TUESDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 2023

Indefinite Strike Looms as NLC, FG's Talks End in Deadlock

Labour demands 200% wage award Govt worried over economic impact of another strike Meets

Edo Crisis Depeens

Adeyemo Identifies Four Economic Reform Priorities for Nigeria

Commends

which was titled “U.S.- Nigeria Economic Relations: People, Entrepreneurship and Investment.”

Adeyemo, stated clearly that he was in the LBS to talk about how the United States could be a partner in accelerating progress

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Godwin Obaseki

L-R: Receiver/Manager Arik Air, Mr. Kamilu Omokide; Group Head, Corporate Services, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mrs. Iyatum Adode-Kobiti; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ahmed Lawan Kuru, and Chief Finance Officer, Mr. Olugbenga Ataiyero, at a media parley organised by AMCON in Lagos…yesterday

AWARD WELL DESERVED...

L- R: Acting Company Secretary, FBN Holdings, Adewale Arogundade; Head, Investor Relations, FBN Holdings, Tolu Oluwole; former Director General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr.; Executive Director, Finance FBN Holdings, Oyewale Ariyibi; Publisher, BusinessDay, Frank Aigbogun, and Financial Controller, FBN Holdings, Wasiu Shafe, receiving the award given to the Group Managing Director of FBN Holdings Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo during the The Top 25 CEOs Awards organised by BusinessDay in Lagos…recently

Kuru: How Aviation Authorities Frustrated AMCON’s Proposed Airline, NG Eagle

Insists Arik owners must present resolution strategy that makes sense to corporation, CBN, Ministry of Finance Says N280bn realised from sale of 350 assets

Obinna Chima and Eromosele Abiodun

The Managing Director of the Assets Management Corporation (AMCON) yesterday, narrated how its proposed carrier, the Nigerian Eagle (NG Eagle), which ought to be its exit strategy from its aviation portfolio was frustrated by some aviation authorities.

Kuru, who spoke on the issue for the first time, during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, said the aviation authorities frustrated the proposed airline because of unfounded rumors that NG Eagle was being mooted to be a national carrier.

In February 2016, AMCON fully took over the management of Aero Contractors after it dissolved the board of the company and the corporation became the majority shareholder. Aero Contractors is Nigeria’s oldest aviation company. It commenced business in 1959. Also in February 2017, AMCON took over Arik Air and became the receiver manager.

The debt resolution agency had scaled all hurdles required by law to set up a new airline, NG Eagle, before it was given the final Air Operating Certificate (AOC), to enable the new airline to commence scheduled operations.

However, commenting on the botched airline yesterday, Kuru explained that NG Eagle was actually set up to enable AMCON resolve Arik Air’s huge debts as well as the challenges Aero Contractor was facing, adding that it was at the verge of commencing operation with three branded aircraft waiting on the tarmac before it was frustrated.

According to Kuru, contrary to reports in a section of the media, AMCON did not go into Arik Air for debt recovery but to stabilise the company.

According to him, “What we decided to do at that time was that some of those assets doesn’t belong to only Arik. The assets belong to banks and AMCON. So we said why don’t we set up and independent airline and then move the assets into the new airline because those assets were not encumbered, and then that new airline would be disposed without any issues and there were quite a lot of investors who were interested in entering into the aviation space.

“We had meetings and started the process of setting up the NG Eagle airline. It took us almost two years to follow the process. At that time, the aviation ministry asked to see how they can help the process.

“We had to get through the rigors of getting a licence and at the last point when we were just picking up the licence, the aviation industry come up to say we are planning to set up a national carrier. “We were frustrated, they reported to the National Assembly and started talking about past due obligations that were part of the original agreement. That was how we were frustrated.”

Speaking further, the former bank CEO said: “There were three aircraft that were branded, sitting on the tarmac and they sat on the tarmac for almost two years, which was strange to us in AMCON. We didn’t know when the aviation authorities started shifting position because they were with us all through the process, up to the point that we were about to take our licence.

“We were only interested in resolving a debt issues and that was interpreted to as setting up a national carrier. We were frustrated and we had to find a way of dealing with the licence because it was going to expire after a certain period if we didn’t use it. We therefore started a process and we were able to sell

the license.”

Kuru explained further: “When we came on board around 2015, we never went near Arik, because at that time Arik was carrying 40 per cent of the passenger load. But by 2017, Arik enter into very big crisis: They were not paying salaries, they were not paying insurance, the technical partners had gone, the guys they brought from Ethiopia were going, they had more than N32 billion to pay the regulators – Federal Airport

Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

“Everything was wrong with Arik. Then the international community started writing and then the government felt that AMCON needed to support Arik. If we had not entered Arik in 2017, Arik wouldn’t have latest two weeks. So, we were able to pump money into Arik to make sure that they continued to fly.

“But today, everybody in the aviation industry will tell you that

the sector is challenged. It is not only Arik or Aero Contractors that are facing challenges.”

According to Kuru, “the challenge of Sir Arumemi Johnson’s Arik Air Limited under the auspices of AMCON may seem difficult, but the situation is not irredeemable. There is always a way out of every resolution situation however, there must be a situation of give and take, which is what we (AMCON) has been trying to achieve.

“We are ready to sit down with the owner or owners of Arik if they are ready to agree on what makes sense to us, to them, and the federal government.

“When we engage and arrive at that agreement, we will as AMCON go back to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as well as the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and share such resolution strategy with them.

UNGA: Tinubu’s Aide, Others Call for Increased Investments in SDGs

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Ugo Aliogo in Lagos

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has joined leaders and experts from around the world to call for increased investments and alignments of resources from public and private sources to accelerate progress on the delivery of the 2030 agenda.

Orelope-Adefulire, made the call while speaking at a high-level

event held at the margins of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) in New York.

The event was tagged: "Accelerating SDGs Progress Through National Financing Strategies and Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs).”

It was organised by the governments of Nigeria and Indonesia, in collaboration with key partners including the INFF facility, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Budget

Young CEOs Seek Creation of Ministry for Young Entrepreneurs

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Young CEO Initiative has called for the creation of Ministry for Young Entrepreneurs to stimulate small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria.

The founder of the initiative, Mr. Aigbe Omorege, who made the call yesterday, during a news conference in Benin City, also called on President Bola Tinubu to include Edo among states to benefit from the proposed grants for Small Medium Enterprises in the country.

Omorege, who was joined by other members of the initiative, said creating the ministry became necessary to relate directly to young

entrepreneurs and drive the spirit of entrepreneurship the country was known for.

According to him, these young entrepreneurs employ the highest number of people, thereby generating the highest amount of revenue as far as Nigeria's Gross Domestic Progress (GDP) is concerned, adding that this effort, would helped to reduced unemployment to a significant level.

"Also we want the president to instruct the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) to make public the currency swap agreements between the CBN and the Republic of China Central Bank, so that our people can take leverage of this.

"Remember, few days ago, a Human Rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, came up with the revelation that there was a currency swap agreement between the two countries that will help our people going to do business in China not to source for dollars, but to exchange naira for China currency.

“If we know the early enough or this is made public, it helps to reduce the stress of sourcing for dollars," he said.

Omorege, who is also the Chief Executive Officer, Intercontinental Paint, urged Tinubu to as a matter of urgency create enabling environment for businesses to thrive, particularly in the areas of clearing.

Partnership (IBP), among others.

The programme was aimed at shedding light on the critical role of national financing strategies and INFFs in achieving SDGs.

It also provided a platform for countries to share their experiences, challenges, and solutions related to financing strategies and furthering the global conversation on how INFFs and national financing strategies can drive progress towards the SDGs.

Speaking at the event, OrelopeAdefulire acknowledged the transformative potential of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the commitment of development partners, particularly the United Nations, in advancing the global agenda.

She noted that Nigeria, in alignment with its national development priorities, had integrated the SDGs into key policy documents, including the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), among others.

Highlighting Nigeria's pioneering role, Orelope-Adefulire noted that the country made history with the launch of her INFF report at the UNGA last year.

She emphasised that the INFF serves as a vital planning tool to enhance sustainable development financing at the national levels, in line with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

The senior special assistant reiterated Nigeria's commitment

to leveraging the INFF framework, especially in light of global fiscal challenges.

She underscored the importance of mobilising both domestic and international resources to finance sustainable development, highlighting the need for investments in the public sector to be aligned with the SDGs.

She also expressed Nigeria's intent to prioritise investments with multiplier effects on all the SDGs and to strengthen partnerships with the UN development system, the private sector, and non-state actors.

Also speaking, the Deputy Executive Director of Partnerships, UNICEF, Ms. Kitty van der Heijden, noted that INFF was significant as an instrument for prioritising expenditures in favour of social and environmental sectors in an inclusive way.

She particularly lauded Nigeria’s efforts in exploring the possibility of aligning the national and subnational budget allocations with the SDGs.

Heijden, further stated that to deliver on the SDGs, countries needed a strategic mix of public and private capital, in addition to the call by the UN secretary-general for SDG stimulus.

This position was re-echoed by Mr. Haoliang Xu, Under Secretary-General and Associate Administrator, UNDP, who added that the effort by Nigeria was a worthy example for other UN member-states to adopt.

VICE PRESIDENT SHETTIMA...

NEITI Unveils Oil, Gas Report, Says $9.85bn Unremitted in 2021

Discloses NNPC owes 80% of total financial liabilities FG, states, LG earn $23.04bn in 12 months N2.651tn spent without appropriation N200bn spent on non-functional refineries between

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) yesterday unveiled its oil and gas report, disclosing that total unremitted revenues to the federation by some relevant government agencies and companies in the oil and gas sector in the year 2021 rose to $9.85 billion.

The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, while presenting the highlights of the report, stated that it provided an update on the financial liabilities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and some other companies in the sector to the

2020,2021 N68.47mn

barrels lost to measurement error, theft, sabotage

federation.

The report showed that Nigeria earned total revenue of $23.046 billion from the sector in 2021, which was about 13 per cent higher than the corresponding total of $20.43 billion realised in 2020.

A breakdown of the earnings showed that about $8.67 billion, or 37.6 per cent of the revenue was realised from the sale of crude oil and gas; $13.37 billion, or 58.02 per cent from taxes and other specific revenue flows, and $1.01 billion, or 4.38 per cent, went into payments to sub-national entities.

An analysis of the total revenue realised, the report stated, showed unremitted revenues and quasi-fiscal expenditure by the NNPC of $1.95bn

Nigerian Institutional

(8.47 per cent) and $6.93 billion (30.08 per cent) Transfersrespectively. to the federation amounted to $13.2 billion (57.27 per cent), while sub-national payments totalled $963.63 million or 4.18 per cent. Available revenue for sharing by the federating units after the deductions and in accordance with the revenue allocation formula was $13.2 billion which represented 57.27 per cent of the total revenue collected. This was lower than the 71.7 per cent shared in 2020.

“The quasi-fiscal expenditure of $6.931 billion (equivalent of N2.651 trillion) were deducted from the federation’s revenue before remittance without appropriation by the National Assembly.

Investor

Puts

Four Grade A Malls Up For Sale

A Nigerian institutional investor has listed assets for sale in a local Nigerian publication of four Grade A retail developments in Lagos and Abuja.

The Grade A developments has three of which are retail malls and one which is a mixed-use commercial property comprising office and retail spaces.

“Following the liberalisation of Nigeria’s foreign exchange rate, we expect to see real estate demand in prime office and retail assets change.

“We anticipate that tenants will start to downsize or reduce space requirements to manage the cost increase and maintain profitability,” estate intel, said.

As the search for liquidity among large scale institutional assets owners continues, purchase interest has been low, it added.

“The key details of the retail developments on sale include Lekki Mall, Novare Lekki Mall, Sangotedo, Lagos with Size: 21,000 m2, occupancy rate: 92 per cent (as of June, 2023),” it said.

It also listed Apo Mall, Abuja, with size of 8,000 m2 on kilometre 8 Along Airport Road – Abuccima Land, Abuja, as one of the properties.

“Estate Intel’s 2023 Lagos Real Estate Pipeline Report highlights that there has been a recent shift in preference to locally-owned hypermarkets and plazas due to a relatively shorter delivery window and flexibility that helps lessen the

impact of economic headwinds in the country.

“As such, there has been marked increase in the demand and supply of hypermarkets and plazas compared to Grade A malls,“ it stated.

“A breakdown of the $6.93 billion deductions showed payments of $3.52 billion or 15 per cent for Joint Venture Cost Recovery and $3.031 billion (about N1.16 trillion) or 13.15 per cent for products subsidy/ value loss.

“Other deductions are $258.43 million for government priority projects; $75.51 million for pipeline maintenance and holding cost and $42.40 million for crude oil and products losses,” it stated.

The NEITI report also observed that none of the refineries was operational in 2021 despite spending about N200 billion between 2020 and 2021 on refinery rehabilitation which was deducted from the federation sales proceeds. These deductions the report reiterated, remained a heavy cost to federation revenue remittances.

In addition, the report said about $1.95 billion, or 8.47 per cent of the total revenue was not transferred to the Federation Account by the NNPC during the year under review.

A breakdown of the withheld revenue included, $722.6 million for NLNG dividend; $871.15 million from domestic crude sales, $859,583 miscellaneous revenue and $286.42 million from export crude sales. $24.332 million and $45.76 million were withheld from transportation

revenue and domestic gas proceeds.

A 10-year trend analysis of financial flows from the oil and gas sector from 2012 to 2021, it stated, showed earnings of $348.63 billion.

On crude oil production and exports, the NEITI report indicated that total metered crude oil production was 634.60 million barrels, out of which the nation lost 68.47 million barrels to production adjustment, measurement error, theft and sabotage. The figure showed a 13 per cent reduction from the production volumes of 2020.

The report pointed out that a total 29 companies suffered crude losses from theft and sabotage amounting to 37.57 million barrels. The decline in crude oil losses due to theft and sabotage from 39.08 million barrels in 2020 to 37.57 million barrels in 2021 was generally due to the decline in crude oil production during this period.

On gas production and utilisation, the NEITI report stated that a total of 2.74 million standard cubic feet of gas was produced during the year, with the volume about 8.96 percent lower than the 3,013,634 mmscf produced in 2020.

Total gas utilised in 2021 stood at 98 per cent, while 2 per cent could not accounted for by the companies based on the templates submitted.

Tinubu Approves Six Special Advisers, 12 Other Aides for Shettima

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of 18 Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants, seconded to the office of the vice president, Kashim Shettima, to enable him actualise the agenda of the federal government across the different sectors of the economy.

The team, according to a release yesterday by Director of Information in the office of the vice president, Olusola Abiola, made up of six Special Advisers and 12 Senior Special Assistants, will work in Shettima’s office, and support the "Renewed Hope" agenda of the Tinubu administration.

Those appointed included

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who was made Special Adviser on Political Matters. He is the elder brother of Labour Party vice presidential candidate in the February 25 general election, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

The other appointees were Rukaiya El-Rufai, Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change; Tope Kolade Fasua, Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters; Aliyu Modibbo Umar, Special Adviser, General Duties; Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on PEBEC and Investment; and Sadiq Wanka, Special Adviser to the President on Power Infrastructure.

Others were Usman Mohammed, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration

and Office Coordination; Kingsley Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications; Ishaq Ahmed Ningi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Media and Emergency Management; Peju Adebajo, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Investment and Privatisation; Mohammed Bulama, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political/Special Duties; Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement; Gimba Kakanda, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Research and Analytics; and Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Job Creation and MSMEs.

Also appointed were Nasir Yammama, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Innovation; Zainab Yunusa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on NEC; Mariam Temitope, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Regional Development Programmes; and Bashir Maidugu, Deputy State House Counsel (Senior Special Assistant to the President).

Meanwhile, Baba-Ahmed accepted his appointment as Special Advisers (Political Matters). Baba-Ahmed, who is the spokesperson of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), and former Chief of Staff to the President of the Ninth Senate, confirmed the appointment and his acceptance, saying this is not the time to be “fence-sitting”.

With the nation’s gross domestic products put at about $434.17 billion, the report noted that the oil and gas sector contributed about 7.24 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and $36.55 billion (N14.40 trillion) to total exports of $47.31 billion (N18.91 trillion).

NEITI stated that this represented 76.22 per cent of the total exports in 2021, 0.8 per cent higher figure than in 2020. 19,171 employees were said to be working in the sector in 2021.

Similarly, the total government revenue generated in 2021 was N10.75 trillion, to which the oil and gas sector contributed N4.358 trillion. This represents about 40.55 per cent of the total revenue compared to 51 per cent in 2020.

The higher export value in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to the increase in crude oil price in 2021 from $41.65 per barrel to $66.97 per barrel, the NEITI report disclosed.

NEITI also drew attention to the practice of computing 13 per cent derivation on the balance of revenue after deductions from the total collections which it advised should be discontinued.

Rather, the 13 per cent derivation, it said, should be based on total collections for the relevant period in accordance with Section 162(2) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It noted that Lekoil Limited did not submit any information for reconciliation, but was captured to have paid over $7.76 million.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Mrs. Esuabana Nko, while unveiling the report reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to support and deepen the implementation of the EITI in Nigeria.“President Bola Tinubu’s administration is fully committed to the fight against corruption in the extractive industry in particular and in other sectors of the economy.

“As an Administration, we are convinced that the revival of our economy and the 8-point agenda that we recently unfolded cannot yield the desired result if we do not support and strengthen anticorruption and reform oriented Agencies like NEITI,” Akume said.

WEMA BANK EXECUTIVES VISIT

L-R: Wema Bank Executive Director, Tunde Mabawonku; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni and the Vice President Kashim Shettima, during a courtesy visit on the Vice President by Wema Bank Executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja ..... yesterday

PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Rukiya El-Rufai among appointees

ANNUAL BANKING AND FINANCE CONFERENCE...

Adedeji Resumes as FIRS Generates N8.5tn in 9 Months

James Emejo in Abuja

The newly appointed acting Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, yesterday resumed office, promising to jointly build a tax administration that enjoys the trust and confidence of all.

Adedeji, also promised to boost the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 18 per cent within in three years, to surpasses Africa’s average of 16.5 per cent, acknowledging that a lot of work still needed to be done.

He said increasing the revenues available was part of the FIRS’ support to the federal government to reduce reliance on borrowing to discharge its duties to Nigerians, vowing to also simplify the tax system to enable voluntary compliance going forward. This came as the erstwhile Chairman of FIRS, Mr. Mr. Muhammad Nami, disclosed that under his administration, the service collected over N8.5 trillion in cash between January 1 to September 14, 2023, and assessed, reconciled and recovered over N4 trillion outstanding tax liabilities as well as sequestered funds from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) on behalf of the federation.

Nami, explained that the over N12 trillion generated was exclusive of amounts invested by taxpayers under the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme and tax implications of waivers by government within the nine-month period.

Both spoke at the handover ceremony at the FIRS headquarters in Abuja.

Nami, noted that he had promised to raise the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio from six per cent to 10 per cent in four years during the inauguration of the erstwhile board of the FIRS.

He said, “We already have achieved a tax-to-GDP ratio of 10.86 per cent within two years (as at December 31, 2021). It may interest us to know that our projected total 2023 tax collection is a minimum of N15 trillion and a projected tax to GDP of nearly 14 per cent by December 2023.

“Certainly, the projections by the current government of tax to GDP of 18 per cent in another four years is not only realisable but can be surpassed.”

Adedeji, however, promised not to, “force things down the throat of our stakeholders,” but rather, “engage with them, work with and through them to jointly build a tax administration that we will all be proud of and one that enjoys the trust and confidence of all.”

To achieve results, he urged the FIRS staff to work with uncompromising integrity, uphold taxpayers’ confidentiality, and demonstrate a high level of professionalism, fairness and show exemplary public service.

He said he would be meeting the management shortly in order to, “put heads together on how we can achieve the target we will be setting to improve the efficiency of FIRS and position it to better serve

Nigerians,”

The new acting FIRS chairman also promised to prioritise staff welfare by rewarding hard work and also urged them to reciprocate the gesture by rededicating themselves to the service of the country.

He said, “I will not close this address without speaking about staff welfare. I give you my word that nothing shall stand in the way of the wellbeing of staff. In reciprocation, I would implore you all to rededicate yourselves to the service of the country. Under me, there shall be reward for hardwork and dedication to duty.”

He warned however, that, “There will also be consequences for those who elect to go the contrary route. I seek your support and cooperation in the task ahead of us.”

Adedeji, said he would run an

open-door policy in order to actualise the revenue drive of the federal government and guarantee the economic prosperity and wellbeing of Nigerians.

He commended his predecessor for the positive achievements in revenue collection and other reforms while in the saddle, stressing that, “There is no doubt that you were able to raise the bar during your tenure.”

According to him, the gains recorded by the FIRS under Nami would serve as the springboard upon which the service would launch out under the new administration.

Adedeji said, “I believe this exchange of baton signposts the continuity of the hardwork that has been put into making FIRS better.”

He said, “As a strategic institution, I am sure we are all aware of our current economic reality as a

country. We are in revenue crisis. Government revenue is low amid a huge public debt.

“Last year, 96 per cent of government revenue went into debt servicing. Where debt has grown bigger than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and debt servicing faster than revenue, immediate actions have to be taken to remedy the situation.”

He said the FIRS would embrace current efforts to tidy the fiscal landscape and address some of the obstacles impeding effective operations of the service as the primary agency of government responsible for the administration, assessment, collection, accounting as well as enforcement of taxes and levies.

He said, “We need to innovate and build our operations on foolproof technology, while also evolving a

hub of fresh ideas and creativity. We must definitely plug leakages.”

He stressed the need to strengthen the service’s internal processes and control mechanism and place a high premium on effective coordination of assigned tasks and delegated responsibilities.

He also promised to unveil a cocktail of strategies that would stimulate voluntary payment of taxes and levies, adding that this was achievable because, “Nigerians acknowledge the need for government to increase its revenue to be able to meet its obligations to them.”

He added that the measures would build a tax system that was smart and modern, and one with unquestionable integrity as well as earn the trust and admiration of stakeholders.

Oando Posts N32.9bn Profit After Tax for 2021

Records 68% revenue increase

Oando Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous energy solutions providers has posted a N32.9 billon profit-after-tax in its full-year-ended 2021 financials.

2023 has seen the company record positive highlights, including the recent announcement of its intent to acquire the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (AGIP)

from Eni as well as the launch of its Electric Mass transit buses in partnership with the Lagos State government, signalling that things are beginning to look-up for the indigenous giant.

According to a statement, despite being impacted by an astronomical increase in militancy and sabotage at the time of financial reporting,

FG, Wema Bank to Train Two Million Youths on Digital Skills

Shettima hails initiative to further empower one million SMEs

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Sequel to its pledge to support the job creation agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, Wema Bank in partnership with the Office of the Vice President, has finalised plan to commence an initiative that would impact two million youths and one million micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who received an update report on the programme at the State House, Abuja, yesterday, during a courtesy visit by the Managing Director of Wema Bank, Mr. Moruf

Oseni, lauded the commitment and partnership of the bank for the initiative.

The team was at the Villa to brief the vice president on the progress made in the implementation of the FGN-ALAT Digital Skill-Novation Programme – an initiative of a partnership between the federal government and Wema Bank to train two million youths and empower one million MSMEs across Nigeria.

Speaking on the support and commitment of the bank in the execution of the initiative, the Shettima said, “I will call on you to be above board. You are a good organisation. I want to thank you most sincerely for your initiative

and commitment, be rest assured that we will fulfill our own part of the bargain.”

Speaking later in an interview with newsmen, MD of Wema Bank said they were at the State House to brief the vice president on, “how far we have gone on the FGN/ALAT project. Vice President was very happy, and shortly you will hear from his office of how we want to progress with this programme, part of this is to help create innovation hubs across the country for us.”

According to Oseni: “Mr. President came out with a very bold and audacious plan on how to revive the Nigerian economy. The banks are a key player and we will put

in our best to actualise this.

“If Nigeria does well, the financial institutions will do well. Mr. President is 100 per cent on track and we are totally in support of his administration.”

On his part, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Temitope Adekunle-Johnson, emphasised the significance of collaboration, noting that, “there is power in partnership. Private sector and the public sector coming together can always do more for the people.

Mr. President's ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda cannot be achieved by the government or private sector alone as it requires all hands on deck.

the company recorded a 68 per cent increase in its turnover to N803.5 billion compared to N477.1 billion in 2020, and a profit after tax of N32.9 billion compared to loss after tax of N140.7 billion for the full year 2020.

Commenting on the audited financial results, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Oando Plc, Adewale Tinubu said, "Our audited full year 2021 financial statements are broadly in line with our earlier published unaudited results in which we announced an increase in profitability driven by a strong revenue performance - a consequence of an 82 per cent increase in average realised oil sale price – coupled with the refund of long-standing receivable.”

As a result of the decline of the country's oil output due to pipeline vandalism, oil theft and illegal refining, Oando's average daily oil production decreased by 40 per cent to 26,775 boe/day in 2021, compared to 44,550 boe/ day in 2020.

In 2021, the company's production consisted of 8,849 bbls/day of crude oil as against 15,912bbls/day FYE 2020, 1,699 boe/day of NGLs and 16,227 boe/day of natural gas as a result of shut-ins for repairs and maintenance and sabotage

incidences at its facilities.

In addressing the operational challenges faced during the reporting period, Tinubu said, "Although a surge in militancy and sabotage activities across the Niger Delta negatively affected our operations during the reporting period, we have seen progress in security initiatives and are consistently seeking innovative solutions to stabilise our oil & gas production."

Oando saw an uptick in its trading business as the company recorded an eight per cent increase in traded crude oil volumes of 17.4 million compared to 16.1 million in FYE 2020 and a 39 per cent increase in traded refined petroleum products (962,370 MT compared to 694,653 MT in FYE 2020).

Speaking on the company's strategic focus for the future, the Oando boss said, "Moving forward, we remain committed to driving growth within our upstream and trading businesses whilst simultaneously diversifying our portfolio by investing in non-fossil and climate-friendly energy solutions through Oando Clean Energy Limited.

“We will continue to update our esteemed shareholders as progressive developments are made in the coming year."

L-R: Past President Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Uche Olowu; Past President, Dr. Segun Aina; Executive Director Polaris Bank Ltd, Chinwe Iloghalu; President/Chairman, CIBN, Dr. Ken Opara; GM/Group Head Business Development BUA Group, Tajudeen Ahmed, and Council Member CIBN, Rafiat Onitiri, at the 16th Annual Banking & Finance Conference, held in Abuja...recently

New helmsman promises to achieve 18% tax-to-GDP ratio in three years, plug leakages, adopt open-door policy, prioritise staff welfare, others Nami says revenue targets realisable

Tinubu Canvasses Stronger Economic Ties with S’Africa

Seeks reform of Bretton Woods institutions

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu, has canvassed an economic development diplomatic drive for investment attraction as he engaged in a bilateral discussion yesterday with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, in New York City, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.

Tinubu stressed that Africa must have a consensus view that the hundreds of billions of dollars spent through International Development Finance Institutions (IDFI) over the years must meet the specific needs of developing democracies in Africa, even if it was done with exclusive

regard for their own enlightened self-interest.

He said: "During the end of the Second World War, the Marshall Plan was established for the reconstruction and economic restoration of European nations through Bretton Woods institutions. Where has this presence been for Africa? We have to be careful not to replace the broken shackle of yesterday with a new set of shackles.

“You can not have a stable democracy in the presence of a poverty of knowledge and a starvation of people. Democracy without food on the table is a breeding ground for what will consume us, if care

is not taken. We must join hands and agree that International Finance Institutions require reform as Africa is not to be a ground for economic scavenging any longer, but it is a place with gifted people that is ready for investment and cooperation.

"We have all the human and natural resources required between our nations. We can collaborate in a mutually beneficial way that enriches our populations. South African Mining industries have a role to play in the Nigerian solid minerals development sector. Your business community has done well in Nigerian Telecommunications.

“We have great mineral wealth

across our land, and you have good expertise in this area. We expect to deliver jobs and mutually beneficial results in this area as brother and sister countries," the President affirmed.

Referencing President Tinubu's quick implementation of what he called "brave" economic reforms, the South African President agreed that the two countries have much more wealth to create together in close and intentional partnership, with each nation leveraging on each other's respective strengths.

"We are two major economies on our continent, and it is important that we deepen economic ties, particularly in light of the African Continental Free

ADEYEMO IDENTIFIES FOUR ECONOMIC REFORM PRIORITIES FOR NIGERIA

on the economic reforms because a strong and prosperous Nigeria is also good for the United States of America.

Speaking on the four reform priorities, Adeyemo said, “Nigeria needs a stable naira” noting that, “unifying Nigeria’s foreign exchange rates will create the kind of macroeconomic stability that is essential to attracting foreign investment.”

“We commend the difficult steps your government has already taken to accomplish this goal. The path to unification is not easy, but going backwards would be even worse.

“Second, the (Nigeria’s) gov- ernment needs to articulate and implement a fiscal strategy that will provide the resources to make critical investments. I recognise the decision to end fuel subsidies is hard for many Nigerian households, but it was an important early step to create resources the government can use to invest in physical and digital infrastructure, education, and a strong small business environment.

“The need for economic reform does not demand indifference to the pain caused by this transition. This is why partners like the World Bank and African Development Bank are committed to working with your government to provide resources and advice to help smooth this transition for the Nigerian people.

“The third factor for growth is a

rooting out of corruption and the perception of corruption in the business environment. I know the Nigerian people are willing to make sacrifices in the service of progress but have a legitimate fear that corruption and mismanagement will dash their hopes that the benefits of these reforms will enrich the people rather than the powerful.

“Creating economic opportunity will require a government-driven effort that addresses these fears by shining a light on corruption, holding people accountable, and taking meaningful steps to improve the business climate.

“For example, Nigeria is a hotbed for digital entrepreneurship. Taking simple steps like moving government functions online, so Nigerians can apply for business licenses and visas using their smart phones and computers will help improve services and reduce opportunities for fees to go into pockets rather than government coffers.

“This new government also has the ability to fight skepticism by making reforms that will allow the Nigerian people to better understand how federal, state, and local resources are being used.

“Fourth, and finally, is protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system. The cowardly kidnapper, corrupt official, and fraudster all are seeking to launder their money.

“Taking steps to make your banking system more secure will help reduce the ability of criminals, terrorists, and others to illicitly use the Nigerian financial system.”

He stated that addressing the reform priorities would provide the right macroeconomic framework that would make Nigeria a destination of choice for foreign direct investments.

According to him, “the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘administration and the people I have met with –from students to entrepreneurs to major business leaders – all share a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities Nigeria faces. “The question now is how to forge a path forward that creates prosperity for the Nigerian people.

I am here to say that the United States stands ready and eager to partner with the Nigerian people and government in your quest to build a better future.”

He also applauded the leadership of Tinubu’s administration for committing to work with the Financial Action Task Force to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing and assured that USA’s government, “stands ready to help work through these steps and challenges in financial institution supervision, implementing controls in high-risk sectors, and pursuing investigations and prosecutions.”

Adeyemo, also affirmed that

President Joe Biden’s administration was committed to a strong U.S.-Nigeria relationship that was built on shared values and mutual benefit.

He added that Nigeria was at a critical moment where decisive actions by its government and the determination and shared effort of the Nigerian people could create the changes that are needed to unlock the unrealised opportunity of Africa’s most populous country.

“Nigeria’s greatest resource is not oil; it is the Nigerian people. Nigerians have built leading companies around the world like the Dangote Group, Globacom, and Zenith Bank.

“Nigerians have made significant contributions to culture from Wole Soyinka to Chinua Achebe. Nigerian music and films are heard and watched around the world, and I’m excited to tour Ogidi Studios this evening to see one of many places

and his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu, as things got messier yesterday, with the deputy governor, reportedly, locked out of Government House, Benin City.

But an unsigned statement, which was also not confirmed, seemed to make a case for the governor. It alleged that Shaibu attempted

INDEFINITE STRIKE LOOMS AS NLC, FG TALKS END IN DEADLOCK

THISDAY also gathered that federal government has also invited the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for further talks today, at the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja. Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the talks at the meeting were meaningful, but with no agreement to tell the story.

When asked to comment on the outcome of negotiation, Ajaero said: "You can see that there was no agreement on any issue, there is no CNG anywhere and refineries are not working neither has anything been done on the issue of wage award and cash transfers or the ASUU issues.

“However, we believe that between now and next few days when the ultimatum will expire that something will happen.”

He said that based on the ultimatum issued by the congress, if no progress was made before the expiration, an indefinite strike would commence from Friday.

