THURSDAY 7TH OCTOBER 2021

ARISE News to Facilitate Availability of New Sickle Cell Drug in Nigeria Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie In the wake of a major breakthrough in the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) with the approval of Crizanlizumab by the National Health Service (NHS), in England, Arise News Channel has made contact with

Nigeria’s Minister of Health over the global media platform’s desire to facilitate the availability of the new drug in Nigeria.

However, Arise News has explained that it would work to seek the approval of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on its intervention.

The sister broadcast arm of THISDAY newspapers, announced the move yesterday during ‘The Morning Show’ on ARISE NEWS Channel.

Arise News Channel said the initiative was expected to save lives of sickle cell carriers.

The Director, Health Inequalities, NHS England and NHS Improve-

ment, Dr. Bola Owolabi, who was a guest on the show expressed excitement about the groundbreaking research, stating that she was impressed that the NHS in England had secured a deal to make the lifechanging revolutionary treatment available for up to 5,000 patients over the next three years.

She further explained how the

drugs works by binding to the proteins on the red blood cells, which tend to clump together, causing a degree of blockage within the arteries, and it's that blockage that then limits the blood supply and oxygen supply, which causes profound and excruciating pain to such people.

“By having access to this drug,

people will have an improved quality of life. We know that the rates of hospital attendance to accidental emergency will be reduced by 40 per cent, due to the availability of this drug.

“We have 10 specialist centres that are ready to go. We have 23 Continued on page 10

US Mulls Release of Emergency Reserves to Curb Rising Oil Prices... Page 42 Thursday 7 October, 2021 Vol 26. No 9680. Price: N250

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History, as WHO Approves World's First Malaria Vaccine Emmanuel Addeh with agency report The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday endorsed the first ever vaccine to prevent malaria, debuting a tool that could save the lives of tens

of thousands of children in Africa each year.

Called Mosquirix, the new vaccine is given in three doses to children between ages five and 17 months, and a fourth dose roughly 18 months later.

Following the clinical trials, the

vaccine was tried out in three countries Malaria is among the oldest known and deadliest of infectious diseases, killing about half a million people each year, nearly all of them in sub-Saharan Africa and among

them 260,000 children under age five.

The new vaccine, made

by GlaxoSmithKline, rouses a child’s immune system to thwart Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest of five malaria pathogens and the most preva-

lent in Africa.

The New York Times reported that the vaccine was not just a first for malaria, but the first developed for any parasitic disease.

However, the report stated that in clinical trials, the vaccine

had an efficacy of about 50 per cent against severe malaria in the first year, but dropped close to zero by the fourth year.

In addition, it stressed that the trials did not measure the Continued on page 10

FG Considers Emergency Rule in Anambra to Protect Electoral Process Counter-groups likely in S’East against IPOB, says Umahi APGA, PDP,

SaMBA disagree with Malami Afenifere describes consideration as self-indicting Falana: Emergency rule does not empower president to remove gov

Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The federal government, yesterday, hinted at the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in Anambra State to protect the electoral process and constitutional order, if the November 6 governorship election in the state became heavily threatened. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who was very specific on the issue, gave the hint while speaking to newsmen at the State House, Abuja, after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided by President Muhammadu Buhari.

An Observer has however taken a swipe at the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, for his seemingly nonchalant attitude to the deteriorating security situation in the state. The individual who doesn't want to be identified by name wondered why the Governor Continued on page 10

CONSOLIDATING INVESTMENTS IN THE ERA OF PIA...

L-R: Chairman and Managing Director, ExxonMobil Nigeria, Mr. Richard Laing; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; President Muhammadu Buhari; President, ExxonMobil Upstream Oil and Gas, Liam Mallon; Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Malam Mele Kolo Kyari and General Counsel, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Adesua Dozie, during the visit of the ExxonMobil leadership to the president at the State House, Abuja... yesterday

FG: We’ll Borrow to Finance N6.258trn 2022 Proposed Budget Deficit... Page 5

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

NEWS

STRENGTHENING NIGERIA-FRANCE BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP...

L-R: Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc., Herbert Wigwe; President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman, BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu; Chairman, Globacom, Mike Adenuga; wife of French President, Brigitte Macron; Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu; French President, Emmanuel Macron and Chairman, Chagoury Group, Gilbert Chagoury, during a meeting between the French President and Nigerian business leaders held at Elysée, France...recently

FG: We’ll Borrow to Finance N6.258trn 2022 Proposed Budget Deficit FEC approves budget proposal N'Assembly passes revised 2022-2024 fiscal framework Okays N16.39trn estimates for next year Buhari to present appropriation bill today Deji Elumoye, Udora Orizu and Juliet Akoje in Abuja The federal government has hinted of its readiness to secure both local and foreign loans to finance the N6.258 trillion deficit in the proposed 2022 budget.

This is just as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the 2022 Appropriation Bill with an aggregate expenditure of N16.39 trillion.

Also yesterday, the two chambers of the National Assembly approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s revised proposal of the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF-FSP) and also okayed N16.39 trillion federal budget proposal for 2022.

On the same day, President Buhari's letter requesting to present the 2022 Appropriation Bill to the federal legislators at a joint sitting tomorrow was read at both chambers by the presiding officers during plenary.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed government’s plan to borrow to finance the deficit in the 2022 proposed budget, while speaking to journalists after yesterday’s meeting presided over

by President Buhari, maintained that government would continue to borrow to fund infrastructure projects as it does not generate enough resources from its revenues.

Nigeria’s public debt has risen to N33 trillion.

According to Ahmed, Nigeria’s revenues could barely accommodate services even as she emphasised that despite concerns about the country’s mounting debt profile, its borrowings were still acceptable limits.

She said: “If we just depend on the revenues that we get, even though our revenues have increased, the operational expenditure of government, including salaries and other overheads, is barely covered or swallowed up by the revenue.

“So, we need to borrow to be able to build these projects that will ensure that we're able to develop on a sustainable basis.

“Nigeria's borrowing, has been of great concern and has elicited a lot of discussions.

“But if you look at the total size of the borrowing, it is still within healthy and sustainable limits. As at July 2021, the total borrowing is 23 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”

She further justified the plan for more borrowing, saying “government has been borrowing before this administration and continues to borrow and it is important that we borrow to provide developmental projects in the form of roads, rails, bridges, power and water for sustainable development in this country.

“If we just depend on the revenues that we get, even though our revenues have increased, the operational expenditure of government, including salaries and other overheads, is barely covered or swallowed up by the revenue.

“So, we need to borrow to be able to build these projects that will ensure that we're able to develop on a sustainable basis.

“Nigeria's borrowing has been of great concern and has elicited a lot of discussions, but if you look at the total size of the borrowing, it is still within healthy and sustainable limits.

“As at July 2021, the total borrowing was 23 per cent of GDP. When you compare our borrowing to other countries, we’re the lowest within the region, lowest compared to Egypt, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, the very lowest, and Angola.

“We do have a problem of revenue. Our revenues have been increasing. We just reported to Council that our revenues from non-oil has performed, as July, at the rate of 111 per cent, which means outperforming the prorated budget.

“But our expenditure, especially staff emoluments have been increasing at a very fast rate making it difficult to cope with funding of government.

“So, what we have to do is a combination of cutting down our cost, as well as increasing revenue to be able to cope with all that is required for government to do, including salaries, pensions debt service, as well as capital expenditure.”

According to her, FEC noted the changes in the 2022-2024 fiscal projections based on implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and other necessary expenditures that should be accommodated in the 2022 Budget.

She also disclosed the key assumptions and targets underlying the budget provisions including Oil price - $57 per barrel; Oil production - 1.88 mbpd; Exchange rate - N410.15/US$; Oil Revenue – N3.15 trillion and Non-Oil Revenue – N2.13 trillion.

Others, she said, are Federal Government’s Independent Revenue of N1.82 trillion; Total Projected Federal Government Revenue of N10.13 trillion; Debt Service of N3.61 trillion; Statutory Transfers of N768.28 billion (including N462.53 billion capital component) and Personnel costs and Pensions of N4.69 trillion; (inclusive of N617.72 billion for the 63 GOEs).

The rest are Overhead costs of N792.39 billion (inclusive of N451.0 billion for the 63 GOEs); and Capital expenditure (inclusive of capital component of Social Investment Programme, capital in Statutory Transfers, capital of 63 GOEs, Capital Supplementation as well as Grants and Donor funding) of N5.35 trillion (inclusive of N647.08 billion for the 63 GOEs).

“The resultant deficit of N6.258 trillion which will be financed by new borrowings of N5.012 trillion (of which domestic – N2.506 trillion and foreign – N2.506 trillion); drawdowns on Project-tied Multilateral/

Bilateral loans – N1.156 trillion; and Privatisation Proceeds of N90.73 billion,” she stated.

On the approved 2022 Appropriation Bill for an aggregate expenditure of N16.39 trillion for 2022, she gave the components as the adjustments to the MediumTerm Fiscal Framework 2022-2024; Statutory Transfers of N768.28 billion and Debt Service of N3.61 trillion and Sinking Fund for Maturing Debts of N292.71 billion Naira.

Other were Recurrent Expenditure (Non-Debt) of N6.83 trillion, inclusive of N350.0 billion for the recurrent component of Social Investment Programme; and Aggregate Capital Expenditure of N5.35 trillion, inclusive of GOEs’ capital expenditure, multilateral/ bilateral loan funded projects, Capital Supplementation and Grants/Aid funded projects.

According to her, this represented 33 per cent of the expenditure budget.

Ahmed said President Buhari

was more concerned about leaving improved agriculture production as legacy, adding: “Currently, agriculture sector contributes 23 per cent of the GDP. We have record of expanding the agricultural value chain; we've had very little or no processing in agriculture until this administration.

“We now have a very large number of fertiliser blending plants, about 42, that are operating at full capacity. We also have a large number of rice mills that didn't exist before.

“We have a lot of Nigerians that have taken up agriculture as a business, but apart from agriculture, the President is also rolling out rail lines, some of which had been started several years ago, have been completed.

“The Lagos/Ibadan rail line is now put to use. We all know about the Abuja/Kaduna and also the Itakpe/Warri rail line has been completed. Work has kicked off on the Kano to Kaduna end of

the Lagos/Kano/Ibadan rail line.

“So, Mr. President wants to leave these rail lines. Rail is very important because it is a major means of moving goods across the country. When the rail lines are completed, it will provide much needed relief in terms of movement of goods that our roads now suffer by use of trucks.

“We are also investing in deployment of major roads. Some of them are completed, some are at various levels of completion. There's also the 2nd Niger Bridge that is also going to be completed during the tenure of this administration.

“The major projects that I just mentioned are fully provided for in the budget. The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has a provision of N388 billion; the Power sector has about N377 billion; the Ministry of Agriculture has N98 billion; the Transportation Ministry has N189 billion.

