder, faster, whatever you want to call it. I reckon I’m going to be doing this for another 10 years.”

“Idon’tthinkLiverpoolwill go anywhere near that situation from a financial point of view, number one, and also because of the way Liverpool play as well.

“They’re a lot more energetic than City, who play a more technical game which would suit Messi a bit more - but how you get that deal across the line I’m not sure.

With the figures involved, it’s mind-boggling.

“But I want Messi in the Premier League, and if it has to be City, OK - I’ll take that one. If someone like Messi moves, there’s only two or three clubs he can go to.

“To me, it only looks like PSG or Man City he could end up at really. I want to see him in the Premier League.

It would make Man City stronger but it wouldn’t make them unbeatable.

Barcelona haven’t won the Champions League for a few years.

LG OLED Rejuvenates Sports Viewing Like Never Before The return of major sporting activities across countries, after several months of lockdown came as a big relief to all anxious sport lovers, who have had to face the unpleasant reality the cancellation caused.

Upon the return of the games, one thing that was so conspicuous was the emptiness of stadiums. Though the development was considered as part of the ‘new normal’ but it is strange and unreal, creating a huge gap that needs to be filled in the mind of the fans. So what better way to recapture the excitement of a match than upgrading one’s liv-

ing room setup? As you know, not all televisions are designed with sports in mind but definitely not LG TVs. Through its innovations, LG Electronics, a global leader in consumer electronics has come to fill the vacuum, to prove a point through the LG OLED’s self-emitting pixels that empty stands don’t mean games have to be silent.

LG Electronics has proved beyond reasonable doubt that a larger TV will always do the job of watching action played across giant fields better, by displaying zoomed-out footage

in amazing details, as the sporting events slowly makes their returns to the TV. Bigger displays also deliver wider viewing angles so family and friends can watch the big game together without huddling on the sofa, says the General Manager, Home Entertainment Division at LG Electronics West Africa, Mr. Vanjamin Kim. “OLED delivers the widest viewing angles in the game, the 88-inch LG SIGNATURE OLED 8K TV is the pinnacle of home spectating, while its smaller 48-inch sibling delivers the same wide viewing angle to smaller rooms.

on Online Training To update the knowledge of potential schools’ coaches and practitioners, a Lagos-based sports promotion outfit, Dynaspro Promotion is partnering UK Sports Coaching (UKSC) in providing an online training.

UKSC and Dynaspro established a training partnership based on mutual understanding and to develop best practices within the UK and Nigeria.

The training is aimed at adding value to Physical and Health Education (PHE) students and those currently teaching PE in schools by enabling them to have global experience, participation, recognition, exposure to modern training methods and certification.

For the Chief Executive Officer of Dynaspro Promotion, Oluseyi Oyebode, the training is aimed at empowering coaches in schools to be at par with their counterparts across the globe.

“It is an online training that involves visual training, curriculum development-based and will be broken into, assessment/ records keeping, methods of teaching, planning of lessons, use of technology and resources. It will also give opportunities for simulation experience, which means travelling to the UK for classroom teaching and coaching experience. The programme will also enhance good development for online home training programs for schools in Nigeria which are the new global trends,” Oyebode said.

For the CEO of UK Sports Coaching, Matt Quigley, the decision to partner Dynaspro was aimed at helping and supporting the development of sport in Nigeria by delivering various coaching qualifications and development programmes.

“We are positive the various coaching and development training courses we plan to deliver will have a huge impact on sports in Nigeria not only for the coaches/teachers but for the progress of children and young adults. We are hoping to inspire coaches/teachers to deliver sessions/lessons to a more consistent standard across the board. Our expertise plan to do this from their greater knowledge and experience of teaching/ coaching towards the national curriculum in the UK,” Quigley said.

The registration for the training will commence in October this year for undergraduates and sports teachers as well as coaches.

The UK Sports Coaching was established in 2010 with the aim of providing professional teaching and sports coaching cum development programmes to nursery, primary and secondary schools.

Liverpool, Arsenal Community Shield Battle Live on StarTimes The 2020/21 season will get underway today with the Community Shield airing live in HD on the affordable pay-TV platform, StarTimes as Premier League champions Liverpool will take on FA Cup Winners Arsenal and will be broadcast on World Football Channel at 4:30 pm.