"We had meaningful discussion on issues relating to our demands. We equally discussed frankly on issues bordering on the coup plotted and executed by the Nigerian Police against the NURTW which had led to the sideling of the democratically elected leadership of the union.

"This is one sore area that the Nigerian trade union is not ready to compromise. Coup must be condemned whether it is in Niger, whether it's in Congo, whether it's in Mali or whether it's in the trade union movement in Nigeria."

On the specific issues considered at the meeting, Ajaero said: "In the ultimatum we gave and in the NEC resolution, the issue of NURTW was clearly stated and it was at the time the issue has not degenerated the

way it is now.

“That was why we had to bring it along with other issues."

Ajaero had in his opening presentation, before the meeting went into a closed door session, said the Congress was sad that government summoned them to a meeting while the national headquarters of its key affiliate, the National Union of Road Transport Workers was still under Police occupation and its leaders clamped in detention.

Ajaero said: "It is with great honour that we showed up for this meeting to show our commitment once again to the Nigerian project. We came with mixed feelings on whether it will work or not because we have had so many meetings from beyond this level that did not yield anything, but as great optimists we are here in the hope that something will happen."

He said government failed to engender trust for a long time.

Ajaero, also countered federal government concern over loss of man hours and productivity during the last NLC warning strike, saying that even some states have officially reduced working days to two due to the unbearable hardship imposed by the fuel subsidy removal.

According to Ajaero, it was the federal government that promised palliatives as a means of cushioning the hardship in the land but seemed to be reneging on it.

He said there were a lot of demands that organised labour presented to government, such as the conversion to CNG, revival of local refineries, cash transfer and wage award.

"On all these agreements, not even one has been addressed, if anyone has been addressed, then we will be patience that tomorrow others will be attended to.

“But not when this was not the case and every day we will enter

into a meeting and finish without anything. I think there is meeting lethargy," he added.

On his part, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Ho. Simon Lalong, disclosed the meeting with the leadership of NLC was fruitful and was still progressing

He said discussions on many of the items which the NLC had tabled previously before the federal government had not reached the final stages. Lalong, said the government appreciated the genuine grievances of the organised labour and was ready to address them.

"We acknowledge the valid grievances that have fueled the recent labour crisis, and we are committed to addressing them in a just and equitable manner.

"We must also recognise the economic realities that confront us. As we address the concerns of our workforce, we must be mindful of striking a balance that promotes economic growth and secures sustainable progress for our nation.

"Today, I call upon each one of you to join hands in an open-minded and constructive dialogue, enabling us to bridge any gaps that may exist between the interests of workers and the ultimate goal of driving economic advancement.

"In the spirit of unity and with utmost commitment to the betterment of our nation, let us seize this opportunity to listen and understand one another. “Together, let us explore innovative approaches, reimagining strategies that enhance working conditions and worker benefits while nurturing a robust economy.

"I am confident that this gathering will produce resolutions that propel our labour sector towards greater strength, and our beloved country towards a brighter future," he added. Meanwhile, speaking on a

Trade Agreement. We are very keen on the deepening of our economic relations," Ramaphosa said.

The South African President emphasised that history had proven that Nigeria and South Africa could move the world on matters of mutual concern when the two nations operate on the same wavelength.

"We would love to see Nigeria and South Africa working closely together on a number of issues because whenever we join hands, we have made an impact globally through those joint positions. Together, we can move the global south forward. We are a continent that has been plundered. And wealthy nations made so much

where this art is made,” he said.

Adeyemo pointed out that over 40 million micro, small, and medium sized businesses in the country, which employ more than 80 per cent of Nigerians, represent the beating heart of the Nigerian economy. “In order for these businesses to thrive, they need government policy to go from being the problem to providing solutions,” he said.

He recalled his parents’ migration from Nigeria to the United States and said, “as a child of the diaspora, I am humbled to be standing here in front of you as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. More than four decades ago, my parents left a very different Nigeria to get an education in search of opportunity for their young family.

“They raised us with a deep and abiding love for Nigerian culture and the struggles of a people that fought to be free of colonialism and

to force his way into the personal office of the governor, along with his security aides, even when his office had been moved to another property.Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), however, condemned what it called “irritating pettiness” by Obaseki and his unnecessary executive antagonism against Shaibu. HURIWA urged the state House of Assembly to step in and investigate the matter.

programme monitored Channels Television last night, Ajaero, said the demand for the wage award became necessary following economic difficulties imposed on the worker by the over 200 per cent increase in the pump price of fuel in the country.

Regarding the wage award, Ajaero said both labour and federal government were yet to meet on the table to discuss the percentage that would be granted.

He said what the NLC was seeking was for the government to conclude the issue of wage award before delving into that of minimum wage.

He said considering the percentage of the hike in the pump price of fuel, labour would be asking for "almost 200 percent in wage award."

He added that rather than look at the matter on straight percentage, NLC would want the government to identify things that it could take along with it holistically.

"We would have addressed the issue of CNG for instance and where people pay N500 per litre of fuel maybe they will be paying less than that on CNG".

On the outcome of the meeting,” Ajaero said.

On whether the NLC has agreed to give more time for the government to address its demands, Ajaero said: "We agreed that the federal government has had more than enough time for the past four months, even if there is commitment and genuineness of purpose that between now and next few days issues will be resolved and we hope that the minister will work with us within the next few days to make sure we resolve the matter.”

Ajaero was asked to confirm if the meeting would continue today and he said: "if they invite us to a meeting tomorrow we will accept it.”

of it from us, and we must seek out partners who will help us to advance our own interests," he emphasised.

Recognising Tinubu's effective stewardship as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, the South African leader said Southern Africa needed to emulate the solidarity being demonstrated in West Africa, following the Niger Crisis. According to him, "We believe that we have a lot to learn from ECOWAS and its unity in reaching consensus positions on sub-regional matters. This is something we seek to emulate in the Southern African sub-region in view of events in Mozambique and other areas."

the yolk of dictatorship. A people filled with so much potential but with too few opportunities.

“In so many ways Nigeria is a different country than the one we left more than forty years ago, but progress on expanding economic opportunity has come more slowly than any of us hoped.”

In her welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, Prof. Enase Okonedo, said Adeyemo’s visit to the LBS was part of his extended visit to Nigeria.

Okonedo, said the LBS was noted for enabling conversations that inspire and drive progress, change polices and influence businesses in its economic environment.

“It is for this reason that this gathering is particularly relevant as we hope to see enhanced trade between the United States and Nigeria,” she said.

the deputy governor only came to Government House to make trouble.

The source said the issue of the deputy governor being locked out of his office did not arise, as his office had been relocated over two weeks ago.

The governor’s aide stated regarding Shaibu, "He has an office and he relocated there and sent the story out. So he should be asked why he came to Government House today trying to force himself into an office that is not his own.

Yesterday’s incident began when Shaibu got to the gate to his office and the main entrance leading to the storey building was locked with chains and heavy padlocks. The deputy governor and his aides waited for about an hour and left. He was said to have made frantic calls, trying to reach the governor, but to no avail.

Sources revealed that Shaibu later had discussions with the Commissioner of Police and Director of Department of State Services (DSS) to complain about how he was locked out of his office.

Shaibu was said to have summoned the Government House Camp Commandant, Ibrahim Babatunde (SP), to ask why he was locked out of his office, but was told it was a directive from above. Babatunde, reportedly, added that the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Government House, Williams Wabba, would be in a better position to explain.

Moreover, it was gathered that Shaibu contacted Wabba by telephone, and he promised to come, but never did.

An eye witness said, “The gate to the office of the deputy governor and the main entrance leading to the storey building was locked with chains and heavy padlocks. Shaibu and his aides waited for about an hour and left.”

However, a report trending online, believed to have been posted by Obaseki’s aides, claimed that Shaibu tried to force himself into the governor’s office even after he was told that the governor was not around.

The report said all entreaties by the security operatives, who asked him to “kindly go back and call the governor if he wanted to see his principal were rebuffed. Instead, he kept pushing the gate, causing a scene.”

An aide to Obaseki, who did not want his name mentioned, alleged

"His office is there. If he had gone there and he was locked out, then it will be an issue. He came to Government House purposely to cause tension."

A letter signed by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, dated September 15, 2023, addressed to the Office of the Deputy Governor seemed to suggest that Shaibu had been informed of his relocation to a new office.

The letter, which was received by the deputy governor’s office on September 18, 2023, stated, “I write to inform you that His Excellency, the Governor has approved the relocation of your office accommodation to No. 7, Dennis Osadebe Avenue, GRA, Benin City.

"You are therefore requested to ensure your compliance in line with Mr. Governor's approval, please."

Nonetheless, HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said, "We have read series of stories in the media regarding the unacceptable level of pettiness that has become the governance modus operandi of the Edo State Governor, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, particularly, with regard to his absolute disrespect for the office of the deputy governor of Edo State occupied by virtue of a joint ticket by His Excellency, Comrade Philip Shaibu.

"The two actions that speak to this act of treachery is that of expulsion of the deputy governor out of the premises of the Government House in Benin City to a street flooded by muddied and dirty latrine water.

“And, secondly, the refusal of the security officers attached to the Government House to grant access to the deputy governor and, thus, presenting the high office of the deputy governor as that of an unwanted irritant, when in fact, there can’t be the office of state governor without that of deputy governor.

EDO CRISIS DEPEENS

CHURCH SERVICE AT THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PETERS, AKE TO MARK THE COMMENCEMENT OF 2023/2024 LEGAL YEAR...

Clinton Initiative Partners Commit to Address Unmet Needs of 1.8 Billion Adolescents Globally

Chiemelie Ezeobi in New York

As part of the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 Meeting, 10 global players yesterday, joined Fondation Botnar in making decisive commitments to support and address the unmet health and wellbeing needs of 1.8billion adolescents globally. The commitments were designed to address pressing challenges faced by adolescents and young people including digitalisation, urbanisation, and climate change and to drive collaboration ahead of the Global Forum for Adolescents in October.

According to the partners, the adolescents already represents a third of the world, yet they were being left out of discussions and decision-making, leaving them increasingly disconnected from

the generation in charge.

They further noted that today, these transformations have introduced significant challenges, including an increased risk of mental health issues, exposure to violence, and disparities in access to essential resources, which need to be urgently addressed.

Commenting from the event, Stefan Germann, CEO of Fondation Botnar, said: “The adolescents of today are the first generation to have grown up in a digital world and with an acute consciousness of the transformations our world is facing.

"If we don’t engage them now, we are wasting an opportunity to create a world that is fit for the future. This is a unique opportunity for actors from various sectors to unite in a common mission and deliver a strong

action plan at the upcoming Global Forum for Adolescents in October 2023.”

Despite progress made over the past decades in poverty reduction, mortality rates, and education access, adolescents' health and wellbeing continue to be underserved and unequal. Adolescents have often been a "missing population" in global health priorities, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The private sector and philanthropic players present at the event have joined Fondation Botnar, who already committed $45 million to enhance adolescent health and wellbeing, through initiatives such as making cities safe for adolescents, fostering safe digital environments, and improving mental health and wellbeing.

Other organisations making commitments include FIA Foundation, UNICEF & Generation Unlimited, Surgo Health, Pivotal Ventures, & MTV Entertainment Studios.

With over five years of strategic investment, Fondation Botnar has established a solid position and technical expertise in these areas, working closely with partners at global and country levels and collaborating with young people to create positive and lasting change in communities.

Also, Fondation Botnar charged all the partners to build on these initial commitments and continue the work beyond New York, especially with The Global Forum for Adolescents, hosted by The Partnership for Maternal Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) on October

Abbas: House Responding to Yearnings of Nigerians

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has said the 10th House was committed to responding to the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

The Speaker stated this yesterday in Abuja, and at the meeting were representatives of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), the Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), the Civil Society and Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and International Community on Red Cross (ICRC), among others.

Abbas, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, noted that it was the first time his office would be having a direct interface with the development partners, adding that the interactive meeting was organised to provide an opportunity to share ideas and updates on your contributions and support to the House on capacity development for members and staff.

“To us as representatives of the people, institution building is the gateway to professionalism, efficiency and productivity. We are committed to ensuring that the 10th House of Representatives

can respond to the yearnings and expectations of the citizenry.

"We have been called to serve at the most critical period in the nation’s political history,” the speaker said at a roundtable with development partners of the National Assembly at his office,” he said.

Abbas stressed that it was only a committed legislature, properly equipped, that would be able to deliver service to meet the expectations of the people.

He added: “One of my cardinal policy thrusts, on assumption of office as Speaker of the House, is capacity development for members and staff of the House of Representatives. This has become more imperative following the high turnover rate of the 10th House of Representatives where we have over two hundred new Members with hundreds of Legislative Aides.

"This number of members and aides requires improved capacity

to cope with the offices' demands. Hence, institutional capacity development is considered one of the priority components of the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House.”

The Speaker said the contributions of the technical partners were partly responsible for the success story of the legislative business of the National Assembly in the past, urging them to do more for the 10th Assembly.

11 and 13, 2023, which is a critical opportunity to mobilise more commitment to adolescent health and well-being.

Board Chair of the PMNCH, Helen Clark added: “What is needed is multi-sectoral action.

UNGA 78 is a historic chance for leaders to prioritise health and well-being.

"Building on this momentum, we are looking forward to hosting the Global Forum for Adolescents in October to bring together youth and adolescents, advocates, and global decision-makers to take action and strengthen financing and policy commitments to this important issue.”

ADEDEJI RESUMES AS FIRS GENERATES N8.5TN IN 9 MONTHS

He said, “However, in areas where voluntary compliance seems difficult and artificial barriers are being strewn in the way, we shall enforce compliance responsibly and decisively.

“We will design a robust model to make it easy to detect those who refuse to comply with a view to making non-compliance costly for them.

“Granted, paying tax is a civic obligation placed upon individuals and entities corporate. It, however, seems to me that we have a duty to make it clear and certain to the taxpayers why they should perform their tax obligation without waiting for the enforcement team to knock on their doors.

“On our part, we must ensure we simplify the tax system to make it easy for people to pay. In all of our operations, quality data will be a key component. We shall increase the use of data to allow us measure progress, establish benchmarks, make informed decisions and enhance performance excellence.”

Nonetheless, Nami, whose appointment was confirmed by the senate on December 19, said he inherited a weak administrative structure, inefficient processes, mostly manual, adversarial labour relations, insufficient funding with serious funding gaps, mutual mistrust between staff and management among others.

He said under his leadership, the FIRS embarked on broad reforms including administrative and operational restructuring, automation of tax administration processes, making the service data-centric and creating a customer-focused organization among others.

He also noted that the reforms implemented under his administration were far from being fully accomplished, particularly the automation programme which was still work-in-progress as several modules are still in the works.

He said the curricula for the flagship training courses are being reworked, and further realignment of functions being worked out.

US Embassy: N23.2bn Financial Aid, Scholarship Granted to Nigerian Students in 2022

9,000 student visas issued, 14,400 Nigerians currently studying in US

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The United States granted about N23.2 billion financial aid and scholarships to Nigerians studying within its country in 2022.

The United States Embassy in Nigeria also disclosed that in 2021 alone, Nigerian students contributed a staggering $449 million to the U.S. economy, quoting figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Counselor for Public Affairs, US Embassy, Abuja, Adnan Siddiqi, gave these details yesterday, at the opening of the 22nd annual U.S.

Embassy and Education USA College Fair, EducationUSA.

Nigeria is ranked number one in Sub-Saharan Africa and ranks 10th in the world in terms of numbers of students that attend higher education institutions in the United States.

Also, 50 per cent of Nigerian students studying in the US are pursuing graduate-level education, according to US Embassy, which disclosed that Mission Nigeria issued over 9,000 student visas last year, resulting in an astounding 405.3 per cent increase in visa issuance.

The Embassy said after Texas,

the top receiving states for Nigerian students were Illinois, New York, Georgia, and Massachusetts, adding that no fewer than 14,400 Nigerian students are currently studying in institutions across the US with the students said to spread across 973 institutions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Siddiqi, said the financial aid and scholarships were granted to students advised by EducationUSA. He said the fair provides information on studying in the USA and also carrier paths.

Siddiqi said: "In the past year alone, nearly $30 million (N23.2 bil-

lion) in financial aid and scholarships were granted to students advised by EducationUSA."

He added that Nigeria sends more students to the United States than any other African country. Siddiqi, who was quoting a recent report added, "It is worth noting that Nigeria sends more students to the United States than any other African country.

"According to the latest data available, over 14,400 students are currently pursuing their studies in over 973 institutions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia. And if you are curious about the

most popular state, it is none other than Texas."

Siddiqi, while attributing the increase in number of Nigerians studying in the US to the annual fair, said: “Our annual college fairs have played a pivotal role in boosting the number of outstanding applicants to US institutions, as well as in securing additional financial aid and scholarship opportunities for Nigerian students.

"Many of those students attend a diverse range of institutions in the United States, from small liberal arts private colleges to large state universities."

L-R: The Chairman, Ogun Council of Obas and the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu during the church service held at the Cathedral of St. Peters, Ake Abeokuta on Monday to mark the commencement of the 2023/2024 legal year.

RUFAI OSENI proposes an economic blueprint to rejuvenate the region

A MARSHALL PLAN FOR THE NIGER DELTA

On the windy day in Oloibiri in1956 when geologists first struck crude oil and were so happy they played football with the villagers, everybody had thought that Oloibiri and the Niger Delta region in no time would be a cynosure of all eyes. But little did they know that the story would be different. The high hopes and expectations that heralded that day has been dashed by consistent neglect of the people!

Increasingly, people are asking: what is wrong with the Niger Delta, and how we can resolve the problem? At first, we must understand the origin of the problem.

where the universities can effectively provide education in all the subject matters pertaining to the oil industry. Holistic institutions of international repute which can be done with a good endowment structure. The Petroleum Training Institute, (PTI) Effurun was basically for the low-end artisans in the oil industry. We need to have a university with bias for oil in all the Niger Delta states and back them up with training institutes like the PTI.

Two, creation of industries and ancillary products. There are many

Governor Hope Uzodinma’s rise to power as Governor of Imo State marked a turning point in the state’s political course and indeed that of Nigeria as a whole. Though Uzodinma had a January 14, 2020, he has displayed a unique brand of visionary leadership that has begun to transform the state.

While it could not be said that Hope Uzodinma, a former Senator was a greenhorn in politics having traversed major political parties including the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) where he was one time BoT member and also ran as governor of Imo State on the ticket of the Alliance for Democracy in 2003, his eventual declaration as winner by the Supreme Court in a rather controversial circumstance was a paradox that made Uzodinma’s journey to Imo Government House peculiar in a manner of speaking.

This is because Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP who polled the highest vote of 273,404 had

There are many angles to it - ranging from bureaucracy to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to lack of regulation in the sector, and to too much demands by the government.

What are the oil majors claim? The oil majors have always claimed that the reason they have not developed the region is that most of the partnership they sign with the government cedes all the funds for development of the region to the government. Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) would tell you the same. It has to be understood that the oil majors always operate a joint venture mechanism with the government. So if the oil majors keep blaming the government for the dearth of infrastructure then the government should be held accountable because in these joint ventures the government could get as much as 70% in the stake after charges and taxes. So the government must develop a plan which I call the holistic Marshall Plan.

It is crystal clear that the Niger Delta has been plundered as the fishermen cannot fish because of oil pollution. With environmental hazards everywhere, the ticking time bomb of insurgency and insurrection hold sway, ignited by Isaac Adaka Boro in the 1960s and now further propelled by the likes of Asari Dukobo. What the government should do is to develop an ecosystem around the Nigeria Delta that makes it a hub for the oil industry in the world. My idea of a Marshall Plan would involve three cardinal points. One education: In making the Niger Delta an oil ecosystem the government should work on the education system in the region

ancillary products in the oil industry that can generate a lot of revenue ranging from petrochemical hubs to rubber industries to refineries. The government should increase the capacity of refineries by having more refineries - at least three more refineries - with a ramped- up capacity. This would help boost the productive capacity in the region and boost trade. Also the marine economy should be revived. Boat making and ship making should be enhanced and hitherto moribund ports like Koko in Warri North and Sapele should be revisited. If the marine industry alone is developed it could provide 80,000 jobs every year and put in about $2 billion to the Nigerian economy.

Three, Health care. Health care of this region is most important. This would involve constant sensitization of the populace including developing an holistic health insurance for the people living in the region. The health care policy would ensure that everyone in the area is covered and they pay a highly subsidized monthly or yearly premium which in turn would be used to develop health care. Through sensitization we could ramp up the life expectancy in the region. The holistic health care plan would create a mix of a viable social structure and an industrial cutting edge. This would also herald the mosquito eradication program as the Niger Delta is prone to mosquitoes due to its tropical rainforest.

The Niger Delta could indeed become a beckon of hope and inspiration to other regions.

Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com

been declared winner by INEC and sworn in as up, Uche Nwosu of Action Alliance and Ifeanyi Ararume of APGA, with 190, 364 and 114, 676 votes respectively were by passed in the wisdom of the Supreme Court and Uzodinma who polled 90, 458 was declared as winner.

However, as Ndi-Imo braces for another round of governorship elections this November, the question on the lips of every citizen is whether they will have hope or lose hope in Hope Uzodinma (pun well intended) who is vying for re-election under the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The electoral process is not just a contest of candidates; it’s a pivotal moment for the people of Imo State to evaluate the progress, promises, and prospects of another term for Uzodinma.

Imo State has been one of the hot beds of insecurity in the South East. On the political front, the state has had its fair share of ups and downs, but the recent events leading to the November polls have taken the political tussle to a whole new level.

Or how could one describe a state that has often been a crucible of intrigue, controversy and brinkmanship? Over the years, its governance has been marked by a series of State prior to Governor Hope Uzodinma’s tenure have been characterized by frequent changes in leadership, political instability, and a lack sustained progress. Imo State experienced a revolving door of governors, often with short tenures and limited impact on development. amidst a wave of expectations and anticipation. He promised to usher in an era of development: economic growth and infrastructural transformation. His administration’s key focus

areas included education, healthcare, job creation, and security.

However, observers of the political developments in Imo State believe that the gubernatorial election in November is a referendum on Uzodinma’s four years as Governor of Imo State.

the decision of Ndi-Imo is the state of infrastructure. The Governor had promised aggressive infrastructure development with emphasis on roads, healthcare and Education. Many abandoned roads by previous administrations were re-awarded and completed.

The verdict on his performance in this regard will largely determine whether Ndi-Imo will continue to place their trust in him or explore alternative options. His commitment to improving the state’s infrastructure is evident in the numerous ongoing projects aimed at enhancing the lives of Imo State’s residents. This is also true owing to what his administration have termed “Three and Half Years of Profound Change in Imo State”.

While addressing the elders of the state in a forum recently, Uzodinma gave a scorecard of his road infrastructural program in the state. He said that he was barely two weeks started shouting about the poor state of roads and related infrastructure in the state. “How they expected me to right the wrongs of the past within just one month was

But on a second thought, Uzodinma said he understood the frustration of the people regarding the road situation in the state, noting that from MCC road, to Port Harcourt and World Bank roads, the story was the same. Governor Uzodinma said that with the issue on ground, he didn’t need anyone to tell him that the compelling and immediate needs of Imo people included motorable roads.

For the records, Uzodinma is said to have delivered more than 100 good and quality roads measuring thousands of kilometres across the length and breadth of the state while more are under construction. While all roads done by the Imo State government cannot be mentioned here for want of space, there is what the government have described as the signature projects. These included the Owerri-Olu and OwerriOkigwe dual carriage high ways which were commissioned by former President Muhammedu Buhari.

Other roads completed are the MCC, Chukwuma Nwoha and Toronto roads, all dualized. The Governor listed other major roads under construction to include: Mbaise-Obowo-Umuahia road, Orlu-Mgee, Akokwa-Uga roads among others. Indeed, Governor Uzodinma’s intervention in road construction within his short time as Imo Governor is commendable especially given initial obstacles and weight of expectations

The issue of job creation is another aspect that will weigh heavily on voters’ minds. Uzodinma’s administration promised to tackle unemployment through initiatives that will stimulate the economy and provide opportunities for the youth.

Okoronkwo is a leadership and good governance advocate and writes from Lagos

IS THERE HOPE FOR NDI-IMO?

The November election will be a referendum on Uzodinma’s four years as governor, writes KALU OKORONKWO

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

EDITORIAL

STILL ON THE $418 MILLION PALAVER

There is need to deal with the issue once and for all

For the past two years, the federal government and the 36 states have been embroiled in a legal controversy over the propriety of the $418 million Paris Club refund fees demanded by some consultants/contractors. In the latest of what has become a running scandal, the federal government is moving to block the redemption of about 62 promissory notes issued to these consultants purportedly engaged by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

The controversy started on 11th November 2021 when a letter by the then Minister of Finance, Budget 36 governors through the NGF of a plan to commence the deduction of $418 million from their monthly statutory allocations. The said amount represents what she described as the approved consultancy/ service fees which were supposed to have been deducted at source by the federal government during the payment of the various tranches of the London/Paris Club refunds to states beginning from 2016.

The letter sparked an instant push-back from the NGF whose leadership argued that the states were not parties to any suit on the issue, hence not liable to any person or entity in any judgment debt being relied upon by the federal government. As a preemptive measure, the NGF also approached the court. While the case was pending at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, the NGF on 1st August 2022 petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari. In the letter signed by its chairman and former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, the NGF alleged that the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami were making surreptitious moves to kickstart the payment of the controversial $418 million fees to the contractors.

T H I S D AY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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Letters to the Editor

Aside from highlighting the legal cases it had won on the issue, including at the Supreme Court, the NGF also made serious allegations against Ahmed and Malami, the two ministers at the centre of the controversy. One, according to the NGF, it appeared the allegiance of the two ministers in the contentious $418 million fees was with the contractors rather than the Nigerian people. Two, the ‘uncommon zeal and speed’ with which these two ministers were pursuing the cause of the four contractors was suspicious, describing the attempt to stampede the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to approve the payment as part of this plot.

Unfortunately, as weighty as the allegations against the two ministers were, President Buhari never instituted any measure to intervene on the in May this year. But many Nigerians have been concerned that such a huge amount of public money should be handed to some private individuals under suspicious circumstances. In the current suit, the federal government wants the court to, among others, issue an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants and their agents “from exercising any proprietary rights” over the promissory notes. The argument of the federal government is that the promissory notes issued to the consultants are invalid because they were charged on its assets whereas it has no business with the claimants.

However, the bigger issue is the lack of transparency and accountability that has for years to pay the contractors with whom it has no business. The NGF under Fayemi was persistent in calling out accusing them of underhand dealings in the attempts contractors. The former president looked the other way. Now that a new administration is in place, a revisit of the issue is necessary. We therefore endorse the case instituted by the federal government.

Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.

LETTERS

REFLECTION ON TINUBU’S 100 DAYS IN OFFICE

When the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal ruled in favour of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was declared winner on 25th February 2023 by the Independent National Electorate Commission, it was for the president a break from legal distraction. He can now focus his attention on the implementation of his much-talked “RENEWED HOPE

he is on the right track. To political observers,100 days of the Tinubu’sans due to his sudden policy pronouncements. However, to be fair to the administration, it came at a time when the country’s economy has nosedived. It has inherited a broken economy from its predecessor. It is estimated that the immediate past administration had incurred foreign and domestic debts to the tune of trillions of naira. The perilous state of the economy forced the new government to explore ways to rescue the battered economy from further sliding. In his inauguration speech on May 29, President Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy which he said had robbed the country trillions of naira. His new policy direction sparked panic in the petroleum industry. Oil marketers quickly adjusted the price of pump price. The unfortunate development led to the surge in price of goods and services beyond the reach of many

households. Since the unceremonious removal of petroleum subsidy, civil servants and majority of Nigerians have been grappling with high cost of living. So, subsidy removal has pushed many Nigerians into poverty. What many economic experts expected President Tinubu to

Tinubu’s administration witnessed the inauguration of 43 cabinet members, the largest since the return of democracy in the country. But more are still in the pipeline. The development has received barrage of knocks from Nigerians. This cannot be unconnected with huge resources required to maintain the new ministers amidst cash crush. Nigerians have expected President Tinubu to shop for technocrats and form a lean cabinet. From 1999 to 2007 when he held sway as the governor of Lagos, Tinubu assembled technocrats who assisted him to transform the state. His exceptional performances in Lagos is what gives an impression that he will replicate the feat as Nigerian president. But some of Tinubu’s ministers have fallen short of quality and character in the eyes of many Nigerians. He rewarded some ex-governors whose tenure in their respective states left so much questions to answer.

Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State

THE VALUE OF SILENCE

Hell could freeze over. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team is trying to stop Donald Trumpthough only in relation to people involved in

Is there a special ‘mute’ button as based on previous performances it seems unlikely that Trump will keep silent voluntarily?

If someone has created such a button there will be a great market for it since most of the public is tired of listening to politicians and their lies, dammed lies and in this case promises. There is wisdom in the words of America’s founding father, Benjamin Franklin, on this issue “Remember not only to say the right thing leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”

Truly, Silence is Golden.

Dennis

Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

The bigger issue is the lack of transparency and accountability that has for years trailed all previous efforts by the federal government to pay the contractors with whom it has no business

Stockbrokers’ President, Others Unfold Strategies to Grow GDP

Kayode Tokede

The President of Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Oluwole Adeosun and other eminent professionals in the public and private sector, over the weekend, identified deployment of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and provision of liquidity under ease of doing business among others to enhance accelerated growth and development of the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Besides, the Plateau State Governor, Mr Caleb Muftwang, who commended the Governing Council and Management of the Institute for the various professional suggestions to grow the Nigerian economy, reiterated his administration’s determination to utilize the capital market to develop infrastructure in the state, saying no nation can develop

without a viable capital market Addressing the participants at the 2023 Annual National Workshop of CIS in Abuja, Adeosun lamented that the last record of Nigerian double-digit GDP growth was in 2002 when the indicator grew by 15.33 per cent.

According to him, much of the fundamentals of the country’s economy were built in the 1970s and 1980’s.

Adeosun explained that adoption of public private partnership (PPP) model would boost economic growth and development and lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

“ It has been established globally that one of the most effective routes towards achieving fast-paced economic growth, is the adoption of Public Private Partnership (PPP). While we accept that this has been tried in Nigeria to some extent , emphasis has not been as it should be.

It is our conviction at the Institute that utilizing the capital market optimally will significantly enhance the effectiveness of Public Private Partnership in accelerating the GDP growth in Nigeria, “Adeosun said.

The Chief Executive Officer, Economic Associates , Dr Ayo Teriba, who spoke on, “MacroEconomic Policy Framework for Nigeria,” explained that government should address the issue of liquidity to tackle insecurity, rising inflation and other macro-economic vagaries affecting Nigeria.

“The basic economic problem in Nigeria is illiquidity. This is in form of fiscal illiquidity, forex illiquidity or systemic illiquidity. The dominant source of illiquidity are the challenges associated with exports and inability of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to thrive due to lack of enabling business environment, :Teriba said.

APM Terminals Apapa Celebrates 2023 Global Safety Day

Nigeria’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa on Thursday marked its 2023 Annual Global Safety Day with the theme, “We Make It Safe To Speak Up.”

The theme, it st ated, was chosen to reflect its unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where employees feel confident to ask questions, raise concerns and suggest solutions.

Speaking at the event, The Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, said APM Terminals has a system in place that fosters feedback at the supervisory, managerial and leadership levels.

“It is important as we grow up in the organisation that we are comfortable in challenging the status quo, and taking the challenges very seriously will create positive changes and improvements in the business.

“We need to be able to stand up and say when things are not right or when we have ideas to improve something. It might take courage, but it is

the duty of all APM Terminals employees – so that we can avert incidents that can lead to fatalities,” he said.

Knudsen said APM Terminals Apapa is committed to protecting its employees, business partners, host community and customers by ensuring that its operations are carried out safely and securely with minimal impact to the environment.

He said the leading terminal operator fulfils the commitment by providing a safe, healthy and secure work environment, complying with relevant Health, Safety, Security and Environmental (HSSE) legal and contractual requirements, ensuring business continuity to its customers through the consistent application of effective HSSE related processes and ensuring that HSSE risk management is embedded across its operations and decision-making process to secure sustainable growth and earnings.

Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria,

Frederik Klinke, expressed appreciation to the employees and other stakeholders for maintaining a high safety record at the facility.

Klinke said the act of speaking up contributes to the process of finding solutions to safety challenges at the port.

He listed the three major principles that underpin APM Terminals’ commitment to safety as leading with care, learning and adapting, and recognition of its people as experts.