Continued on page 45

OPEC Gives Condition for Nigeria’s Oil Production Quota Increase Gas crisis implies energy transition being mishandled, says Barkindo Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) yesterday maintained that no country, including Nigeria, which has under-performed in meeting its monthly oil quota allocation would have its baseline increased.

The oil producers’ group insisted that it beats common logic that Nigeria which has consistently failed to meet its quota in the last couple of months, would be asking for an increase when it was obvious that the country was having challenges pumping its portion of the liquid.

A source at OPEC Secretariat, Vienna, told THISDAY that Nigeria had not met the condition which would warrant an increase in its baseline and by extension its monthly quota, noting that until that requirement is met, it will be difficult to mull a production hike.

“The current supply adjustment, Nigeria has not met it. It is when it is exhausted that request for increase will arise,” the top OPEC source stated.

Despite requesting for a higher baseline in August, Nigeria has failed to meet the existing crude oil supply quota allocated to it

by OPEC, underperforming by

90,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, or roughly 2.8 million barrels during the month. This made its production of 1.43 million bpd one of the lowest in five years.

In same month, Nigeria, which potentially has the capacity to produce two million bpd, other things being equal, slumped from its July figure of 1.520 million bpd, according to an OPEC document obtained by THISDAY. Aside infrastructure challenges and technical difficulties, leading to shut-ins, there have also been instances of community or workers’ protests, which incessantly disrupt operations, leading to severe losses.

Nigeria further under-supplied to the tune of about 114,000 bpd daily in September.

THISDAY had reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its partners lost 6.035 million barrels of crude oil to emergency shutdowns in August in 32 such incidents throughout its facilities in the country. A breakdown of the losses, according to the document, indicated that the highest combined shortage of 1.62 million barrels was from Qua Iboe, with 200,000 barrels due to production shut-in arising from flare management and low

wellhead pressure.

A month later, the losses increased to 7.193 million barrels, the highest in months, mostly as a result of shut-ins due to incessant repairs as well as, to a lesser extent, disruptions arising from community workers' protests and fire incidents.

The Minister of State Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) , Mallam Mele Kyari, recently projected that by the end of October or mid-November, things would return to normal.

Analysts have pinned the problem down to waning investment and nagging maintenance problems which continue to hobble Nigeria’s output as a consequence of several shutdowns, with the latest disruptions happening in 40 incidences.

Meanwhile, as oil prices push above $80 per barrel and fears over the global energy crunch grow, OPEC has dismissed insinuations by some observers that the coalition isn’t doing enough to steady the market.

Secretary-General of the organisation, Dr Sanusi Barkindo, told critics that the blame was elsewhere,

explaining that the turmoil spreading from natural gas markets shows that the energy transition is impeding vital investment in supply.

Speaking at the Energy Intelligence Forum yesterday, Barkindo said the mishandling of the energy transition was beginning to have a negative impact on the industry, noting that the process could be better handled than is currently being done.

“The energy transition is not being handled properly. And hence we are beginning to see the fall-out,” Barkindo said at the event.

Barkindo argued that the group’s decision this week to increase supplies gradually , like last year’s agreement to cut output during the pandemic, showed its committed to a sustainable market balance.

He maintained that the fundamental problem in the energy sector lies with the ‘hysteria’ that has gripped thinking on the move away from fossil fuels, shrinking much-needed investment, even in developing countries.

The OPEC helmsman added: “We call on the leading polluters, the leader emitters to pause and work on sustainable solutions when they gather for the next round of climate talks in Glasgow next month.”

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AT FEC MEETING...

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and the Minister of State for Finance, PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja... yesterday

World Bank Raises Nigeria's Growth Projection to 2.4% Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The World Bank Group has raised its 2021 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projection for Nigeria to 2.4 per cent, higher than the 1. 8 per cent it had estimated for the country.

The multilateral institution also declared that Sub-Saharan Africa was set to emerge from the 2020 recession sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic with growth expected to expand by 3.3 per cent in 2021.

In its twice-yearly economic update, 'Pulse,' the Washington-based institution noted that current speeds of economic recovery in the region was varied, with the three largest economies--Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa, expected to grow by 0.4 per cent, 2.4 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively.

Excluding South Africa and Nigeria, the rest of Sub-Saharan was rebounding faster at a growth rate of 3.6 per cent in 2021, with non-resource-rich countries like Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya expected to recover strongly at 6.2 and 5.0 per cent, respectively, the report added.

Captioned, "Africa's Pulse: Climate Change Adaptation and Economic Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa," the World Bank report observed that due to prudent monetary and fiscal policies, the region’s fiscal deficit, at 5.4 per cent of GDP in 2021, was expected to narrow to 4.5 per cent of GDP in 2022 and 3 per cent of GDP in 2023 According to the report, the rebound in the region was being fueled by elevated commodity prices, a relaxation of stringent pandemic measures, and recovery in global

trade, but remains vulnerable given the low rates of vaccination on the continent, protracted economic damage, and a slow pace of recovery.

It stated that the growth for 2022 and 2023, would also remain just below four per cent, continuing to lag the recovery in advanced economies and emerging markets, and reflecting subdued investment in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Chief Economist for Africa at the World Bank, Albert Zeufack explained: “Fair and broad access to effective and safe COVID 19 vaccines is key to saving lives and strengthening Africa’s economic recovery.

"Faster vaccine deployment would accelerate the region’s growth to 5.1 per cent in 2022 and 5.4 per cent in 2023—as more containment measures are lifted, boosting consumption and investment."

A positive trend, the report noted, was that African countries have seized the opportunity of the crisis to foster structural and macroeconomic reforms, adding that several countries had embarked on difficult but necessary structural reforms, including the unification of exchange rates in Sudan, fuel subsidy reform in Nigeria, and the opening of the telecommunications sector to the private sector in Ethiopia.

"However fiscal discipline, combined with limited fiscal space, has prevented African countries from injecting the level of resources required to launch a vigorous policy response to COVID-19.

"Apart from mounting fiscal pressures and rising debt levels as they implement measures

Osinbajo to Attend UN Climate Change Conference The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will be representing President Muhammadu Buhari tomorrow at a series of meetings hosted by the United Nations ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference also known as COP 26.

The conference is to hold later this month, from October 31st to November 12th in Glassgow, Scotland in the United Kingdom.

A statement by spokesman to the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, explained that the meetings to be held in London this Friday, would focus on the issues around a just and equitable energy transition towards the attainment of the global target of Net-Zero emissions by 2050.

Osinbajo, who had spoken earlier at the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy had been articulating the federal government's view that as the international community

proceeds towards the Net-Zero emissions target, there was the need to ensure that the transition was just and equitable taking into consideration the status of developing nations like Nigeria who would still depend on gas projects in the period of the transition.

There has been concerns expressed by developing countries like Nigeria that the plan -(being a part of the Net-Zero emissions target) -to defund gas projects by a number of developed countries and certain multilateral agencies could rub developing countries like Nigeria wrongly, especially as such countries only contribute very minimal percentage of the fossil fuel emissions.

Akande confirmed that the VP would be representing the President at the event being organised by UN Energy this weekend in London.

for a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery, Sub-Saharan African countries are also faced with worsening impacts of climate change," the World Bank report said.

It advised that just as the countries used the crisis to introduce reform measures, they should also harness this opportunity to make sustainable, resilient transitions toward

low-carbon economies that can provide long-term benefits in the form of reduced environmental hazards as well as new economic development openings The report highlighted Africa’s unique context of low baseline development, pre-existing climate vulnerabilities, limited energy access, and high reliance on climate-sensitive

sectors— as posing challenges but also providing opportunities to transform the economy and create jobs.

It pointed out that private firms and governments in Africa were providing training for jobs in solar energy (Togo and South Africa).

According to the report, investments in climate-smart

infrastructure could help cities create jobs, adding that decarbonisation was an opportunity to foster manufacturing activity in the region, including the production of components of the Internet of Things, value-addition to minerals that will power the green economy, and insertion into regional value chains.

Emefiele Harps on Increased Digital Payment System Surveillance Insists eNaira won't fuel inflation Eromosele Abiodun, James Emejo and Nume Ekeghe in Enugu The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, yesterday emphasised the need for an increased regulatory oversight in order to proactively monitor developments in the electronic and digital payment systems amidst the growing impact of financial technology companies (Fintechs).

He said regulators must also ensure continuous safety and soundness of the financial ecosystem.

This is as the bank also clarified that contrary to speculations, the planned unveiling of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) also known as the eNaira, would not exacerbate inflationary pressure on the economy.

Emefiele stated this in an address at Enugu State, while declaring open the CBN's 31st Seminar for Finance Correspondents and Business Editors, with the theme: "Trends in Nigerian Payments System: Regulating the Fintech Digital Playing Field."

Represented by CBN Deputy Governor, Corporate Services Directorate, Mr. Edward Lamekek Adamu, the CBN governor noted that discussions had increased around issue of digital economy as more opportunities have emerged for financial institutions and other players within the payment ecosystem to innovate and provide more efficient options for payments and settlements.

He, however, said regulators must keep pace with these exponential developments in the digital financial landscape and leverage new knowledge and technology tools to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their mandate.

He pointed out that from all indications, digital revolution would remain a focus for financial institutions in the months ahead, therefore making Fintechs a major driver of the industry.

According to him, "As the global economy recovers from COVID-19, it is obvious that Fintech will play a more important role towards

resilient and sustainable recovery.

"Studies have already shown that only one per cent of Fintechs have been critically affected by COVID-19 and two per cent severely affected.

By comparison, around 17 per cent of other high-growth companies fall into these categories."

He added, "It is therefore unsurprising that many Fintechs have experienced a surge in demand as working practices and customer banking habits changed."

Emefiele further stressed that the eNaira would help the CBN in attaining its goals of fostering greater inclusion using digital channels, supporting cross border payments for businesses as well as providing a reliable channel for remittances inflows into the country.

He said with the deployment of the eNaira, Nigerians in remote areas would conduct financial activities using their digital as well as features on phone devices.

He said, "Partnering with our stakeholders in the financial industry, I believe that more Nigerians will be financially included."

He said the eNaira, which is

expected to be launched in a couple of days, would make Nigeria one of the first countries in Africa, and indeed in the globe, to adopt the digitisation of its national currency.

He said the payments system of any country play a pivotal role in its economy, being the channel through which financial resources flow from one segment of the economy to the other.

However, CBN Director, Monetary Policy Department, Mr. Hassan Mahmud, in his presentation on the "Implications and Trends in the Digital Financial Ecosystem for Monetary Policy Implementation", said the eNaira's impact on inflation remained zero at the moment.

Also, during a roundtable discussion on " Creating a Secure Cyber Environment for Financial Transaction", the panelists agreed that the protection of end-users of financial technology was paramount.

They also harped on the need for proper sensitisation of consumers in order to minimise the level of fraudulent transactions, which had cost banks and individuals a fortune.

CBN Assistant Director, Payment Management System, Rakiya Yusuf, said every stakeholder including the consumers have the responsibility to safeguard electronic payment systems from any form of compromise.