The match could serve as a test event to welcome a restricted number of fans into Wembley Stadium as part of plans for supporters to make a socially distanced return to sports venues more widely from October 1.

The increased safety measures from the government in late July may mean fans will not be able to attend.

The match will be immediately followed by an international break from September 2 to 10 with Germany facing Spain, Sweden against France and titleholder, Portugal vs. Croatia, among others, in the Euro Nations League which will also air on StarTimes. And then La Liga Santander starts September 12.

“Football has been at the core of StarTimes’ sports content strategy and this rich offering highlights StarTimes’ commitment to providing the best football experience to its users at most affordable rate in the market. Our subscribers can leverage on our flexible subscription options like pay-per-day. Also, non-subscribers can watch all live sports for as low as N400 weekly on the StarTimes-ON mobile app.

Download StarTimes-ON on Google or Apple play store,” Lazarus Ibeabuchi, PR Manager, StarTimes Nigeria said.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͺΠË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

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NEWSXTRA

FG to Commission LokoOweto Bridge in December Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government has said the Loko-Oweto Bridge will be inaugurated in December.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made this disclosure when he toured the project site with the Ministers of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, and Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume.

The 2.1km bridge links the Northern and Southern parts of the country and shortens travel duration.

The contract was awarded on November 2, 2011 at the cost of N51.6 billion. However, the cost of certified job by the contractor is N43.2 billion while the total advance granted is N7.3 billion.

The Chief Engineer of RCC Ltd, Mr. Igor Zavodchiki, pledged that the project, including the

approach roads, would be delivered by the end of the year. He said the second lane of the bridge had already been opened for vehicular movement.

The two carriage bridge has east and west segments, each measuring 1,835 metres long.

Earthworks and construction of box culverts at the approach road are in progress at the Oweto end while installation of lightning facilities on the bridge has also

been completed. ''As we know Benue State in particular is agricultural with Nasarawa. And before now we used to talk of Benue State as the Food Basket of the federation. With this bridge, it is going to become the food storage of the federation because it is going to attract people from every part of the nation to this place,'' Mohammed said.

The 106 kilometres road link-

ABIA IN THEIR MINDS...

L-R: Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, during the 29th Anniversary of Abia State held at Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahiaâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

Osimhen Scores Hat-trick in Napoli's Debut Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen began his time at Napoli on a very positive note as he scored a hat-trick and also provided an assist in an 11-0 mauling of L'Aquila at the Abruzzo training camp in Castel di Sangro on Friday.

The training camp marked the beginning of the Partenopeiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preparations for pre-season with Osimhen able to finally join his teammates following his â&#x201A;Ź50 million move form Ligue 1 club Lille.

L'Aquila plays three divisions

beneath Napoli hence it was going to be a one-sided affair and it lived up to that billing with Osimhen giving the Campania capital outfit the lead in the first minute of the 45-minute match. He made it 2-0 minutes later before the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-time top scorer Dries Mertens added the third.

Osimhen completed his hattrick in just the seventh minute of play before Hirving Lozano netted the gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fifth goal a minute later. Algeria international Faouzi Ghoulam made it 6-0 followed by

Lorenzo Insigne. Lozano bagged his brace for 8-0 with the assist coming from Osimhen.

Insigne would go ahead to complete his hat-trick as well with the ninth and 11th goals, while Mertens scored his brace with the 10th strike of the match.

Lots of multiple scorers but the loudest buzz came from Osimhen who is expected to play the number nine role for Napoli in the coming season.

Partenopei coach Gennaro Gattuso after the game said he was

satisfied with the former Wolfsburg playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance and believes he can have great impact on the pitch as he continues to integrate into the team.

"I'm satisfied with Victor, but let's let him work in peace,â&#x20AC;? Gattuso said on the club website.

"What we have seen tonight is relative, what makes me positive is the work we are doing these days, with application and dedication. It is a first step and we must continue.

Foundation Rues Neglect of Niger Delta Ernest Chinwo Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; A non-governmental organisation, Tilda Goes Green (TGG) Foundation has raised the alarm over the neglect of the impact of climatechangeontheNigerDelta region and parts of the country.

The foundation also announced the take-off of its plans to provide street waste bins in Port Harcourt metropolis and educational opportunities for indigent children

in Rivers State.