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, commended APM Terminals for observing the annual Global Safety Day to promote safety in the workplace, encourage global awareness and actions related to safety and health.

“Your voice has the power to prevent accidents and to save lives, so let us make safety everyone’s responsibility,” Bello-Koko, who was represented by NPA’s General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Mrs Khadijat Sheidu-Shabi, said.

SON Empowers Agro-Allied Producers for Global Trade

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has equipped producers of agro allied products in the country with the requisite skills and tools required to enable them compete with their counterparts, noting that the move is in line with the present administration’s plans to diversify the nation’s economy away from hydro carbon resources.

The Director-General/ Chief Executive, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON,

Faruok Salim, disclosed that Nigeria’s agro-allied products are sellable across the world, insisting that the body would not compromise its standards in its effort to make sure locally made goods are competitive at the global scene.

Represented by the Director Southwest, SON,Talatu Ethan, at a workshop titled, Standard Adherence: Catalyst for Trade held in Osogbo, he said the organisation is at the fore of driving diversification into agricultural products as a means of generating revenue.

“Nigeria’s products are having global acceptance, the Federal Government and regulatory bodies are working with stakeholders to ensure that whatever they produce can meet up with the specifications of the foreign countries,” said.

Also speaking, the Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Osun state chapter, Sulaiman Araokanmi, described the workshop as timely in a bid to empower agro-allied producers across the country.

Fintech Company Provides Finance Option for Healthcare Services

Kayode Tokede

A Healthcare Buy Now

pay Later company, Kiowope capital Limited, has developed an alternate finance option for paying for healthcare services in Nigeria.

The company in a statement said initiative is an option that bridges the gap between the patient and the health care provider.

“After paying for the medical bills on behalf of the patient, the patient

L-R: Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen; Principal Operations Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Murtala Muhammed; General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Khadijat Sheidu-Shabi; Chief Executive Officer, APM Terminals Nigeria, Frederik Klinke and Principal Manager, Monitoring and Regulatory Services, NPA, Abubakar Haliru Bunza at APM Terminals Apapa’s Global Safety Day celebration at the Lagos Port Complex Apapa...recently

MARKET INDICATORS

can pay Kiowope back in instalment based on the patient’s financial capability. Kiowope has provided, therefore, a solution that makes it easy and affordable for everyone to access quality healthcare,” the statement

Money

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 25 AUGUST, 2023

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $85.71 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $85.84 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

West Africa: Too Many Coups for Comfort

West Africa: Too Many Coups for Comfort

QUOTABLE

‘Men and women of the Bar, whatever it is that I’m doing right, remind me, so I can continue to do them; whatever it is that I’m doing wrong, tell me, so I will change my course.’ -Bola

Ahmed Tinubu,

Whether Failure to Object to Statement’s Admissibility is Conclusive Evidence of its Voluntariness

Page IV

Edo First Lady Urges Collective Effort to Combat Gender-Based Violence

Page V

BRIPAN to Host International Conference on Insolvency and Restructuring in Lagos, September 28-29

Page V

GCFR,

President

of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Is Competition Law Appropriate in Africa?

Page VII

COLUMNISTS

STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN

Stephen Kola Balogun, is a vastly experienced Legal Practitioner who obtained his LL.B from University of Ife and LL.M from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. He has Post-Graduate Diplomas in Intellectual Property Law from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London and in Construction Law, Management and Arbitration from Kings College, London. He has served in various capacities since his Call to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, including practising at Akinjide & Co., and lecturing part-time at Oxbridge Tutorial College. He was the Honourable Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Special Needs, State of Osun, August, 2011 to November 2014. He is currently the Principal Partner at Kola Balogun & Partners, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Centre of Law and Business. SKB, as he is fondly called, is accredited with several publications to his name, both International

FOLAKUNMI PINHEIRO

Folakunmi Pinheiro obtained his LLB degree from the University of Hull, UK in 2017, and an LLM from the University College, London in 2019. He is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Cambridge, and an Exchange Student at the Harvard Law School (Fall 2023). His research focuses on the relationship between Competition Law and Economic Development, in African countries. He worked at the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and Olaniwun Ajayi LP.

Matters Arising from the PEPT

Approbation and Reprobation

The more I looked at the Presidential Election Petitions (PEPs), the prayers therein and the evidence or should I say the lack of it presented to support the prayers, the more they looked like a formalised version of a lot what we had read on different social media platforms and argued during dinner table debates! It looked like a wish list, the sum and substance of which was: 1) disqualify President Tinubu and/or Vice President Shettima and declare me the winner of the election based on the election results or 2) if you don’t disqualify them, then those same election results which I wanted you to use to declare me as winner in 1) are bad, cancel the election because of noncompliance and rigging, and run it again. Approbation and Reprobation! The election results are good only if the Petitioners get what they want, but bad if it’s in favour of the Respondents! That is, approving and rejecting an issue, in this case, the election results, at the same time.

If an election is bad because of rigging, can the disqualification of a party cure the defect of rigging? I think not. If the President and/or Vice President were disqualified, and one of the Petitioners was declared the winner based on the same election results, then nothing is wrong with the election results; but, if the Respondents were not disqualified and the election wasn’t cancelled, something must be wrong with the results! If LP won over 90% of the votes in the South East, and those are some of the figures the LP is bandying to claim its alleged victory, that is fine, and there was no rigging there? But, it becomes rigging for others to have that type of overwhelming victory in their own comfort zones, and impossible that LP didn’t get up to 25% in those areas? It is against the principles of equity, to approbate and reprobate. In Ajuwon & Ors v Governor of Oyo State & Ors (2021) LPELR-55339 (SC) per Ejembi Eko, JSC, the Apex Court held this: “Consistency is the rule of the game. A party is not allowed to approbate and reprobate on one issue”. Also see the case of FRN v Iweka (2011) LPELR-9350(SC) per Suleiman Galadima, JSC.

I came to the conclusion that Section 135(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 (EA) places the burden of proof on the Petitioner who alleges that he/she was rigged out of victory in an election, and with our large number of 177,000 or so polling units, most Petitioners, especially in the Presidential elections, simply do not prepare well enough to be able to discharge that burden of proof when the need arises. It is less of an uphill task in Gubernatorial or local elections comprising of fewer constituencies, since the number of polling units are much less. See the case of Wike v Peterside (2016) LPELR-40036(SC) per Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun.

Nevertheless, there must be a balance. If a high burden of proof is placed on a Petitioner to invalidate an election, then the electoral process must be watertight or close to it, so that allegations of electoral malpractice will be few and far between in any election, and discharging the burden of proof placed on the Petitioner, will be less cumbersome to implement.

The Role of Polling Agents, Especially to Prove Noncompliance

The role of a Polling Agent (PA), appointed by each Candidate or Political Party to be their eyes and ears at each polling unit, to ensure that the election is conducted properly and the correct results are returned, is crucial. Whose fault is it then, if knowing this, and knowing that it is already settled in law, that the burden of proof Petitioners have to discharge in order to prove an election petition is that the PAs have to testify, armed with figures, concerning every polling unit they complain about, they still either don’t appoint enough PAs to cover all the polling units in which they will be contesting, or bring them to testify at the Tribunal? See Wike v Peterside (Supra).

Section 48 of the EA empowers a PA to challenge the right of a person to vote, based on the provisions of the EA. Therefore, if underaged voters or foreigners show up at a polling unit in order to vote, this is contrary to Section 12(1) (a) & (b) of the EA, and the PA can challenge this. A PA can demand a recount of votes at his or her polling unit (Section 61 of the EA); after the announcement of the results, the PA is empowered to accompany the Presiding Officer along with the results and election materials to

“What transpired at the 2023 PEPT, shed plenty of light on different issues - that the EA is inadequate; that the electoral process needs to be better improved, in order to affirm the integrity of elections; that if there is a presumption of regularity of elections conducted by INEC, all its records pertaining to elections must be readily available to all…. that many Lawyers’ actions, even Seniors, are not only a breach of the RPC, but amount to professional misconduct….”

where INEC prescribes that they should be delivered (Section 62(1) of the EA). And, this is why, as eye witnesses, their testimony is required at the Tribunal, in order to prove any allegation of irregularity that emanates from their polling unit.

At the end of the election, each PA should obviously already have his/her own copy of the result sheet, which is an important part of documentation to support the election petition. The question is, why can’t the PAs have copies of their own result sheets immediately submitted in their different wards, ready to be used as evidence, and be ready to testify if so required? It seems like an expensive venture in terms of having to transport the PAs from various parts of the country to Abuja to adopt their statements on oath during the hearing of the Presidential Petition, but considering the amount of money charged by Political Parties for Application Forms for the various elective positions (for the APC Presidential Candidates for example, it was N100 million per application form), the revenue from Form sales running into billions, transporting your witnesses to Abuja is doable. In the case of local elections, this kind of logistics is easier to manage and cheaper in cost, as the Tribunal is situated within the jurisdiction. In Ucha & Anor v Elechi & Ors (2012) LPELR-7923(SC) per Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, JSC, the Supreme Court cited the judgement of Belgore, JSC (as he then was) thus: “It is manifest that an election, by virtue of Section 135(1) of the EA, shall not be invalidated by mere reason that it was not conducted substantially in accordance with the provisions of the Act. It must be shown clearly by evidence, that the

noncompliance has affected the result of the election. Election and it’s victory, is like soccer and the goals scored. The Petitioner must not only show substantial noncompliance, but also the figures, to votes that the noncompliance attracted or omitted.…..”. The PA present at the polling unit complained of, who witnessed the anomaly, is the only one that can legally and credibly attest to same. See the case of Buhari v Obasanjo 2005 13 N.W.L.R.

Part 941 Page 53; Oke & Anor v Mimiko & Ors (2013) LPELR-20645(SC).

On this particular issue of noncompliance, Counsel for the Petitioners, being senior Lawyers, are obviously abreast with the position of the law as to how you can prove an allegation of noncompliance, as far as votes are concerned. Why then, was there a paucity of PAs and witness statements on oath to prove noncompliance in the 2023 PEPs? In Ucha v Elechi (Supra), the Apex Court held that “the onus remains on the Petitioners to prove and establish their claims on their own evidence, without relying on the weakness of the case of the Respondents”.

The Rules of Professional Conduct 2023

Section 14(1) of the Rules of Professional Conduct 2023 (RPC) makes it mandatory for a Lawyer to devote his expertise to his client in their best interest, subject of course, to the rule of law, and inform the client where he considers the claim or defence to be hopeless (Section 14 (2)(e) of the RPC). So, where a client instructs you to complain about 18,000 polling units in an election petition, and such client only provides legally acceptable evidence for

20 or even 100 polling units, I submit that this is a hopeless claim, unless of course the chunk of the votes are within those 100 polling units, and the votes in the other 17,900 are negligible. Not likely! What then do you call this kind of behaviour on the part of Counsel, when he/she goes ahead to advance the complaint of 18,000 polling units, knowing that they are bound to fail on this point, since they haven’t met the standard of the rules of procedure or evidence on this point? It is a breach of the RPC. Also see Section 32(3)(e) of the RPC. It is also trite law that a court can only decide a case, based on the admissible evidence presented before it. Knowing that the evidence presented to prove a case is insufficient or doesn’t meet acceptable legal standards to be successful, is it proper for Lawyers, even Senior ones, to then go to town to rile the public, running down the Judiciary with all sorts of allegations, when they are well aware that they themselves have failed to meet the requisite standards of proof? It was rather embarrassing during the delivery of the PEPT judgement, when the Tribunal noted that a Senior Lawyer had endorsed a particular legal principle in the Foreword that he had written in a Book, only to come to the PEPT to argue the exact opposite of the same principle in the Petition! But, then again, I guess one cannot say that Petitioners should not bring their matters to court, whether their cases are strong or not. It is a right, guaranteed by Section 6(6)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended in 2023)(the Constitution). Also see Section 24(3) of the RPC on arguing a questionable allegation or defence on behalf of your client, and Part IV of the RPC on Counsel’s relation with the court. Section 74(1) of the RPC provides that a Lawyer who breaches any of the provisions of Chapter 1 of the RPC commits professional misconduct, and is liable to punishment as provided in the Legal Practitioners Act. Though the RPC does not become effective till January 1, 2024, that of 2007 is still effective till the end of this year.

The fact of the matter is that, Nigerian Lawyers, whether junior or senior, regularly engage in conduct which not only does the RPC not permit, in other countries that take conduct more seriously, they could be sanctioned, disbarred or struck off the roll. A Lawyer is an officer of the court, and therefore, Section 31(1) & (2) of the RPC provides that a Lawyer must treat the court with respect, dignity and honour, and where the Lawyer has a proper ground for complaint against a judicial officer, such complaint shall be made to the appropriate authorities. Instead, Senior Lawyers have made it a habit to jump on social media to insult Judges, fling invectives and drag the Judiciary into disrepute, embarrassing the good judicial officers who do not deserve this kind of treatment and tarring them with the same brush of odium, opprobrium and contempt. This is not right.

Conclusion

What transpired at the 2023 PEPT, shed plenty of light on different issues - that the EA is inadequate; that the electoral process needs to be better improved, in order to affirm the integrity of elections; that if there is a presumption of regularity of elections conducted by INEC, all its records pertaining to elections must be readily available to all, or at least those who specifically request for them; that many Lawyers’ actions, even Seniors, are not only a breach of the RPC, but amount to professional misconduct, and our disciplinary bodies need to be more up and doing in order to curb this negative trend - for example, not preparing for a case properly; abuse of court process; misleading the client or the court; advancing hopeless claims; openly showing disrespect to the courts and bringing the Judiciary into disrepute by showering invectives and insults on them, especially when cases don’t go their way, to mention but a few.

In February 2023, a Barrister of the Inner Temple, UK was disbarred for making statements which he knew were untrue and were misleading to the court. In court, he referred to himself as a ‘criminal barrister’ on three occasions when he wasn’t entitled to do so, and made serious allegations against someone in an ex-parte hearing, without proper grounds for doing so. He was found to be in breach of some of the rules of the Bar Standards Board Handbook. We go on about lack of accountability in governance; it seems that we may have the same problem within our profession.

Whether Failure to Object to Statement’s Admissibility is Conclusive Evidence of its Voluntariness

Facts

On 30th November, 2016, the deceased (Mahmuda), was on his way to the farm. A certain Bello Abubakar (PW2) was following the deceased, on their way to the farm. PW2 suddenly heard the cry of the deceased, saying the Appellant (his wife) had stabbed him with a knife. The deceased ran close to PW2, who asked the Appellant where she was going to. The Appellant denied stabbing the deceased, as alleged. PW2 returned home to get help from relatives, to convey the deceased to the hospital. The deceased was later pronounced dead.

The Police, during their investigation, took the Appellant to the station, where her statement was recorded, confessing to the crime. Thereafter, the Appellant was arraigned before the trial court, on a one-count charge of culpable homicide punishable with death. Consequent upon reading and interpreting the said Charge, the Appellant pleaded guilty. However, the trial court entered a plea of not guilty, and ordered the Prosecution to call evidence to prove its case as the Appellant was standing trial for the offence of culpable homicide punishable with death.

At the trial, the Prosecution called four witnesses—Tukur Usman (PW1), Bello Abubakar (PW2), Habu Adamu (PW3), and Sgt. Isa Yusuf (PW4). Five exhibits were also tendered and admitted in evidence (including the three confessional statements of the Appellant), without an objection to their voluntariness by the Appellant and her counsel. The Appellant testified for herself, but called no other witness. In her testimony, contrary to her plea and statements at the Police station, she denied killing the deceased. At the end of the trial, the defence counsel promptly addressed the court, stating that the Appellant (as the accused person) was not charged with any offence, as she was charged under Section 221(b) of the Criminal Procedure Code. Realising the fatal error, the Prosecution promptly made an oral application pursuant to Section 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code, praying the court for an amendment of the Charge by deleting the words – “Criminal Procedure Code” and replacing them with the words – “Penal Code”. Counsel for the Appellant opposed the application vehemently, stating that ignorance of the law is not an excuse. The trial court, however, in its ruling, granted the application of the Prosecution, and ordered that the Amended Charge be filed within two days. The Amended Charge was read and explained to the Appellant, who pleaded guilty once more. On 25th May, 2017, the trial court delivered judgement, and convicted the Appellant as charged. The court, thereby, sentenced her to death.

Dissatisfied with the conviction and sentence, the Appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal. The appellate court found no merit in it; the court noted that the Appellant did not even dispute the voluntariness of her confession, as is common in courts these days. The appeal was consequently, dismissed. Aggrieved, the Appellant filed a further appeal to the Supreme Court.

Issues for Determination

The following issues were considered by the Apex Court in its determination of the appeal:

(1) Was the lower court right when it held in its judgement that the Appellant, who expressly pleaded guilty to the Amended Charge of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 211(sic) of the Penal Code, cannot be heard to challenge her conviction for the offence.

(2) Was the lower court right when it upheld the decision of the trial court, despite the absence of evidence that the Appellant understood the Amended Charge when read to her.

(3) Was the lower court right when it dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja

On Friday, the 7th day of July, 2023

Before Their Lordships

John Inyang Okoro

Uwani Musa Abba Aji

Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa

Adamu Jauro

Emmanuel Akomaye Agim Justices, Supreme Court SC/1159C/2019

Between AISHA MAHMUDA APPELLANT And THE STATE RESPONDENT

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa, JSC)

trial Court, that the prosecution proved the ingredients of the offence of culpable homicide punishable with death.

Arguments

On the first issue, counsel for the Appellant argued that although the Appellant pleaded guilty to the Amended Charge of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221(b) of the Penal Code, the Appellant’s conviction ought to be quashed on the basis that the Prosecution initially charged her under the “Criminal Procedure Code” instead of the “Penal Code.” Thus, her conviction following the amendment, prejudiced her right to fair hearing. The Respondent countered the submission, arguing that the amendment was not prejudicial to the Appellant, and was in line with decided authorities on amendment of a charge.

On the second issue, counsel for the Appellant questioned the holding of the Court of Appeal when it upheld the decision

of the trial court, despite the absence of evidence that the Appellant understood the Amended Charge read to the Appellant. Arguing the third issue, it was submitted on behalf of the Appellant that from the record of appeal before the court, there were irreconcilable inconsistencies in the testimonies of the Prosecution witnesses, which created doubt that ought to have been resolved in favour of the Appellant. Counsel relied on the provisions of Section 221 of the Penal Code, CAP 42 Laws of Borno State 1994, which outlines the necessary elements for proving the offence of culpable homicide, a crime punishable with death. Counsel submitted that these elements had to be established beyond reasonable doubt, and the Prosecution failed to meet this standard of proof. Counsel noted that none of the witnesses saw the Appellant stab the deceased, and the alleged knife used to stab the deceased was not found or tendered during trial. The Respondent, on its part, countered the submissions of the Appellant. He argued that the guilt of the Appellant, was established beyond reasonable doubt.

Court’s Judgement and Rationale

Deciding the first issue, the Supreme Court held that the fundamental consideration governing the amendment to a charge, whether suo motu by the trial court, or upon an application of the Prosecution, or address by counsel but prior to judgement, is that such amendment may be made without prejudice to the accused person and that his constitutional right to fair hearing pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution is fully reserved as reiterated by the court in DOMINIC PRINCENT v THE STATE (2002) LPELR- 2925 (SC). In this case, the trial court had acted within the purview

of the discretionary power accorded it under Sections 208 and 209 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and this was rightly upheld by the Court of Appeal.

The court held further that the amendment to the original charge was only substituting the words “Criminal Procedure Code” with “Penal Code” which had nothing to do with the substance of the offence charged, and there was no point recalling witnesses.

On the second issue, their Lordships held that an arraignment comprises the charging of the Defendant, thereby reading over and explaining the Charge thereto in the language understood by him, followed by taking his plea - SUNDAY KAJUBO v THE STATE (1988) N.W.L.R. (PT. 73) 721. The court noted further that it was evident from the records that the Registrar of the trial court in the person of Bilyaminu Hassan duly read out the sole count Charge in English and translated same in Hausa, to which the Appellant promptly pleaded guilty. The Apex Court held that at any material time a charge is amended after the commencement of trial, the accused has every right under the law to seek to recall witnesses who had already testified prior to the amendment for further cross-examination. The accused reserves the right to equally call further witnesses that the court may deem material or necessary, in the light of the amendment in question –DOMINIC PRINCENT v THE STATE (2002) LPELR-2925(SC). In the instant case, the Appellant was represented by counsel when she pleaded guilty to the Charge. Counsel for the Appellant did not deem it expedient, to either recall the Prosecution witnesses for further cross-examination or call any further witness. Thus, there is no reasonable ground to assume the Appellant’s right to fair hearing had been breached, as a result of the amendment of the Charge by the Prosecution .

Regarding the third issue, the Supreme Court restated the trite fundamental doctrine, that where the extra-judicial confessional statement of an accused person is proved to have been made voluntarily and it's positive, unequivocal, thereby amounting to an admission of guilt (as in the instant case), it would be appropriate and safe for the trial court to convict upon it, even in the absence of corroboration - STEPHEN v THE STATE (2013) 8 N.W.L.R. (PT. 1355) 135. The confessional statements of the Appellant were tendered and admitted in evidence, without any objection from the Appellant or her counsel. Failure to object to the admissibility of a confessional statement is conclusive evidence of voluntariness of that confessional statement, and a court before which such a statement is tendered, is at liberty to ascribe probative value thereto and can rely solely on it to convict the accused person – OSSAI v PEOPLE OF LAGOS STATE (2022) LPELR-57297(SC).

In this case, apart from the clear and credible evidence of the Prosecution witnesses, especially PW1, PW2, and PW3, the Appellant woefully failed to contradict or dispute the voluntariness of her confessional statements (Exhibits A, Al, and C), as credibly found by the two courts below. The said confessional statements were corroborated by the credible evidence of PW3, who testified (as copiously alluded to above) that the Appellant, upon first sighting him (and others) at the Police station, knelt down, cried, and said that she had cheated herself and her only son by killing her husband, and that she begged him to forgive her. Their Lordships concluded that the confessional statements in question, as aptly found by the two courts below, are consistent with the circumstances surrounding the case.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation

Mohammed Monguno, Esq. with Anthony Dangana for the Appellant.

K.S Lawan Esq, with K.S. Lawal, I.U. Ujah, G.O. Elias, and N.U. Usman for the Respondent.

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

“Failure to object to the admissibility of a confessional statement is conclusive evidence of voluntariness of that confessional statement, and a court before which such a statement is tendered, is at liberty to ascribe probative value thereto and can rely solely on it to convict the accused person”

Honourable Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa, JSC

Future free from Gender Based Violence in Benin City, Edo State

Edo First Lady Urges Collective Effort to Combat Gender-Based Violence

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The First Lady of Edo State, Mrs Betsy Obaseki, has called on all stakeholders in the fight against gender-based violence, to unite and selflessly commit to curbing this menace in the State and anywhere else in the country.

Mrs Obaseki made this plea, during a two-day workshop organised by the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Attorney General Alliance Africa (AGA-Africa), held at the John Oyegun Training Centre in GRA, Benin City. The workshop, centred on the theme, “Equipping Agents of Change in Building a Future Free from Gender-Based Violence”. It is also aimed at equipping participants with the knowledge and tools needed to combat gender-based violence effectively, and the goal of building a safer and more inclusive future for all, both in Edo State and Nigeria in general.

The Edo First Lady who was at the workshop in a dual capacity, representing her husband and Governor of the State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, and serving as the Chair of the Edo State Gender-Based Violence Management Committee, in a keynote address, highlighted significant strides made in combating gender-based violence within the State. These achievements, she disclosed, included the passage of the VAPP Law, the establishment of a robust Gender-Based Violence Management Committee, and the creation of a stateof-the-art Sexual Assault Referral Centre equipped with a shelter for women.

Additionally, she said the State offers free medical and legal services to victims of gender-based violence.

Emphasising the importance of ensuring that these initiatives operate effectively to achieve their intended objectives, given the profound impact of gender-based violence on

Lagos State Judiciary Releases Plan for the New Legal Year

Stories by Steve Aya

Activities to mark the commencement of the 2023/2024 legal year, have been announced by the Lagos State Judiciary.

A statement by the Acting Chief Registrar, Tajudeen Elias, said the new legal year thanksgiving service will be held simultaneously at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, and Lagos Central Mosque on Monday, September

#upjudicialsalaries

25, 2023, at 10 am, to officially mark the commencement of activities.

The statement also indicated that the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba will be inspecting the Guard of Honour immediately after Mosque and Church services at the High Court of Lagos, Osborne Foreshore Court Complex, Ikoyi, Lagos.

According to the circular signed by the Chief Judge, court activities will officially commence on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

individuals and society as a whole, Mrs Obaseki urged participants at the Conference to consider the consequences of selfishness while noting, “What is good for only you, at the end of the day will be bad for you. Because, when everybody else doesn't have that good, they will turn against you, and you will not be able to enjoy the good that you've been selfishly struggling to have for yourself”.

Applying that in addressing the enduring effects of gender-based violence, she also added: “Let's look at life that way. And, let's all take this work of GBV seriously. What it is, is when people are abused and bastardised, they cannot attain their God-given destinies. We talk about how the cemetery is the richest place, because many destinies are dead there. But, it happens every day, people living are like walking corpses who just cannot function anymore, as a result of one abuse early in life. Their lives were destroyed forever”.

In his remarks, a Board member of the AGA-Africa, Mr Markus Greene, stressed

the far-reaching consequences of gender-based violence, and emphasised the need to raise boys with values that prevent them from becoming perpetrators.

According to him, “Gender-based violence is a very, very, very serious issue. It's worldwide. And, I'm so happy to see so many men in the audience because, guess what? It's our fault, right? Gender-based violence is perpetrated mostly by men. We have the power to change it”.

Markus said the primary function of AGA-Africa is to provide a forum for legal officers to cultivate knowledge, cooperate on issues of legal concerns and coordinate actions which improve the quay of legal services available to different institutions, promote the rule of law and international cooperation.

He listed other functions of the body to include, training of Prosecutors in investigation and prosecution of transnational crimes and essential trial techniques; training programmes and organising workshops for stakeholders on transnational

crime; create awareness seminars and other events to draw attention to the dangers of transnational crime; oral advocacy and advanced trial advocacy, legislative drafting; capacity building to strengthen forensic evidence gathering and preservation, as well as law enforcement and prosecution best practices.

He further said, "Joint responses to transnational crime by and with African nationals, requires establishing and building cooperative relationships with key players throughout the African continent, as well as sharing information, experience, skills technology and strategies”.

"Given the cross-border nature of crimes, no single country can address the challenge of global crime alone. Rather, it is essential that the law enforcement institutions and stakeholders in the public and private sector, cooperate internationally.

"It is in this context that AGA-Africa seeks to contribute to the reduction, prevention and elimination of transnational crime. We believe that through these

means, relationships can be developed, capacity can be built, significant and impactful exchanges can take place."

In a goodwill message, Chairman of the NBA Benin branch, Nosa Edo-Osagie, appreciated the organisers for the workshop which he described as apt. He said gender- based violence is a global problem, that needed every hand on deck to stem its tide.

Earlier in his address, the Attorney-General of Edo State, Mr Oluwole Uzzi, underscored the alarming prevalence of gender-based violence in today's society, and urged all stakeholders, including Investigators, Prosecutors, Judges, and support staff, to come together and address this issue collectively.

He said, "You can hardly open the newspapers, you can hardly go online today, without seeing one form of gender-based violence. It has risen to intolerable levels. So, that is why we said, let us discuss with those who are in the forefront, those who are the first responders, and check it and eradicate it”.

BRIPAN to Host International Conference on Insolvency and Restructuring in

The Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN) is preparing to hold its annual international Conference, September 28-29, 2023, in Lagos.

This year’s Conference is themed:“Insolvency and Restructuring Law and Practice in Nigeria:

Lagos, September 28-29

Looking to the Future”. BRIPAN’s annual Conference brings together businesses, regulators, finance experts, legal practitioners, policymakers and judicial officers, to discuss matters relating to business turnaround, profitability, growth and restructuring. Given the current economic climate,

this year’s event will focus on insolvency and restructuring topics like asset tracking, cross-border insolvencies, opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area, and the future of insolvency law in Nigeria.

The Conference aims to examine the benefits that the future holds

for business owners, entrepreneurs, economists and insolvency/ restructuring professionals in Nigeria.

The Conference will feature an array of local and international Speakers, who will be providing insights. The event will take place at The Maradiva in Lekki, Lagos.

‘In 2008, what Judges earned was the equivalent of about $4,200 monthly. If we were to convert $4,200 to Naira today, it would be in the region of N4 million. At N4 million which looks like a 600% or so increase in today’s salaries, Judges would still be earning the same as they did in 2008!’ - Chief Judge of Borno State, Hon. Justice Kashim Zannah

L-R: Edo Solicitor-General, Prof Faith Osadolor; Mrs Ebele Enedah; Edo State Attorney-General Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi; Edo State First Lady, Mrs Betsy Obaseki; Board Member, AGA-Africa, Markus Green; Malawi Human Rights Commission's, Grace Jere and Khensani Motileni of Women's Rights Centre of South Africa at a two-day workshop on Equipping Agents of Change in Building a

Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba

Chairman BRIPAN Conference Planning Committee, Albert Folorunsho

My Brief by SKB

Restructuring Nigeria

How the Chilean Plebiscite Methodology, May have Provided President Tinubu with a Constitutional Reform Blueprint

Overview

Now that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has marked 100 days in office as the 5th President of the 4th Republic and the PEPT has also confirmed the authenticity of his election (albeit still subject to an appeal to the Supreme Court), critics and analysts have begun assessing how credibly he has performed so far in office. It is fair to say that the President has acquitted himself rather well, since he took up the Presidency on the 29th May, 2023. To his credit, he has largely embarked so far on an economic transformative agenda, aimed at improving our ailing economy.

Some of his very first acts were to confirm the removal of subsidy on petroleum motor spirit, and to do away with the two tier foreign exchange system. The President has also reached out to several of our international trading partners, and reassured them that under his watch and leadership, Nigeria will become a safer and a far more attractive place to invest, trade and do business. Although Nigerians are groaning under the impact of these economic initiatives, they have largely been accepted, and even the most sceptical of us have come to terms with the fact that these decisions were a necessity for the overall good.

One other key area of concern yet to be addressed by the President, is the tricky question of how to restructure our polity. This is not altogether surprising, considering how sensitive and emotive the debate on this issue has become over the years; but, it must nevertheless, be addressed sooner rather than later. In particular, we need to ask ourselves as a nation what implications will constitutional reforms in Nigeria have on sustaining the long term future of our democracy not just from a Nigerian perspective, but also from a West African viewpoint, especially in light of several military coups that have recently taken place amongst our neighbouring Francophone States. Secondly, will President Tinubu’s economic agenda and free market oriented approach be at risk, without a more stable political structure? Is a new Constitution the best path forward in reducing the enormous cost of running government, which is now becoming unsustainable without borrowing? What are the other risks and issues at stake? Some very useful clues on how we can best restructure our polity, rewrite our Constitution and assess the overall and general impact all this could portend, can be garnered from the experience of Chile, a South American country whose checkered political history is identical and mirrors that of Nigeria in so many respects.

The Chilean Plebiscite

Although Chile is not as diverse a country as Nigeria, it does at least boast of being the longest and narrowest country in the world. For over 40 years, Chile had been operating under a Constitution that was bequeathed to it by it’s former military dictator, General Augustus Pinochet; but, in recent years they started becoming disgruntled, agitated and intolerant of the imperfections of their Constitution culminating in October 2019 of mass protests, that rocked the Chilean capital of Santiago and many other cities in the country. These strikes were reminiscent in many respects of the #EndSARS movement that engulfed us here in Nigeria just a few years ago. The critical and significant difference being that, the Chilean uprising unlike that of ours here in Nigeria, transformed into a mini-revolution that forced the government

to act and organise a national plebiscite, asking whether or not Chileans wanted to rewrite their existing Constitution. The following year on 25th October, 2020 to be precise, the government held the plebiscite seeking to reform the Constitution dating back from the years of military dictatorship under General Pinochet. The Pinochet military regime (just like that of General Abdulsalam here in Nigeria in 1999), had foisted upon the Chilean people a Constitution of which they had little say or input. The Constitution stood in place, for over 40 years. A simple question was put to them, asking whether or not Chileans wanted to rewrite their Constitution. Proponents of ‘Apruebo’ (I approve) viewed the idea of a new constitution as a means to expand democratic freedoms and participation, as well as overcome deep rooted social inequalities. Those in the opposite camp, ‘Rechazo’ (I reject) were opposed to the drafting of a fundamentally new charter, suggesting that the process could result in the erosion of fundamental democratic principles and open a Pandora’s box of unknown economic and social consequences, just like some of the concerns here.