The Chairman, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Abuja Branch, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, said dispute resolution needed to be accorded attention in digital transactions.

Interswitch's Akeem Lawal also said customer protection was paramount, adding that the focus should be on how to help customers recover funds where there is a theft.

He said to achieve safety of the digital ecosystem; the CBN's guidelines on payment systems must be taken seriously.

In the same vein, the Chief Product Officer, Accelerex, Mr. Chuks Anakudo said as much as it was the responsibility of service providers to ensure safety of consumers, the end-users should also have the responsibility to protect their sensitive information from fraudsters and the public.

EFCC Probes N157bn Pension Fraud Cases FG resolute in hunting down pension fraudsters, says Mustapha Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) has revealed that it has probed pension fraud cases to the tune of N157 billion.

The Director of Operations, EFCC, Mr. Adulkarim Chukkol disclosed this while speaking at a two-day workshop with the theme: "Eradication of Pension Fraud in Nigeria," organised by the National Pension Commission and the EFCC. He said the agency was ready to bring those who embezzled funds meant for pensioners to justice.

Speaking at the occasion, Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said government would be resolute in dealing with the crime of pension fraud. He described

pension fraud as heinous, insensitive and condemnable.

"We are resolute in dealing with the crime of pension fraud. No matter the description we give it, every pension fraud is heinous, insensitive and condemnable act.

"It is unfair for such a crime to be perpetrated against innocent pensioners by robbing them of their legitimate earnings they worked so hard for during their retirement," he added.

He commended the synergy among the stakeholders which he said would permit analysis of the causes of pension fraud and the measures to check them.

He said the government was conscious of its responsibility in the pension sector and resolved to deal with criminal acts of pension fraud in all ramifications.

He disclosed that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had demonstrated a rare commitment to ameliorating the plight of pensioners through various administrative and policy interventions.

He listed some of the initiatives of the administration targeted at making life more meaningful for pensioners to include the release of N55 billion to settle outstanding pension arrears, placement of 3,542 pensioners of the Delta Steel Company on the payroll, placement of over 2000 staff of the defunct Nigerian Telecommunication Limited, NITEL, on the payroll, approval of funds to pay the entitlement of dismissed Biafran Police Officers and the settlement of claims of disengaged staff of defunct Nigeria Airways.

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NEW EDO CJ TAKES OATH OF OFFICE...

L-R: Wife of the Edo State Chief Judge, Christiana Acha; Edo State Chief Judge, Justice Joe Acha; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; his Deputy, Philip Shaibu; Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha, after the swearing-in of the Chief Judge, at the Government House, Benin City... yesterday

VAT: FG May Challenge States Directly at Supreme Court, Says Malami Clarifies position on open grazing ban Deji Elumoye in Abuja The federal government may approach the Supreme Court to determine if the states have any constitutional right to collect the controversial Value Added Tax (VAT).

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, who spoke to newsmen after the weekly virtual Federal Executive Council meeting at Abuja, emphasised that the federal government was contemplating heading straight to the Supreme Court to determine the rightful authority between the states and federal government to collect the contentious consumption tax.

According to him: “The issue of VAT, well, as you rightly know, there were certain judgments obtained by some state governors at their jurisdiction and localities before their respective state High Courts, and arising from that judgments and the laws that were passed by those state governments, the federal government filed an appeal against the judgement challenging the laws that were put in place, which I feel has been determined by the Court of Appeal.

“The Court of Appeal has granted an order of stay of execution, directing these state governments to maintain status quo pending the determination of the main appeal and these matters are being considered for determination.

“And some other governors have filed in an application for joinder, seeking to be joined in the matter as interested parties. But again, there is pending, equally, an application and preliminary objection for that matter, challenging the competence of the

action and indeed the judgement that was obtained.

“But the federal government is still looking at other possibilities, all options open in terms of challenging the action, the action of the state government.

“But one thing that is fundamental that you need to know as being the issue equally being considered for determination by the court is the federal government is challenging the powers of the state governments to legislate on the issues associated with collection of VAT.

“And the position of the federal government as canvassed which is being looked into by the judicial system is to the effect that by our laws, the powers to legislate on collection of VAT is statutorily vested in the National Assembly.”

He added: “And with that in mind, it is not within the scope and powers of the state government to legislate on the issue of collection.

“So, what I'm saying in essence, is just to give an insight as to the multiple contention between the parties as being has been canvassed,

presented for the determination of the court.

“And we are indeed litigating these issues before the court and the federal government is looking at all options at its disposal, inclusive of the possibility of invoking the jurisdiction, the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, taking into consideration that the dispute at hand is a dispute between the state government and the federal government, in respect of which only the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to entertain taking into consideration

and liberty of movement among others…And what the Office of the Attorney General has simply succeeded in doing is making a reference to relevant constitutional provisions and established a position that each and every Nigerian is entitled to freedom of movement simpliciter.

“So, the issue is whether that freedom of movement is constitutionally guaranteed, or is not. And my answer to it is, the freedom of movement is indeed, constitutionally guaranteed.”

Senate Okays Four-man Board for Upstream Regulatory Commission DPR ceases to exist with confirmation of NURC Board, says Lawan Deji Elumoye and Juliet Akoje in Abuja The Senate has confirmed the nomination of a four-man board for the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NURC) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Those confirmed included Isa Ibrahim Modibbo – Chairman; Engr.

Gbenga Komolafe – Chief Executive; Hassan Gambo – Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts; and Ms Rose Ndong – Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management.

The confirmation of the nominees at yesterday’s plenary was sequel to the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Senator Albert Bassey Akpan, said the nominees

demonstrated sufficient knowledge of the workings of the petroleum industry, especially the upstream petroleum sector, as well as the economics of petroleum exploration and production.

He added that the appointments of the nominees satisfied the requirements of Sections 11 and 18 (1-5) of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.

According to him, “there are no adverse reports against the nominees as record checks and other forms of investigations by security agencies did not reveal any negative trace against them.”

Akpan said the Committee was satisfied about the qualifications, experience, suitability, competence and integrity of the nominees to assume the position of Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission.

In his remarks, the Senate

President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, said the establishment of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission would provide a foundation for the stabilisation of the petroleum industry in Nigeria.

According to him: “The Regulatory Commission has the enormous and huge responsibility of setting and establishing the Commission as provided in the Petroleum Industry Act. “They have the unenviable responsibility of ensuring that they commit themselves and work hard to provide the solid and stable foundation for that matter, that they don’t waste any time because time is of essence.

“The Petroleum Industry will go through a reform process and the process has already started.

This Commission is one of the huge arms of those reforms that will stabilise the petroleum industry

Sanwo-Olu Names Gbagada Housing Estate After Ndubuisi Kanu Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, named the State Housing Estate in Gbagada after the late leader of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and ex-Military Administrator of Lagos State, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd).

He said the Gbagada Estate, which was expected to be commissioned later this year was named after Kanu, to demonstrate to others that Lagos State would never forget her heroes.

"It is our hope that every time outstanding and heroic leadership is recognised and rewarded, new leaders will be inspired to emerge and continue from where the departing generation left off," he said.

Speaking during a ‘Day of Tributes’ in honour of Kanu organised by the Lagos State Government at the Blue Roof, LTV Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu

the constitutional provisions relating thereto.

“So, this is the position we are as far as contention among the parties relating to the VAT is concerned.”

On the position expressed by his office concerning Southern states/herders crisis and the ban on open grazing, which has attracted divergent views, Malami explained that his office had not taken any stance outside the scope of the constitution.

“The position of the Office of the Attorney General, is about freedom

described the deceased former governor as "a most visionary and courageous governor of our dear Lagos State" and an "Outstanding Nigerian."

Sanwo-Olu said Kanu, in his service as military governor of Lagos State, between 1977 and 1978, "was one of those who laid the foundation of modern Lagos; a foundation that his successors have been proud to inherit and build upon."

He said Nigerians owed Kanu and other NADECO comrades gratitude for their selfless and tireless struggle for the entrenchment of democratic system in Nigeria.

In his welcome address, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, described the late Kanu as a man, who played his role well and had impact in the lives of Nigerians, worked towards the unity and fought for the actualisation of democracy in Nigeria as

well as an achiever, who lived and died for the good of the people.

He said: "The late Admiral Kanu, a tested nationalist, lived his life for the good of the people. He loved the people and was always willing to make them happy. A dependable and trustworthy comrade, he lived a contented life, devoid of avarice and unbridled pursuit of personal wealth.

"He loathed injustice as a plague.

A pro-democracy activist, he detested oppression and was at the forefront of the battle against military dictatorship between 1993 and 1999."

One of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,also described Kanu as a patriot and partner in the struggle for democracy and enthronement of true federalism in Nigeria.

Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State, who was represented

by his deputy, Otunba Femi Pedro, said Kanu was "a rare breed in his consistent and unwavering commitment to social justice, democracy and workable federalism in Nigeria", adding that, "Admiral Kanu was a Lagosian, true Nigeria nationalist in the very true sense of that phrase.

"In everything that he (Kanu) did, from his work as former administrator of Lagos State to the sacrifices he made to help NADECO during the struggle for the actualisation of June 12, Rear Admiral Kanu was highly principled. He provided democratic vision and meaningful ideas to advance historic struggle."

Kanu's wife, Gladys; son, Jeffery; NADECO leader, Chief Ayo Opadokun and others described the deceased as a detribalised Nigerian, freedom fighter, disciplined, principled, patriotic and selfless man who should be celebrated.

in Nigeria.

“While the Senate confirms them, we expect nothing less than commitment and patriotism on their side. The Senate wishes them the best and a very fruitful tenure as they take their offices.

“We expect that the other regulatory authority for downstream and midstream will also be confirmed as soon as possible, so they also start their work immediately.”

The Senate President also said the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) would cease to exist as a regulatory agency in the petroleum sector with the confirmation of the appointment of board members of the NURC. He stated that the DPR would stop to function once the approved board of NURC starts functioning Implication of the establishment of the Commission on the continued existence of DPR, came to the fore when Senator Chukwuka Utazi while contributing to the Revised 2022 - 2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) said the DPR should no longer be subjected to control of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Lawan was quick to respond to Utazi's submission saying "we need to get the laws passed right, the question of DPR being controlled by the NNPC will not arise again once the NURC swings into action.

"The DPR in a nutshell will cease to exist the moment the approved board of NURC start working."

Meanwhile, the Senate Presiden has advised his colleagues to cultivate the habit of talking less to the journalists to prevent being misunderstood.

He said: "I will encourage us to talk less to the press not to give the press wrong impression but talk more to ourselves".

Lawan was responding to a point of order on privilege raised by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege on the interview granted by the Senate

Minority Leader, Senator Eyinaya Abaribe to a Television station where he disclosed that the Senate voted along party line during the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

Omo-Agege raised his grievances concerning what Senator Abaribe told the television station on Tuesday, that prior to the consideration of PIB, it was decided that the Niger Delta host communities would be given five per cent, but APC members later took party position and reduced it to three per cent.