Addressing journalists at the unveiling of the body in Port Harcourt yesterday, the President of Tilda Goes Green (TGG) Foundation, Rivers State-born actress and producer, Matilda Lambert, noted that while many parts of the world are taking steps to address issues of climate change, Nigeria, especially the governments and corporate bodies operating in the Niger Delta region, were

not bothered.

"The abject lack of political will has left the Creek people vulnerable to the claws of climate change," she lamented, adding "We are now faced with the crude fumes of gas, flared with reckless abandon and the incessant oil spillages that decimate riverian livelihoods to economic waste land."

She lamented, "As result, the third largest wetlands has strived

to survive greenhouse holocausts forced on her by the petroleum corporations at the expense if Niger Delta villages."

She said TGG was committed to creating a green economy for the next generations of the Niger Delta by securing a future founded on the 13 goals agenda of the foundation, covering education, innovation, culture, villages, lifestyles, fashion, tourism, justice and business, among others.

PDI Champions Affordable Telehealth in Northern Nigeria Rebecca Ejifoma Pre Diagnosis International has commenced a programme of extending its service base to various parts of the country in its bid to push for greater adoption of innovative telehealth among the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vulnerable and underserved communities.

The company also announced the first of such tactical moves

for the North Central and North Western parts of the country in a recent disclosure that the PDI 24/7 Doctorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hotline and the PDI Telehealth App have been remodeled to serve the needs of the Northern people in the Hausa language.

According to a media statement the Managing Director of PDI, Dr. John Iguve signed, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foray into Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna

and Abuja is in furtherance of PDIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s determination to meet the target of delivering efficient and affordable modern healthcare to 20 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians between 2020 and 2030. Iguve explained that the four cities were selected for the pilot scheme of the PDI 20-2030 Reach, Rescue and Fortify project in the North after the successes recorded in the South West area

over the last two years.

He said plans to extend the reach to every nook and corner of the Northern region were already afoot.

The MD said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are happy to announce that we are moving a step further in our campaign to make affordable healthcare services available at the doorstep of the people especially the poor and the vulnerable across Nigeria."

ing Oturkpo in Benue State has already been completed while the 76km stretch connecting Nasarawa State is at 20 per cent stage of completion.

In his remarks, Senator Akume appealed to the people of Benue and Nasarawa states to remain peaceful in order to attract more projects to the area.

WISCAR Mentors Lagos Female Students with Grow and Learn Initiative A group, Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR), in partnership with ACT Foundation has successfullydeliveredaone-year structuredmentoringprogramme toyounggirlsacrosssixSecondary Schools in Lagos State under its GrowandLearnInitiative(GLIN).

The group described the project as laudable, adding that it was born out of deep commitment to create more opportunities to advance WISCARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideals of gender parity and equity across all spheres of leadership in the society, provided a platform for the students to have a holistic synergy between academic studies and preparation for leadership in the future workplace.

According to WISCAR in a statement made available to THISDAY by the group Founder, Mrs. Amina Ayagbola, yesterday, the female organisation seeks to extend its intervention in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership through a backward integration to the future pipeline of WISCARs and leaders, â&#x20AC;&#x153;who will positively influence gender policy in the workplace in Nigeria and indeed Africa by catching them

early and adding value through leadership training.â&#x20AC;?

Ayagbola stated that the GLIN programme, which kicked off in April 2019 in six selected public and private secondary schools in Lagos State namely: Aunty Ayo International School; Lagos Anglican Girls Grammar School; Ansar-ud-Deen Girls High School; Herbert Macaulay Secondary School; Wesley Girls School, and Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls School, was made possible by a grant from ACT Foundation.

WISCAR noted in the statement that designed as a platform for the execution of a structured leadership and mentorship programme for young girls between the ages of 13 and 18 years, the beneficiaries are aspirational and focused young girls who are aiming to join the next generation of successful women leaders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The WISCAR GLIN programme supports these aspirations by empowering the girls to develop a conscious career mind-set enabling them to begin to aspire and plan positively for life after secondary school.

APWEN Builds Capacity of 60 STEM Teachers Funmi Ogundare Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN), yesterday, trained a total of 60 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers drawn from the association. It was designed to build their capacity to impact mothers and encourage girls to embrace STEM subjects.

The train-the trainers capacity workshop, held in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, saw teachers drawn from the six geopolitical zones in the country being trained.