A second question on the October ballot, had to do with the mechanism for drafting a new Constitution. At stake were two different procedural models, namely the election of an entirely new Constituent Assembly, or a hybrid model of current legislators in addition to elected citizens.

It was further agreed that if Chilean citizens did vote to approve a new Constitution, a subsequent vote would be held to choose the representatives who would draft the Constitution. A final vote approving the draft of the new Constitution, was then scheduled to take place later in 2022.

It is worth noting that the 25th of October, 2020 Plebiscite date was itself rescheduled from an earlier date, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The date of the exit plebiscite, was also modified.

It was projected to take place in September of the third quarter of 2022, at the latest. In April 2022, it was announced that the referendum would be held on the 4th of September, 2022. It is important to note that Chileans ultimately voted for the hybrid system in redrafting their

Constitution, made up of some existing legislators and others specifically elected into a convention tasked with the responsibility of drafting the new Constitution. The new Constitution as drafted was once again put to the Chilean people for their approval in another plebiscite, but the people rejected it as being too radical. As a consequence, the old Constitution continues to operate until a new draft Constitution is approved.

In the interim, lawmakers then announced a new process, the "Agreement for Chile" in December 2022, in a second attempt to fashion out a new Constitution with different rules. The agreement states that a group of 50 directly-elected constitutional advisors will draft the Constitution, based on a preliminary draft prepared by a commission of 24 experts appointed by Congress. Additionally, a 14-member body appointed by Congress was to ensure that the proposed text, aligns with the 12 institutional and fundamental principles outlined in the Agreement for Chile. Although the entire process has not been perfect, there can be no doubting the transparency of the Chilean approach, and the determination of the people to ultimately come up with a workable Constitution acceptable to the vast majority of Chileans.

Is there a Legal Framework or Constitutional Basis to be able to Hold a Referendum here in Nigeria?

The main restructuring challenge for us in Nigeria today, is simply on how best we can rewrite our existing Constitution or restructure our polity, whilst still having in place the 1999 Constitution (as amended), just like in Chile. When you have an existing Constitution and a system of governance in place, it would be unconstitutional for anyone to attempt to usurp the Constitution, without first receiving a clear mandate from the people. This is because the people are the source and donor of all political power. The government and its organs are created by the 1999 Constitution, and logic suggests that they can only be in possession of the power that is granted to them, by that same instrument from which their power and existence is derived.

There is no direct provision for a referendum in our Constitution, but it is more than implied. We often criticise the 1999 Constitution for being imperfect, but there are several aspects to it that have not been fully explored or understood. What then, is the legal framework that exists within the 1999 Constitution, that can provide ample basis for a future referendum that may ultimately lead to a new and radically changed Constitution, brought about by a people’s plebiscite like is the case in Chile?

The chapter of the 1999 Constitution, which contains the provisions on the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy provides some useful answers.

Section 13 of the 1999 Constitution provides as follows :

“It shall be duty and responsibility of all organs of government, and of all authorities

and persons, exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers, to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of this Chapter of this Constitution”.

Furthermore Section 14 provides:

14.(1) The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice. 14( 2) It is hereby, accordingly, declared that- (a) Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its power and authority. Now, if the Constitution states that sovereignty belongs to the people, it also stands to reason that the same power can be given back to them whenever they ask or demand it. The conundrum however, is that no one seems to know or understand how to go about doing this. A clue can be found in the Second Schedule of the Constitution, which outlines the various items on the Exclusive Legislative list. Item 60 provides for the establishment and regulation of authorities for the Federation or any part thereof- (a) to promote and enforce the observance of the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles contained in this Constitution.

Establishing a Referendum Authority under the Control of INEC

The combined effect of Sections 13 and 14 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Item 60 on the Exclusive Legislative list under the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, is that both the executive and legislative arms of government are empowered to establish a Referendum Authority, to give effect to the implementation of key parts and aspects of the 1999 Constitution. The Proposed Referendum Authority, does not necessarily have to be set up to be an Independent Statutory Authority. Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, outlines the Federal Executive Bodies mentioned under Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution. Section 14 of the Third Schedule provides for INEC. Section 15 of the same Schedule outlines the powers of INEC. Subsection 15(i) provides as follows: (i) Carry out such other functions as may be conferred upon it by an Act of the National Assembly. In other words, INEC could be given additional responsibility by the National Assembly to manage a Referendum Authority within the purview of its responsibilities, without the need to set up a separate entity. INEC will, among other things, determine the criteria and threshold for a National Referendum. It is not unusual, to have electoral bodies and referendum bodies fused together. This is the practice, for example, in Australia.

In addition to what has been highlighted above, Item 67 of the Exclusive Legislative list also provides that, laws can also be made with regard to any other matter with respect to which the National Assembly has power to make laws in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. Item 68 further states that, the National Assembly can also make laws with regard to any matter incidental or supplementary to any matter mentioned elsewhere in the Exclusive Legislative list. It is interesting to note that, Section 8(3)(b)(c) and (d) of the 1999 Constitution provides for the use of a Referendum, when there is a proposal to create a new local

“In particular, we need to ask ourselves as a nation, what implications will constitutional reforms in Nigeria have on sustaining the long term future of our democracy not just from a Nigerian perspective, but also from a West African viewpoint, especially in light of several military coups that have recently taken place amongst our neighbouring Francophone States”

COMPEDIA

Is Competition Law Appropriate in Africa? R

ecently, I had an interesting conversation which made me realise that I live in an echo chamber. It is rare that I come across someone, who thinks Competition Law is inappropriate in Africa. But, that is exactly what happened lately, and it was an illuminating conversation. Of course, I disagreed. In fact, I disagreed so much that I decided to write a blogpost about it.

I won’t name the person, but, it is relevant to note that the person is an African Lawyer, with experience advising domestic and international companies on Competition Law compliance, in particular, merger control. For that reason, I think it is important to seriously contend with this position, because it is a clear obstacle to the proper implementation of Competition Law if, deep down, our Lawyers, who are supposed to facilitate compliance, do not think it is appropriate.

For context, Competition Law is the area of law that makes sure markets stay competitive, so that consumers benefit from lower prices, more innovation, and better quality products. It does so by preventing anticompetitive agreements (that is, price fixing or market divisions amongst competitors), abuses of dominance (that is, predatory pricing or excessive pricing), and mergers which lessen competition in a relevant market. Nigeria, like many other African countries, has a Competition Act: the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which has provisions that focus on these practices. The Act also established the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal to enforce the provisions.

So, against that backdrop, you can view this blogpost as a defence of Competition Law, and a reminder of why we need it in Africa.

The First Argument

Let us start with the first argument the person made:

“African countries are not ready to enforce Competition Law, because it is already difficult to do business, so, we should not bother foreign multinationals with yet another layer of regulation that might dissuade their participation in our markets. If companies have space to grow, we can have economic development. On the contrary, if we have too many players in our markets, we reduce the return on investment, and that disincentivises multinationals from entering our markets”.

Some valid points, but, I have three counterarguments.

In Defence of Competition

First, I must the address the notion that competition is somehow bad for business. This is simply not true. Competition is good for businesses; it helps them perform better. When companies are worried that they will be outcompeted, they are more likely to innovate and make better products. Without competitive constraints, businesses get complacent.

There are many studies which show that competition increases innovation. However, this story is somewhat mixed. The exact relationship is an inverted-U curve.

As you increase competition, innovation increases. Up to a certain point. After this point, further increases in competition reduces the level of innovation. This is presumably because more players reduce the profit to be made, and therefore, there are lower returns from innovating.

I have a problem with this explanation, though. It assumes that the size of the market is fixed. It makes sense if there are, for example, only 100 consumers of a particular product. If you have one player selling that product, there is less innovation. Two or three players? More innovation. But then, six, seven, or eight players? Then, the theory predicts that innovation might begin to drop. However, what might actually happen is that, the players innovate to find a new way to expand their offering to more consumers than the initial 100 consumers. Expanding to a new region, or making the product more accessible, or changing the production method to reduce the price. The point here is that, innovation can be a continuous process caused by more competition.

Second, competition encourages foreign investment.

Let me unpack this. Competition is meritocratic. When markets are competitive, players can only participate and become profitable, if they deserve, warrant, or merit that status by producing goods and services that consumers value. In European Competition Law, we are seeing the development of a new test for anticompetitive practices known as, ‘competition on the merits’. When a conduct deviates from competition on the merits, it is anticompetitive. Of course, there are issues with this test, but, what it illustrates is the relationship between competition and meritocracy.

How does this affect foreign investment?

If foreign companies can see that markets are competitive, that the government is not favouring particular players, they are more likely to enter because their goods and services will be given a fair chance to reach consumers. As long as the foreign player can make a valuable offering to consumers, they can get more returns on their investment, than if the market was immune to the forces of consumer demand, aka the antithesis of a competitive market. After all, why would you enter a market where a dominant domestic player is allowed to engage in exclusionary practices?

Third, it is inappropriate to only focus on how Competition Law affects businesses, when determining whether Competition Law is appropriate for a country. No doubt, it affects business, as shown in my two preceding arguments. But, perhaps, the main reason why Competition Law is so important in Africa, is because it can help the poorest and most vulnerable.

Flour companies might conspire to fix the price of bags of flour, which would cause bread to be significantly more expensive. Filling stations could cause an artificial shortage, to increase the price of fuel. Drug manufacturers, could excessively price crucial drugs that vulnerable patients need. Cement companies could form a cartel, to make it significantly more expensive to build affordable housing. Dominant supermarkets could impose unfair discounts on their suppliers, who are mostly small-scale farmers. These practices––all real examples from the continent, by the way––involve a transfer of wealth from the poor and vulnerable to the wealthiest, and

Competition Law can certainly intervene.

The Second Argument

During the conversation, I decided to probe into why the person had this stance, what experiences had shaped and informed their worldview. After all, you can’t persuade someone without really understanding why they think what they think, what they are worried about, etc. This revealed the second argument that the person made:

“My clients have been short-changed by competition interventions. One was forced to divest a significant portion of their business. Another had to alter a profitable business model, that was deemed anticompetitive. Soon after, the company began to struggle, so it had to close down many branches, leading to job losses.”

Naturally, I am more sympathetic to this argument. Nevertheless, I still disagree with the conclusion, that we do not need Competition Law.My disagreement is rooted in the fact that bad or suboptimal Competition Law enforce-

ment, which this person was essentially referring to, does not vitiate the need for Competition Law. A competition authority can make mistakes, but that does not mean that markets would not benefit from more competition. Much in the same way that Judges can make bad decisions, they might not understand the law properly, they might even be biased, but that does not mean that we should not have courts. What it means is that we should have better courts, and in the context of Competition Law, we should have better and more sophisticated competition authorities. And, one way that we, as Lawyers, can do this, is to improve our understanding of Competition Law and hold our authorities accountable.

I could go on and on defending Competition Law, but let me stop here. Hopefully, you are now well-equipped to debunk some of these arguments if you ever encounter them. But, if I haven’t done enough to convince you that competition law is important in Africa, please, feel free to reach out to let me know what I have missed. And, I promise not to turn that conversation into a blogpost.

Restructuring Nigeria

cont'd from page VI government area. A Referendum Authority could therefore, also be used at State level whenever there is a request to create a new local government area. We don’t need to wait for such a request, before putting the legal framework in place. In short, a Referendum Authority would provide the mechanism and legal framework for a referendum at both Federal, State and local government level’s of government. Finally, some might argue that our courts have long decided that Section 6(6)(c) of the 1999 Constitution provides that, except as otherwise provided by the Constitution, any issue or question as to whether any act or omission by any authority or person as to whether any law or any judicial decision is in conformity with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy set out in Chapter II of the Constitution, is not justiciable. It is however, my argument that since Item 60 is on the Exclusive Legislative list, it is clearly spelt out elsewhere in the Constitution and as such Section 6(6)(c) does not apply, and issues relating to Item 60 will serve as an exception to those provisions, and will thus, be justiciable.

See Archbishop Okogie v AG Lagos State 1981 2 NCLR 337; AG Ondo State v AG Federation & 35 Ors 2002 9 N.W.L.R. Part 772.

Conclusion

The Chilean example highlights the fact that, the People must first be consulted in any attempt to rewrite a Constitution. This, to a

large extent, was the reason why the 2014 National Conference was not deemed sovereign. It also explains why the deliberations of that National Conference, were unenforceable and archived. The hybrid system voted upon and approved by Chileans, may ultimately prove to be the way forward here. It placates both the People and our elected representatives, who believe they have already earned the trust of their representatives to initiate constitutional reform, but as earlier argued, the People can recall that power whenever they consider it expedient to do so.

The Chilean experience shows that, constitutional reform does not necessarily impede the day- to-day functioning of government. It operates on the sidelines until perfected, and given a time frame for future implementation. The People can always reject a draft Constitution they deem unacceptable for whatever reason. as was the case with Chile.

Now that an Attorney-General is firmly in place and President Tinubu has decided to recall non-career Ambassadors, perhaps, our next Ambassador to Chile should be given the assignment of understudying the Chilean Plebiscite methodology and report back to the President through the Attorney-General, on how the Chilean experience could aid our constitutional reform process here at home. “Mission to Chile” should ideally be undertaken by a Lawyer, and a copy of updates and the final report passed on to the National Assembly through the office of the Attorney-General or the Presidency. Let’s begin the process.

“When markets are competitive, players can only participate and become profitable, if they deserve, warrant, or merit that status by producing goods and services that consumers value”

West Africa: Too Many Coups for Comfort

In the last 48 months, several West African countries have found themselves under military regimes. While some of these army interventions received cheers from hapless masses who may have agonised under perceptibly corrupt and inept civilian administrations, some believe that military in governance remains an aberration and retrogressive. What has caused this wind of military coup d’états to blow in West Africa? Is there any justification for military coup d’états under any guise? Is this trend, referred to by some as the ‘Francophone Spring’, exclusive to Francophone West African Countries alone, or can it spread? Hannibal Uwaifo, Mandy Demechi-Asagba and FEP Sugaba probe this bothersome shift, proffering solutions to curb the trend

Resurgence of Military Interventions in Governance in Africa

Hannibal Uwaifo

Reasons for Coup d’États

The resurgence of military Coup d’états in some parts of Africa, as undemocratic as it is, has its root causes and implications. While those still in authority in Africa, particularly in the ECOWAS State are quick to condemn this development and seek to intervene to restore what they call Civilian democratic rule, many citizens of the concerned countries seem to clearly unambigu-

ously think otherwise. The recent intervention has been widely welcomed and applauded by the public in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon, all in Francophone West Africa. While any unconstitutional takeover of Governance anywhere is condemnable, the Principle of “Causation” appears to be in strong support of recent Military Coups. Some of the immediate causes of these interventions, include but are not limited to: a) Unconstitutional changes in tenure of office, leading to tenure elongation. b) Deliberate narrowing of the democratic space by harassment and intimidation of the opposition. c) Suppression of ideas and freedom of speech. d) Large scale corrupt practices. e) Bad governance.

f) Lack of reforms in all sectors of governance. h) Economic hardship and poverty. i) Ostentatious living by Leaders, their families and cronies. j)

“The challenge of Russia and China in Africa is a reality, and has changed the equation. The ability of Russia to provide military assistance to the new Military Government, is a deterrence to any intervention by any external force including, ECOWAS, AU, and France and the United States, powers that hitherto, had the ability to upset the situation”

Wide spread abuse of human rights

k) Lack of justice, access to justice, judicial in-activism and complicity l) Lack of accountability in all spheres of governance and m) Large scale insecurity and terrorist activities and so on and so forth. These factors and many more have remained intractable for decades with the citizens, helpless in the face of iron fist kleptomaniac rule in most of these African States. In fact, what exists here is merely “Civilian rule” not “Democratic rule”, coupled with the burden of economic hardship and fight for survival. With no redemption in sight, any type of intervention is welcome, particularly when these Military Leaders are able to publicly identify these areas of concern and promise to address them.

In French West Africa, the iron grip of these former French colonies by the French Government, was bound to come to an end. This is against the background of unfair trade practices, economic and political emasculation of the government and resources of these Nations, installation and support of iron fist rulers, and the disdain/ contempt which the citizens of these countries are held, in the face of economic and political oppression orchestrated by the Colonial Master. An example is the over 40 years of ‘Methuselah’, Paul Biya’s Civilian misrule in French Cameroon that has

despondency, Poverty, Misery, Hunger and Civil war, as it's dividends. While the people yearn for better governance, they are unable to express same through democratic elections, which are widely manipulated in favour of the status quo by the biased umpire which mostly consists of agents of the ruling Government.

The long term impact of civil, rather than democratic rule, and the sense of exclusiveness faced by most citizens, is a tonic for “messaic” intervention by the Military. It is also true that those who seize power also feel the pain of misgovernance, and are prodded to take these steps for patriotic reasons and love for their motherland. This is not say that the new sheriffs will be able to find acceptable solutions to all the problems they met which they attempt to resolve, rather, in most cases, they complicate them and end up creating new problems. But, the reality of Military intervention under the circumstances enumerated here stares us in the face, especially against the background that the Military rulers are citizens and supposed to be part of the Governance structure.

In 2022, Africa witnessed attempted Coup d’états in Six Countries, four were successfully executed. Similarly, of 18 Coups recorded around the world, all took place in Africa, except the one that took place Myanmar. This probably encouraged the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to remark that “Military Coups are

Late President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita

President Mohammed Bazoum of Niger Republic

President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon

West Africa: Too Many Coups for Comfort

back”. However, the sophistication of the present takeovers arising from the complex colonial exploitation and global shifts in allegiance and realignment, makes the entire scenario more serious than previously. The challenge of Russia and China in Africa is a reality, and has changed the equation. The ability of Russia to provide Military assistance to the new Military Government, is a deterrence to any intervention by any external force including, ECOWAS, AU, and France and the United States, powers that hitherto, had the ability to upset the situation. The rejection of Economic and Political Agreements with the French, the close down of Embassies, the expulsion of Ambassadors and the forging of co-operation with Russia by the new Military Governments, is a pointer to an emerging new era, not just military takeover of government.

Examples

Flashback at the turmoil in Burundi, especially their altercations with their Belgian former colonial Masters, led to the involvement of Russia in the ensuing development and the protection of their economic interest. In this case, the arrogance of Belgium in it continuous undermining of the Burundi State and her legitimate government was cited as the reason, including the inability of the then Belgian Ambassador to respect State Protocols, by having a man as his wife in a traditional African State that accepts none of that. The Western instigated Political and Economic Sanctions, did not dissuade Burundi as a Nation.

The Central African Republic, is another example where the Russians have intervened and have control. The other interesting factor, is the ability of the new Military leaders to come together to form a common alliance to fight their common enemies. This is the threat from Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, including Algeria (not under Military rule) to resist any attempt by any regional or international force to intervene in Niger Republic. This is also a new development, never hitherto experienced.

The economic influence of China as a development Partner across the West African region and Africa, is also now a fact that plays significant roles in the ability of the new regimes to bluff the economic crumbs from the Western World. Although China has largely been perceived as having an ultimate Agenda, many however, believe that she is more honest and result orientated, than the hypocrisy of economic exploitation and political manipulation of decades of Western influence. Therefore, a combination of Russian Military Protection and China’s Economic Agenda, gives the new Military Leaders an edge over their adversaries. This is not to say that military rule should be allowed to stay and flourish, and be the order of the day. NO. But, with the reality on ground, all must agree to make the best use of the situation we find ourselves, join hands to correct the fertile ground created for this situation by our conscienceless and maximum civilian rulers, under the guise of democracy. We must reset Africa’s agenda for rapid economic, social and political growth. We must work out how to rapidly reduce our trade dejection, reduce poverty and economic hardship. We must create enduring social structures, that our economic and human capital can sustain. We must choose a system of government and governance that is economically viable, and transforms to stability for the general good.

The Role of the Judiciary

We must prepare a fertile ground for

a system that promotes access to justice with judicial and judiciary activism. We must create a Judiciary that takes the purpose and objectives of the State and governance into consideration, when making decisions. The Judiciary must, like Brutus in Julius Caesar, do real substantial justice “not because they love the Gladiators less, but that they love their country more”. The Judiciary must repudiate technical justice, that leaves her citizens in despair and disbelief. Judges must be fearless and truly independent, to create a stable Africa. After all, Justice Olive Wendell Holmes, a former Chief Justice of the United States, posits in his book the Path of the Law, “the prophecy of what the courts will do in fact, and nothing more pretentious are what I mean by the Law”. This clearly shows the place of the Judiciary in the quest for good governance and stable society.

Conclusion

When we have done this, then Africa must now consider who their friends are, and make a sound decision in the present state of Geo-political re-alignments. Good democratic governance, sound economic judgement, strong social and political institutions and a vibrant Judiciary are the main antidote to Coup d’états, not threat of intervention, because those issuing the threat have bigger skeletons in their cupboards.

democratic leadership, and the pushed-to-thewall reaction of the frustrations of the people to authoritarianism of African leaders. The impunity of these leaders had reached an intolerable crescendo, such that the military had to step in to save the people.

In recent times West Africa has experienced six coups since August 2020 in Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, with the most recent in Niger in July 2023 and Gabon in August, 2023, with failed coup d’états in Guinea Bissau and Gambia.

The good news is that the ECOWAS Heads of State are committed to ensuring all four States can restore full constitutionality by 2024, and establish a regional force that that will support ECOWAS member States.

Democratic Leadership Failure

Before now, all West African Region member States of ECOWAS were headed by democratically elected Presidents, even though in recent times, democracy is gradually being replaced with autocratic leaders who are now shoved down the throats of the people by selection using all illegal means, shrouded with make believe legality and a caged Judiciary to ratify their selection.

Root Causes

7. Tenure elongation.

8. Unconstitutional and desperate selection and impositions of leaders.

9. Caged /dependent Judiciary.

10. Disobedience of court orders.

11. Autocratic regimes repressing any form of opposition.

12. Unlawful detentions and needless killings.

13. Executive impunity.

Political experts in the African region informed the United Nations (UN) in January 2023, that armed groups and violent extremists are increasing their influence in West Africa and the Sahel, while repeated coups d’états are destabilising governments.

Giovanie Biha, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and Officer in Charge of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel ( UNOWAS), drew attention to the millions of children in the region who have no access to education because 10 thousand schools were shut down due to instability.

"Non-State groups are fighting themselves for supremacy, pushing States to the margin, and causing untold misery to millions of people who have to leave their communities to seek safety."

This situation is precedented with job insecurity, food insecurity, health hazards, gender-based violence - rape and defilement of minors, economic downturn and loss of innocent lives, increased migration despite the hazards. Women and children are always at the receiving end - the vulnerable victims.

Hannibal

Uwaifo,

President of the African Bar Association

Rising Coups in West Africa and Implications for ECOWAS and Nigeria

Mandy Demechi-Asagba

The many coups in West Africa are reflections of failed and shrouded

1. Corruption - Corrupt cartels enriching themselves to the detriment of the citizenry.

2. Corruption in governance - Allocation of natural resources to a few; for example, Niger - Uranium exploitation by France and the USA by a cartel, thus, impoverishing a country that should have no business whatsoever with poverty.

Sale of government-owned infrastructure to a select few in power, at a ridiculously low rate.

3. Deep seated and endemic corruption.

4. Persistently low levels of economic growth.

5. Foreign powers quest for geostrategic influence and security.

6. Intra-State conflicts in support of African dictators, thus, fanning the flames of violent dissent.

Despite the many challenges facing the African region, it remains a land of immense opportunities. Getting leadership right, is the key to making immense progress and occupying our rightful place in the comity of nations as the cynosure of all eyes.

Interventions

1. Ensure a level playing field for democratic processes.

2. Agreement on the length of transitions to be specified and codified.

3. Implementation of affirmative action.

4. Promotion of dialogue.

5. All inclusiveness in governance and sustainable development.

6. Good governance.

7. Counter misinformation and campaigns jealously.

8. Engage actively in deradicalisation and reintegration.

9. Sustainable funding for regional security initiatives.

“That failure of leadership cuts across the spectrum of Africa, where corruption and impunity have assumed their own personalities. Amongst African leaders, there seems to be a competition on who best can impoverish his country”

Niger Military Junta

West Africa: Too Many Coups for Comfort

Cont'd from page IX

10. Creation of enabling environment for the people to reduce migration.

Implication of the Wave of Coups for ECOWAS and Nigeria

The coups in West Africa put a question mark on the role of ECOWAS and the AU in their role to promote cooperation and integration, in order to raise the living standards of their people and to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations among member States and contribute to the progress and political stability of the member States. And, their works to address security issues, thus, developing a peace-keeping Force for conflicts in the region

Have ECOWAS and AU lived up to their expectations in the face of the coups? What are the criteria for leadership of these Regional Organisation? Are these organisations telling truth to power ? These, to my mind, are questions begging for answers in the prevailing circumstances in Africa, and until the African Continent learns to tell truth to power, the wave of Coups d’états shall continue.

Obviously, the violation of Article 21(1) of the Charter herein reproduced has been the crux of the matter:

“All peoples shall freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources. This right shall be exercised in the exclusive interest of the people. In no case shall a people be deprived of it.”

For as long as this violation continues in the West African Region, the wave will be wilder and shall sweep through. Injustice swept under the carpet, will rear its ugly head. How else can one view the jubilation of the people, in the face of the coups? For these people, it's liberation that must be celebrated.

These few are warning signs for those who are wise to learn from, or be swept by the wave.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his speech as ECOWAS Chairman said:

“ECOWAS must bite back and cannot sit as a toothless bulldog, but, work collectively to pursue inclusive economic integration of the subregion”.

I cannot agree less, to his Excellency's position on this.

His Excellency went further and pledged:

"I make pledge here that, in furtherance of her region’s economic recovery and growth, he will commit to democracy and the rule of law…".

This to my mind is the primary foundation for democracy, which must be solidly laid for democracy to thrive and succeed. The good thing is that our leaders know the right thing to do, but doing it in all sincerity has been the problem. Not until our leaders begin to genuinely and sincerely rule with integrity and character, will we begin to enjoy the gains of democracy. The democracy we have in the African continent is a make believe, or rather 'democrazy' and or 'shrouded authoritarianism'.

Arising from the above, it is crystal clear that political stability can be achieved in addition to true democracy and the rule of law, with some measures of high economic performance, productive employment, increased and sustainable export, reduction of military spending, eradication of corruption and independent Judiciary.

It is pertinent to admonish that, Coup d’états are not a solution to the many flaws of the democratic setting. Sincere dialogue, focus and determination to

end injustice in the land, are better options. However, it may just be a necessary and lesser evil to end a rape of Democracy by unapologetic, endemic treasury looting and sale of the nations natural resources by a select few for their selfish end for a new era to emerge.

Mandy Demechi-Asagba, FICMC, 3rd Vice President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)

The Francophone Africa Spring FEP Sugaba

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

Martin Luther King Jr France may well take a lesson from the words of a former US President, Abraham Lincoln. He once said: “You can fool all people some of the time, and some people all the time. But, you can never fool all people all the time.”

Coups are `raining men`, in African Francophone countries. Six countries and counting, the latest being Gabon. Our eyes are open, to see where the tide blows next. Blow, it will.

France

Prior to these unfolding events, the media had been flooded with stories of France’s atrocious dance in its former colonies in Africa. Her dreadful presence in Africa, is legendary. Her monstrous activities are well documented, and ongoing. Despite the numerous exposés, she never thought it wise to heed the

warnings therein. Over time, the clouds gathered. Everyone saw it, except France.

That France has a stranglehold over its former colonies, is no news. That France towers over the economic and political landscape of these countries, is no news too. That the people of her former colonies are wallowing in abject economic conditions, is still no news. What is news is that the people have risen in unison to say, enough is enough. The cry is unmistakable. The reasons are well understood.

As if to add insult to injury, France announced that it does not recognise the new regime in Niger. This was in response to the request by the new regime, for France to withdraw her Ambassador in Niamey. It is apparent that to France, the era of colonialism is much alive and thriving. The capo is not relenting. After all, her puppet African leaders, are well entrenched to do her bidding. Therefore, France could, with every audacity, every temerity, every gut, tell Africa which regime it recognises and which she doesn’t. That is how cheap Africa has become.

However, the blame game is enormous. Everyone has a fair share of it. Yes, France’s heavy handedness on her former colonies is devastating, economically and politically; Yes, France is looting the resources of these countries; Yes, France is the custodian of the foreign reserves; what may be difficult to argue against, is the colossal failure of leadership in all African countries. France may have her hands on every part of the pie, but what African leaders trade off for power, is a price even slaves would rather die than agree to pay.

That failure of leadership cuts across the spectrum of Africa, where corruption and impunity have assumed their own personalities. Amongst African leaders, there seems to be a competition on who best can impoverish his country. For if France is the albatross of the Francophone countries, what name do we call the devil’s relentless hold on other African Countries?

Nigeria

Nigeria lives in darkness. No words can capture the level of hunger in the country. Insecurity is the order of the day. How does one explain that Nigeria, an oil producing nation with five refineries, imports all its refined product needs? How does one comprehend that a nation sitting

on vast reserves of bitumen and every conceivable stone material, cannot fix her numerous dilapidated roads? Virtually, every mineral God has blessed mankind with, is found in abundance in Nigeria. Why is food out of reach, when the country is blessed with arable land and good weather that enables all year-round farming?

What is remarkable in this entire saga, is the position of ECOWAS and the African Union, AU. It is laughable that these organisations that are peopled by the worst elements in leadership, could find a voice to condemn this so-called new Francophone Africa Spring. These leaders are themselves apostates of democracy; beneficiaries of mangled selection processes, otherwise called elections. These are African traitors, sick in body, mind and soul, masquerading as African representatives. The immediate reaction that followed ECOWAS’ pronouncement following the coup in Niger, said it all. It points to Africans indignation, towards these organisations that are bereft of any morality. Except the charters of these organisations are changed to reflect the yearnings of the people, they stand to exist only in name.

For those asking the question whether military coups can happen here or there, hold your breath. Disenchantment has no boundaries. Hunger knows neither tribe, colour nor creed. It is therefore, delusional for anyone to opine that the tide is Francophone Africa manufactured. It simply means that those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. The only panacea against coups is good governance, governance that recognises and takes on its responsibilities within the space of its social contract with the citizenry.

On France, yet again. In his well celebrated book, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe literarily drew our attention to this scenario playing out in French colonies and captured it eloquently. “Let us not reason like cowards, said Okonkwo. If a man comes into my hut and defecates on the floor, what do I do? Do I shut my eyes? No! I take a stick and break his head. That is what a man does.”

African Francophone countries have had enough of their colonial overlord, defecating on the continent. Those who have taken up sticks against this slave master deserve our applause, not condemnation.

“For those asking the question whether military coups can happen here or there, hold your breath. Disenchantment has no boundaries. Hunger knows neither tribe, colour nor creed. It is therefore, delusional for anyone to opine that the tide is Francophone Africa manufactured”

FEP Sugaba, Freelance Writer, Zurich, Switzerland

Military President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré

L–R: Chief Executive Officer, Axxela, Bolaji Osunsanya; Managing Director, NIPCO, Nagendra Verma; Managing Director, West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCo), Michelle Burkett; Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Gas Marketing Limited, HRM Justin Ezeala; and Managing Director, Tetracore, Olakunle Williams, at the NNPC-NGML Strategic Business Retreat held in Ghana…recently

L-R: Former Chairman, Mosan Okunola Local Government Area, Hon. Abiodun Mafe; former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba; son of the deceased and former Commissioner for Home Affairs, Lagos State, Hon. Oyinlomo Danmole; and former Lagos State House of Assembly member, Hon. Hakeem Masha, during the funeral service for late Senior Apostle (Mrs.) Susannah Adedoyin Danmole, held at Eko Club Surulere, Lagos…recently

L-R: Art collector, Dr. Okey Anueyiagu; his wife, Hadiza Anueyiagu; Curator/Chief Executive Officer, Prodigies of Africa, Sachi Hani Okoroafor; and Representative of Abia State Governor/Chief Executive Officer, Cowrie Capitals, Johnson Chukwu, during the opening of an art exhibition curated by Okoroafor, tagged: ‘Infiltration of the Blues’, held in Lagos…recently

L-R: Head of Marketing, PZ Wilmar, Chioma Mbanugo; Founder, Exquisite Magazine, Dr. Tewa Onasanya; Founder, Smart Stewards Financial Advisory, Sola Adesakin; Founder, Kaysfit Ventures, Kemi Longe; and Assistant Brand Manager, Mamador, Racheal Memeh, at the Mamador August Women Meeting in Lagos… recently

L-R: Beneficiary of Egbin Power Scholarship Programme 2023, Anthonia Nkwogu; Chief Executive Officer, Egbin Power Plc, Mokhtar Bounour; another scholarship beneficiary, Ridwanullahi Sharafa; Administrator, Powerfield Group of Schools, Ngozi Emezue; another scholarship beneficiary, Mosuro Rhoda; and Head of Corporate Communications and Branding, Egbin Power Plc, Felix Ofulue, during the presentation of scholarship awards to beneficiaries held at Egbin Power Plc office at Ijede, Ikorodu, Lagos...recently

L-R: Deputy Director, Public Relations, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Christiana Obiazikwor; Director, South-south region, NAFDAC, Martins Iluyomade; Director, NAFDAC, Shaba Mohammed; Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; and Director, Law, Investigation and Enforcement Department, NAFDAC, Francis Ononiwu, at the agency’s press briefing held in Lagos…recently

PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

PHOTO: ABIODUN AJALA

PHOTO: ABIODUN AJALA

PHOTO: ABIODUN AJALA

Giving Succor to Vulnerable Households in Nasarawa

To ensure that the federal government's palliatives allocated to Nasarawa State to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal get only to the the beneficiaries spread across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state, Governor Abdullahi Sule took the palliatives to the poor and vulnerable households across the state.