He said there was no instance where the APC caucus met and took a decision that the people of the host communities have their allotted percentage of the bill be reduced.

Omo-Agege said he felt extremely offended by Abaribe’s comments and speaks for himself as well as members of APC within the party.

He pointed to the fact the he remembered many voting for the approval of five per cent and the matter was debated at the chamber until the majority voted for three per cent, which he said was democratically agreed.

According to him, it was not a party decision, it was neither the APC nor PDP position as suggested

by Abaribe In his remarks, Lawan said: "Senate as far as I can remember never voted along party lines. As politicians ours is to lobby and engage our colleagues each time we think there’s an issue we are interested in.

"When the Senate comes to a decision we should be at the forefront of informing the public properly. Because it is our duty more than anybody else to give the correct information to the public.

"Having said this, this is one chamber. Even if it is one Senator that stands for something and that Senator loses the vote, that Senator must not lose the hope of getting other Senators to see the issue the way they stand the next day"

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TEN I N H ISTO RIC MOVE, WHO APPR OVES WOR L D ' S F I R ST M AL AR I A VAC C I N E is yet to visit the family of Dr Chike Akunyili, husband of late Professor Dora Akunyili, who was brutally murdered by still yet to be identified gunmen last week.

"The governor appears holed up in government house, while his state is on fire. He seems to have lost control to villains who strike at will and disappear. He neither associates nor attend meetings with his colleagues."

The emergency rule suggestion came as Ebonyi State Governor, and Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum, Dave Umahi, Wednesday, said counter-secessionist groups might emerge in the zone if the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) did not call its members to order and stop the threats and killings.

But the leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Southern and Middle-Belt Alliance (SaMBA) rejected the idea of emergency rule in Anambra State, saying it is completely unwarranted.

In the same vein, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, described the statement

by Malami indicating a possible resort to a state of emergency in Anambra State as a self-indictment.

Malami said the federal government would not fail to take precautions to ensure that the democratic order was kept safe, saying no possibility is ruled out, including the declaration of a state of emergency.

The minister stated, “When our national security is attacked and the sanctity of our constitutionally guaranteed democracy is threatened, no possibility is ruled out. As a government, we have a responsibility to ensure the sustenance of our democratic order. We have a responsibility to provide security to life and property.

“So, within the context of these constitutional obligations of the government or the desire to maintain democratic norms and order, there is no possibility that is ruled out. The government will certainly do the needful in terms of ensuring that our elections are held in Anambra in terms of ensuring necessary security is provided, and in terms of ensuring protection is accorded to life and property.

“So, what I'm saying in essence, no possibility is ruled out by government in terms of ensuring the sanctity of our democratic order, in terms of ensuring that our elections in Anambra holds, and you cannot out rule possibilities, inclusive of the possibility of declaration of state of emergency, where it is established, in essence, that there is a failure on

the part of the state government to ensure the sanctity of security of life, property, and democratic order.

“So, our position as a government is, these elections are going to provide necessary security in terms of preserving democratic order. Order must certainly prevail for the purpose of this election.

“We resolve to have these elections, the elections are going to hold and no possibilities are ruled out in terms of ensuring the provision of security, for the purpose of safe conduct of the election, as far as Anambra is concerned.”

Counter-groups likely in S’East against IPOB, says Umahi

Equally addressing the security concerns in Anambra State, Umahi, who described the agitation for Biafra as “madness”, said the Southeast elite did not want secession, but only desired that the zone be treated fairly and equitably as other zones in the country. He vowed that the South-east would not be grounded or turned to a killing field by secessionist agitators.

Umahi spoke yesterday as a guest on Channels Television’s “Sunrise Daily” breakfast programme.

The governor said youths in the region, who shunned dialogue to make their grievances heard and resolved, but chose the path of agitation to cause criminality, would be “isolated as criminals”.

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator for Abia South, had said aside from IPOB and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), there were more than 30 separatist organisations in the South-east.

But Umahi, who reacted to the claim, said the two separatist groups he knew of were IPOB and MASSOB. He said Abaribe spoke “from the point of his information”, adding that while MASSOB has never been violent, IPOB circulated messages of fear and killings in the zone.

According to the governor, who defected from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in November last year, “The separatist groups we know of, IPOB, we know of MASSOB. MASSOB has never been violent and they are approachable and they tend to reason with us, but this other people, IPOB, their command is never in the country and everyone of them stays out and dishes out messages of bitterness and messages of threats and fear and killings and are not here with

us to feel the pains.

“So, these are just the two groups that I can talk about but I fear that if IPOB does not call their people to order and stop these threats and killings and all that, other groups will rise up to counter it.

But there is no way South-east would be grounded, there is no way South-east will be sitting at home while other parts of the country will be doing businesses whereas we are the people that should be moving, because we earn our living by moving.”

Umahi said the stay-at-home order by IPOB to protest the detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since June, would not be obeyed by south easterners if there was enough security presence in the zone.

The APC chieftain also said it was not true that criminals from outside Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Abia and Enugu states were perpetrating the bloodletting in the South-east, including the burning of police stations and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“We are chief security officers in our various states and we understand what is happening; we know that it is our people that are killing our people and they started killing security men, they started burning houses, they started stopping people from moving freely and we started shouting,” the governor said.

In the lingering stay-at-home order, which has paralysed economic activities in the zone, Umahi said, “People are not sitting at home out of obedience or compliance; people are sitting at home out of fear for their lives.

“If you have a policeman to everybody, nobody is going to obey any sit-at-home, nobody is going to obey that. We are going to do what we have been doing to safeguard the lives of our people, because we’ve got the confidence of our people that you cannot have Biafra by the way they are going about it.

"Every elite in South-east is not desirous of Biafra. We don’t want Biafra; we want to be treated equally like other regions in Nigeria. So, this

ment to assist with the funding for research and also making money available for people who can’t afford some of the drugs that could ease the pain and reduce frequent hospital visits.

The drug, Crizanlizumab, made

by Novartis, is injected into a vein and can be taken on its own or alongside standard treatment and regular blood transfusions.

And in a trial, patients taking the crizanlizumab had a sickle-cell crisis 1.6 times a year on average, compared with nearly three times a year normally.

The NHS had described the development as revolutionary.

People with SCD endure severe pain during the ‘sickle cell crisis’ that can occur multiple times per year, often requiring hospital admission so they can be given morphine to control the pain and prevent organ failure which can be fatal.

Announcing the new treatment, NHS’ chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, had said the drug deal would help as many as 5,000 people over the next three years to have a much better quality of life.

Nigeria has an estimated 25 per cent of its adult population being carriers of defective S-gene. SCD is a genetic (hereditary) disorder that occurs when an individual has inherited two mutant (abnormal) haemoglobin (Hb) genes from both parents, at least one of which is HbS and the resulting

APGA Warns Against Emergency Move

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the ruling party in Anambra State, warned the federal government not to toy with the idea of emergency rule in the state. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Tex Okechukwu, APGA described such move as uncalled for since Anambra State, saying Anambra has for over seven years ranked as the most peaceful state in Nigeria.

The statement questioned the rationale behind the idea of emergency rule in the state, less than one month to a governorship election, by the same federal government that had not suspended normal constitutional procedures in states with worse security challenges, like Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Niger, and Nasarawa.

However, those are not in an election situation.

The party advised the federal government to look inwards and unmask those formenting trouble in the state, instead of taking a decision that could cause more harm than good to the country's democracy.

APGA also called on all wellmeaning people in Anambra State to rise up and condemn the plan, as it would truncate all the achievements of the state government.

"We reason that some persons are afraid to face the electorate in Anambra State and are devising a face-saving method to trample upon the will of the people," APGA declared.

It urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to succumb to “the devious machinations of a few desperadoes, but to look more at the

far-reaching benefits of sustaining the peace and progress that had existed in Anambra State before the present insecurity set in.”

PDP Kicks, Says Emergency Rule Ploy to Rig Election

PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the move to impose emergency rule in Anambra State was a ploy by the APC-led federal government to suppress the people, manipulate the electoral process, and rig the outcome of the governorship election for its candidate.

Ologbondiyan stated, "Our party demands that the APC and its administration should come clean on their roles in the sudden rise in insecurity in Anambra State ahead of the election.

“This demand is predicated on apprehensions in the public space that the spate of insecurity in Anambra is contrived to heighten tension in the state so as to derail the democratic process to the advantage of the APC." PDP insisted that the federal government had the capacity to ensure peace in Anambra before, during and even after the election, if it so desired.

The party said in the statement, "We, therefore, invite the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC federal government to be guided accordingly. Our party also charges the people of Anambra State to remain calm and alert as well as take steps within the ambits of the law to resist plots by the APC to derail the electoral process in its inordinate ambition to seize Anambra through the back door."

SaMBA Rejects Emergency Rule

The Southern and Middle-Belt Alliance (SaMBA) rejected the suggestion by Malami for a state of emergency, in a statement on Wednesday. The group wondered why Malami would threaten such in Anambra State while ignoring the northern states of Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger, where a "Festival of Killings" was going.

In the statement signed by its

spokesman, Rwang Pam Jnr, SaMBA said Malami should not forget that despite the "killings festival" in those northern states, elections were conducted without the declaration of a state of emergency.

The alliance stated, "It is surprising that the Attorney General of the Federation will make such statement seeing that such statement may lend credence to the suspicion that the crisis in Anambra State is being orchestrated by some clique in the ruling All Progressive Congress Party to win the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

"Elections were conducted in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger, despite the ‘killings festival’ that is going on in those states in the country and AGF did not talk about declaring state of emergency in those areas.

"We note that security forces have moved into the South-east region to secure lives and property and, therefore, call on Malami to bury the thought of declaring a state of emergency in the state for the conduct of November 6 governorship election."

Afenifere: Declaration Will Amount to Failure

Afenifere, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, said the declaration by Malami regarding a possible emergency rule was more of a verdict of failure on the part of the federal government to provide security than the failure of the Anambra State government.

Afenifere stated that to shift the failure blame to the state government was shocking and unfortunate.

However, Afenifere said it was in order for the federal government to warn that the incessant violence in the state was unacceptable and might lead to undesirable consequences. But it said it was the height of blame game and hypocrisy to put all the blame on the state government when the main security apparatuses in the country were controlled exclusively by the federal government.

Afenifere stated, "The highest any state government in Nigeria is allowed to do in terms of security Continued on page 42

HISTORY, AS WHO APPROVES WORLD'S FIRST MALARIA VACCINE vaccine’s impact on preventing deaths, which has led some experts to question whether it is a worthwhile investment in countries with countless other intractable problems.

But severe malaria accounts for up to half of malaria

ARISE NEWS TO FACILITATE AVAILABILITY OF NEW SICKLE CELL DRUG IN NIGERIA expert teams that will be available 24 hours a day, to be able to support people. So this really is a great day for millions of people around the world, but in particular, our patients and our public in England, who will now have the benefit of this revolutionary treatment that aims to improve their quality of lives, and reduce the frequency of these horrendously painful crisis episodes,” she said.