They will have opportunity to train about 200 others in the country to enable girls embrace

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the engineering profession.

Speaking during the virtual APWEN SheEngineer STEM teachers training for engineers, the President, Mrs. Funmilola Ojelade expressed concern that the female students seem to dislike STEM subjects, adding that through its Boot Camp over the years, it had encouraged them to embrace the subjects.

"It is our focus to train STEM teachers. They will return to their localities to train other teachers."

She congratulated the teachers who have been trained while appealing to them to make a difference in their chosen profession.

In her remarks, the Project Director and Grant awardee, SheEngineer Invent It, Build It Programme under GCRF Africa catalyst project phase three, Dr. Felicia Agubata said the capacity building workshop was first of its kind, adding that the association was out to bridge the gender gap in the engineering profession.

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Price: N250

MISSILE

Akeredolu on Amotekun

“We will not collapse Amotekun for community policing. It will stand on its own. There is no intimidation. We are not people that can be intimidated; that the IG will give orders to. We will not. Amotekun is different. Community policing is different” – Governor Rotimi Akeredolu insisting the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Operation Amotekun, will not be subsumed under the community policing arrangement of the Nigeria Police Force.

PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Time to Tell Ghana to Stop Harassing Nigerians

F

ellow Nigerians, please permit to offer a quick apology. I had planned to conclude Chief Bode Akindele’s serialised tributes this week, but man proposes, and God disposes. A matter of urgent national importance necessitated this sudden change of plans.

Let’s now go quickly to the latest bad news from Ghana on how Nigerian traders are being maltreated. I will rely heavily on the well-scripted release by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information, and dissect the numerous issues and thorny problems that we’ve been faced with and continue to endure, as Nigerian citizens, as if we are orphans. But before I do this, let me confirm and reiterate that this resentment against Nigerians did not start today. Despite our almost unbreakable (I will explain) ties to Ghana, we always experience these altercations from time to time. Once upon a time, in 1969, to be as precise as necessary, Nigerians, mainly of the Yoruba race, were sacked from Ghana. It was such an emotional and tumultuous period for those involved. Many prosperous traders suddenly metamorphosed into paupers overnight. I stumbled on heart-rending pictures of some of the returnees last night as I was researching this piece. No one would expect such amongst brothers and sisters as we claim to be. The scars remained.

So, when Ghana started facing its own difficulties, they fled to Nigeria. Interestingly, some tribes in Ghana trace their origins to Nigeria. The Ga, for example are believed to have migrated from Ile-Ife, the cradle of civilisation. Ghanaians came to Nigeria for various reasons. Nigeria was prosperous. Nigeria had a stockpile of commodities that were critically lacking in Ghana. We had many Ghanaian teachers, shoemakers, tailors, housekeepers and others. I was old enough to make Ghanaian friends on the campus of University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), including with lecturers from that country and they felt very much at home.

Then came 1983, our Federal Government, led by President Shehu Shagari, took a most devastating decision. Shagari issued an order by executive fiat asking illegal immigrants to vacate the country.

The Big Brother was tired of playing its avuncular role. The world was shocked into stupor. That marked the beginning of our renewed perennial wars of attrition. Gone was the camaraderie that had persisted since the dark days of 1969. Only to be replaced by mutual distrust and fear and anger. Ghanaians left in droves, but not without feeling bruised and bloodied. This exodus gave birth to the proverbial “Ghana Must Go” bag!

While the Nigerians might have forgotten their own experiences of 1969, I doubt the Ghanaians ever forgave or forgot the 1983 experience. Not many Nigerians even remember today that it first started from the old Gold Coast.

That is the background to what has snowballed into another round of skirmishes today. I have spent substantial periods in Ghana in the last 25 years. I have made fantastic friends, and interacted with wonderful Ghanaians, including all the Presidents and Vice Presidents, since the time of President Jerry John Rawlings to date. I mentor many students, and even TroTro drivers (like our own Molue Drivers) easily recognise me as a Nigerian Chief and somtimes call me Igwe.

I probably know the Ghanaian terrain more than my home country Nigeria. I have travelled by road to all regions of Ghana, up to the farthest places like Bolgatanga and Wa. I enjoy Ghanaian food and often partake in the Saturday rituals of Waakye at Aunty Muni or Nyaniba Estate and Sunday after-service delicacies at Labadi.