Consequently, the governor distributed the palliatives; made up of bags of 50 kg of rice and various sums of money to over 15,000 poor and vulnerable households across the state. The distribution showed that each beneficiaries got a bag of 50 kg of rice and N5,000 as palliatives, as the palliatives were strictly meant only for the beneficiaries.

Speaking when distributing the palliatives in Keana Local Government Area of the state, Sule cleared the air that his administration did not direct beneficiaries to share either the rice or money with anyone.

Sule said: "What we are sharing to the beneficiaries is meant for the beneficiaries only. If they, on their own, decided to go and share with somebody else, that is their choice. It is not our own directive that you can share with any body."

He, therefore, appealed to people of the state to remain calm as more palliatives would be distributed in subsequent programmes.

"When we receive the balance of the N4 billion, again we will do a similar thing. For those who did not get today, they may get a day after. That is why I am pleading with everybody to be patient," the governor appealed.

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Special Duties and Humanitarian Services, Margaret Eleyo, appealed to people of the area to be patient, as according to her "more largess would be coming their way in the form of palliative."

She appreciated Governor Sule for taking time out of his busy schedule to be at the event, while also showing appreciation to the governor for his steadfastness, commitment, and dedication to the people of the state.

Be that as it may, the Nasarawa State governor also distributed the palliatives in Wakama in Akun Development Area of Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area, as well as Gwanje Electoral Ward in Akwanga Local Governments Area of the state respectively. The two council wards are strongholds of the opposition that vehemently resisted the governor's reelection.

However, he emphasised that being the

governor, he is a father to all citizens of the state and as such would not discriminate in the distribution of the palliatives.

"These palliatives are to be distributed irrespective of political party affiliation. Those that I entrusted the distribution in their hands include the village head of Wakama, where it was said I recorded the least votes during the governorship election. I gave them to distribute to the people because it is my responsibility as a leader who is a father to all, including those from Wakama and Gwanje in Akwanga," the governor maintained.

He continued that the palliatives were an initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had realised the hardship that was created as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy. Adding that President Tinubu came up with the idea that every state of the federation would be given N5 billion to provide palliatives.

"This N5 billion is coming as N4 billion in cash to every state and N1 billion in the form of grains. In our own case, it is maize that we are receiving for N1 billion. So far, we have already received N2 billion and that is what we are using to provide these palliatives. The remaining N2 billion would come in due course," Sule explained.

He explained further that the state was also not left out in cushioning the impact of the removal of the fuel subsidy, as according to him, "civil servants in the state would receive N10,000 allowance for the next six months. This would cut across both the state and local government levels.

Similarly, pensioners across both the state and local government levels would receive N5,000 monthly for the next six months."

The governor added that both the state and local government areas would incure additional expenses running for the next six months, to the tune of N4 billion and N1.8 billion respectively.

Sule Continued: "This means that in addition to the money from the federal government, the state government is also spending another N4 billion."

Perhaps, it could be against this premise that the governor deemed it necessary to proffer the above explanations in Akwanga, his home local government because that was where his administration was facing relentless criticism.

He, however, assured that as soon as the state was in receipt of the balance of the remaining N2 billion, the same exercise would be repeated across the state. This was even as the governor used the opportunity of the event to appreciate traditional rulers for their support towards ensuring that the exercise was carried out peacefully and in line with what his administration sought to achieve.

In his welcome address, Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area, Safiyanu Isa Andaha, appealed to Sule not to allow for the distribution of the palliatives through proxy. Andaha insisted that all those shortlisted as beneficiaries must appear in person to receive the palliatives.

In a goodwill message, the Chun Mada, Dr. Samson Gamu Yare, while appreciating the government for the gesture, however appealing to the beneficiaries to imbibe the spirit of showing gratitude. The royal father noted that, it would not be fair for the people to collect the palliatives and to turn around and be criticizing the government.

Dishearteningly, while the federal and state governments were working relentlessly to

alleviate the hardship being faced by the people as a result of the fuel subsidy removal, some Nasarawa State government officials allegedly colluded with criminal elements and diverted and consequently sold some of the palliatives meant for the state from the federal government.

The Nasarawa State Command of the Department of State Services (DSS) was recently reported to have intercepted a suspected criminal syndicate that were responsible for diversion and sales of the federal government's palliatives meant for distribution to the vulnerable in the state.

Hitherto, Governor, Abdullahi Sule had asked the DSS not to spare those officials of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA) arrested for allegedly diverting the palliatives of the state.

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, said the governor received with sense of satisfaction in the arrest of some officials of the NASEMA over the diversion of the federal government's palliatives for the state.

The SSA, therefore, maintained that sule would not condone any act of indiscipline and criminality from any official of the government.

Ahemba said: "As Chairman of the North Central Governors' Forum, Governor Sule is poised to support the DSS in casting its dragnet widely and getting to the root of the activities of this nefarious syndicate, so that those found wanting are meant to face the full wrath of the law, no matter how highly placed.

"The Nasarawa State Governor is ready to support the DSS and the Judiciary in ensuring that, those among our citizens in Nasarawa State who might be found wanting at the end of investigation are punished accordingly, to serve as deterrent to other criminal minded public officials.

The SSA continued that some of the state officials arrested were alleged to be part of a nationwide syndicate which specializes in diverting relief materials donated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for distribution to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and victims of flood in the state.

The SSA maintained that the administration of Governor Sule has remained consistent since assumption of office on May 29, 2019 in the prudent and transparent management of state's meager resources, just as accountability in governance has been the watchword of his administration.

This N5 billion is coming as N4 billion in cash to every state and N1 billion in the form of grains. In our own case, it is maize that we are receiving for N1 billion. So far, we have already received N2 billion and that is what we are using to provide these palliatives. The remaining N2 billion would come in due course

Igbawase Ukumba writes that Governor Abdullahi Sule personally took the distribution of the federal government's palliatives to the poor and vulnerable households across the 13 Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal

Gov Sule (right) addressing some vulnerable households during his distribution of oil subsidy removal palliatives in Awe LGA

Aborted Hope as Businessman Dies in Awkuzu SARS Police Cell

As the first son of a family of five and born of peasant farmers, Chidubem Ezenwa was already showing promise before he was mauled to death inside the 'safe' custody of a police cell in the 'notorious' SARS headquarters in Awkuzu, Anambra State. This was right after he was initially brutalised by the DPO of Otuocha Police Station, David-Chyddy Eleke writes

"My son is my only hope. He promised me that if God keeps him alive and continues to prosper him, he will buy a land in this Aguleri, and build a good house for me, where me and my wife, and his younger siblings will relocate to, and be able to live well.

"Today that hope has fizzled into the air, and my world is crumbling in my very presence. I don't know what I did to deserve this. They said Chidubem is dead, but I can never accept that. That was not the agreement I had with him. If they know where my son is, let them bring him to me. I'm talking particularly to the President General of Aguleri community, Barr Ifeanyi Iloakasia, he should provide my son because he is the one who ordered for the arrest of my son."

Those were the bitter lamentations of Mr Sunday Ezenwa, a peasant farmer, when THISDAY visited his compound in Aguleri. In front of his fast dilapidating house, family members gathered, some struggling hard to console him, a man in his early 60s. Other relatives and sympathizers stood and looked forlornly, with complete amazement of the news of the death of Chidubem, a 24-year- old boy.

What Led to Chidubem's Death?

THISDAY travelled from Awka to Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area, to speak with the family, when a relative of Chidubem narrated the story of his death. Chidubem's father, Sunday; his friend, Chukwunonso Udezue who spoke to our reporter narrated the incident that led to his death.

Mr Ezenwa said: "My son, Chidubem Ezenwa is a businessman in Asaba, Delta State. He sells phones accessories, recharges phones and other cable TV services, and also charges phones. He has a shop there in Asaba.

"Three weeks ago, he was called by his friend, Chukwunonso Udezue, and told that their mutual friend, Chiboy had a motorcycle accident. He sent in N50,000 for his friend to receive medical attention, but later they called him again that his friend's health was not improving. That weekend, he came home and moved straight to the hospital to see him.

"He had already negotiated with the doctor for a change of hospital for his friend, when suddenly they heard that his friend had problem in the ward. He was later announced dead. His friends were told not to join them to the mortuary, because of their closeness, to avoid trauma. They went to Angel Hotel to wait, while the body of their friends was taken to the mortuary.

"Angel Hotel is where my son always stays anytime he comes home. You can see that I do not have a house. This one is already collapsing, so my son prefers to stay in a hotel when he comes home. He has already promised me that he will build a house for us and take us out of here.

"They were in the hotel, when one of them while reminiscing on the death of their friend broke a bottle. They later paid for the bottle when the hotel management protested, but the President General of the community, Barr Ifeanyi Iloakasia called on the police and got them arrested, and in the process he died. Up till now, we have not been told anything about our son, and police has not released his body to us, if assuming he

is dead already. We cannot accept that our son, is dead. They should release his body to us if he is dead."

Chidubem's friend, Chukwunonso Udezue, who broke the bottle that caused their arrest was also traced by THISDAY for his side of the story.

He said: "I called my friend, Chidubem to tell him that our friend Chiboy who had accident was not improving. He initially told me that he will not come home because his business needed his attention. He had earlier sent money for treatment, but I was surprised when he later came home.

"Our friend, Chiboy later died, and while he was being taken to the mortuary, we his friends, including Chidubem were advised to leave the hospital, to avoid trauma. We went to Angel Hotel, feeling very bad, and in the process, I told Chidubem that it is bad that Chiboy who is always here in this hotel with us is no longer alive. While we were drinking (away their sorrows), I got annoyed and smashed some empty bottles. The manager of the hotel started harassing us, saying that we can scare away his customers.

"Chidubem pleaded with him and paid for the bottles we broke. He later told us he was leaving for Asaba that he was not happy. He entered a bike and left for the motor park. But unknown to us, the President General of Aguleri community, Barr Ifeanyi Iloakasia was in the hotel. He called the police to come and arrest us. So when police came, we called Chidubem and told him the latest development, so he (Chidubem) came back, to tell the police that he had paid for the broken bottles.

"On sighting him(Chidubem), the police operatives held him and started beating him. He was kicked in the chest many times by the DPO of Otuocha Police Station and he kept crying. I was also brutalized by the policemen, and you can see the injuries on my legs. They took us to police station, and later transferred us to SARS (RRS), Awkuzu."

How Chidubem Died

Chukwunonso continued his narration, saying: "In SARS, we met too many people in the cell, and the place was very hot in. Because of the injuries Chidubem sustained, he was already feeling weak. When we were taken into the cell, the inmates started beating us. I had never been in a cell before, and didn't know it was the tradition for new inmates to be beaten.

"They beat us until Chidubem gave them N4,000. Because the cell was overcrowded, and Chidubem was not feeling good, I had to stay awake all night to fan him. Later at night, he started wailing that he needed water, we begged other inmates to give us water that we will give back to them when we buy the next morning, but they refused. He snatched one from one inmate and drank, and they started beating him and he passed out, and was

taken out of the cell to hospital. That is the much we know."

Chidubem's family were yet to accept any news of his death, especially as his father insisted that police were yet to tell him the whereabout of his son. "They ignored me and my lawyer when we went to SARS to ask them of my son. Anyone who knows the President General of Aguleri, Barr Ifeanyi Iloakasia should tell him to bring back my son, he is not dead, they are keeping him somewhere."

Protest

Relatives of the deceased, comprising mostly of women of the community staged a protest against the President General. They called on him to bring back their brother, saying he did nothing wrong to warrant being handed over to the police. The placards wielding protesters wailed, rolling on bare ground, over the death of the 24 years old, who they said carried the hope of his family.

When THISDAY went to Angel Hotel to speak with the management on the incident that led to the arrest, the manager of the hotel refused to speak. He also refused to disclose his name, saying he needed the permission of the owner of the hotel, before he could speak.

President General of Aguleri Speaks

THISDAY traced the President General of Aguleri community, Barr Ifeanyi Iloakasia, who gave a different story of what happened. He denied any complicity in the matter, saying that he only called in members of the Anambra Vigilante Services (AVG), when Chidubem and his friends started breaking bottles in the hotel and chasing many people around.

"I was in the hotel that day. I saw the boys breaking bottles and chasing guests around. They even threatened to beat up the manager of the hotel who tried to stop them. I was not the one that called in the police, there were several other people in the hotel that day, and anyone could have called the police. I was there for a meeting, but when my partners saw the level of violence, they entered their cars and escaped. .

"I called our town security, which is headed by Chidubem's relative from same village. If I meant harm, I would not have called their own brother. But the police came in, and the DPO told us that the boy and his friend have been on their wanted list for cultism, and they took them. How is that my fault.

"I know that someone is instigating them that I was responsible for their son's death, just to get at me. I know who the person is, and they have been sending me threats, and unknown people have even been lurking around my family compound, and my own compound too."

When asked if the boy was still alive, and what he is doing to help him return, either dead or alive as his subject, Iloakasia said: "What I know is that the boy is dead. Police told me he is dead and in the mortuary now. His parents don't want to accept that he is dead, they rather choose to believe that I kept him somewhere to do ritual with him. That is laughable.

"As for releasing the body, I know that if they apply, police will release the body to them. I can do it because he is my subject, but since they choose to accuse me wrongly, I have decided to

stay away from the matter entirely."

Cult Activities/History of Violence in Aguleri

Recently, activities of cultists and other criminals refered to as Yahoo Boys have heightened in Aguleri community. As this reporter approached the compound of the parents of deceased Chidubem and decided to buy a bottle of groundnut, it was a surprise that in the seemingly rural agrarian community of Aguleri, that groundnut which were locally grown and processed could be so expensive.

Our guide, a young man who was showing this reporter around said: "Our community used to be very cheap to live in, but cultists and Yahoo Boys have messed everywhere up. They buy everything at any cost, including renting the best apartments in Aguleri at prices that legitimate workers will not be able to afford."

Apart from the activities of cultists and scammers, sources said that in the entire Omambala area of Anambra, which also includes Aguleri community, there is usually a culture of violence when a young person dies.

An indigene of the area who gave his name as Mr Bartho said: "It is a tradition, once someone who is young dies, the anger elicits destruction, but usually it is the felling of soft trees. You see a youth climb up to a tree and use his bare hands to drag down its branches. For soft trees like banana and pawpaw, they could even be uprooted."

It was however gathered that criminals have invaded the tradition, and almost bastardizing it. Bartho said: "A week before the death of Chiboy, which also led to Chidubem's return from Asaba and his death, there was a burial that was held in Aguleri. It was the burial of a young man, and cultists used the opportunity to destroy several cars, rob people of their phones and shot guns into the air, scaring many people.

"We heard that one prominent priest in Aguleri, Father Manafa or his relative was also involved, and that his car was damaged. It is suspected that Chidubem and his friends belong to the group that did that, that was why police took four of them to Awkuzu."

Speaking about the attack on Chidubem in police cell, another source within the community, who wished not to be named said: "The story of Chidubem snatching someone's water and being beaten to death does not just add up.

"I think they met a rival cult member in the cell, and he used the opportunity to take his pound of flesh on him and their members. I think so because the story of snatching water from an inmate and being beaten to death does not add up."

Meanwhile, a new twist to the story emerged when THISDAY reached out to police authorities in Anambra State over the matter. Spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who speaks for Anambra State Police command told our correspondent that the command is aware of the matter.

He said: "The Command is sad with this development. The suspects who beat up Chidubem were in cell are murder, kidnapping and robbery case. They were being detained on charges of murder, and while in custody, they committed another murder. The command has also added another murder charge to the suspects. They have been arraigned at Otuocha High Court."

Protesters of Chidubem's death rolling on the floor

Parents of the deceased, Mr and Mrs Sunday Ezenwa, crying inconsolably

Chukwunonso Udezue, friend of deceased Chidubem Ezenwa, who died in police custody

FOREIGN DESK

Iran, US Complete Prisoner Swap

On Monday, the United States and Iran carried out a high-stakes prisoner swap that included freeing five Americans the US government says were unjustly detained by the Tehran government.

Three of the Americans in the swap were identified as Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz, who, along with the other two Americans, were under house arrest pending their release. The identity of the other two individuals remained private at their families’ request.

US President Joe Biden said in a statement the five individuals would “soon be reunited with their loved ones—after enduring years of agony, uncertainty, and suffering.” He thanked the governments of Qatar, Oman, South Korea and Switzerland “for their tireless efforts to help us achieve this outcome.”

Senior Biden administration officials told reporters the logistics of the swap involved a Qatari plane travelling from Iran to Doha carrying the five freed Americans, accompanied on the flight by Namazi’s mother and Tahbaz’s wife, who had been prevented from leaving Iran.

From Doha, the group was due to fly to Washington to be reunited with their families.

Military Leaders of 3 West African Countries Sign a Security Pact

The military leaders of three West African countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger – signed a mutual defence pact deal over the weekend.

The junta leaders signed the LiptakoGourma Charter, establishing the Alliance of Sahel States. The pact is named after the region where the three country’s borders meet.

Col. Assimi Goita, Mali’s junta leader, said in a statement, “I signed today with the heads of state of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma Charter, establishing the Alliance of Sahel States with the objective of establishing an architecture of collective defence and assistance mutual for the benefit of our populations.”

The new pact calls for the three neighbouring countries to come to the defence of each other.

All three are facing threats from jihadists. Each of the countries has undergone coups since 2020.

Chinese, Russian Diplomats Open Talks in Moscow

China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, hailed his country’s “strategic cooperation” with Russia as he opened talks Monday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and other officials.

Wang’s visit to the Russian capital came after two days of talks over the weekend in Malta with US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. Wang’s talks with Russian officials are expected to last through Thursday.

In his initial remarks, Wang noted Chinese and Russian commitment to a “multipolar world” and a “more just world order,” terms Beijing and Moscow use to counter the perceived domination of world affairs by the United States.

“China and Russia, as leading global powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, bear special responsibility for maintaining global strategic stability and global development,” Wang said. “The more violent the unilateral actions of hegemony and bloc confrontation become, the more important for us to keep up with the times, show a sense of duty as great powers, and further fulfil our international obligations.”

He stressed that Russia-China cooperation “isn’t directed against anyone and isn’t influenced by any other countries.”

China has attempted to straddle a fine line in commenting on Russia’s war on Ukraine, saying that while Ukraine’s territory must be respected, the West needs to consider Russia’s security concerns about NATO expansion.

Italy Toughens Asylum Laws Amid Surge in Migrant Arrivals

Italy’s government passed toughened asylum laws Monday as the country faces a surge in migrant arrivals on its southern shores.

The new measures will allow for the extended detention of migrants awaiting asylum decisions, from the current three months to an initial six months — with the possibility of an extension up to 18 months.

“That will be all the time needed not only to make the necessary assessments but

also to proceed with the repatriation of those who do not qualify for international protection,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at the start of the meeting, according to Reuters. The Cabinet also approved the creation of more detention centres in remote areas.

In the past week, almost 10,000 migrants landed on the small Italian island of Lampedusa, which has a population of 6,000. Most have crossed the Mediterranean Sea on small boats from Tunisia, just over a 100km journey. Italian authorities say a further 180 migrants arrived on Monday. Conditions are dire, with migrants sleeping on the streets because the reception centres are full.

Claudine Nsoe, a 29-year-old mother of two young children from Cameroon, arrived in Lampedusa on a small boat last week after an arduous two-day journey.

“I hope that the situation improves and that they let us leave from here because the living conditions are not easy. We sleep in the open air, in the sun and in the cold. There is no food ... and there are children,” Nsoe told Reuters.

Increased Chinese Military Maneuvers Prompt Japan to Appoint New Defense Personnel

China’s increasing military manoeuvers near Taiwan and Japan are triggering changes in Japanese government attitudes.

Japan made two important defence personnel appointments last week. Analysts think the moves reflect Tokyo’s growing importance to the status across the Taiwan Strait.

“China has engaged in a lot of provocative activities near Taiwan, and the Japanese are deeply worried about these,” Stephen Nagy, a regional security expert at the International Christian University in Japan, told VOA in a phone interview.

“Japan is sending a signal to Beijing that they seek to prioritize peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by appointing pro-Taiwan individuals to defence-related positions,” he added.

Several media outlets reported last week that Japan has appointed a serving defence ministry official as its de facto defence attaché in Taiwan, reversing previous policy of appointing retired Japan Self-Defence-Force officers to the role at the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, the organisation that represents Japanese interests in Taipei.

Muslim American Mayor Sues US Government over Terror Watchlist

A New Jersey mayor barred from a White House event earlier this year is among a dozen Muslim Americans suing the US government for its continued use of a terror watchlist created after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Mohamed Khairullah, the five-term mayor of Prospect Park, New Jersey, was invited along with other Muslim elected officials to attend an Eid celebration at the White House in May but was told shortly before the event that he wouldn’t

be allowed to enter the compound.

The Secret Service did not explain why it turned him away, but a new lawsuit by Khairullah and 11 others claims he was barred because his name was on the terror watchlist between 2019 and 2022.

“After approximately August 2022, after defendants removed Mr Khairullah from the watchlist, they continued — and continue, to this day — to retain records of his past watchlist status and use them to harm and stigmatise him,” the lawsuit says.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group, filed the lawsuit against 29 federal agencies, including the Justice Department, the FBI, the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration.

The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiffs, including eight US citizens, three permanent residents, and one asylum recipient, were placed on the list because of their religion.

South Korea Working to Unfreeze Tehran’s Funds in US-Iran Detainee Deal

South Korea said on Monday it is working with all parties involved in unfreezing Iranian funds worth $6 billion, which, once released, will trigger a carefully choreographed deal between arch-foes the United States and Iran to swap detainees.

Once the funds are transferred to Qatar, which mediated the deal during months of talks, five US dual nationals imprisoned in Iran are expected to leave Tehran for Doha, from where they will travel to the United States, sources previously told Reuters.

In return, five Iranians detained in the US will be released so they can travel to Iran. Iranian officials and Iran’s state news agency have said one of those detainees is expected to remain in the United States.

The precise timing of the fund transfer has yet to be publicly announced.

The deal, first made public on August 10, will remove a major irritant between Washington and Tehran, although the two sides remain deeply at odds over issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its influence around the region to US sanctions and America’s military presence in the Gulf.

China Flies 103 Warplanes Toward Taiwan

China has flown 103 warplanes towards Taiwan between 6:00 a.m. Sunday and 6:00 a.m. Monday, a “recent high,” according to Taiwan’s defence ministry.

The ministry urged China Monday to stop its “destructive, unilateral action.”

“The continuous military harassment by the Communist military can easily lead to a sharp increase in tensions and worsen regional security,” the ministry said Taiwan said at least 40 of the planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which has served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.

China claims democratically-ruled

Taiwan as Chinese territory, a notion that Taiwan has roundly rejected.

Activists Reject Sri Lanka’s Proposed Truth, Reconciliation Commission

Human Rights Watch says its report issued Monday documents abuses by the Sri Lankan government that undercut its plans for a truth and reconciliation commission.

The report, titled ‘If We Raise Our Voice They Arrest Us: Sri Lanka’s Proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission’, is based on more than 80 interviews conducted in Sri Lanka in June with relatives of victims of “enforced disappearance,” other abuse victims, human rights defenders, activists and journalists.

HRW said in a statement that victims and their families, plus human rights defenders, are rejecting the government’s initiative because “the government has not consulted them and ignores evidence gathered by past commissions” investigating abuses committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war.

Furthermore, the initiative, according to HRW, exposes victims and their families to security force abuses and traumatisation if they participate.

“Sri Lanka profoundly needs truth and accountability, but a credible process requires the support of victims’ families and an end to government abuses against them and their communities,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s deputy Asia director. “This latest commission seems to be aimed at deflecting international pressure over continuing impunity, rather than revealing the fate of the disappeared or bringing those responsible to justice.”

Pakistan’s Top Court Proceedings Shown Live on TV for First Time

Proceedings from Pakistan’s Supreme Court were broadcast live on Monday by state television for the first time, giving an unprecedented view into the workings of an institution that has historically impacted the country’s politics.

The move marks the beginning of the tenure of new Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa as Pakistan’s top judge.

Isa, 64, was sworn in as chief justice on Sunday after he became the court’s most senior judge on the retirement of his predecessor, Justice Umar Ata Bandial. Isa’s first move as the top judge was to open proceedings for live broadcast.

“It is a majority consensus decision to telecast live,” Isa said at the start of proceedings shown live by state-run broadcaster Pakistan Television. Previous attempts to broadcast proceedings live had been blocked by the court.

The broadcast was shown uninterrupted by all major Pakistani channels.

Adding to the interest of the proceedings was the nature of the case, which pertains to legislation that curtails the discretion of the chief justice to take up any legal matter directly, commonly known as suo moto action, and his powers to entrust cases to his fellow judges.

RATES AS AT SEPTEMBER 18,2023

Despite Multi-billion Naira Spending on Oil Assets Protection, Nigeria Records Least Crude Output in Four Years

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

In spite of massive official and back channel spending on oil assets protection in the Niger Delta, Nigeria’s crude oil production declined year-on-year, in the first eight months of 2023, compared to the same periods in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

A THISDAY analysis of oil output figures in the last four years showed that Nigeria was actually able to drill more oil in a COVID year as well as periods when there was less focus on fighting oil theft in the Niger Delta than it is currently doing.

While in the first eight months of 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the country’s total crude output volume slowed to 283.4 million barrels, in 2021, this rose markedly to 327.6 million barrels between January and August.

Also, despite the many reported security breaches in the region, the production figure increased significantly to 386.4 million barrels in the first eight months of 2022, just before the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) awarded pipelines and other oil assets protection contracts to non-state actors.

However, the THISDAY review

of the data from the industry regulator, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), showed that after sinking billions in security contracts, Nigeria has only been able to produce an abysmal 252.9 million barrels in the months spanning January and August 2023.

In the heat of the controversy surrounding the contracts to Tompolo‘s Tantita and another company, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the NNPC leadership on August 30, 2022, defended the move as the ‘right decision’.

Speaking at the Presidential Villa,

Abuja, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, said the decision was necessitated by the need for Nigeria to hire private contractors to man its oil pipeline network nationwide due to massive oil theft. He stated that the award of the contract to a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), whose actual name is Government Ekpemupolo, was not the first time that individuals within the Niger Delta region were awarded contracts for pipeline surveillance. Although the actual contract sum was not disclosed by the NNPC,

it is believed that the surveillance contract is worth N48 billion per year. That is, N4 billion per month. This figure has not been disputed by the authorities.

This is also aside the funding of official security agencies, including the navy, army, airforce, marine police and other paramilitary agencies operating in the region, who have severally been blamed for complicity in oil theft.

At the time, Kyari said that the federal government was not dealing directly with Tompolo but a private contractor’s company he has interests in.

The deal has also received mixed

reactions from the leaders in the region. For instance, while the erstwhile Governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa, commended the Nigerian government for awarding the contract to the local security entity, the new Governor of Rivers State Siminalayi Fubara, has kicked against the modalities for the award.

However, the data from the NUPRC indicated that the situation was better when there was no so-called ‘renewed fight’ against oil theft in the region since August last year.

Continued on page 26

Some stakeholders in the Nigerian power industry have warned that the latest 40 per cent increase in prices of prepaid electricity meters would further widen the number of customers not yet metered by the distribution companies (Discos).

They also alerted the federal government that the new meters approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission

(NERC) last week would cause a decline in the demand for prepaid meters under the Meter Assets Providers (MAP) scheme and also lead to an increase in the number of customers on estimated billings.

The stakeholders in their separate interventions argued that the increase in meter prices would negatively impact Nigerians’ purchasing power, especially with the current economic hardship and the minimum wage still at N30,000.

The Chairman, Eko Electricity Customers Consultative Forum, Satellite Town, Dr. Akinrolabu Olukayode, however, recommended the review and floating of the National Mass Metering Programme Policy (NMMPP) to ease the number of customers who might not be able to gain the required purchasing power.

According to him, since the minimum wage in Nigeria is still at N30,000, it therefore means that

many Nigerians will have to save endlessly to procure the meters.

He said: ”The brunt of the harsh reality of a capsizing economy in Nigeria is usually on the end users (consumers).

“Of course, the reason for the hike is the fluctuating United States Dollar rate. The hike in cost of prepaid meters was imminent before now, because there is always a push and pull effect(s) of a policy decision involving a hike in cost of items with composite

appendages, that is dollar rate and meter accessories.

“If the dollar rate falls, will there be a corresponding reduction? Today, none of the vendors is claiming that they have excess in their repository or warehouse because it has to do with increment in their favour.

“But, when the dollar rate drops, wouldn’t the vendors claim that they have excess in their warehouse hence making reduction of cost impossible?.”

Olukayode also noted that the policy which guarantees a refund in units of energy for customers who procured meters under MAP has not been implemented by the Distribution Companies (Discos), suggesting that NERC should look into this.

He also revealed that electricity customers must be compensated one way or the other in order to cushion the effect of an

Continued on page 26

Peter Uzoho

FOOD COMMODITIES PRICE TODAY

Operators Express Worry over Duplication in Petroleum Ministry, Waning Investors’ Confidence

Peter Uzoho

Oil and gas operators in Nigeria have raised concerns on the anticipated negative impact of the duplication of the ministry of petroleum on their operations and investment decision making.

President Bola Tinubu recently appointed two ministers of state for the ministry aside himself who is doubling as Nigeria’s minister of petroleum.

The president had appointed Senator Heineken Lokpobiri to oversee the oil sector and Ekperikpe Ekpo to superintendent the gas segment,

both within the ministry, making it the first time Nigeria will have three ministers in the nation’s oil and gas resources at the highest level.

Concerned industry sources told THISDAY that such duplication of ministries would further escalate the confusion, bureaucratic bottlenecks and operational risks plaguing the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

They said they had expected the president to select from amongst the pool of knowledgeable and experienced experts in the oil industry that would hit the ground running

right from day one instead of picking persons with no practical understanding of the operations of the sector, who will take one to two years learning on the job.

They argued that the appointment of two ministers of state for petroleum may lead to overlap issues, fight for territorial control and superiority contest between the two ministers of state.

They alluded to the interagency rivalry between the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream

NIFOR Signs 20 Year Deal with Firm to Boost Palm Oil Production

Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which began under former President Muhammadu Buhari and persisted under the current administration.

Another industry source at ExxonMobil, told THISDAY that the appointment of two ministers of state, excluding the president that is the minister of petroleum would further compound the issues operators have been contending with in the industry.

The source said the issues include having to deal with too many offices, officials and the associated bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Nigeria, Ireland to Forge Bilateral Relations for Food, Nutrition Security

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Irish Government have announced plans to strengthen trade relationships to boost food and nutrition in both countries.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, made the call when he received in audience, the delegation from Ireland, Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Marine led by the Secretary General, Mr. Brendan Gleeson, on a courtesy visit in Abuja recently.

He stated that agriculture plays a major role in the Nigerian economy and stressed that the need to harness areas of good working relationship is very germane to boost trade and investment between Nigeria and Ireland in the agricultural sector.