Owolabi also made some clarifications that it was not a drug trial as trials have been concluded, rigorously tested, assessed, proven to be safe and effective.

According to her, “It's going to cut accident and emergency attendance by up to 40 per cent which we are seeing from the trial data. The National Health Service has worked incredibly hard with the pharmaceutical industry to secure access to this medication and I am sure that health leaders and services around the world will be able to have similar conversations as well.”

Discussing legislative issues around the pending Sickle Cell Prevention Bill, which had been proposed to Nigeria’s Senate, the Chairman, Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, Prof. Olu Akinyanju, said the Bill never went through and it was impossible to prevent people from getting married to each other regardless of their respective genotypes.

He called on the federal govern-

idea of Biafra, Biafra is madness and we have said, no, we don’t want Biafra.”

The governor alleged that IPOB and other separatist groups in the South-east were being given a push by “pretentious agitations” in the South-west and other parts of the country.

He said, “If we go our separate ways, South-east people will lose a lot because we have invested a lot in every part of this nation. It is not to our advantage to leave our investment and walk away.”

symptoms and signs are due to abnormality in the shape of red blood cells.

Ehanire recently disclosed that available record showed that SCD affects nearly 100 million people in the world and was also responsible for over 50 per cent of deaths in those with the most severe form of the disease (Hb SS).

He had said sickle cell was the most prevalent genetic disease in Africa, adding that in many countries in the country, including Nigeria, 10 to 40 per cent of the population carry the sickle-cell gene resulting in estimated SCD prevalence of at least two per cent.

He had estimated that 150,000 affected children are born every year in Nigeria.

“Nigeria currently has the highest burden of Sickle Cell Disease in the whole World ahead of Democratic Republic of Congo and India, with an estimated 25 per cent of her adult population being carriers of defective S-gene.

“WHO in 2015 estimated that two per cent of new-borns in Nigeria are affected by sickle cell anaemia, giving a total of about 150,000 affected children born every year. About 50 per cent–80 per cent of the estimated 150,000 infants born yearly with SCD in Nigeria die before the age of five years and those that manage to survive suffer end-organs damage which shortens their lifespan including stroke,” Ehanire had said.

deaths and is considered “a reliable proximal indicator of mortality. I do expect we will see that impact,” Dr. Mary Hamel, who leads the WHO’s malaria vaccine implementation programme, said.

A modelling study last year had estimated that if the vaccine were rolled out to countries with the highest incidence of malaria, it could prevent 5.4 million cases and 23,000 deaths in children younger than age five each year.

A recent trial of the vaccine in combination with preventive drugs given to children during high-transmission seasons found that the dual approach was much more effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalisation and death than either method alone.

To have a malaria vaccine that is safe, moderately effective and ready for distribution is “a historical event,” Director of WHO’s Global Malaria Programme, Dr. Pedro Alonso said.

Parasites are much more complex than viruses or bacteria, and the quest for a malaria vaccine has been underway for a hundred years, he added, stressing, “It’s a huge jump from the science perspective to have a first-generation vaccine against a human parasite.”

The malaria parasite is a particularly insidious enemy, because it can strike the same person over and over.

In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, even those where most people sleep under insecticidetreated bed nets, children have on average six malaria episodes a year.

Even when the disease is not fatal, the repeated assault on their bodies can leave them weak and vulnerable to other

pathogens, permanently altering the immune system.

Malaria research is littered with vaccine candidates that never made it past clinical trials.

Bed nets, the most widespread preventive measure, cut malaria deaths in children under age five by only about 20 per cent.

Against that backdrop, the new vaccine, even with modest efficacy, is the best new development in the fight against the disease in decades, some experts said.

“Progress against malaria has really stalled over the last five or six years, particularly in some of the hardest hit countries in the world,” said Ashley Birkett, who heads malaria programmes at PATH, a non-profit organisation focused on global health.

With the new vaccine, “there’s potential for very, very significant impact there,” Birkett added.

Following the clinical trials, the vaccine was tried out in three countries — Kenya, Malawi and Ghana — where it was incorporated into routine immunisation programmes.

More than 2.3 million doses have been administered in those countries, reaching more than 800,000 children. That bumped up the percentage of children protected against malaria in some way to more than 90 per cent from less than 70 per cent, Hamel said.

“The ability to reduce inequities in access to malaria prevention — that’s important.

It was impressive to see that this could reach children who are currently not being protected,” Hamel added.

It took years to create an efficient system to distribute insecticide-treated bed nets to families. By contrast, making

Mosquirix a part of routine immunisation made it surprisingly easy to distribute, he Hamel added — even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted lockdowns and disrupted supply chains.

“We aren’t going to have to spend a decade trying to figure out how to get this to children,” he said.

This week, a working group of independent experts in malaria, child health epidemiology and statistics, as well as the WHO’s vaccine advisory group, met to review data from the pilot programmes and make their formal recommendation to Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus.

According to the NYT, the next step is for Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, to determine that the vaccine is a worthwhile investment.

If the organisation’s board approves the vaccine — not guaranteed, given the vaccine’s moderate efficacy and the many competing priorities — Gavi will purchase the vaccine for countries that request it, a process that is expected to take at least a year.

But as with COVID-19, problems with vaccine production and supply could considerably delay progress and the pandemic has also diverted resources and attention from other diseases, said Deepali Patel, who leads malaria vaccine programmes at Gavi.

“COVID-19 is a big unknown in the room in terms of where capacity is currently in countries, and rolling out COVID-19 vaccines is a huge effort. We’re really going to have to see how the pandemic unfolds next year in terms of when countries will be ready to pick up all of these other priorities,” Patel said.

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COMMENT

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

MANY CLIMATES TO CHANGE There are several human ‘climates’ that need change, writes Okello Oculi

O

n October 1, 2021, a television news item on Las Palmas volcano showed two new red hot pillars of lava shooting upwards: evoking from an observer that ‘’nature is angry with us humans’.’ Owners of the 900 houses destroyed by a combination of flowing lava and tremors from unceasing eruptions may be of such ruminations.

The over 10,000 angry youths assembled in Milan to mock ‘’Blah Blah Blah” pledges by leaders of countries whose factories out compete the volcano on Canary Island in shooting Carbon Dioxide into global skies probably cheered the wrath by nature. Its call for humanity to change the climate of their industrial economic greed, was probably not noticed by the young protestors.

Among the anti-Climate Change campaigners were those from African countries where village communities have not harvested millet, maize, sorghum due to dry soils preventing sowing, weeding and harvesting cycles. Growing protein-yielding beans and groundnuts wilted from lack of rain and blazing tropical sun.

A delegate from Kenya lamented the decimation of cattle, sheep, goats and poultry from lack of fodder and water to drink. Women are graduating from sharing drinking water with domestic animals and animals in the wild, to trekking long distances to collect muddy water from few holes in the ground. These are hazards not captured in the statistic of 3 per cent of Carbon Dioxide rising out of Africa.

Across East Asia another noxious Talibanised climate is driving brave women of Afghanistan into angry protests. The new ‘Emirate’’ is imposing on their fate by driving them out of secondary school and college education, as well as manifesting their talents through work outside their homes.

Butts of guns and whips wielded by hands of contempt for their human rights bashed at their demands for a new history, or rather, a return to a history of Afghan life and culture before the Mujahedeen and the Taliban imposed their will. Their form of Climate Change was not part of the ‘’Blah Blah Blah’’ being lambasted by the young demonstrators on streets of Milan.

On trembling official streets of Khartoum and Omdurman (Sudan’s cities on eyelid of a mournful River Nile), angry young women punched fists at political skies and led chants of determination to defend reforms for earning true democratic governance. A rump of soldiers loyal to three

INCIDENCES OF FRENCH POLICE HABITUALLY BEATING BLACK MEN INSIDE CLOSETS; A FRENCH SERIAL RAPIST, KILLER OF MANY WOMEN AND AN ELEVEN-YEAR OLD GIRL WHOSE BODY HE SET ON FIRE, SIMILAR POLICE APPETITES IN SOUTH AFRICA AND NIGERIA, COLLECTIVELY JOIN GLOBAL SHOUTS FOR CLIMATES OF CHANGE

decades of Oman Bashir’s ruthless rule had attempted a military coup against a ‘’transitional’’ military-civilian government. Although they had failed, there were fears that politicians had urged them test if angry youths would return to seize streets again.

Roars of busloads and trainloads of demonstrators from all regions of Sudan’s memory probably failed to reach Milan. The booms of rage in that Italian city almost certainly were not aware that if dictator Omar Bashir ruled over Milan they would have been showered with bullets and rhino-skin whips from his political climate.

On streets of Bamako (in Mali) and Conakry (in Guinea) exultant youths fuelled by hope that staccato of military guns had killed nightmares of governance by impudent corruption and terrorism against demands for serving the welfare of citizens. President Alfa Conde had wiped muddy feet on a Constitution limiting his appetite for power. Impunity had animated ethnic loyalty among his ethnic community to vote for his crippled third election contest; while violence cast the deciding vote.

In Bamako fatigue with war against Al Qaeda while foreign troops showed more interest in keeping China from eating from Mali’s uranium, gold and diamond mines than in protecting the people. Political leaders were weakened by corruption, while millions of unemployed youth rumbled with volcanic hope. The sound of impatient military thunderclaps became sounds of redemption.

These climates of change aroused a peculiar ‘’Blah Blah Blah’’ by African leaders trapped between wishes for building democratic governance and resisting urges to cross borders and punish corrupt and murderous leaders. In failing to lure Conde out of Conakry and fly him to cool his tongue on the Indian Ocean at Zanzibar – as Presidents Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki had done to Charles Taylor - they lost flares of messiahs at the people of Guinea. They failed to change a putrid climate that was choking Guinea’s African familyhoods.

Excited crowds welcoming these military coups resembled outbursts of joy when the Police knee-killer of George Floyd was declared guilty on all charges of crime. Subsequent incidences of French police habitually beating Black men inside closets; a British policeman hand cupping a woman on a street, later raping her and burning her body inside a wooded area; a French serial rapist, killer of many women and an eleven-year old girl whose body he set on fire, similar police appetites in South Africa and Nigeria, collectively join global shouts for climates of change

BREAKING A 25-YEAR JINX AT INEC

Dan’asabe Gana argues why it is reason enough to legalise electronic transmission of election results

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n the last three months or so the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been in headline news over several issues for both the right and wrong reasons. These issues include the National Assembly’s (NA’s) review of the extant Electoral Act, the expansion of voter access to the Commission’s Polling Units (PUs), Senate clearance of the Presidential nominees to replace the six who left in November last year, the conflicting orders it had received from courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction on party primaries ahead of the off-season Anambra governorship election early next month, and its conduct of over two dozen bye-elections since last year. This piece is about what I believe are the two most important of these issues, namely NA’s review of the Electoral Act and the expansion of voter access to the Commission’s PUs. First, the National Assembly’s review of the current Electoral Act. Eleven years ago the Assembly, under the then new leadership of Dr. Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate and Bar. Aminu Tambawal as Speaker of the House of Representatives, promised to amend the 2010 Electoral Law to close several apparent loopholes in it within their first year in office. Somehow, the NA leadership failed to do so until in its final year.