I celebrated Ghana to the extent some Nigerians got angry. But I have been a fanatical disciple of the Osagyefo, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, from

Ghana President, Nana Akufo-Addo secondary school and got addicted to his book, Africa Must Unite. I dreamt perpetually about that nebulous unity and I was happy when ECOWAS came into being.

When I first arrived Ghana in 1995, I instantly fell in love with Accra. I saw a city on the rise.

Accra prepared me for my eventual journey into exile in England. My Ghanaian friend and Brother, Fritz Baffour, was extremely warm and affable.

I promised to come back one day as I boarded my flight into the unknown.

As promised, I did come back to my adopted country. I decided to establish an arm and a leg of Ovation International. It was a big affair, led by then Senate President Adolphus Wabara and Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I later established a weekend publication called the African Star. I also opened the most deliciously delightful and beautiful restaurant, called The House of Ovation in Osu, Accra. However, slowly but steadily, I lost my major investments in Ghana. The hostility from government officials against Nigerians was real. I will need to do a PhD thesis on it.

There was another major problem. The stigmatisation of Nigerians as scammers, drug barons and armed robbers. Ovation International worked hard to showcase our global players, Mike Adenuga, Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu, and others too numerous to mention here. As a counterbalance, we did extraordinary stories on Ghanaian women who were married to stupendously wealthy Nigerians. We discovered the women were less cantankerous, but the men viewed us with disdain possibly borne out of seeming competition. They mistake, or better still confuse, our confidence and assertiveness as arrogance. A few Ghanaian men also married our beautiful ladies and we brought these relationships to limelight. The former Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr Kofi Annan and the current President, Nana Akufo-Addo are two high profile Ghanaians who secured two, and one lovely offspring, respectively, from their Nigerian heartthrobs.

Then our banks came, after which we landed Accra in multitudes. The pathfinder was the indefatigable Tony Elumelu with his Standard Trust Bank (later merged with United Bank for Africa, the global bank). Others soon came in strength. They employed and paid some of the best salaries in town. The colours of our banks littered the landscapes of Accra, everywhere you turned. The brightest and biggest Nigerian brand took over the whole of Ghana, courtesy of the Spirit of Africa, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr. He took many Ghanaian icons out of the groves and turned them into Glo Ambassadors. He rebranded

the football fans and lit up everywhere with a kaleidoscope of supernatural artworks. The Bull faced challenges but never gave. Who hosted best and biggest events, including the unmatchable GLO-CAF awards, An evening with Wole Soyinka, and others. The razzmatazz was always out of this world and talk of the town.

We came in with our typical American cowboy bravado. But that’s who we are. Our students came in with their dollars. Their teachers labelled them as being too flamboyant and boisterous.

Our superstar artists invaded the land. Ghanaians reacted that Nigerian movies should be banned, an impossibility. Ghanaian actors had to travel to Nigeria to blow bigger. As you know, Nigerians love foreigners endlessly. A Ghanaian musical group, VIP, now known as VVIP, even lived in Lagos. We loved them. I invited many Ghanaian artists to the Ovation Red Carol in Lagos and were handsomely renumerated. I also took some of our topmost musicians to Ghana and provided opportunities for collaborative deals. I hosted and launched the Actress Genevieve Nnaji at a swimming pool dinner at the Labadi Beach Hotel. I can go on, ad infinitum.

Let me give more examples. I enjoyed a cordial relationship with Hon. Minister of Tourism, the great Jake Obetsebi Lamptey (RIP), and we supported his tourism plans. We produced crispy pictures of tourism destinations in Ghana and thousands of copies were shipped to foreign destinations.

Ghana became a major attraction to high spending Nigerian visitors. I promoted the hotels, like the popular La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, as well as the property markets and got a few Nigerians to buy into Trasacco Valley, Villagio, Airport Residential, Spintex estates and others. Our strategy was to thaw the frozen relationship that seemed to linger eternally. President John Agyekum Kufuor and his wife, Mother Theresa, as I fondly called her, were phenomenal. Kufuor even named one of the longest streets in Accra after President Olusegun Obasanjo in appreciation of his massive support for Ghana. He built on the foundation of friendship between Ghana and Nigeria that was laid by President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. I invited Rawlings and his entire family to Nigeria.

Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola even hosted Rawlings to lunch at Governor’s Lodge, Marina.