He pointed out that, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had

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Emma Okonji

Asst. Editor, Money Market

Nume Ekeghe

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising)

Correspondents

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Peter Uzoho (Energy)

Ugo Aliogo (Development)

recently declared emergency on agriculture and food security and is committed to implementing programmes and policies intended to bring about enhanced food security, job creation and poverty eradication.

Umakhihe revealed that Nigeria was the most populous country in Africa blessed with arable land suitable for development of any agricultural value chain with a history of successes in the production of grains, horticultural products, livestock, amongst others.

Speaking further, he recognised

the huge successes of Ireland government in the production of milk, wheat, beef, potatoes, poultry amongst others, noting that the ministry is willing to key in for the achievement of food and nutrition security and sustainability in Nigeria.

He therefore called for the setting up of a technical committee with membership from both countries to fine-tune the issues raised.

In his remarks, the Secretary General, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Ireland, Mr. Brendan Gleeson, stated that both countries had common interest in

food security that would bring about mutual benefits.

He pointed out that, “We are here to build a strong relationship that would make strong impact to both countries.”

In his response, the Ambassador of Ireland to Nigeria, His Excellency, Peter Ryan, revealed that Ireland was food secured and would never take food security for granted, which he noted was something that Nigeria had to work on, in terms of research and development, capacity building, cattle breeding, food marketing among others.

NCDMB, PTI Forge Partnership to Enhance Capacity Devt in Oil Sector

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, are set to collaborate to actualise their shared mandate for human capacity development and advancement of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

At an exploratory session at the Nigerian Content Tower, Yenagoa, corporate headquarters of the NCDMB, the managements of the two organisations affirmed their resolve to close skill gaps in the industry and agreed on a wide range of initiatives to be undertaken in the immediate future, a statement by the NCDMB said.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, said he was one

of those who had continuously advocated that the PTI should be reckoned with in terms manpower development.

The NCDMB boss promised to send candidates to the institute for training, but pointed out that a lot had changed in the highly technology-driven oil and gas industry.

“Things have changed,” he noted, adding, “Technology has moved up and PTI…has to move up with technology.”

He agreed with the management of the PTI, led by its Principal and Chief Executive, Dr. Henry Adimula, that a joint committee proposed at an earlier meeting in 2020 be expeditiously instituted to work out modalities for collaboration.

He also assured that the board

was prepared to intervene in critical areas through material assistance to the institute to advance critical objectives of the organisations.

For the PTI to achieve its full potential, Wabote advised the management to do more to raise general awareness of its existence and statutory mandate as well as facilities and capacity-building achievements thus far.

“A lot of people know you as an institute but you’ve not been able to showcase yourself and market yourself as to how the diploma and certificate programmes provided are vital for oil and gas industry operations.

“Look for platforms to advertise what you do, including opportunities for conferences,” he advised.

STAKEHOLDERS: 40% HIKE IN PREPAID METER PRICES WILL WIDEN METERING GAP, LOWER DEMAND

impromptu and incessant hike of cost in metering without a corresponding appreciation of remuneration.

He also said that the vendors who have sent payment invoices of the old amount to some customers – who are still gathering the money to

pay for the meters will have to maintain the status quo as the payment invoices cannot be retracted or reversed.

According to him, the date of payment invoices should be used to determine who pays the new rate in order to protect the customers who had earlier

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) has signed a 20 year agreement with Luscei Investment Limited, an Edo State based private palm producing company to boost palm oil production in Nigeria.

By the agreement, the planting materials for the 40 hectares field would be supplied free of charge by NIFOR, while the company would manage the planting, maintenance and harvesting of the field under the supervision of NIFOR technical personnel.

Speaking at the signing of the MoU at NIFOR headquarters, the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe, highlighted the decline in the standard of operation at NIFOR due to human activities.

He however, but disclosed that partnerships with organisations such as Luscei Investment Limited, is necessary to recover best practices of NIFOR’s core mission.

Represented by the Director, Research, Technology and Product Development Department, Dr Isona Gold Ikuenobe, reinforces that NIFOR remains the number one palm research institute in Africa. He said, “In the past, it was

a taboo to be seen around plant breeding and agronomy fields but overtime the scientific culture of the institute has eroded, resulting in the disregard for science.“

“This is where our competitors have an advantage, as they are able to control such occurrences in their locations. In addressing this challenge, the Institute is seeking collaboration with private organisations and adopting stricter measures to curb sabotage within its system, hence our partnership with Luscei,” Ikuenobe added.

On his part, the Director of Luscei Investment Limited, Oluseyi Adeleke, said the agreement would last for 20 years adding that the collaboration with NIFOR has improved the productivity in the farm.

He said “With our collaboration, we had better insight on our land acquisition, as we received expert guidance from NIFOR during the process. Whilst there are challenges, we have been able to overcome them due to the resilience in the quality of materials we receive and how they can survive harsh weather conditions. As a result of this, major oil producers came to check our produce and today they off-take from our farms. “

IEA: OPEC+ Pr oduction Cuts to Send Oil Prices, Volatility Surging

Oil price volatility is expected to surge as a result of the recent Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) supply cuts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. According to the agency, the loss of OPEC+ supply from September onwards will drive a significant supply shortfall.

The surge in volatility amid an expected significant supply shortfall on the market will occur in the fourth quarter of 2023, due to the Saudi-led cuts to OPEC+ oil supply, it added.

So far this year, higher crude oil production from countries outside the OPEC+ alliance has managed to offset part of the OPEC+ cuts.

“But from September onwards,

the loss of OPEC+ production, led by Saudi Arabia, will drive a significant supply shortfall through the fourth quarter,” the IEA said in its Oil Market Report for September.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and Russia extended their production and export cuts of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) and 300,000 bpd, respectively, until the end of 2023, pushing Brent Crude prices to above $90 per barrel and the highest level in 10 months.

Oil prices traded in relative calm during August, with volatility at multi-year lows, the IEA said. But a calm August was followed by the announcements of extensions of the supply cuts in early September, which sent prices and volatility higher.

DESPITE MULTI-BILLION NAIRA SPENDING ON OIL ASSETS PROTECTION, NIGERIA RECORDS LEAST CRUDE OUTPUT IN FOUR YEARS

secured their payment invoices.

He further suggested that customers should be compensated in order to offset the negative impact of sudden and frequent increases in metering costs without a corresponding increase in remuneration.

It showed that for the first eight months from 2020 to 2021, the volume of production grew steadily by 44.2 million barrels and even returned better yields between January and August in 2022, with a growth of 58.8 million barrels. But the figure has now fallen year-on-year in 2023, with total oil volume drilled in the same period as the previous four years decreasing massively by as much

as 133.5 million barrels during the period spanning January to August, 2023.

Aside the local security contracts for pipeline surveillance and the increased funding for official security apparatus in the Niger Delta region, the NNPC recently announced that it now has a real-time mechanism to monitor infractions on the country’s oil assets, similar to that of Saudi Aramco.

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Kwara Tasks Fish Farmers on Accurate Data

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State Government has urged fish farmers in the state to develop comprehensive data base of its members in order to assist the government in policy making decisions.

The Commissioner for Water

Resources, HUsman Yunusa Lade stated this in Ilorin when members of the Association of Fish Farmers in Kwara State (AFFAK) paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Ilorin.

He said the present administration in the state is building on the leadership style of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

NB Anchors ‘The Big Weekend Experience’ on Golberg, Life Beer

Raheem Akingbolu

Nigerian Breweries is set to further excite its consumers as the Breweries giant unveils an entertaining platform this September and October with “The Big Weekend Experience” – an extraordinary fusion of beer and music.

Breaking the news in Lagos, National Trade Marketing Manager at Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mfon Bassey, said the new platforms would guarantee an exhilarating spectacle from September 17th to October 22nd, pointing out that beer and music lovers from across Nigeria are cordially invited to celebrate life, good music, great company, and the finest brews.

Modibo: NCAT Spent

N5bn to Maintain 2 Helicopters in 10 Years

Chinedu Eze

The Rector of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Captain Alkali Modibbo has said that two helicopters acquired by the federal government for the College were sold because they were gulping N500 million every year for maintenance and in the last 10 years, the College had spent N5 billion on them and that was why the Ministry of Aviation decided to sell them at $600, 000 each.

He said that the helicopters were not missing as initially reported; rather, they were sold and explained the reason why they were sold.

“First and foremost, airplanes don’t get missing; if an aircraft takes off, it must land. In the process of landing, the aircraft would be asked so many questions of where it is coming from and going into. The two helicopters were acquired by the federal government about 12-13 years ago during the time of former President Goodluck Jonathan. It was purchased for the purpose of training pilots, but that kind of helicopters, you can’t use them for initial training of pilots. And what the college does is basic training.

“The helicopters have jet engines and with jet engines, it is so expensive. So, the Ministry of Aviation decided to sell the helicopters and replaced them with piston engine helicopters. The only way you can sell it and get your money back is by auction, which is the approved process for selling government properties,” Modibbo disclosed.

He explained that the process to sell the two choppers started in 2019, when NCAT filed the papers and requested for approval and evaluation from the Ministry.

which has made food security a priority, making reference to the renaming of the Ministry of Agriculture to include food security. He said, “President Tinubu created a new ministry; Marine and Blue Economy, which will ensure sustainable growth, improved livelihoods, and creation of jobs

“Goldberg and Life Beer will lead the charge, ensuring this event is an experience like no other. But that’s not all; the entire portfolio of top-notch brands like 33 Export, Star, Desperados, Heineken, Zagg, Legend, the newest brand in the teeming portfolio, Goldberg Black and many more, will also be making appearances at the activations, offering a wide array of options to satisfy every consumer.”

while also preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.

“Every government is looking towards Blue Economy right now and it is only right that Kwara State Government also does all in its capacity to ensure that we support your Association and also create more jobs for the

teeming youths”. The Permenant Secretary, Mrs. Christiana Asonibare had appreciated the efforts of the Fish Farmers, noting that the association’s requests needed to follow due process and necessary protocols.

Earlier, the President of the

Association of Fish Farmers in the State, Brig. General Saidu Oladipo(rtd) and Chairman of Body of Trustees, Babatunde Salami had briefed the commissioner on their past efforts to bring together all the fish farmers and producers in the state.

FG, FinTechNGR Harp on Regulation to Address Online Fraud

Emma Okonji

The federal government, in collaboration with the Association of Financial Technology of Nigeria (FinTecNGR), is set to put an end to all fraudulent online activities in the country, including extorting money from unsuspecting Nigerians by pretence, through enactment of relevant laws and regulations.

This was disclosed at a social meet organised by FinTechNGR in Lagos recently, to host the Executive ViceChairman, Federal Competition

and Consumer Protection Commission, Mr. Babatunde Irukera, and powered by Huawei Technologies.

President of FinTechNGR, Mr. Ade Bajomo, who stressed the need for regulation to stem the activities of online fraudsters, started: “We know very well that there is so much we can do with regulation, which is extremely important to us as an association. Any good regulation that is enforced in consultation with industry players will create a bigger, better and more sustainable market. To achieve this, there is need for various regulators and people have to respect the laws of the land and those that balance this very well, will build far more scalable businesses.”

In his address, Irukera lauded the activities of FinTechNGR in the area of investment in-flow to the African continent, amounting to about $2.7 billion, and how Nigeria is taking over 40 per cent of that amount.

Irukera emphasised the need for regulation, adding that the best regulation is the one that has the involvement of industry players.

“FinTech NGR needs

government support to strengthen what they are doing, because the bad actors will always want to take advantage of the platform to perpetuate evil.

FG Urges Contractor to Reconstruct Failed Section of Lokoja-Abuja Road

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has directed RCC, the contractor in charge of the Lokoja - Abuja road to reconstruct the failed section of the road that had earlier been built by the company.

The minister spoke in continuation of his inspection of roads, including those in the South-west, South-east, South-south and the Phase II

of Lokoja –Okene road in Kogi State, North-central.

Umahi during his inspection of Gada-Biyu Bridge 1 & 2 on the Lokoja - Abuja road, lamented that there were still many failed portions of the road , calling on the contractor to go round and submit the list of failed portions of the road.

“We must get a reputable consultant to supervise the road construction so that when the road fails, we can hold them

accountable. Something must be done to change from the present situation of how we construct our roads. Our roads should be constructed with concrete,” he stated.

Umahi has also directed that the ministry should review the road works of CGC Construction Company and revert to his office within seven days, a statement from Blessing Lere-Adams, the Director (Information) Press and Public Relations Unit of the

AfDB, Korea Govt Targets 2028 for

Africa’s Food Security

ministry, said yesterday.

He added that every road being constructed must have a consultant because majority of the job done had all failed since they were not built with concrete. He told some of the road contractors that he inspected their work that no one would increase contract price under him, explaining that where the job is less than 50 per cent, work will be carried out on a single lane to ease traffic.

TCN Restores Power Supply to Sokoto, Says Work in Kebbi Ongoing

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said the company has restored bulk power supply to Sokoto state, stressing that it is currently working on the Kebbi line as well as environs.

“We are diligently working to extend this restoration to Kebbi State and other areas affected by the unfortunate Birnin Kebbi Substation

fire incident that occurred on September 14th, 2023,” it said in a statement.

The bulk power supply to Sokoto State , it said, was reinstated through the Talata Mafara Substation.

“Our engineering team, along with the Managing Director/ CEO and the Executive Director, Transmission Service Provider (TSP), are on-site, putting in

every effort to reconnect Kebbi State and its environs to the grid through an another substation,” it added.

The company stated that its engineers were actively working on transferring load to the 150MVA and 60MVA power transformers in the substation, which were unaffected by the fire incident.

Additionally, it noted that cables were being rearranged, and

reinforcement teams from other TCN regions had equally arrived at the substation with the necessary materials to expedite repair work.

The statement signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, recalled the commitment of the Managing Director, Dr. Sule Abdulaziz, who expressed his deep concern about the incident at the Birnin Kebbi Substation.

NEITI Renews Call for Economic Justice for Oil Producing Host Communities

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has renewed its call for economic, environmental and social justice for oil, gas and mining host communities in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Ogbonnaya Orji made the call in Owerri, Imo State at the

opening ceremony of the National Extractives Dialogue organised by a civil society organisation- Spaces for Change in collaboration with NEITI and the Ford Foundation.

Orji stated that a special multi-stakeholder’s approach was required to draw national and international attention to the specific responsibilities of extractive companies, the government,

the civil society organisations, development partners and the host communities.

It added that this will address development issues of access to education, health care, job opportunities, environmental challenges and social infrastructure deficit in oil, gas and mining host communities.

The NEITI executive

secretary advised leaders of host communities drawn from the South-south and South-east geopolitical zones to change their advocacy approach.

He urged them to work with NEITI to push their complaints through peaceful consultations driven by knowledge, information and data sharing, constructive engagements and dialogue.

Gilbert Ekugbe

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Korea have announced partnership to support African countries achieve food security in the next five years.

According to a statement obtained from AfDB’s website, Korea’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Hwangkeun Chung, and African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi Adesina during a meeting said there was every reason to believe that Africa would rapidly achieve food sufficiency, and certainly within five years.

In the same vein, AfDB together with AfricaRice research centre, recently launched the US$650 million Regional West Africa Rice Development (REWARD) programme in 16 West African countries with plans to reach a million farmers to cultivate up to 750,000 hectares of land to produce 53 million metric tonnes of rice in five years.

Chung said Korea, through its K-Ricebelt initiative is working with eight African countries to produce 10,000 metric tonnes of rice which is enough to feed 30 million people.

“The country plans to invest up to US$100 million into the project by 2027,” he said.

Adesina said the two initiatives, the African Development Bank’s REWARD and Korea’s K-Ricebelt, should work together across the entire continent and make Africa self-sufficient in rice production in five years.

“We have the technologies, the seed companies, input supply systems that use digital technology for distribution and we also have financing at scale. Let us merge the two initiatives to work under the Bank’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) platform,” the African Development Bank chief said.

TAAT was launched in 2018 as part of the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy to harness proven technologies and raise agricultural productivity across Africa.

Adesina said that while increasing productivity to reduce reliance on food imports, it was important to ensure the quality of locally produced rice must meet that of imports.

He said: “We must also bridge the competitiveness gap by investing in rice processing infrastructure, ensuring zones of production are close to milling plants to reduce transportation cost that end up inflating the price of such commodities.”

Chung indicated that there were plans to invite more African countries to participate in the K-Ricebelt initiative and invest in supporting infrastructure.

“We want to increase participating countries. We will build a seed complex with irrigation facilities and agricultural machinery,” Chung said. He added: “Korea has highly advanced milling technology and can explore how to deploy it across in Africa.”

Chung said Korea “will review how to work together with the African Development Bank on

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Onyema: CloD Nigeria can Play Pivotal Role in Shaping Governance Landscape

Kayode Tokede

The Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Oscar Onyema, has said that the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria (CIoD) can play a crucial role in promoting and shaping the governance and leadership in the country.

Onyema stated this while delivering a keynote address at

the Investiture of Alhaji Tijjani Borodo as the 18th President and Chairman, Governing Council, CIoD Nigeria, in Lagos recently.

He noted that the institute which was founded 40 years ago, stands out as the premier corporate governance and leadership development body due to the huge impact it has had on the leadership of many organizations in Nigeria.

Onyema noted that the recently enacted Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2023, provides a legal framework that strengthens the institute’s authority and expands its responsibilities. This, he said, brings both challenges and opportunities for the organization. According to him, with the new legal powers and the increased focus on transpar-

ency and governance, the CIoD Nigeria can play a pivotal role in driving improvements in board composition, disclosure, and evaluation practices among its charter holders and this will enhance corporate performance and reputation.

He said that the growing importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues provides an opportunity for the institute to guide its

charter holders in addressing these concerns. Onyema said, “As sustainability standards become more prevalent, the CIoD Nigeria can help companies adapt and meet disclosure requirements. With its established reputation, the institute can advocate for policies and practices that foster growth and innovation, aligning with broader national and global governance trends”.

Speaking on the challenges the institute might face, the NGX Group CEO, pointed out that as per the new Act, the CIoD Nigeria is required to establish branches in each state capital, relocate its headquarters to Abuja, and manage zonal offices in multiple locations. He said that expansion poses logistical and operational challenges, including staffing, infrastructure, and financial resources.

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED ASOF SEPTEMBER/18/23

POLITICS

Brewing Cold War Between Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa in Ondo

No doubt, sour relationship between governors and their deputies have been a recurring decimal since the Fourth Republic birthed in the country on May 29,1999 and last month, the scenario began to make headline again, particularly in Edo state, with the ongoing political war between Governor Godwin Obaseki and the deputy governor, Philips Shuaibu.

While Shuaibu accused the governor of using security operatives to intimidate him, Obaseki on his part accused the deputy governor of plotting a coup against him.

Shuaibu and Obaseki’s political feud is neither the first nor the last in the series of political battle involving governors and their deputies in Nigeria, as there were examples of Bola Tinubu versus Akerele-Bucknor between 1999 and 2003; Yahaya Bello versus Simon Achuba; Abdullahi Ganduje versus Hafiz Abubakar, Rotimi Akeredolu versus Agboola Ajayi in 2020, among others.

Again, the phenomenon is again playing out in Ondo State. Last Tuesday, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, disbanded the media crew attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, giving an indication that all may not be well between numbers one and two citizens of the sunshine state.

The affected aides include: Press Secretary to the Governor, Kenneth Odusola; Special Assistant to Governor (New Media) Okunniga Oladipupo; and Special Assistant to the Governor (Photography) Abayomi Samson Adefolalu.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde, noted that all media aides appointed by Akeredolu and seconded to the office of the deputy Governor, have been relieved of their appointments with immediate effect.

According to the release: “They are to submit all government properties in their possession to the Acting Permanent Secretary, Office of the deputy Governor. Similarly, the Press Crew attached to the office of the deputy governor has been disbanded. Consequently, all members of the Press Crew are to report back to their various ministries and stations”.

Equally, Akeredolu directed the Ministry of Information and Orientation to provide adequate coverage for the activities of the deputy governor’s office henceforth.

No doubt, with Akeredolu’s second term ending in about 17 months and election expected to be held in the later half of 2024 to choose his successor, political alignment and realignment are not unexpected.

Besides, sources in government circle revealed that the duo are at loggerheads over an alleged betrayal of trust on the part of Aiyedatiwa. The sources also revealed that Akeredolu may reshuffle the state executive council to weed out members who were suspected to be disloyal during his absence with many aides becoming jittery over the impending reshuffle, which

may take place immediately after the governor’s return to Akure. It was also gathered that the move may not be unconnected with the rumour that Akeredolu became incapacitated few days after the governor travelled to Ibadan to observe his medical leave.

Basically, the rumours escalated due to the shades of opinions and interpretations emerging from different quarters and directions while some camps in the political circle alleged that the loyalists of the deputy governor, Aiyedatiwa, were behind the rumours about the governor’s ill health so that their principal could be fully in charge of government.

However, others claimed that the rumours were the handiwork of mischief makers among the aspirants eyeing the party’s ticket for next year’s governorship election.

Worthy of note is, there was a noticeable crack in the state cabinet with some members pitching their tent with the Deputy governor while some distanced themselves from the Deputy governor while the cold war within the state cabinet was attributed to an alleged bid by Aiyedatiwa to succeed Akeredolu in 2024.

Aiyedatiwa’s Loyalty

Nevertheless, Aiyedatiwa, had clarified that there was no rift between him and Akeredolu. Aiyedatiwa who hasn’t declared his intention to run in the governorship election officially said: “The lies would have been ignored but I owe it a duty to prevent the public from being deceived into believing the same falsehoods being repeated and recycled in different forms by those whose sole intention is to soil the image of the man who they see as a threat to

their political interests.”

According to him, “These faceless individuals who have been hiding their identities because what they are putting out are pure fabrications, are being sponsored by those who are threatened by the profile of the Deputy Governor, his relationship with his boss, and the goodwill he enjoys with the people.

“There is a need to remind the public that this is a continuation of the blackmail started by these same characters some months ago, with false stories planted in some media outlets against the Deputy Governor. However, since those lies did not yield the result they envisaged, the blackmailers have returned with fake stories about disloyalty, aimed at causing disaffection between him and the Governor.

“Many stakeholders have commended the Deputy Governor for the way he handled State affairs while he was Acting Governor, despite all his detractors did to provoke him into taking drastic actions. He avoided their booby traps and they tripped on their banana peels. Against their expectations, the Deputy Governor was in constant touch with his principal on official State matters, so there was no gap between them.

“How can the man who was constantly in touch with his boss and had prepared for his arrival to attend to some other critical state matters, including the signing of the LCDA Law after passage by the State Assembly be surprised by that same arrival? Those behind the falsehoods being peddled around had planned that these concocted lies about disloyalty and impeachment would irritate Mr. Governor and his family to land a devastating blow on the Deputy Governor ahead of the coming governorship election in the State.

I Will Not Resign As Ondo Deputy Governor

Meanwhile, on Friday, the deputy governor debunked rumour that he had resigned from office, declaring that his tenure will end on February 23, 2025.

“I wish to state that I, Lucky Orimisan Aiye-

Shuaibu and Obaseki’s political feud is neither the first nor the last in the series of political battle involving governors and their deputies in Nigeria, as there were examples of Bola Tinubu versus Akerele-Bucknor between 1999 and 2003; Yahaya Bello versus Simon Achuba; Abdullahi Ganduje versus Hafiz Abubakar, Rotimi Akeredolu versus Agboola Ajayi in 2020, among others. Again, the phenomenon is again playing out in Ondo State. Last Tuesday, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, disbanded the media crew attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, giving an indication that all may not be well between numbers one and two citizens of the sunshine state.

datiwa, the Deputy Governor of Ondo State have not, do not intend and will not sign/ author any letter resigning my position as the duly elected Deputy Governor in a joint ticket with my principal the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu.

“I took an oath the day I was sworn in along with Mr. Governor on February 24th, 2021 to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a four-year mandate which terminates on February 23rd, 2025”, he stressed.

Aiyedatiwa who reiterated his loyalty to Akeredolu added that he remains calm and committed to the duties of his office and unruffled by the lies of desperate politicians and their agents.

According to him: “I remain loyal to my Principal and stand by the oath I took with the Bible to run the full cycle of the four- year tenure with Mr. Governor. To this end, I urge the people of Ondo State, the State Assembly and the general public to disregard such letter now and in the future”.

Akeredolu’s Decision, a Manifestation of Cacophony in the APC

The State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Peretei said Akeredolu should rather come to the State and settle down to the business of governance instead of chasing perceived enemies in his government.

He said, “What Akeredolu has done by sacking the media aides of his deputy is simply a manifestation of the cacophony in the APC ahead of the 2024 governorship election in the state. However, Akeredolu should come to Ondo State and settle down to the business of governance instead of chasing perceived enemies in his government.”

PDP also knocked Akeredolu for his continuous performance of official duties from his home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, since he resumed duties after his three-month medical leave in Germany.

The party which frowned that, days after Akeredolu’s return, he hasn’t been seen anywhere near Ondo State said “The Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu is still nowhere to be found, eight days since he claimed he has resumed duties as Governor after his three- month medical leave in Germany. The Governor was reported to have signed the creation of 33 LCDAs bill into law, sacked the media aides of Deputy Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa all from hiding.

“Last week, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Ondo State Chapter challenged the rationale for Akeredolu calling for a meeting in his Ibadan residence, instead of Ondo State where he was elected to govern. Up till this moment, the Governor has not been seen anywhere near Ondo State.

Fidelis David writes that things are beginning to fall apart between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state who recently returned from a three-month medical vacation in Germany and the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Akeredolu

Aiyedatiwa

Lingering Political Battle for the Soul of Lagos

When the Governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, administered oath of office on the state commissioners last Tuesday, it was amid pomp and pageantry.

Seated in the audience was the deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, leaders of the powerful Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Mudashiru Obasa, top government functionaries and the representative of President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Solid Mineral, Mr. Dele Alake, whose son was also being sworn in as a commissioner.

If the Governor was agitated and uncomfortable by unfolding events in the polity in the last few weeks, he never betrayed it.

However, indications of it began surfacing when in his speech he denied that there was ever any rift between him and Obasa, and between the executive and the legislative arms.

To many observers of the politics of Lagos, this unprovoked speech is the clearest pointer to the crisis within. According to them, except there was something wrong, the Governor did not need to say anything. Besides, the presence of Alake was telling and strategic. He was there to ensure nothing changed from what was agreed upon.

That was the situation when the Deputy Governor was announced as the Commissioner for Works, a most strategic portfolio. Also, an elated Obasa was seen grinning from ear to ear as his candidate, Dr. Tajudeen Afolabi, was sworn-in as Commissioner for Civic Engagement and Political Education. To most observers, this was a classical case of the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau.

There had to be a dark side to politics where even the obvious becomes mysterious. Following a face-off between Governor Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Obasa over the cabinet list that was rejected, the powerful GAC of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, which was set up by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to nip any brooding problem in the bud, had brokered a truce between the Governor and the Speaker under which the Governor was requested to re-present his cabinet nominees.

However, as a condition, the Speaker vehemently rejected five out of the original nominees presented thereby forcing the Governor to bring new names as replacement. The Governor did as requested. If this move meant an end to hostilities between him and the Speaker, he was mistaking. Obasa soon showed his hand as a consummate politician once again as the Governor had a rude shock when two of the nominees were again rejected. Humiliation to the new political leader of the state.

After the intervention of the GAC, the House received a new list of cabinet nominees sent by the Governor. At the plenary, the Speaker urged the screening committee led by Hon.

Fatai Mojeed to ensure a thorough screening process and report to the House on Thursday, September 6, barely two days away.

Before the Speaker’s comment, the Clerk of the House, Mr. Olalekan Onafeko, had read a letter from the Governor listing the names represented. In the letter, Sanwo-Olu said some of the names were re-presented while new names were added.

Titled: ‘Forwarding of Official List of Nominees for Appointment as Commissioners and Special Advisers’, the letter thanked the Speaker and members of the House for their diligence and commitment in relation to the recent screening and confirmation of 22 nominees.

“Your rigorous assessment of these nominees in adherence to your constitutional obligations demonstrates your dedication to ensuring a competent and effective council,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The Governor said after careful consideration of the 17 names that were rejected, “I have decided to represent a list of nominees which include a balanced selection of previously presented and new individuals. This list represents a broad political spectrum and diverse backgrounds reflective of the rich diversity of our lovely state,” he added in the letter.

Sanwo-Olu expressed confidence that the new nominees would bring fresh ideas that would help the growth and progress of Lagos. He urged the House to screen the nominees for clearance.

But when the House sat on Thursday, two of the nominees were rejected. They confirmed 15 out of the second batch of 18 nominees sent by the Governor.

The confirmation happened after Hon. Mojeed Fatai, Chief Whip and chairman of the screening committee, had laid a report of the exercise before the House.

At the sitting presided over by Obasa, the lawmakers rejected Mr. Olalere Odusote, Mr. Samuel Egube. However, the House resolved to step down the confirmation of Mr. Tolani Sule Akibu for another day. Obasa commended the committee saying the members did a thorough job screening the nominees. His position was supported by the lawmakers present at the plenary. If the Governor was humiliated before, he was this time humbled. The two nominees rejected were members of his star-studded team.

The most insidious thing about politics is its tendency to polarize. One crisis can be tackled by being quickly niped in the bud with a reasonable hope of success. But once it has spread, such hope is much less likely to be effective in the short term. This is the situation now in Lagos. The hope of peace is over between Sanwo-Olu and Obasa. The daggers are now drawn.

Anger on the issues is not directed at the Governor alone, but also aimed at the nominees whom the legislators accused of undermining them as elected representatives of the people. Olalere Odusote who was the immediate past Commissioner for Energy was accused of being arrogant and ineffective and has contributed nothing to the development system. It was said that the only thing that kept him in the cabinet was because he was a personal friend of the Governor and that he did not deserve a second coming as a cabinet member.

Mr. Sam Egube, as Commissioner for Economic and Budget Planning, was very innovative. In planning the state budget, he goes into communities and local government areas to meet the people directly and ask what they want the government to do for them and their communities.

This, surprisingly is where his problems stemmed from. In doing these, Ebube never carried the political class in such communities along nor did he invite the elected representatives of the people both at the state, local government or ward level. They see his actions as an affront and the government’s effort to undermine them.

As one of the ‘star boys’ in the Governor’s

cabinet, his name was one of the rejected nominees that were resubmitted for consideration. But when the legislators met again to consider the list, they vehemently rejected him.

Like many places, Lagos remains deeply divided on the question of religion and ethnicity. In recent times, matters relating to religion has gained momentum, hence it was used as one of the reasons for rejecting the initial 17 nominees by the Assembly.

If they were not such rivals, Sanwo-Olu and Obasa could be twinned. Their strengths make a good fit. The political class in the state saw it as a combination that was good for the polity in the wake of Asiwaju Tinubu moving to Abuja as president. Yet, it was this that has set the state on fire and has polarized the polity.

In the rough and tumble politics of Lagos, no tradition is better honoured than the electoral give aways. Over the years, Tinubu had used the carrot and stick approach to effectively control politics in the state. He had ensured that his anointed are in power while visible projects on water, land, food and other necessities that Lagosians hold dear are doled out to the people. The result has been an effective hold on power. But now that Tinubu has climbed the political ladder to the presidency, Lagos is in crisis.

By Nigeria’s modest standard, Lagos is a success story. For the past 24 years, the state has been growing despite the inconsistencies in the national polity and economic system. However, the political rift rocking the state has never been experienced before.

The rivalry between Sanwo-Olu and Obasa for the political soul of the state did not start today. Both had always been poles apart since the Governor assumed office, even though there was an initial rapprochement.

It is known that more than half of all political couplings fail. Like many marriages ingrid in politics, they are often fraught with irreconcilable cultural and financial differences.

However, the rivalry took a bitter turn following the election of President Tinubu. Following the decision of the President to hand over the political control of the state to Sanwo-Olu, the Speaker saw his dreams to contest the governorship election in 2027 gradually ebbing away.

After he was persuaded by Tinubu not to contest the Lagos West senate position vacated by Senator Yayi Olamilekan, Obasa has been working on an intriguing idea: to contest the governorship of the state.

He decided to refocus his ambition on 2027 when Sanwo-Olu’s two-term tenure would have expired. But all efforts to champion the move were said to have been frustrated by the Governor who later attempted to frustrate his return as Speaker.

But with the latest move by the Speaker, the battle line may have been drawn. But who is going to win? Who will be the next politician to bite the political dust? That’s the question as the warriors move into the trenches.