However, when it eventually considered and approved its Bill and sent it to President Muhammadu Buhari he declined to sign it into Law, citing a number of objections. Three times thereafter the NA returned the Bill to the President and three times he vetoed it, the last time citing, among other objections, its closeness to the 2019 general election.

In the end INEC conducted the election under the 2010 law, much to the disappointment of the general public. It is important to note that in all the back and forth between the NA and the Presidency on the failed Bill, the important issue of provisions for electronic collation and transmission of results did not feature at all.

Not surprisingly, the current NA under the leadership of Ahmad Lawan as Senate President and Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the House, responded to the public disappointment with the conduct of the 2019 election under a law widely perceived as flawed, by promising a brand new one well ahead of the next general election in 2023. As if to underscore its commitment to that promise, it honoured an invitation by INEC to participate in

a retreat the Commission organized in March last year on a review of the country’s Electoral Legal Framework in Lagos.

Among the lead speakers at that retreat was the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

In his overview of the Bill to amend the Electoral Act, 2010, (Bill No. 122 of 2019) on March 5, he said, among other things, that “We are ready to resolve issues surrounding INEC’s introduction of necessary, appropriate and secured modern technologies into our electoral process. In this regard, we want to ensure that all relevant stakeholders in the electoral process are under a statutory mandate to comply fully with INEC’s guidelines, regulations and manuals.”

Over a year after that retreat nothing was heard again from the NA about the Bill. However, just when the public was beginning to despair about the current NA leadership’s commitment to electoral reform, it dusted the Bill for consideration early in July. This was good news for Nigerians if only because it raised the hope that the country would finally have a better Electoral Law than the current one for the conduct of the next general election in 2023, at least one clear year ahead.

Unfortunately, what at first looked like good news has since turned into not-so-good – some would say bad, very bad – news following the NA’s decision on July 16 to make the Commission’s electronic transmission of election results subject to clearance by both the NA and the National Communication Commission (NCC), the country’s regulator of telecommunications. The relevant Clause - (52(3)) - of the amendment Bill - says “INEC may consider electronic transmission of results provided the national network coverage is adjudged adequate and secure by the National Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.”

These two provisos clearly contradict Section 78 of the Constitution which makes the registration of voters and the conduct of elections the sole prerogative of INEC. This Section says “The registration of voters and the conduct of the elections SHALL be subject to the direction and supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission.” It’s hard to be more categorical than this in asserting INEC’s autonomy in its conduct of all the processes of voter registration and elections.

Clause 52 (3) of the Bill in a way also contradicts

Section 160 (1) of the Constitution which exempts INEC, of all the 14 Executive Bodies established by the Constitution under Section 153 (1) and whose chairmen and members the President has the prerogative of nominating, from being under his control or getting his approval in regulating its own affairs. On the contrary the Section gives it alone, among those 14 bodies, the authority to “confer powers and impose duties on any officer or authority for the purpose of discharging its function”, the exception being officers and authorities of state governments, in apparent deference to the autonomy of states in our federal structure.

What this means obviously is that it is unconstitutional to subject INEC to the opinion of NCC, or of any executive body for that matter, in carrying out its functions. Even more importantly, under the fundamental principle of separation of powers in our Constitution, it is wrong for the National Assembly to constitute itself into an executive body, which is what assigning to itself the role of certifying the availability of network coverage in the country amounts to.

In any case, the undisputable fact is that, contrary to NCC’s testimony at NA’s public hearing in July on the capacity of our service providers, the country has adequate network coverage for the transmission of results nationwide. As INEC has said in its 24-page Position Paper No 1/2021 titled “Electronic Transmission of Election Results” published last week and as the Commission’s spokesman, Barr Festus Okoye, has had occasions to point out, this fact was established over three years ago after several meetings with NCC itself, along with all the country’s major service providers well ahead of the 2019 general election.

The fact is that, in general, the use of Information Technology (IT) in elections has, as we have seen in Nigeria and elsewhere, enhanced their transparency, integrity and credibility. More specifically, in this country, we have seen how, first, the introduction of the Direct Data Capturing Machine (DDCM) in 2011 to create the country’s first digital and permanent Register of Voters, and, second, how the introduction of the Smart Card Reader (SCR) along with the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) for the accreditation of voters and authentication of their PVCs from 2015, has made our elections much, much more transparent and credible than they were before.

Since 2015 INEC has enhanced the performance of the SCRs, acquired more efficient hard wares and introduced several portals in its processes and procedures that have made things a lot more transparent and easier for itself and for all stakeholders in elections. For example, the Commission has introduced portals for parties to begin the submission of their candidates for elections online. Similarly, it has introduced portals for election observers and media organisations to register their observers and journalists from the comfort of their offices.

Above all, beginning from August 8, last year, during the Nasarawa Central State Constituency bye-election, the Commission introduced a portal called IReV (INEC result viewing portal) from which anyone sitting in the comfort of his home or office anywhere in the world can view the certified result of an election at any Polling Unit (PU), real life. This portal is the electronic version of the Commission’s Form EC 60 E, aka “people’s result sheet”, which is the poster to which a Polling Unit result written on Form EC 8 A and signed by the Presiding Officer and agents of contesting political parties is transferred and which every Presiding Officer is mandated to paste within the vicinity of the PU for public viewing.

Since the Nasarawa election, INEC has conducted two off-season governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States and about two dozen legislative bye-elections at various levels, occasioned by deaths or court orders. In all these elections, conducted in both urban centres and remote rural areas alike, the Commission’s IReV performed to universal acclaim.

Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of this innovation in conjunction, of course, with other innovations, is that not a single one of the elections the Commission has conducted since August last year has been rejected by the losers on account of its conduct.

IReV apart, the success of the on-going Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ought to convince any Doubting Thomas that there is sufficient network coverage in the country for the electronic transmission of results to be feasible.

Equally, increasing improvements in the Commission’s electoral processes since 2015 ought to banish any doubts anyone has about its capacity to secure its processes.

Gana wrote from Abuja

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EDITORIAL

CURBING ACCIDENTS ON NIGERIAN ROADS Regulators should do more to stem the carnage on the roads

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he rise in the number of crashes on our roads is both distressing and frightening.

In a recent report, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) disclosed that a total of 2,471 deaths and 5,320 crashes were recorded within the first half of this year. Perhaps more disturbing is that majority of these accident victims are people in the prime of their lives. Apart from the burden that these road mishaps places on victims’ families, they also take a huge toll on the national economy.

Available reports from both the FRSC and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have at different times listed major causes of accidents on our roads. In the last quarter of 2018, for instance, overspeeding accounted for 52 per cent of the total road fatalities reported, while dangerous driving and wrongful overtakGIVEN THAT THE LAST ing were some of QUARTER OF THE YEAR the other causes.

Insufficient safety IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER VEHICULAR features in veMOVEMENT AND HUMAN hicles and driving under the influTRAVELS ACROSS THE ence of alcohol are COUNTRY, THE FRSC SHOULD BEGIN AN EARLY also implicated as causative factors CAMPAIGN FOR SAFETY in crashes which ON WHEELS cost the nation more than N450 billion annually. It is common knowledge that there are too many rickety vehicles on our roads. The tyres of several vehicles ply our roads are worn out just as their brakes are suspect. Some drivers operate in foggy condition with one functional headlamp.

Besides, driving on Nigeria’s approximately 200,183 kilometres road network can be risky

Letters to the Editor

and arduous as large swathes have broken down, ridden with potholes due to neglect.

Indeed, apart from many of the highways that are littered with craters, driving at night is comparable to walking through a dark alley because of lack of streetlights. Besides, the unpassable state of the roads has literally made them a den for robbers and kidnappers who waylay innocent passengers at any time of the day to carry out their nefarious activities.

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

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGED ENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

e therefore call on the authorities at all levels to fulfil their constitutional and civil duty to the public by fixing major roads to mitigate the distressing harvest of deaths.

It amounts to criminal negligence that many lives are being wasted on our roads despite the promises made by successive administrations.

Government agencies, including the FRSC, Vehicle Inspection Offices and Police traffic departments should take drastic steps to ensure that our roads remain safe all the time.

The federal government should also consider enacting a national road safety policy that will outline various measures pertaining to road safety. These should include raising awareness about road safety, creating a road safety information database, promoting safer road infrastructure, encouraging safer vehicles, identifying needs of vulnerable road users, enforcing road safety laws, and ensuring medical facilities for victims when accidents occur.

Given that the last quarter of the year is often associated with higher vehicular movement and human travels across the country, the FRSC should begin an early campaign for safety on wheels. We must put an end to the harvest of deaths on Nigerian roads.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 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 (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

BUDGIT RATING AND GOOD GOVERNACE IN YOBE STATE

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or two consecutive years, independent organisations on budget implementation, accountability, good governance and service delivery have rated Yobe State with a record-breaking ranking in institutionalization and consolidation of reforms that promote good governance and service

delivery.

According to BugdIT, its mission is “to make the Nigerian budget and public data more understandable and accessible across every literacy span. Budget’s innovation within the public cycle comes with a creative use of government data by either presenting these in simple tweets interactive formats or infographic displays. Our primary goal is to use creative technology to intersect civic engagement and institutional reform”.

In 2020, ‘BudgIT’ an independent organisation on budget monitoring and implementation in Nigeria, rated Yobe State as the second best state after Kaduna State in Capital Budget Expenditure performance.

The record performance of the Governor Mai Mala Buni’s administration is hugely supported by budget discipline, financial prudence and transparency as testified by BudgIT, to achieve the transformation in education, healthcare delivery, trade and commerce, roads and housing, agriculture and economic development among others in Yobe State.

The organization rated Yobe as number sixth state with low loan profile with more chances to borrow more funds

either local or foreign to invest in infrastructure to build a sustainable future for the state, to improve the lives of its people.

“It is among states with comparatively low debt burden whose debt profile are so low that they can theoretically pay it off in a single year using the 2020 total revenue model.

“Directing our attention to capital expenditure, year-onyear, we observe Yobe State had the 12th largest percentage growth in capital expenditure in the federation. The state’s capital expenditure grew by 23.49% from N30.09bn in 2019 to N37.16bn in 2020” BudgIT stated.

The economic reforms and financial discipline under the Buni administration were further consolidated in the year 2021, thereby attracting more attention to the performance of the state.

The ranking of Yobe State as the 16th state with comparative more public funds to invest in capital projects also underscores the prudence of the Buni administration.

Summarising the fiscal performance of the states in relation to index A (Recurrent Expenditure), B (IGR + Statutory Allocations + Capital Reciepts), C (Debt profile and room states have to borrow more money) and D (Priority to Capital Expenditure). BudgIT opined that “the fiscal fundamentals of Yobe State, compared to others in the country, are more prudently managed”.