I have taken pains to write this long preamble in order to demonstrate our genuine efforts as Nigeria, the giant of Africa, at building powerful bridges.

I was aware of all that Nigeria did to support Ghana in its moments of need, but some Ghanaian politicians have never wasted any opportunity to throw tantrums at us. How can any country treat a country that contributed this much as a liability? One Minister once threatened me that I would only put my restaurant close to his house, over his dead body. Ironically, he was away in hospital the day we opened. I had secured the support of our then High Commissioner, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and he was solidly with me, but my potential assailant was nowhere to be found. I thank God we opened without anyone’s dead body.

I was aware of how most African leaders often crisscross Nigeria in search of election donations but soon become unreasonably cocky on attaining power and do nothing in return for their generous benefactors. Nigeria has really suffered in this Africa. But I think time has come now to stop being Mumu. We must set pre-conditions, spell out deliverables and even sign MOUs before we support African countries and leaders who often come cap in hand. Even Santa Claus deserves some respect. You can’t like my money and hate my face. Ingratitude is a sin even in the Holy Bible.

It is one of the reasons I loved the humility of the late President John Evans Atta Mills. As soon

as he won his elections, he travelled to Nigeria to personally thank his benefactor and spiritual mentor and Guru, Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua and he later invited another illustrious supporter, Nigerian businessman, Araba Jimoh Ibrahim, to his Inauguration and offered him a banking licence. This is a decent thing to do.

I was therefore shocked to my marrow to discover that the rapprochement was no longer holding. I simply couldn’t believe the ballistic tweets recently fired from the Foreign Minister of Ghana, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, from a newly opened Twitter account, just to justify the high-handedness against Nigerians in Ghana which shattered the illusion of peace and harmony that had prevailed for some time. She kept referring to a deliberate Act of government designed to eliminate Nigerian traders in particular. It is like hiding behind one finger. I believed these thinly veiled insults must have triggered the powerful response issued

by Alhaji Lai Mohammed yesterday. We must continue to tell those who take us for granted that the sluggishness of a tiger, periodically, is not out of cowardice. We love every African, but this must not be taken for timidity. I have the pleasure of reproducing the clear message that gave me hope yesterday... Please, enjoy...

“Nigeria Will No Longer Tolerate Harassment of Its Citizens in Ghana.

The Nigerian Government is deeply concerned by the incessant harassment of its citizens in Ghana and the progressive acts of hostility towards the country by Ghanaian authorities and will no longer tolerate such.

In this regard, the Federal Government is urgently considering a number of options aimed at ameliorating the situation.

The Federal Government has been documenting the acts of hostility towards Nigeria and Nigerians by the Ghanaian authorities. These include: Seizure of the Nigerian Mission’s property located at No. 10, Barnes Road, Accra, which the Nigerian Government has used as diplomatic premises for almost 50 years. This action is a serious breach of the Vienna Convention.

Demolition of the Nigerian Mission’s property located at No. 19/21 Julius Nyerere Street, East Ridge, Accra, another serious breach of the Vienna Convention.

Aggressive and incessant deportation of Nigerians from Ghana. Between Jan. 2018 and Feb. 2019, 825 Nigerians were deported from Ghana.

Closure of shops belonging to Nigerians. Over 300 Nigerians shops were locked for four months in Kumasi in 2018; over 600 Nigerian shops were locked in 2019 and, currently, over 250 Nigerians shops have been locked.

Residency Permit requirements, for which the Ghana Immigration Service has placed huge fees, far higher than the fees charged by the Nigerian Immigration Service. These include the compulsory Non-citizen ID card (US$120, and US$60 for yearly renewal); Medical examinations, including for Covid-19 which is newly-introduced (about US$120), and payment for residency permit (US$400 compared to the N7,000 being paid by Ghanaians for residency card in Nigeria) Outrageous stipulations in the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act. When the Act was initially promulgated in 1994, a foreigner is required to invest at least US$300,000 by way of equity capital and also employ 10 Ghanaians. This Act has now been amended twice, with the 2018 GIPC Act raising the minimum capital base for foreign-owned businesses to US$1m. Though targeted at foreigners, it seems GIPC’s definition of foreigners is Nigerians. The GIPC Act also negates the ECOWAS Protocol.

NOTE: This piece is concluded in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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