Invasion of Opu Nembe: The Hard Truth

Marie Ebikake writes that there is no basis for the recent invasion of Opu-Nembe community in Rivers state by fierce looking policemen.

The stream of spurious, face-saving lies, adduced by the police authorities, for the, widely condemned, August 12th, 2023 Gestapo-style armed invasion of Opu Nembe, is fallacious and clever by half. It seeks to introduce the element of pipeline vandalism, a perennial problem, deep-rooted in politics. These violent armed attacks carried out by known non-state actors, at the behest of political masters, with renowned disdain for the ballot box, have become the modus operandi of these political animals.

Therefore, the reference to pipeline vandalism is, not only, ridiculous but also a lame attempt to legitimize what was outrightly extra-judicial.

But let’s admit that version is true, and admit also that diligent investigations preceded the raid.

The scope and manner of the operations still beg the questions as to why the whole community had to be sieged; and why the youth leadership was the prime target.

If the SWAT teams were, actually, in Opu Nembe only to arrest 11 suspected pipeline vandals, would not a convoy of 24 Hilux vans and six Hiace buses, filled with trigger-twitchy officers, be an overkill?

And weeks after the arrest of the

alleged suspects, the prolonged presence of the SWAT team, in the community, has begun to raise fears of perpetual domination, and if Opu Nembe was, finally, a conquered territory. For which same prize, have similar other forays been embarked on?

Mayhem, where a contingent of Nigerian soldiers and some NSCDC officers, with links to a notorious pipelines surveillance contractor, allegedly invaded Opu Nembe and overran the community on the eve of the 23rd February 2019 elections.

Then the February 15th, 2023 recorded twin attacks, both of which, reportedly, targeted the youth president of Opu Nembe.

Significantly, there were no federal troops to fish out the perpetrators, who were mainly non-state actors and were apparently above the law. Under whatever guise, the operations and the aftermath, point toward politics rather than a crime.

Furthermore, the mission could be adjudged successful, considering the arrest of 11 non-

resistant youths, one POS operator, the loss of one life, and the utter devastation of a community.

What remains worrisome, however, is the prolonged presence of the SWAT team, several weeks after, and the residents are rightly concerned that they have overstayed their welcome.

If the Police are right about this, would not the immediate recall of the SWAT team, and the prosecution or, release of the men languishing in their custody, by the IGP, be a constitutional step in a constitutional direction? Section 215 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic, as amended, stipulates the category of persons with powers to order by the IGP, and the scope of such order.

Certainly, those fanning the embers in Opu Nembe do not qualify, statutorily, for this role, just as playing an army of occupation, is not a statutory duty of the Nigerian police force.

-Hon Ebikake represents Brass-Nembe Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Fubara

Segun James writes that the last appears not to have been heard about the recent face-off between Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Mudashiru Obasa.

Sanwo-Olu Obasa

NCC’S 19TH ANNUAL JUDGES WORKSHOP ON TELECOM...

L-R: Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Adeleke Adewolu; Administrator, National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Salisu Abdullahi; Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Adamu Jauro; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola; Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mohammad Lawal and Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Ubale Maska, during the NCC’s 19th annual Judges Workshop on Telecom Issue, a three-day event started in Kano ... yesterday

Abiodun Reads Riot Act, Orders Crackdown on Cultists in Sagamu

20 feared dead as cultists resume clash

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, has directed security agencies in the state to rid Sagamu and its environs of the menace of cultists and cult-related activities in the state.

This was just as no fewer than 20 young men were feared dead in Sagamu, headquarters of Sagamu Local Government area of Ogun State, during clashes between the two rival cult groups, who engaged each other in supremacy battle in the town.

The directive from the governor came as the renewed clashes among rival cult gangs in the town raised tension and panic among residents of the town.

But the security agents are already on ground in the troubled town to restore normalcy.

Abiodun, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, regretted the avoidable loss of innocent lives and wanton destruction of properties by the hoodlums.

According to him, the police and sister security agencies have been given directed to deal ruthlessly and decisively with those disturbing the peace of the town.

Reiterating the state government's zero tolerance to acts of brigandage and lawlessness, Abiodun warned that those responsible for this current crisis would find themselves to blame.

He said: " As a responsible and responsive government, we are very sad with the resurgence of activities of criminal elements under different outlawed groups, raising unnecessary tension in the sleepy town of Sagamu and its environs.

"Let me categorically state that we are more than determined to put an end quickly to the nefarious activities of these hoodlums and enemies of our people; who are hell bent to truncate the peace of our land.

"Let these urchins be rest assured that the state will be too hot for them to operate as we are reevaluating the security architecture for greater surveillance and tactical operation."

The governor noted that the new security approach would be implemented in collaboration with the traditional institution, community and religious leaders, youth groups as well as other critical stakeholders.

Abiodun, therefore, appealed to the people to provide adequate and useful information to security agents for prompt response to prevent future occurrences.

It was gathered that among the casualties of the clash, which started on Friday, were secondary schools students

Speaking on the development on the condition of anonymity, a resident of Sagamu lamented that the town had been on edge since Friday, as people go about in fear, so as not to be victims of stray bullets from the cultists.

The source listed Agbowa behind Ewusi Palace, Makun, Ijagba, Ajaka, Isale Oko and Sabo as centre of the mindless killings in the ancient town. The source said, "those boys have started killing themselves since Friday. As we speak, they must have killed about 20 people but many of these victims were innocent.

“For instance, three secondary schools’ students who had gone to cut their hairs on Sunday in preparation for the school resumption today, Monday were gunned down around Sabo.

"The target was actually the owner of the barbing saloon, but when he wasn't found there, the cultists decided to kill those that were found in the shop. “About four people were also killed on Ode Lemo road under the same circumstances. The target of the cultists was also not around when they came calling in the middle of the night, but they

killed the four people they met in his room. It is terrible and no one can really say this is why they are fighting.”

Reacting to the killings in Sagamu on his X handle, the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the situation goes beyond the deployment of an anti-cultism squad only, stressing that all hands must be on the deck. He wrote, “Sagamu case goes beyond the mere anti cultism squad. The elders know how to handle them. The politicians know what to do. I was in their midst in

Sagamu between 2006 and 2008. But no single cult clash before I left in 2008. I worked then with the late Akarigbo, Oba Michael Sonariwo and others.”

The Force PRO added that the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abiodun Alamutu, should look inward and take action on the report by some residents that the cultists are well known to security agents. “I will engage the CP on this. Whoever is dealing with cultists and criminals must not compromise. That person must stand firm, and operate against all odds.”

Adejobi added, “Most of those who cause this wahala (problem) in Sagamu are not even Sagamites. At times, they come from Ijebu Ode or Ago Iwoye to strike and move. In some cases, they come as far as Edo State. It’s a problem that the whole system must tackle, not only the security forces. It requires multi-track diplomacy. “We will discuss this with the CP and take the necessary steps. In Sagamu, almost every young one is a cultist. Okada riders, artisans, etc. are into cultism even more than students, and I think the whole town

and Remoland, in general, should take action on it.

“I think the community should rise up to it. They should have an urgent meeting with the heads of all the quarters in Sagamu with the police and vigilante group to address this matter. Sagamites know and understand what I am saying here. I worked in sagamu for almost 2 years.”

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola said the number of those killed wasn't up to 20, but failed to state the actual figures.

Otti: We'll Make Aba Investment Destination with World Class Infrastructure

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has said ongoing efforts to transform the dilapidated infrastructure in Aba was aimed at positioning the commercial city as investment destination.

He stated this at the inauguration of three reconstructed roads in Aba to mark his first 100 days in office, saying Enyimba City was already adorning the look of a new bride to attract suitors from global business communities.

Otti, stated that good infrastructure was a sure bait for attracting local

and foreign investments, adding that he had taken practical steps to make Aba irresistible for investors.

“We have come because the world needs to know that Aba is back as a favourite investment destination, a thriving commercial hub and a goldmine of opportunities," he said.

"We are here not to pat ourselves on the back, but to let the message out that any investor who is not already in Aba may find himself playing second fiddle in no time”.

The three inaugurated roads include the 1.8km Emelogu road, 0.5km Cemetery road and Shalom, all in Aba. The three reconstructed roads

NNPC Sets to Sack All Top Management Staff with Less Than 15 Months to Retirement

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) is set to sack top management staff who have less than 15 months to retire from the national oil company.

The development is coming days after the oil company announced the removal and replacement of three of the its Executive Vice Presidents (EVPs).

Those impacted by the previous shakeup included Abdulkabir Ahmed, who was hitherto in charge of gas, power and new energies;

Adokiye Tombomieye, who headed the upstream segment as well as Adeyemi Adetunji, who was in charge of the downstream.

They were replaced by Olalekan Ogunleye as EVP gas, power and new energies; Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan for the company's upstream operations, while Adedapo Segun took charge of the downstream.

In a brief statement Tuesday morning, the NNPC stated that the new reshuffling was in line with its aspiration to rejuvenate its workforce.

“In our bid to pursue effective

organisational renewal to support the delivery of our strategic business objectives, it has become imperative to rejuvenate our workforce.

"Consequently, in addition to the recent exit of three executive vice presidents, other management staff with less than 15 months to statutory retirement will be exiting the company effective 19th September 2023,” the statement said. The NNPC noted that the move was in line with its commitment to scale up its capabilities through targeted talent management and equal opportunity for all Nigerians.

were among the five road projects the Otti administration undertook on assumption of office, aiming to make them ready within the first 100 days.

However, works are still ongoing on the other two roads, Umuimo and Jubileee, while the inauguration of the three completed ones could not take place exactly on the first 100 days.

The delay as explained by government was due to the realisation that the accompanying street lights had to be put in place before the inauguration of the roads.

Otti, who performed the whistlestop inauguration late Friday evening, said his administration had put in place a holistic plan for urban renewal for Aba.

The ultimate goal, according to him, was to make Enyimba City a centre of excellence which would attract and retain the best brains in various human endeavours - businesses, Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), arts and entertainment.

Otti, vowed that with his plan for the infrastructural turnaround of the commercial city, it, "would never be the same again" as Aba would become become a functional city.

“Aba must work,” he insisted, adding that "our desire is to build the best of everything in Aba: the best roads, modern markets, best hospital facilities and, of course, the hotels and conference centres”.

The former bank boss was

emphatic that the commercial city would regain its past glory and the world would know that Aba was being reshaped for the global business community to come and invest again.

He said Aba was already displaying signs of an emerging new city, adding that residents, "can attest to the fact that a new thing is happening in Aba."

Aside tackling the dilapidated road infrastructure, the Abia State Governor reeled out other plans he has in store for the city, including building hotels and international conference centre, recreational and industrial parks, among other facilities.

He said: “While we are moving fast to fix the roads, our vision to rebuild Aba is more robust and all-encompassing: we have a plan to build transport hubs, family friendly recreational facilities and ICT innovation parks in different parts of Aba and across the state.

“Additionally, we are speaking with investors who are keen on partnering with existing shareholders to deliver a World-Class Hotel and Conference Centre at the site of the present Enyimba Hotels.

“We are working to get the commercial and legal frameworks ready before the end of the year. And when that is done, Aba will become not just a city that is renowned for trade and commerce but a favourite destination for global business and social events.”

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

PEPC: I’ll Seek Justice Beyond Supreme Court, Says Atiku

Cautions against muscling of opposition by APC

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Despite the expected filling of his petition before the Supreme Court latest today, former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, said he would continue to seek justice, even beyond the Supreme Court. The former vice-president, who urged Nigerians never to be cowed

or submit to silence, cautioned against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) using the security agencies to muscle the opposition political parties.

Atiku, who said on his verified X account (formerly Twitter) said, "I continue to walk the path of seeking justice beyond judgement at the Supreme Court and I carry this responsibility with the knowledge that this path also carries the hopes of millions of Nigerians, who by

their votes sought a change in the political direction of our country.

"This responsibility is one I am prepared to lead for as long as I am here and in health, conscious that many of those whom we started together may no longer be with us but their memories remain evergreen," Atiku declared.

He stressed further that, "democracy is a collective responsibility, and I urge Nigerians to never lose their voice or let themselves be cowed

into silence."

The PDP presidential candidate also spoke of the administration, where he served as the vicepresident, explaining that the beauty of the administration was in its ability to listen to divergent views and opinions.

His words: "The praises of the administration in which I served as number two man and chaired several committees and initiatives are well in order and one of our

Obasanjo Disowns Acclaimed Apologetic Wife

Stands by position to traditional rulers

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Former President Olusegun

Obasanjo, yesterday, disowned a woman, who claimed to be his wife and apologised on behalf of the former president, for being rudely to some Obas in Oyo State at a public function.

The position of Obasanjo, was expressed in a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi.

There had been controversies over a viral video, in which Obasanjo ordered some traditional rulers in Oyo State, to stand up in order to respect protocol in line

with the constitution.

The video, pitted Obasanjo against some people, who slammed him for openly desecrating Yoruba traditional institution.

However, as the controversies raged, a woman, who claimed to be Mrs Taiwo Obasanjo, appeared in a another viral video, apologising on behalf of the former President.

Not satisfied with the development, Obasanjo in a statement, disowned the woman.

The statement read: "The attention of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has been drawn to a statement purported to be

issued by a wife of the President with the photograph of one Ms. Taiwo Martins as the author of the statement.

"For the records, Ms. Martins has two children, Jonwo and Bunmi, for Chief Obasanjo but to say emphatically that she is not his wife nor a member of the Obasanjo family.

“Her posturing as Chief Obasanjo’s wife is false and that of an impostor. Nobody makes statement on behalf of the Obasanjo family except Chief Obasanjo or people delegated by him to do so.

"It must be noted that the state of

Presidency Plans to Arrest Me, Atiku’s Aide, Bwala, Alleges

Wale Igbintade

One of the spokespersons of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his Campaign Organisation, Mr. Daniel Bwala, has cried out over an alleged threat to his life and plot to arrest him by ‘some key people around the seat of power’.

Speaking through his verified X account, Bwala, who is a legal practitioner and a fierce critic of the President Bola Tinubu-led government, said the objective was to bring up trumped up allegations against him, and keep him in custody.

The chieftain of the PDP said he

received a credible intelligence to that effect.

He said: “Last night, I got a credible intelligence that some key people around the seat of power (Presidential Aso Vila) of this government are planning to use security agencies to arrest me and take me into custody on trumped-up allegations in other to rubbish me and silence me. That I am making them and the government uncomfortable.

“Let the world know today, that I have always known that from my stands on the same faith ticket, which led to my leaving APC, and consequent posture as a political opposition, it might irk the deep state and come with persecution

for what I believe in and stand for. If anything happens to me, let the world know today of their evil plans.”

In the build-up to the 2023 general election, Bwala was in the camp of the APC before switching allegiance to the PDP following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's decision to go for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Bwala was one of the strong voices in the party, who kicked against the move, arguing that the actions of Tinubu did not portray equity, justice, fairness and inclusion.

In one of his interviews, Bwala said he did not expect the newly appointed ministers by Tinubu to perform at more than 15 per cent.

health of Ms. Martins is known to all and sundry and whatever she says or does has nothing to do with Chief Obasanjo as an individual or the Obasanjo family as a whole.

"However, the former President has affirmed that he stood firmly, unapologetically and uncompromisingly on the position that the governor of a state holds the highest office in the state.

"By that position, the respect, protocol and dignity that must be given to the office by virtue of the Constitution must not be denied. To do otherwise is to deride the office and the Constitution."

strengths in power was always the ability to listen to divergent opinions – to disagree without being disagreeable.

"Through various political formations over the years, I have observed that affording opposing forces the political space to thrive is never a flaw, but a strength that enriches democracy in that our best ideas are then tested and subjected to various viewpoints, leading to refinement and superb execution.

"As a foremost leader in the political space, I understand the frustration of a younger generation with a country of so much promise, so little delivery and a gloomy outlook for the future.

"I have, however, been strident in calling for restraint and leading by example by not unnecessarily heating up the polity. Where opposition freedoms are, however, under threat or even the appearance of threat, we, as Democrats and Patriots, have a duty to speak up."

According to him, "The principles of democracy are principles that we have lived by and which we have seen some of our closest associates die for.

"The ruling APC must refrain from any attempts to use our security agencies to harass or illegally detain any member or voice of the political opposition – and this call is not here limited to only members of my political party, but indeed

all opposition voices including the many individuals across the internet, who speak up only to seek a better country."

He said the recent revelations suggesting potential suppression of voices and trumped-up allegations against opposition figures are deeply troubling.

"A vibrant democracy thrives not when dissent is silenced but when it is listened to, even if it makes those in authority uncomfortable.

"The bedrock of any thriving democratic society is its ability to protect and respect contrarian viewpoints. Such viewpoints ensure that governance remains transparent and that power is not concentrated in the hands of a few.

“Arresting or silencing members of the opposition based on contrived charges is not only an affront to the principles of democracy but also a grave injustice to the very people, who rely on the system for representation and justice. The government must avoid the temptation of conceding to the agenda of anti-democratic forces.

"The essence of democracy is not about comfort for those in power but about ensuring justice, liberty, and equality for all. Let us, as Nigerians, unite in upholding these principles and ensuring that every voice, no matter how contrary, is allowed its rightful place in the discourse," Atiku stressed.

Sack Musawa over NYSC Saga, CLO Urges Tinubu

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), has called on President Bola Tinubu to relieve the Minister for Arts and Culture, Hannatu Musawa of her job for the sake of the rule of law and to discourage other politicians from destroying the reputation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The CLO made the call yesterday in Abuja at a press conference tittled:"Judiciary Must Not Allow Politicians to Destroy The NYSC."

The CLO used the press conference to address issues of NYSC certificate forgery and the appointment of persons without NYSC discharge certificate into public office or are being allowed

to contest elections and service in public offices.

The National Treasurer of CLO, Comrade Halima Ibrahim, who addressed journalists, stated that the constitution had made it compulsory for any university graduate to possess NYSC discharge certificate.

"The same constitution also makes it mandatory for any university graduate in Nigeria to possess the NYSC discharge certificate. For us in the CLO, this presents a moral burden on Ms. Musawa, who should reject the appointment and resign her position immediately.

"In the event that she fails to resign her appointment, we request that President Bola Tinubu invokes his powers under the constitution to IMMEDIATELY withdraw her

appointment.

"There is an emerging dangerous trend that needs to be nipped in the bud before it destroys the NYSC as a public institution of repute. This trend has to do with the increasing cases of certificate forgery by some politicians and ruling elites in Nigeria.

"The CLO is concerned and dismayed that some public office holders in the country, who occupy offices of public trust are involved in forgery of public documents including educational results and the NYSC discharge certificate.

"More worrisome is the fact that some of these individuals, who are quite powerful are challenging anyone, including the courts who dare to question their nefarious actions," Ibrahim said.

NIGERIA REVENUE SUMMIT...

L-R: Executive Chairman, Imo State Internal Revenue Service, June Chiaka Levi-Oguike; Executive Secretary, Joint Tax Board, Aisha Obomoghie; Managing Director, Industry Ecosystems, Interswitch, Chinyere Don-Okhuofu; Group Head, Government and Social Services Interswitch, Osasere Atohengbe; during the Nigeria Revenue Summit held in Abuja ..recently PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

INVESTITURE CEREMONY OF ALH. BORODO AS THE 18TH PRESIDENT OF CIOD...

L-R:

Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Exchange Group, Mr.

Onyema; Immediate Past President, Chartered

Plot Allegedly Thickens to Thwart House Committee Investigating Oil Theft

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

There are grand plots to thwart the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating crude oil theft and loss of revenue from the oil and gas sector.

The investigative hearing which continues today as Nigerian Na-

tional Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Limited (NIMASA), National Inland Waterways (NIWA), NMDRA, Ministers in charge of Finance, Gas, Petroleum Resources, Industry, Trade and Investment, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), and Customs

among others, were expected to be in attendance following their summon by the committee.

The committee had during the first day of the public hearing held on Thursday, September 7, said the panel was committed to doing a thorough job noting that the report if implemented would put an end

Murdered Party Chieftain: Otti Tasks Security Agencies on Hunting Down Suspected Cultists

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Following the gruesome murder and beheading of a chieftain of the Labour Party in Isuikwuato Local Government, Governor Alex Otti has directed security agencies to go after the cultists suspected to have carried out the heinous act.

Zachery Maduka, 70, was last Thursday, hacked down by suspected cultists at Umuchioke-Ezieke, Akpukpa, Uturu, in Isuikwuato Local Government, Abia of State.

He was the campaign director of Hon. Amobi Ogah, the LP candidate that won the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency in the 2023 general election.

Otti, issued the order for justice to be served on the murderers when he visited the family of the slain party chieftain at the weekend, saying they must be fished out by all means.

The Abia LP had already stated that the assassination of Maduka, popularly known as "Power Zach", was not politically motivated and absolved rival political parties of any involvement.

Otti, while consoling the family of the deceased, regretted the unfortunate incident and urged them to bear the loss with fortitude.

He described the deceased as a committed party man hence his demise was not a loss to only the immediate family but to the party and the entire state.

Otti, assured the Maduka family that everyone involved in the killing of their patriarch would be brought to book and made to pay for their crimes.

The Abia chief executive, who was touched by the sudden grief brought upon the family of the late party chieftain, acknowledged that it won't be easy to endure such a

tragic loss.

However, he prayed God to console the immediate family, the Labour Party family and the people of Abia the State.

The governor was accompanied on the condolence visit by the First Deputy Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Nelson Nmerengwa; Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, among other top government officials.

The suspected cultists were said to have stormed the murder scene on the fateful day, shooting sporadically.

Eye witnesses said the victim was running for his life along with others who scampered in different directions, but he was overpowered and butchered by the hoodlums before going after their target.

to the fiasco of oil theft in Nigeria.

The committee, chaired by Hon. Alhassan Rurum, noted that the panel would not jump to a conclusion on any allegation.

He assured that the legislative procedure of the hearing presents an opportunity for everyone to make his/her submission to the committee.

However, the committee’s investigation has so far uncovered a seeming massive corruption perpetrated in alleged collusion with regulatory agencies at the export loading terminals.

The committee has held extensive interrogation and interaction with security agencies and would be engaging intensely with the operators of the marginal fields, 14 production-sharing contract operators and 57 joint venture operators in the days ahead.

Multiple sources in the Green Chamber familiar with the ongoing probe said the committee has continued to make stunning discoveries about oil theft which may have involved the collusion of regulatory agencies and collaborators in the sector.

Meanwhile, a reliable source who pleaded anonymity said the Rurum-led committee was shining a spotlight on the activities of marginal field operators that are allegedly aiding crude oil theft to complement the shortfalls in their production.

The source said noted that from the submission of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory

MURIC Accuses Tinubu of Appointing More Christians

Says action may affect APC’s chances in 2027

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has lamented the appointments so far made by President Bola Tinubu into the commanding positions in the financial systems among others, saying its campaign for a Muslim- Muslim ticket had become a bone in the throat.

The group in a statement, however, apologized to other supporters of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, particularly Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for being dumped, saying the crave for a Muslim-Muslim ticket has now turned into a Christian majority government.

MURIC, in the statement by its National Coordinator, Professor

Ishaq Akintola, while taking responsibility for mobilising for the Muslim-Muslim ticket warned that should the trend continue, the prospects of President Bola Tinubu winning re-election in 2027 would be dashed.

“We are shocked to our marrows that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been appointing Christians and Yorubas mainly to key positions since the inception of this administration at the expense of Muslims. For instance, five out of eight security chiefs appointed earlier are Christians. Ministerial posts have not been different.

“All five key appointments made by President Tinubu to revive the economy were given to Christians and Yorubas mainly.

These new appointees include the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, the newly nominated CBN Governor, Dr. Michael Cardoso, Hon. Zacch Adedeji, Acting Chairman, FIRS, the Chairman, Tax Reforms Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele and Mr. Tope Fasua, Special Adviser on Economic Affairs.

“Many competent Muslims, who campaigned and voted Muslim-Muslim ticket during the presidential election were ignored.

It is interesting to note that some of those Muslims are eminently qualified to hold key political offices since there are professors, engineers, medical doctors and holders of doctorate degrees among them.

“To add salt to injury, one of the best Muslim ministerial

nominees, the man who championed the Muslim-Muslim ticket and mobilised the whole North behind Asiwaju has been jettisoned. Also, Professor Ali Isa Pantami, who took the communication and digital economy to enviable heights during the last administration was ignored. Where, then, is our Muslim president, taking Nigerian Muslims?

“MURIC rejects this trending narrative that makes competence the raison d’etre for concentrating appointments in any particular tribe, religion or group. Government’s tentacles should be spread nationwide in the search for competence. Neither should the need for skills be used as a cover for the marginalisation of some sections of Nigeria.

Commission (NUPRC), some of the Marginal Field Operators in the country include, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Limited, Prime Exploration & Production (Operator), Suffolk Petroleum Limited, Oriental Energy Resources Limited, Universal Energy Limited, Prime Exploration & Production (Operator).

“Others are Pillar Oil Limited, Platform Petroleum Limited, Chorus Energy Limited, Millenium Oil and

Gas Limited, Brittania U-Nigeria Limited, Network E&P Limited, Waltersmith Petroman Limited (Operator), Morris Petroleum Limited, Midwestern Oil and Gas Limited, Suntrust Oil Company Limited, Frontier Oil Limited, Energia Limited (Operator), Oando Production and Development Limited, Excel Exploration & Production Limited, Green Energy International Limited," the source added.

Palliative: APC Condemns Assault on Commissioner

CP orders probe

Fidelis David in Akure

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, has berated the alleged assault on the Commissioner for Woman Affairs, Mrs Olubunmi Osadahun, during the distribution of palliatives to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

Osadahun, was at the weekend, attacked at Arigidi-Akoko, in Akoko North West Local Government Area of the state by an APC chieftain and Chairman of Akoko Northwest Ward 1, Awolumate Olumide (popularly known as Cuba).

A video circulating on the social media, showed the incident and it was learnt that the commissioner was injured during the attack and was rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

However, in an emergency meeting at the State Secretariat in Akure on Monday, presided over by the state Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, the party expressed disappointment at the conducts of the ward chairman.

The party condemned the crude behavior and the level of indiscipline exhibited by its officer, Mr. Olumide Awolumate.

"We are still wondering what could have pushed him into exhibiting that degree of primitive affront on a highly placed party chieftain, and serving Commissioner," the party lamented. He called for the immediate suspension of the chairman by the ward leaders, assuring that further disciplinary actions will follow later.

The APC chairman warned members of its executive to always embrace civility and self-discipline at all times, saying, "It is expedient to accord respect to party elders

and constituted authorities."

But narrating his ordeal, the APC chieftain, Awolumate said, there was an inequitable distribution of palliatives, which many people complained about while some residents boycotted the exercise.

“I was assaulted in my house by the power-drunk Commissioner for Women Affairs with her son in the presence of a police officer. Today, I was in my house relaxing when the Commissioner came with her son, one other boy, and a police officer.

“The police officer told me they needed my attention at the station in Oke Agbe, and before I could respond, the commissioner pounced on me, tore my clothes, and the Commissioner also joined in beating me.

“The Police officer is still here, and I have resisted arrest, and I don’t know why they had to descend on me to hand me such treatment.”

In the same vein, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Asabi Abiodun, has ordered that thorough investigation be carried out and the case transferred to the SCID, Akure for further probe into what led to the alleged assault.

A statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya read: "Preliminary investigation reveals that the commissioner who was in the Akoko area to see to the distribution of state palliatives was attacked by the assailant named Awolumate Olumide, while having a meeting with some of their party members in the Area.

"The CP has ordered that a thorough investigation be carried out and the case transferred to the SCID, Akure for further probe into what led to the Assault."

Group

Oscar

Institute of Directors Nigeria (CIoD Nigeria), Dr. Ije Jidenma; President, CIoD Nigeria, Alh. Tijjani Borodo; Chairman of the Occasion, Chief .. Olusegun Osunkeye; and Representative of the Special Guest of Honour/Governor of Zamfara State, Alh. Mouktar Lugga, at the Investiture Ceremony of Alh. Borodo as the 18th President of the Institute in Lagos... recently

PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

AWARD WELL DESERVED……

L- R: Acting Company Secretary, FBN Holdings, Adewale Arogundade; Head, Investor Relations, FBN Holdings, Tolu Oluwole; former Director General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr.; Executive Director, Finance FBN Holdings, Oyewale Ariyibi; Publisher, BusinessDay, Frank Aigbogun, and Financial Controller, FBN Holdings, Wasiu Shafe, receiving the award given to the Group Managing Director of FBN Holdings Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo during the The Top 25 CEOs Awards organised by BusinessDay in Lagos…recently

Security Operatives Kill Sit-At-Home Enforcers in Enugu

Catholic priest, six others kidnapped

Gideon ArinzeinEnugu

A joint security team, comprising Police operatives of the Enugu State Command, NPF Special Forces, and Troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army Enugu have killed three criminals suspected to

be enforcers of the sit-at-home in Enugu.

In a statement yesterday, Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, said that the operatives, acting on credible intelligence on September 18, busted a criminal hideout belonging

Zulum Appoints New Rector for Ramat Polytechnic

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the appointment of Dr. Bukar Abubakar as the new Rector of Ramat Polytechnic with effect from 25th September, 2023.

The appointment was announced in a statement issued yesterday by the governor’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau. Abubakar, 51 years, hails from Bama Local Government

Area of Borno State, and until his appointment as rector was deputy rector in charge of administration at the same polytechnic from the year 2020. He holds an PhD in Engineering (Energy and Environmental Studies) obtained in 2021, Masters in Engineering also in Energy and Environmental studies in 2014, and Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering obtained in 2005. All the degrees were from the University of Maiduguri.

Online Newspaper Launches Street Food Competition in Lagos

Sunday Okobi

A general interest online newspaper in Nigeria, Newspread, which is published by NT News Limited, has concluded plans to host a street cooking competition, the first of its kind in Nigeria.

According to the organisers, the competition tagged: ‘Sabi Chef’, is a national event scheduled to be held in Lagos State at the end of December 2023.

Speaking on behalf of the organisers of the show in a statement signed by the Editorin-Chief of Newspread.ng, Uche Nnadozie, he said Sabi Chef is

geared towards celebrating the diverse culinary tastes of the country.

He said: “Our show is for the people. It is a pan-Nigerian event that will catalyse into a festival of foods, not just a single dish or item. Ours is also a platform to elevate street ingenuity, creativity, showcase culinary enthusiasts and promote our cultural heritage in a way never seen before.

“Our people love food, and we also love to celebrate. All over the country, people walk along the streets grabbing mouthwatering dishes, chewing away and doing their work.”

SWAGA Distributes Palliatives in Ekiti

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

The National Chairman of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA) Senator Dayo Adeyeye ,has appealed to Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as he takes decisions for the growth and transformation of the country.

The former Minister of State for Works explained that the steps and decisions taken so far by the president in the first 100 days in the administration, no matter how painful, were to preserve the future of Nigeria and the economy.

Adeyeye spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the

Ekiti state capital yesterday during the distribution of palliatives to SWAGA members and the vulnerable citizens across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.

He noted that the president meant well for the country and that his renewed hope agenda for the economy, education, infrastructures, and other sectors would soon be witnessed by the people.

According to him, the decision of the group to provide palliatives for the people was meant to reach out to them after securing victory at the February poll and as well cushion the effect of the economic situations in the country.

to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Ezioha Mgbowo in Awgu Local Government Area, while they

were perfecting plans to enforce the illegal sit-at-home order in the state. He said that three of the

hoodlums, who opened fire on the joint team upon sighting them, were neutralised, while several others

escaped with severe degrees of gunshot wounds in the ensuing gunfight.

MSF Calls for International Support to Tackle Worsening Diphtheria Outbreak

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called on the international community to immediately scale up support for treatment of diphtheria in Nigeria.

MSF in a statement yesterday said there is need to improve treatment, preventive measures

and contact tracing to control the spread of diphtheria in Nigeria. The statement read: “A serious diphtheria outbreak is tearing through Nigeria, where thousands of people have been infected and hundreds more have died. With low national vaccination coverage and a worldwide shortage of lifesaving antitoxin threatening

to worsen the outbreak.

“MSF urges the international community to immediately scale up support to improve treatment, preventive measures and contact tracing to control the outbreak’s spread.”

MSF emergency project medical doctor, Dr Hashim Juma Omar was quoted to have said: “We’re

currently seeing more than 700 people with suspected diphtheria and admitting more than 280 patients on a weekly basis in Kano state’s two diphtheria treatment centres,” adding that: “Women and children aged under five are the most vulnerable groups and are the people most affected right now in Kano state.”