Similarly, the Center for Transparency and Integrity Watch, Nigeria, another independent organisation, rated Yobe as the

sixth state in Nigeria scoring 58.33 % with clean records of transparency in transaction of government business.

This transparency translates into accountability, probity and service delivery to the people for government to get value for public funds expended on programmes and projects.

It is obvious that the reforms introduced in governance by the Buni administration is paying and yielding positive results for the development of the state.

Governor Buni at a recent forum in Damaturu, dedicated the success recorded by his administration to the people for supporting government policies and programmes and to the civil servants for their resilience to push forward and consolidate government policies and programmes.

The searchlight beamed on the fiscal status of the states, the analysis and ratings by these independent nongovernmental organizations, will no doubt spur the state government to do more and improve for the betterment of the people.

For Yobe State, having fared well in financial prudence and accountability in the last two years, the state under the leadership of Governor Buni, is certainly on the path of becoming a role model of judicious use of public funds, accountability, good governance and service delivery in Nigeria.

Mamman Mohammed is the DG Press and Media Affairs to Yobe State Governor

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T H I S D AY ˾THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2021

POLITICS

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com (08114495324 SMS ONLY)

Atorough: Governance Not About Rousing Speeches, It’s Hard Work Julius Atorough, a financial expert who seeks to govern Benue State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party tells George Okoh about his political aspiration in 2023. Excerpts:

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hat was the outcome of your consultation with Zone A stakeholders?

I have been consulting on a personal level with stakeholders with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the state but on a structured level I have had discussion from my own clan, from my ward, from local government level and I have had the privilege to have discussions with the exco, stakeholders of PDP of the entire Zone A. Essentially I went to them to present myself for consideration for running as a candidate for the party in the 2023 gubernatorial race. It is important that they should know who I am, what I have done, where I have been, my level of education, my professional proficiency and what kind of person I am before time because for you to consider someone suitable as a gubernatorial aspirant, you need to know the person very well in detail and that is what I went to do. I have been a banker for about 23 years and I only work in the financial industry, I have been a business man and I have been in the state for a very long time. I travelled to every single local government in the state in this state and I have done business almost everywhere. In the course of the interaction, I was able to know that there are gaps for utilization of the natural potentials of the state and I know how we can best explore those opportunities to bring out the best for Benue. I have not been a politician before, but I have those solutions basically in my mind. These are very simple things turned to be difficult issues for a lot of people. I believe that I am gifted to bring out solutions. I am actually

Atorough a solution minded person. I don’t meet problems and get deterred.

Problems actually motivate me so when I hear that there is a problem, I just see a solution. I see opportunities for Benue considering the kind of problem we are having. As far

as I am concerned and as long as I can see, the opportunities we are more towering than the problems that we have on our hands. We just need to put on our thinking cap, put on the cap of unity and work with a common purpose and Benue will

rise higher. I believe that Benue should be among the top five economies in this country. When you count Lagos, Rivers, Delta and Kano next should be Benue.

But our potentials cannot translate itself, we have to work it into being and make it count that is why I decided to join the gubernatorial race.

As a human being, I believe in the development and on a personal level I have done quiet a lot of development in this state but you can only do so much as a private individual. For you to be mainstream and make your impact felt on a general level, on a macro level, you have to be in the mainstream, you have to be in governance, you have to be able to contribute to governance.

Now, you can do that directly or indirectly. I have tried my best to do that indirectly working with people who are in government, giving advice, partaking in committees and all of that but at the end of the day, the person at the centre and their own lieutenants decide what happens. Sometimes the lieutenants will not allow you get the very important message you have to the main person who is there and the person doesn’t even know that somebody is coming with a good idea. You can write all the letters and memorandum you want, they may not even reach the person.

So you don’t even blame the person at the centre. But I have now decided that I will join the race to contribute to the development of Benue State and this was the message I took to the leaders and stakeholders of Zone A. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Ekpong: Ratio of Women in Politics is Low Her Excellency, Ambassador Professor (Mrs) Monique Ekpong is a Professor of English. She was born on March 30, 1950 and hails from Idum, Mbube in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State. Mrs Ekpong started her political service at the grassroots, as Commissioner in the Teaching Service Commission, where she made history as first female commissioner in Cross River State. She has also been a Member of Ogoja Local Government Council Caretaker Committee. An academician; from being the Director of Schools in the old Polytechnic Calabar, she rose to become the Dean of Communication Arts in Cross River University of Technology. Her expertise and wealth of experience was then sought after by the state government to serve as Member of the Cross River Think Tank between the year 2002 and 2015. Mrs Monique served as Professor of English at Veritas University, Abuja, before her appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari, as Nigerian Ambassador to Angola. She fielded questions from Nseobong Okon-Ekong

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n Africa generally, would you say the role and representation of women in politics (both locally and in the continent) have evolved significantly?

The ratio of women in politics is quite low especially here in Africa, it is advised that more women are given more leadership opportunities so as to add their quota to the development of the African continent.

In your first role as a diplomat, what do you find most interesting?

The Angolan People are very understanding and cooperative. The Angolan relationship with Nigeria is very cordial.

Recently a very sensitive request was made by me to the President as regards restoring flights between both countries and this was granted without a blink of an eye lid by the Angolan President.

Both countries understand and have high regard for each other.

gola?

Nigeria and Angola can strengthen their relationship by increased businesses between both countries, quicker issuance of visas and documents for indigenes of both countries.

This eases travel, businesses and even tourism between both countries especially as they are both leading oil producers in the continent.

Have discovered peculiarities between Nigeria and Angola?

In what ways can these be promoted?

The peculiarities between both countries include the weather, the skin colour of the main natives, the style of dressing, the business sense and the style of governance.

Ekpong

In what ways can Nigeria strengthen relations with An-

What about the sectors of

education and tourism, what collaboration is possible between the two countries?

Having schools in Nigeria that teach Portuguese as well as having schools in Angola that teach our 3 thee major languages (Igbo, Hausa,Yoruba) would help increase ties and ease language barriers between both countries.

Is there a personal unique way through which you promote Nigeria in Angola, for instance appearance (dress sense) and/mannerism?

I always dress in my traditional outfits when going for public functions to promote our Nigerian culture What is the population of Nigerians in Angola and what are most them involved in?

Nigerians are mainly involved in businesses (spare parts, building materials, provisions) and real estates

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POLITICS DISSENTING VOICE...IN HIS OWN WORDS My Mission is to Change the Narrative, Ignite Sense The Oracle, the Chief and of Patriotism in Youths His Majesty

Udora Orizu holds a discussion with Legal Practitioner, Convener and Team Lead of Policy Roundtable NGO, Olubunmi Ayantunji, who shares insights on his vision to arm every citizen of Nigeria with the right knowledge about the policies and regulations of government

Richard Omijie weighs in on the removal of popular socialite, Ayiri Emami as a Palace chief

by His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III in a recent revalidation of Itsekiri chiefs

free education that the government has made available to them, that they are not using. We donated academic materials to the local schools and so on. Social change cannot come by merely sitting down to criticize, so we are taking a step further to implement what we criticize.

Ayantunji

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ou are a lawyer, but not practicing obviously, what informed your choice of career path?

Basically I knew I wasn’t going to practice right from law school, I have always been involved in students politics right from university days, I was in the students union.

I have always loved policy and governance. I want to be involved in every process of law making. I have always liked public policy, as time went on, the road became clear and here we are.

What makes the Policy Roundtable different from similar or abstract platforms that warrant public attention?

Knowledge sustains what power gives. You cannot defend the right you do not know. The Policy Roundtable is a result oriented Non Governmental Organization that leads productive conversations on governance reforms, policies and issues in the polity. The Policy Roundtable also curates and simplifies government policies in simple languages to laymen and citizens at all levels. The Policy Round Table is quite different from any other organization in Nigeria, because we do not just talk, the rhetorics has always been all talk no action. One thing we do at the Policy Round Table, is to allow every young person, every participant to air their views. We curate their opinions and send recommendations to the affected or relevant agencies of government. We have a team called the Policy Round Table, Research and Policy Team, they simplify government policies into the languages the lay man can understand. It will surprise you that most of our recommendations have actually gained traction. We have been invited by some agencies, where they tell us how do we intend to implement this recommendations that you have made and we’ve contributed immensely to the policies of government that have been issued in the last one year. We don’t just talk. We act.

What are the ripple effect of the public sessions that you hold and how do they translate into social change that can guarantee a better society?

We are intentional about our participants, we are very focused on the young persons of this country. We’ve been able to ignite some sense of patriotism in every young participant that has featured at the Policy Round Table, we’ve had close to 1000 of them and the reviews and testimonies we’ve gotten are awesome. We recently had our independence session where we had , Hon. Bolaji Abdullahi, the former Minister of Youth and Sports and the reviews we got were really awesome. We want to go from the angle of berating and getting angry at government which is quite valid to actually making real change and conscious actions as independent citizens to make sure things are better. As a team, we reach out to local communities to actually talk to the members about the policies of education,

Why do you still hope to change the narrative and present social reality of our nation, given the seeming overwhelming negativity?

The truth remains that even if I travel abroad, my kids will be Nigerians. My grandkids will be Nigerians. I can’t change it, it’s natural. Why can’t I do my best to fix it. I believe that it’s not wishful thinking or prayers. This country is passing through the phase every developing nation is going through. Though ours is quite different but I think Nigeria will be better overtime.

How has the reception from your target demography, the young persons of this country, been so far?

The reception has been awesome. I still tell people that the love the youths have for this country is a love-hate relationship. They do not like how things are going but they love their country. You need to see young persons debating about jollof rice, about artistes etc, what unites us is bigger than what divides us and the demography we are targeting have accepted us hugely, because The policy round table tries to make the situation more or less formal, let’s talk as young persons, let’s arm you with the right knowledge for you to actually question government more because you can’t fight the right you know nothing about.

You also work as a Legislative Aide in the Nigerian Senate, how has the experience shaped your career trajectory and what has been your greatest challenge?

I work for one of the most intellectually mobile legislator in the country, Senator Tolulope Odebiyi. He’s a very intelligent legislator and I have learnt a whole lot from him, the idea of the policy round table stemmed from the fact that when I came in I got to know more about government policies and what government does truly as against the ignorance I carry about, ranting about what government hasn’t done. I have known more about government, government white papers, it’s fulfilling to see that you are drafting laws and policies and white papers that will actually affects the entire populace, it’s a whole patriotic job that you’re being paid for.

2023 is almost here, do you see the possibility of a young person becoming President of the country? And any words for young persons who want to follow the part of public policy?

The truth remains that anybody can contest for elections as long as you’re within the age range provided for in the constitution. However the possibility of a young person being the President cannot be foreclosed. Though people will say we have just two major political parties and we have the gladiators already, but I think they know that the deciders of 2023 elections are young persons, so it now depends on the youths to have a common voice on who they will support. We need to come with a common front, we need to learn from the end sars and every other uprising that we’ve done and present a common front come 2023.