CJN Charges Judges to Embrace Digitalisation in Adjudication of Justice

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The Chief Judge of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, yesterday in Kano charged Judges and Justices to be abreast with the current realities in the telecoms industry, by embracing digitalisation in

the adjudication of justice. Ariwoola disclosed this during the opening of the 2023 National Workshop for Judges and Justices organised by the Nigeria Communication Commission(NCC) in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI) with the

theme: ‘The adjudication path in the digital era for Judges and Justices on telecoms’. He said technology has fundamentally transformed how people communicate, access information, and conduct legal proceedings, adding that justice for all remains at the forefront

of their efforts. He pointed out that the workshop would serve as an avenue where challenges affecting the communication sector will be deliberated and modalities of addressing the challenges would be finetuned.

KASU Students Appeal to Sani for Waivers over Backlog of Tuition Fees

John ShiklaminKaduna

Students of the Kaduna State University (KASU), have appealed to the State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, to grant them waivers on backlog of old tuition fees. President of the Students Union

Government (SUG) of the institution, Abubakar Abdullahi, made the call in a telephone interview with THISDAY in Kaduna.

Abdullahi, commended the governor for the recent reduction of tuition fees in state own tertiary institutions, saying the development

was a great relief for students and parents.

Sani, had on August 21, 2023, announced the reduction in tuition fees in state owned tertiary institutions by 30 and 50 per cent, saying the downward review was in response to public outcry over

the high fees. The students’ union leader however said, despite the reduction, many students and their parents were under heavy burden as they would not be to settle the accumulated fees arising from the old tuition fees.

Guber Election: IYC Warns Politicians against Bloodshed in Bayelsa

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has warned politicians involved in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa State, to shun every act that will lead to bloodshed before, during and after the poll in the state.

The IYC also appealed to the federal and state governments to prioritise lasting solutions to flood disasters in the Niger Delta region. This call was made during the group Executive Council Meeting at the weekend.

The council, in a communique it issued after the meeting said

political actors and gladiators must shun any act that could escalate tension in Bayelsa during the forthcoming poll.

The IYC in the communique signed by its President, Dr. Alayi Theophilus, advised politicians to focus on selling their manifestos to the people and shun hate speeches

that could lead to crisis in the state.

The council said: “It is our firm belief that the lives and safety of Ijaw citizens should always supersede political considerations and electoral processes. We shall hold politicians responsible if any Ijaw life is lost during and after the election.

‘Women Don’t Easily Get Contracts Because they Don’t Give Kickbacks’

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Dr. Elizabeth Eterigho, has disclosed that the major reason being responsible for women not to

secure government contracts lays in their truth and inability to give kickbacks. She said despite the challenges that female engineers encounter in the profession, times are changing for the better and come January 2024,

a woman who is currently the deputy president is billed to be the next president of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).

Eterigho, who spoke yesterday in Abuja as part of the 40th anniversary celebration

of APWEN, said there has been a policy in place that says 30 per cent of female engineers must be at the helm of affairs in administration and this has been approved by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).

A New Constitution is a Guarantee for New Nigeria, Says Archbishop Ndukuba

Yetunde Bello

The Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, has stated that a new Nigeria can only be born with a new constitution.

Ndukuba said the country needs a new constitution that would reinforce true federalism, granting States more powers to address local challenges and drive development initiatives.

Delivering his opening address at the just concluded 14th General

Synod of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion at St Mark’s Anglican Church Nnewichi, Nnewi, Anambra State, Primate Ndukuba averred: “To address the pressing issues and lay a solid foundation for a stronger future, Nigeria must embark on the arduous but essential

task of crafting a new Constitution that reflects the aspirations and values of all people and culture.”

He said: “One is convinced that what we need is a totally new Constitution made by a Sovereign Representation of the Ethnic Nationalities of this country.”

IMPROVED MASS TRANSIT SCHEME ON THEIR MINDS…

FBI Lists Six Most Wanted Nigerians for Cybercrimes

The United States(US) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified six Nigerian nationals wanted in connection with cybercrimes. The agency has therefore, labeled them as international flight risks. The individuals are: Felix Osilama Okpoh; Alex Afolabi Ogunsakin; Micheal Olorunyomi; Richard Izuchukwu Uzhi; Nnamdi Orson Benson; and Abiola

Ayorinde Kayode. The FBI has described them as “cyber’s most wanted,” explaining that , these individuals are currently residing in Nigeria. In an urgent plea to the public, the agency has urged people to contact the nearest FBI office or the American embassy with any information regarding their whereabouts. The FBI’s interest in these suspects is due to their alleged

Rivers Loses State Lawmaker to Death

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Khana Constituency II in the Rivers State House of Assembly, has lost its representative to death, Mr Dinebari Loolo.

The cause of his death as at the time of filing this report, was yet to be known. But rumous have it that he died in his sleep early hours of yesterday.

THISDAY observed that the House, which was adjourned for yesterday (Monday), could not sit following the news on the sudden death of Loolo.

The Speaker of the House, Hon Martin Amaewhule,

led other lawmakers on a condolence visit to the family of their late colleague.

Amaewhule, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues during the visit, expressed sadness over the death of the lawmaker. He described him as a committed member, who contributed immensely to the development of his constituency and the state.

He urged members of his family to take solace in the fact that the deceased lived a life of service to humanity and left a legacy that will forever be remembered.

Palliatives: Niger NLC Receives 1,200 Bags of Rice

LaleyeDipoinMinna

The Niger State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has confirmed the receipt of 1,200 bags of rice in two trucks from the state government to be distributed as palliatives to civil servants in the state.

However, the Congress, it was learnt, had begun the distribution of the food items last weekend to only workers on level six and below.

In a letter jointly signed by the state NLC Chairman, Idris Lafene, and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Leader, Ibrahim Gana, sent to the permanent secretary of the

establishment titled: ‘Distribution of Palliatives To Workers’, the Congress confirmed the receipt of the item and gave instructions on how it should be shared.

According to the document in possession of THISDAY, 40 percent of the consignment should go to the state government workers while the remaining 60 percent should be shared to local government workers

The letter read in part: “That in order for the quantity to be distributed for the benefit of the most vulnerable of workers, only those on grade levels six and below should be considered.

Kukah Wins 2023 Mundo Negro Fraternity Award

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese and Founder of the Kukah Centre, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has won this year’s Mundo Negro Fraternity Award.

In a statement issued to journalists yesterday by the Executive Director, Kukah’s Centre, Father Atta Barkindo, said the news was conveyed to Bishop Kukah through a letter signed by Fr. Enrique Bayo Mata, a priest of the

involvement in a series of criminal activities, spanning romance scams, fraudulent wire transfers, and advanced fee fraud schemes. The details of their suspected

crimes are: Micheal Olorunyomi: Wanted for his alleged role in a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded over 70 U.S. businesses, resulting in losses

exceeding $6 million. He is also accused of conducting romance fraud, defrauding vulnerable individuals of over $1 million.

Abiola Ayorinde Kayode:

Sought for his purported involvement in a BEC scheme that defrauded numerous U.S. businesses, resulting in losses exceeding $6 million.

Hike in Tuition Fees: OAU Students Vow to Shut Down Campus

The Student Union of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has warned the authorities of the university to urgently reverse the recent increments in tuition fees or ready to face a massive student protest across the state.

Also, the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) yesterday lamented that the 300 per cent increment in the fees has no rational basis, and therefore if implemented, it would force many students out of the institutions. Meanwhile, the student union has given the school management a five-day ultimatum to reverse to

status quo, threatening to shut down the institution if the authorities do otherwise.

At a world press conference addressed by Student Union President, Abbas Akinremi Ojo, with other student body executives held at the Ken Saro Wiwa building of the institution, the union hinted that they had held a meeting with the

school management and demanded outright reversal to the old regime of school fees.

According to him, the significance of student unions worldwide is to have a robust platform that brings all students together and helps advocate for the rights of the students as well as creates positive change within student communities.

Jigawa Gov: I will Hold My Commissioners Responsible for Inefficiency

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The Jigawa Governor, Mallam Umar Namadi, has threatened to hold his Commissioners, advisers, and top government officials responsible for inefficiency in their respective ministries, departments, and agencies.

The governor revealed this during his opening remarks at a two-day retreat for members of the Jigawa State Executive Council and other top government officials held from September 18th to 19th, 2023.

According to the governor, in a statement, he intended to track

all the activities of the heads of the MDAs by defining specific milestones and performance indicators.

The governor recognised the retreat’s comprehensive agenda and its critical role in achieving the state’s development goals, in the drive to implement the

administration’s commitments to uplift the economic status of the people of the state. He promised to address the current challenges faced by the state, especially on human development that continued to depict a grim picture despite several years of success stories in various sectors.

Terrorism: EU, ECOWAS, Interpol Officials Visit Police Ministry, Move to Implement WAPIS Project

Kingsley NwezehinAbuja

Officials of the European Union (EU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the International Police (Interpol), yesterday met with the Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam, to review the performance of the

West African Police Information System (WAPIS).

Speaking while receiving the delegation in his office, the minister said WAPIS programme was of immense importance for the Nigeria Police and the nation.

He said Nigeria was at the forefront of addressing the complex

challenges of transnational crime and terrorism which required efficient and reliable informationsharing mechanisms.

“The WAPIS system presents us with a unique opportunity to strengthen our law enforcement efforts and foster collaboration among West African countries.

“This visit marks a significant milestone in our journey towards implementing WAPIS here in Nigeria,” he said.

“By implementing the WAPIS, we will enhance our capacity to collect, store, analyse, and share crucial law enforcement data across borders.

Sule to PDP, Don’t Drag Tinubu, Wike into Nasarawa Politics

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, yesterday cautioned the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against dragging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of the Federal

Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and others into the politics of Nasararwa State.

The state chapter of the PDP had recently dared Governor Sule not to drag President Tinubu and Wike into the politics of the state.

However, Sule, while

Comboni Missionaries and director of the Madrid-based Spanish magazine, Mundo Negro.

He said, according to the letter, Fr. Bayo Mata said: “Every year, the magazine organises the ‘Encounter with Africa’ during which the award is given to a chosen African personality or institution that has been characterised by their contribution to the construction of a better world and a better African continent.”

speaking at a press briefing through his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, said the PDP was worried because the party had suffered defeat at governorship elections for four consecutive times and at the verge of another suffering.

According to Ahemba, “Our attention has been drawn to a media publication wherein the state Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Francis Orogu, was quoted to have called on the governor not to drag President Tinubu, Wike and others into Nasarawa State politics.

TransAlliance Group Recognised as Africa’s Best Professional Services Company of the Year

One of Nigeria’s fastest-growing conglomerates, TransAlliance Group, has been awarded Africa’s Best Professional Services Company of the Year, 2023. While receiving the award at the 8th edition of the African Brand Leadership Merit Awards event which held in Lagos, Group

Executive Director, Treasury and Operations, TransAlliance Group, Anthony Nwosu, appreciated the organisers of the event and pointed out that the TransAlliance Group prides itself as industry leaders in Finance, Travel and Hospitality. According to him, the brand

is envisioned be the preferred partner in every sector that they serve, while consistently delivering superior value to all their stakeholders across the globe.

“Our passion as a brand is to help individuals and businesses succeed through the use of

our unique problem-solving techniques. TransAlliance was founded to bring together expertise from various business sectors to better harness the power and potential of these various sectors through problem solving techniques, synergy and a clear-cut strategy,” he said.

AD Consulting Boss Stresses Purposeful Parenting

Funmi Ogundare

Principal Architect, AD Consulting, and Founder, Awesome Treasures Foundation, Mrs. Olajumoke Adenowo, yesterday appealed to parents

not to send their children abroad until they are able to imbibe the right values that would enable their successful stay there.

Olajumoke, who made this known at Greenwood House School Parent Conference in Lagos

with the theme: ‘Navigating the Complexities of Parenthood’, emphasised on the importance of values, as well as ensuring that parents help their children adjust socially to such an environment.

In her keynote address

titled: ‘Purposeful Parenting’, she explained that parenting requires facilitating the upbringing of a child through all stages of development and fulfilling the parental responsibilities that accompany child care.

Yinka KolawoleinOsogbo

L-R: Chairman, Federal House of Representatives, Ad hoc Committee on Mass Transit Scheme, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, and the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, during a courtesy visit on the governor by the Federal House of Representatives Committee members in Ikeja, Lagos…yesterday

Super Falcons Walk over São Tomé to Reach Next Round

Femi Solaja

WAFCON 2024

Strong indications emerged yesterday that the anticipate Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe has been cancelled following the withdrawal of the Central African nation from the contest.

The first leg was billed to hold at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Friday September 22nd while the encounter could have afforded thousands of Nigerian fans to see the glamorous women’s team after their sterling performance at the

recently concluded FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australian and New Zealand.

But a top official in the Sunday Dankaro House said yesterday that the match will no longer hold following the withdrawal of their

Amusan Returns in November for 2nd Tobi/Abiola Ijebu Sprint & Relays Meet

After crowning a challenging season with a Diamond League trophy in 100m hurdles in Eugene, USA on Sunday, Tobi Amusan is set to return to Nigeria in November to do what she loves doing best, giving the younger one’s opportunities to showcase their talents.

And from November 3rd to the 4th, young athletes from all the nooks and crannies of Ogun State will converge at the iconic Otunba Dipo Dina stadium, Ijebu-Ode for the second edition of the Tobi/Abiola Ijebu Sprint and Relays Meet.

Amusan and Abiola Onakoya are beneficiaries of youth development programmes in Ogun

State which led to their discovery as young athletes.

They both got scholarships to study at the University of El-Paso, in Texas, USA.

Before their graduation from the school, both represented Team Nigeria at the youth, junior, and senior levels.

After winning laurels for Nigeria and being good ambassadors of the country, they believed the best way they could give back to their community is to give younger one’s opportunities.

This edition has the support of the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, who named Amusan Ogun State Youth Ambassador after she broke

'Black Tito' Aims to Make History at GOtv Boxing Night 29

Female cruiserweight boxer, Bolatito ‘Black Tito’ Oluwole, has declared that her ultimate aim at GOtv Boxing Night 29 is to be the first female winner of the best boxer prize.

The overall best boxer on the night will take home the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy and N1m cash prize.

Black Tito will face Celina ‘Pretty Assassin’ Agwu, in a national cruiserweight title challenge bout at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on September 24.The bout is one of the six lined up for the night.

"My ultimate aim on the night is to make history by becoming the first female to emerge as the overall best boxer at GOtv Boxing Night. I am very confident about beating Pretty Assassin, and my plan is not just to beat her, but to do it well. I will beat her hands

down, so I can stand a good chance for the money," Black Tito said.

The night will also feature a national lightweight challenge clash between Azeez ‘Latest’ Ayobami and Emmanuel 'Ability' Abimbola. In the night's national super flyweight challenge bout, Yusuf 'Omowest' Mohammed will battle Sifon 'Best' Iwatt.

The bantamweight category will feature a national challenge bout between Sodiq 'Happy Boy' Adeleke and Ibrahim 'Golden Boy' Opeyemi, while Arabambi ‘Power’ Ojo will also face Tunde ‘Turning Star’ Olojede. Taiwo 'Gentle Boy' Olowu will also take on Ganiyu 'Energy' Kolawole in a national welterweight challenge bout.

GOtv Boxing Night will broadcast live on SuperSport Variety 4 (DStv ch 209) and SuperSport Select 2(GOtv ch 64 Channel).

the 100m hurdles record at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.Amusan who also won the gold medal in the event is the first and only Nigerian to win a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships since the inaugural edition in 1983.

It is in recognition of her contributions to the growth of athletics from the grassroots and also her achievements that earned

Amusan the ambassadorial role.

Unlike the inaugural edition which was limited to IjebuOde, this second edition has the blessing of the Ogun State Government, so it will cover all the schools from across the state.

Apart from certificates and medals winner of this edition will also go home with spike shoes, canvas, and other items, aside from the prizes that will be awarded to winning schools.

opponent from the contest.

Although financial sanction would be placed on the Central African nation, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has no plan to make use of the FIFA window because the secretariat has written to the respective clubs of the invited players to stay action.

“The Nigeria Football Federation would like to inform you that Sao Tome withdraws from the Qualifier game which the Federation has sent letters of invitation to individuals club’s earlier for the release of their players. Thanking you for your understanding,” the letter to the clubs stated.

As a result of this withdrawal, the Nigerian women have automatically advanced to the second round without having to play any matches.

The Nigerian ladies demonstrated their strength in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, progressing unbeaten from the group stage rounds and holding England to a draw before exiting in a penalty shootout.

The Super Falcons will now await the winner of the tie between Cape Verde and Liberia in the second round of qualifiers. The victorious team from that contest will earn a spot in the 2024 WAFCON, which is set to be hosted by Morocco.

In the previous edition of the tournament, also hosted by Morocco, the Super Falcons finished in fourth place. Now, they have another opportunity to showcase their talents and vie for the championship title in the upcoming competition.

Premier League: Awoniyi Fires Blanks as Forest Hold Burnley

Nottingham Forest’s top striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, was effectively caged as his team played a 1-1 draw with visiting Burnley last night.

Former Manchester City defender, Vincent Kompany who is now the Head coach of Burnley, plotted a game plan that took out the Nigerian international. The game-plan worked until two minutes to end of the match when Chris Wood came on as substitute for the Nigerian.

Former Chelsea star, Callum Hudson-Odoi, scored a glorious equaliser on his Nottingham Forest debut to earn the draw against Burnley.

The Clarets looked to be controlling the game but deadline day signing Hudson-Odoi had other ideas, curling a stunning strike into the top corner on the hour mark from an assist by Awoniyi.

Burnley had taken a first-half lead through Zeki Amdouni's well-taken shot into the bottom

corner after fine work by the lively teenager Luca Koleosho with Nigerian ancestry.

Swiss striker Amdouni, who scored the winner here in the Carabao Cup just 20 days ago, had already given goalkeeper Matt Turner a warning sign with a stinging drive from range before netting a cool finish.

Kompany's visitors thought they had grabbed the winner 12 minutes from time when Lyle Foster stroked in from close range, but it was ruled out for a handball by Sander Berge in the build-up.

Burnley's night then ended on a sour note when top scorer Foster was sent off for violent conduct in injury time, after a needless off-the-ball elbow on Ryan Yates.

Following three straight defeats, the result allows Burnley to get off the mark this season, while Forest have made a decent start to the campaign with seven points from five games.

Real Madrid, easyMarkets Celebrate Three-year Partnership with $1m

A pioneer in the Contract for Differences (CFD) brokerage industry, easyMarkets and Real Madrid, the record holders of UEFA Champions League and LaLiga titles, proudly celebrated the three-year anniversary of their fruitful partnership that started in 2020 with a $1 million thrilling fan contest at the newly renovated

world-class Bernabéu stadium. This exciting initiative promises innovative benefits for fans of both brands. The high point of the partnership celebration is the upcoming Bernabéu Crossbar Champion – Shoot for the Millionpromotion presented by easyMarkets. Inspired by the legendary example set by Real

Madrid star Roberto Carlos and current club ambassador, four lucky contestants will get the chance to hit the crossbar at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, and each win a $250,000 cash prize.

"We are excited to continue our partnership as the official trading partner for Real Madrid, a top

tier team in the world’s most popular sport. Real Madrid’s history of excellence aligns with easyMarkets’ commitment to success in trading.

“As their preferred partner, we are proud to support Real Madrid and their wider community on their journey to trading greatness", said Garen Meserlian, Chief Marketing Officer.

CEO of easyMarkets, Nikos Antoniades, said: "Our partnership thus far has been very successful for both our organizations. Real Madrid's long-standing, victorious reputation perfectly complements easyMarkets, a company that has been active in the CFD brokerage industry for more than 20 years. We eagerly look forward to the durability of our successful collaboration and are excited about what this enduring bond will bring."

"Real Madrid, who has been awarded the title by FIFA as the Greatest Club of the 20th Century, has an immense fanbase. Beyond the realm of sport, Real Madrid stands as a shining example of unwavering leadership. The club takes immense pride in its strategic partnerships, and it is an honour to be associated with the club. "

Callum Hudson-Odoi (left) scored in his debut for Nottingham forest against Burnley...last night

L-R: CEO at EasyMarkets, Nikos Antoniades; and former Real Madrid player Roberto Carlos at the signing of the Bernabéu Crossbar Champion – Shoot for the Million promotion in Madrid...recently

Yoruba Council to Obasanjo

“The recent weeks have witnessed a barrage of monumental embarrassments, ridicule and brazen abuse of traditional royal Obas and most shocking to grasping with this well-intended orchestrated embarrassment by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who dropped the biggest bombshell taboo in the history of Yoruba land...when he addressed arrays of first class Royal fathers like toddlers...” --PresidentofYorubaCouncilWorldwide(YCW), ObaOladotunHassan,callsonObasanjotoapologisetothemonarchs.

TUESDAY WITH REUBEN ABATI

abati1990@gmail.com

Delhi, UAE to UNGA: Tinubu’s Odyssey

“Omo, it is now that I am beginning to understand why there is so much fight for this thing called Presidency of Nigeria oh. See as Tinubu just dey do swag, dey shine, dey do Eko for Show from here to there. Him just dey tranga, dey travel, dey flex. Him don dey look young and fresh sef.”

“He is President my friend. Anyone else in his shoes will act in more or less the same manner. If you are placed astride a horse, no matter how modest you are, the moment the horse gallops, you will bounce up and down, your neck will move.”

“Omo, Tinubu dey bounce. President of Nigeria for hand, ECOWAS Chairman just like that, Paris Summit, AU Summit, G-20, stop-over in UAE, and na so he don dey New York, now now oh, rubbing shoulders with leaders of the world.”

“He is President. The President of Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. I don’t know why you people always think you can envy the President of Nigeria. Once you get into that position, you are practically a monarch. Is it easy? No. It is not. It is a power game. Even if you were to grab that position, you that I know will run with it. Let me tell you one thing, Tinubu and the people around him, know how to use power.”

“I hear the Presidency is lucrative. Each time you travel, you get fat estacodes, and the President gets the biggest envelope”

“Sometimes, I don’t understand you. I look at all the certificates you brandish and I wonder. You think the big deal for a President of Nigeria is estacodes? Who worries about estacodes when you sit and preside over the entire wealth of Nigeria, and you can lift people up or destroy them, create billionaires at will, and turn billionaires into paupers if they do not respect that there is a new Sheriff in town?”

“Truly, a new Sheriff is in town. See as the man dey enjoy. I no go surprise if the man takes new wife sef to crown everything. But what about the Supreme Court matter? The process of determining the true winner of the 2023 general election is still on. I hear the Chief Justice of the Federation is about to announce a panel of Supreme Court Justices.”

“The only matter that still exists is this: This is Nigeria. In this place, nobody is going to remove, embarrass, humiliate, or dethrone a sitting President who has spent more than 100 days enjoying Aso Villa AC, the paraphernalia of office, the majesty of being President, shaking hands with world leaders, stumping on grounds that generations in your family never thought possible. You will manage to get to that height, for more than 100 days and counting, and you will open your eyes, your wife or wives are alive, and all your supporters who know that this is a big elephant meat that nobody can eat alone, and all of you will open your eyes and allow other people to take the meat you are already enjoying from your teeth. Please be realistic. This is Nigeria. Na die there we dey so oh.”

“But it was possible in Kenya.”

“What happened in Kenya? My friend, this is Nigeria. You people have to stop comparing spaghetti with well-cooked jollof rice. Yes, some people have been saying the Nigerian Constitution should be reviewed and amended to ensure that election petitions are resolved before anyone is sworn in at any level. I agree too in principle. That would be a good way of deepening our electoral process. But until then. For now, this is what we have.”

“I hear say the man don reach New York sef as we dey speak.”

“Yes. He is President. He is there on your behalf to promote your interests as a citizen and the interests of Nigeria as a country.”

“Me, I just hope this won’t end up like another radio trip”

“What do you mean radio trip?”

“The President stopped over in UAE, after attending the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, and the Presidency told us he was able to achieve major things including investments in Nigeria by the UAE, lifting of the

visa ban on Nigerian travellers and resumption of flights by Emirates and Etihad Airlines without any immediate payment by Nigeria. Nigerians broke out into a break dance. Local travel agencies did Tik Tok. Nigerians living in Dubai jubilated. But you never hear? An official of the UAE has said on CNN that their country never made any such commitments. Even the read-out by the Emirates News Agency did not include the exciting claims by the lying Kings of Nigeria. We were even told that UAE officials were already meeting with Nigerian officials. Omo, Audio!”

“Please. Please. We can be very critical. But we must also understand that diplomacy is not exactly black and white. There are grey areas in-between. You win some. You lose some. Have you forgotten that the same President went to New Delhi for G-20 and came back home with investment pledges of about $14 billion?”

“You don see am?”

“Actually, yes. In fact, last week, as part of the fall-out of the New Delhi, G-20 trip, NNPCL signed a gas supply deal, and a Memorandum of Understanding with Indorama, to promote the development of large-scale gas utilization industries in Nigeria. That’s a deal. A gain of diplomacy. Professionals don’t expect that diplomacy will yield 100% results always, but you must keep pushing, you must keep defending national interests within the international competitive space.”

“Fine. I hope the President will bring something concrete, positive, and useful back from the United Nations General Assembly. It is his first outing on the biggest stage in the world. One of the newest Presidents who would be given a place at the podium. On the sidelines, he will be coveted by Presidents, personalities and investors. When he returns, we don’t want any audio claims or exaggerations. Nigeria is too big a country to go to UNGA for photo-ops.”

“I am sure New York is not a new place to President Tinubu. Afterall, he is a Chicago guy. He is not one of those new Presidents who would get carried away by the sight of skyscrapers. May be some of the members of his entourage who may be visiting New York for the first time in their lives.”

“It is not a holiday visit. I hope they all know UNGA is a lot of work. And in any case, President Tinubu had earlier said he was travelling with a very small delegation.”

“Have you seen the Presidency publishing a full list of the Presidential delegation to UNGA?”

“No”

“Wait then for Sahara Reporters, David Hundeyin, Obidients and the usual anti-Tinubu media crowd to

dig out the truth. I have seen names of persons who have been sighted in New York whose presence may well turn Tinubu’s maiden appearance at UNGA into a “Therejamboree.” are serious issues on the table at this UNGA. I would like to see Nigeria talking about serious issues - democracy in Africa, climate adaptation, SDGs, the international economic corridor, geo-politics. Will the President address the UNGA? How many minutes would he have?”

“Ten minutes max. But don’t worry yourself. These ones don’t have problems writing good speeches. There are more than enough boys at the back-end. Telling people what they want to hear is part of the power game. And this new Sheriff knows that game.”

“The boys. The boys. Tinubu just made one of his boys CBN Governor-nominee. I have no doubts that Nigeria’s rubber-stamp National Assembly led by Godswill Akpabio will quickly rubber-stamp the nominations, including the four other Deputy Governors who have been named.”

“Yemi Cardoso. I think he is a good pick. A safe pair of hands. He is a commercial banker though, with a background in business management. Conservative. Good pedigree. Worked with Citibank. Became Chairman Citibank. Helped to set up Citizen’s bank. There’s no controversy around him. I don’t know the four Deputy Governors. They come across like political appointees, and for that reason, I guess altogether, there is no depth in the appointments.”

“My point. That is my point. The job of the Central Bank is monetary policy. All these Tinubu nominees have no monetary policy, macroeconomics background at a time the CBN has so much to worry about: the CBN Balance Sheet, abuse of ways and means in violation of Section 38 of the CBN Act, intervention loans that have to be cleaned up, inflation, foreign exchange problems and the need to restore confidence in the CBN.”

“I get your point. But don’t let your point carry you away. What is the big deal about macroeconomics? Textbook knowledge. You people seem to have forgotten that a journalist, Adamu Ciroma was once CBN Governor in this same country. He was also Minister of Finance. Many others who succeeded him were senior bank tellers as they call them who were glorified with the titles of commercial bankers. In fact, I can tell you categorically that a graduate of Islamic Studies once ran the CBN and he did much better than the so-called macroeconomics people. The job only needs common sense.”

“You don’t run an economy in the kind of state that Nigeria is with roadside common sense. You need knowledge. A strong skills-set.”

“Sometimes you put people in a position because you trust them. You can then surround such persons with core subject area experts. Tinubu can appoint directors into the CBN who know all the micro and macroeconomics, monetary policy and the abracadabra but he also needs in that institution, a man that he can trust.”

“But why is it that President Tinubu does not seem to trust anybody that has not been his boy or past aide, or someone recommended by a friend, a sycophant, or by a blood relation? He is practically turning the Federal Government of Nigeria into an extension of Lagos.”

How? He promised to run an inclusive government. Wike is from Rivers and the opposition. Festus Keyamo is Delta. And so on.”

“I know what I am talking about. I am talking about strategic positions and optics. Look at the management of the economy as proposed. The CBN-Governor nominee is Yemi Cardoso who once worked with Tinubu as Commissioner for Budget and Planning in Lagos. Dele Alake, Tinubu’s former Commissioner for Information in Lagos is Minister of Solid Minerals. Former Governor of Osun State, Tinubu’s blood relation, Gboyega Oyetola, is Minister for Marine and Blue Economy. The Chairman of the Federal Internal Revenue Service (FIRS) is Zacchaeus Adedeji, another Tinubu acolyte, and Tope Fasua, another member of the same clan, is Special Adviser

of the economy. Wale Edun is Minister of Finance. Every person in charge of a money-making economic posting is a Yoruba man, directly connected with Tinubu. Haba!”

“It is called Emilokan. It is my turn. It is our turn. Bishop Matthew Kukah long ago called it “the my-own-ni-zation of power”. He predicted the present and the future and this has come to pass. Other Presidents have done more or less the same thing. When a President gets to power, he pushes advantages to his own people. This is why we are not yet a nation. You cannot blame Tinubu. He is simply following what he inherited from Buhari.”

“President Jonathan did not behave like that. President Obasanjo did not act like that. Maybe it is an APC standard.”

“It is even good you mentioned President Buhari. His handlers did everything possible to disprove the claim that he Katsina-nized and Northernized Nigeria”.

“But he did. Even some sycophantic Ministers took strategic government infrastructure to Daura, Katsina thinking that would promote their selfish, political ambitions.”

“Do you know what I find intriguing in this matter?’

“I am with you.”

“Can you believe our friend, Garba Shehu recently published a piece in which he was talking about President Buhari, 100 days after leaving office?”

“No. What is that? And what is Mallam Shehu saying? I have never heard of any former President crowing about 100 days after leaving office. Garba Shehu was probably talking about the former President’s cattle farm and the problem in Niger.”

“No. He says 100 days after leaving office, Buhari is still the superstar.”

“Some of these Presidents don’t know when to move on. Completely insensitive. That is the problem. I think people must realize that there cannot be two Presidents in this country at the same time. The President is Bola Tinubu. Not anyone else. When you are out, you are out. Even Baba Obasanjo is still acting President all over.”

“What has OBJ done? I don’t get your drift. He left office in 2007.”

“He went to an event in Iseyin, Oyo state, he was ordering traditional rulers around. Stand up, Sit down, he was acting like a Regimental Sergeant Major. He was a guest at the event oh, just like the monarchs. What gives him the right to think he can order people around. Kings for that matter. He is lucky one of them didn’t pack enough spine and balls to disobey him.”

“My brother, traditional rulers lost their space long ago. The conflict between tradition and modernity has turned monarchs into cultural relics in Nigeria. The colonial masters abused them. They sent them into exile. They defied their authority. Post-colonial Nigerian leaders treat them like employees. Were you not in this country when Nyesom Wike tongue-lashed a traditional ruler and described his crown as an Uthman dan Fodio cap? Were you not here to witness the dethronement of monarchs by Governors in the North. Obasanjo was giving a lecture on protocol”

“But I hear he has been ordered by the Oluwo of Iwo to apologise. One of his own wives has promptly apologized on his behalf and her two children.”

“Please stop. Oluwo to Obasanjo? And which wife? Have you not seen the story saying the wife is an impostor according to Obasanjo himself?”

“There are no fake wives, please. Every wife mans a gate. I disagree. Two children oh”

“Talking about wives, I feel for Wunmi, the late musician, 27-year-old, Mohbad’s wife. Nobody is sparing a thought for her and her five-months-old son who has now become fatherless.”

“Mohbad. Bad story. I just hope Nigerian artistes will learn the relevant lessons from the tragedy about relationship with labels, copyright issues, family, friends, depression and the challenges of stardom.”

“Sad.”

“Sad”.

President Bola Tinubu