As regards to persons that want to come into public policy, I think it’s a whole wide space, we need more cerebral people. I tell youths that one of the reason we have very archaic motions, bills is because we do not have experienced and brilliant, young and vibrant drafters in the complex.

If we have enough in the National Assembly, they would actually draft laws and bills for their bosses that in tandem with the aspirations of their demography.

Atuwatse III

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here is a very apt Yoruba proverb that loosely translates as “ The king summoned you and you insist on taking time out to consult the oracle first, before heeding the King’s call. What will happen to you if after the oracle tells you all is well and when eventually you get to the King’s presence he says otherwise.”

This parable was virtually reenacted recently when His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III conducted a revalidation exercise of Palace Chiefs in the Warri Kingdom. The chiefs were to present themselves before Ogiame to pledge their allegiance and receive fresh mandates to function as chiefs from their new sovereign. Alas the delusional and recalcitrant erstwhile Ologbotsere of Warri first thought it fit to consult the goddess of the sea, who invariably must have counseled him to ignore the revalidation exercise.

Now that the monarch has exercised his divine prerogative and delisted the title of Ologbotsere from the roll of titles in the land, this renegade pretender to a chieftaincy title which by royal decree has been reduced to a nickname is going about baying in protest like a demented goat being dragged to the slaughter.

How did he think this would end?

Did he for one milli second imagine that the one who Itsekiri refer to as Afomasin ( The Infallible One ) was going to blink first in the battle of wills? Indeed the possibilty of obtain-

ing royal mercy at the hand of Ogiame existed, if he had heeded the summons. As one or two co renegades like him who initially opposed Ogiame’s emergence made themselves available for the exercise and obtained royal reprieves. However, thanks to his pig headedness we will never know if he might have escaped the wrath of the king. His knee jerk reaction to the announcement of his unceremonious sacking as a chief gave an insight into the state of his temperament. Ayiri Emami a well known rabble rousing socialite, had the crass audacity to say he does not recognize the authority of the one whose coronation was universally acclaimed. Such impudence, he went as far as referring to Ogiame by his pre-coronation first name, an abomination in Iwere Land. Even in the absence of malice well born Itsekiris respect princes and never fail to address them properly, then for Ayiri to refer to the pre-incarnate identify of Ogiame without the title of prince reveals a vile congenital streak of insolence residing in his genes. For the avoidance of doubt, Ayiri’s removal as a chief resonates positively with practically all Itsekiris with the exception of a few hungry fellows who feed off the crumbs from the table of the disgraced pretender to a title.

Long Live Ogiame Atuwatse III, Olu of Warri!

-Omijie, an Itsekiri businessman writes from Warri

22

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͵˜ ͰͮͰͯ

FEATURES

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

Driving Financial Inclusion for Economic Growth Tolu Oyekan

F

inancial inclusion is increasingly becoming an area of priority across the globe among policymakers, researchers and developmentoriented agencies.

Its importance comes from the promise it holds as a tool for economic development, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, employment generation, wealth creation and improved welfare and general standards of living.

The Nigerian government launched the National Financial Inclusion Strategy in 2012 (NFIS 2012), to achieve 80% inclusion by 2020.

The NFIS framework was leveraged by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to effectively regulate the Nigerian financial sector.

This drive necessitated the introduction of the cashless policy, the proliferation of agency banking, the growth of microfinance banks and increased adoption of fintech solutions; especially digital payment products.

However, these positive outcomes could not help achieve the target of 80% inclusion by the end of 2020. Barriers that hampered this target were irregular income, illiteracy, lack of proximity to access points, lack of required documentation, inadequate awareness, high service fees, and the high affinity for cash.

The Impact of COVID-19 In addition to the bedeviling barriers, came the COVID-19 pandemic. In its wake were the falling prices of crude, the halt in economic activities and the loss of income by many Nigerian households. The unemployment rate rose to 27.1%, inflation increased and the purchasing power of the people dropped.

Interestingly, despite these negative impacts on the economy, there was growth within the entrepreneurial sector. According to the EFInA Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2020 Survey, about 86 million Nigerian adults’ livelihoods were negatively impacted by the pandemic. However, the survey showed that about 49.1 million Nigerians turned the situation around to start their businesses either in agriculture or service delivery.

These new businesses employed about 33.2 million Nigerians, thereby creating about 70.3 million jobs.

The Revised NFIS While the NFIS 2012 may not have delivered the 80% inclusion target, it has however provided grounds to evaluate progress and identify the barriers and insights in developing a refreshed document for the new target.

Upon review of the NFIS 2012, the CBN and its stakeholders came up with the Revised NFIS document which targets a 95% financial inclusion threshold in Nigeria by 2024.

This is ambitious given that the financial inclusion index moved from 57.3% in 2010 to 60.3% in 2012 and 63.2% in 2020, a growth of about 5.9% in 10 years. Achieving a 31.8% increment in 4 years is indeed ambitious, but not impossible.

The Revised NFIS identified five priority areas as key to achieving the new target, namely; an enabling environment for the expansion of Digital Financial Services (DFS), rapid growth of agent networks for last mile delivery, harmonization of KYC requirements, conducive environment to serve the excluded; and incentivizing the adoption of cashless payment channels.

The Revised NFIS also examines other salient issues such as increasing awareness and knowledge of financial products, channels as well as trust. There is also the need for frequent review of the implementation of the strategy so as to take lessons faster and adjust the strategy to fit prevailing realities.

After All, Said and Done Though the pandemic might have spelt doom for a lot of businesses and economies, it has however thrown up a few positive indicators for the financial inclusion drive in Nigeria.

As earlier mentioned, while people lost their jobs, there was an upsurge of micro businesses which created employment opportunities, thus reducing the impact of unemployment in the country.

The pandemic also led to the increased adoption of DFS and financial agent services.

According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Service (NIBSS) report, the monthly use of digital channels rose from 45 million transactions valued at N5.4 trillion at the end of 2017 to over 287 million valued at N23trillion in June 2021. This represents a growth of over 530% in the last 5 years.

Thus, the volume of digital transactions

Oyekan

rose from 75% in 2019 to 135% in 2020.

Another report by ACI shows that digital payment transactions grew to over 1 billion, representing a growth rate of over 45%.

There has been an increased uptake of banking products and services, the banking sector being the biggest driver of the financial inclusion agenda in Nigeria.

Between 2018 and 2020, the banked population grew by 5%, savings accounts by 6% and banking agents by 16%.

There has also been an increased adoption of non-banking products and services such as financial services agents, pension, insurance and mobile money.

To ensure that the targeted 95% inclusion is achieved by 2024 amidst the drawbacks thrown up by the pandemic and other peculiarities of the Nigerian economy, the CBN and its stakeholders have their work cut out for them.

The following are some of the areas they should focus on: Increasing access to financial services This should be viewed from two different lenses; the consumers’ and the service providers’. From the view of the consumer, it is important that the tieredKnow Your Customer (KYC) documents be harmonized to reduce the limitation to having a transactional account. A transaction account is the bedrock of financial services.

Increased awareness for DFS and other banking products will improve access to these products and services. Banking and DFS transactional fees should be reviewed to encourage massive uptake especially among rural dwellers and the poor.

From the service providers’ perspective, the bottlenecks associated with acquiring the Payment Service Bank (PSB) license should be reduced. The process should be democratized to allow private investors other than telcos, fintech companies and banks.

The CBN should facilitate the actualization of the Shared Agents Network Facility (SANEF) to enable the proposed 500,000 agents provide financial services in the under-served areas, especially the Northern region.

Improved Economy More importantly, improving the economic and financial status of Nigerian households and firms will enhance the possibilities of a financially included Nigeria.

With a thriving economy, the households will save and embrace other financial products services as credit, insurance and pensions.

The prevailing security challenges across the country should be addressed as it hampers economic activities and

In addition to the bedeviling barriers, came the COVID-19 pandemic. In its wake were the falling prices of crude, the halt in economic activities and the loss of income by many Nigerian households. The unemployment rate rose to 27.1 per cent, inflation increased and the purchasing power of the people dropped

consequently the financial inclusion figures.

Capturing the over 40 million MSMEs in the formal financial sector is critical to improving the economy. This group employs over 80% of the country’s population and contributes about 50% of the country’s GDP. When formally served, progress is easier to monitor and track.

With more women being financially excluded41% female and 33% male- it suffices to say that concerted efforts should be channeled towards ensuring that more women are empowered to carry out more economic activities and consequent financial transactions.

Efforts should be made in advancing the National Financial Inclusion Special Intervention Working Group’s (a subcommittee that looks into gender-related financial inclusion issues) recommendations. Financial products such as low interest loans, grants and employment opportunities should be extended to women.

Collaborations The CBN needs to collaborate with critical enablers such as the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). Initiatives such as the Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) project- an initiative expected to provide broadband fiber and connectivity to every Local Government Area of the federation with a minimum speed of 10 Gbps- should be implemented to ensure delivery of services by agent banks, even in rural areas.

The Nigerian postal service’s network also provides a wide reach that the CBN can leverage to achieve last-mile delivery.

Incidentally, legislative provisions for the financial inclusion strategy could be strengthened. Collaborating with policymakers to effectively implement and track the financial inclusion strategy, makes the 95% inclusion target less daunting.

A BCG report commissioned by Telenor, a multinational telecommunications company, stipulated that a 1% increase in financial inclusion increases the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by 3.6 per cent. This, therefore, underscores the socio-economic impact of financial inclusion as a critical driver to foster economic development, reduce poverty and achieve inclusive economic growth. t 0ZFLBO JT B QBSUOFS BU #$(

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͵˜ ͰͮͰͯ

23

#THISISNIGERIA -Yemi Adamelokun

Nigeria @ 61 | EiE @ 11: Light | Hope | Power | Voice |

H

opeless, powerless, voiceless, helpless - an adaptation of a phrase my dear friend and sister, Aisha Yesufu, uses often to describe how Nigerians feel was my first title for this article.

I believe there is power in the words that we say, and our words have enough creative power such that what we say and believe in our minds & hearts shape our reality.

I changed the title so the focus is not on the Nigeria that has stumbled to 61, but the Nigeria that will be standing tall at 100. I believe in Nigeria’s potential to truly be a great nation; the giant of Africa and indeed, a giant in the world. God has graciously blessed us with human and natural resources. Our location is strategic - literally halfway between Asia & the Americas. As a production hub, we would be unbeatable in terms of ease of access for distribution. We have lacked the leadership to harness our dogged spirit to build a nation of worth, valued at home and abroad, but we have built individual empires.

Despite the short-sightedness of those we’ve been unfortunate to have at the helm of affairs, Nigeria has still produced people that have transformed lives globally. Over the last sixty-one years, Nigerians have contributed positively to every area of human endeavour – academia, medicine, sports, and the arts to name a few. I’ve chosen one person/an idea for each decade with a synopsis of their impact to give an idea of actions that have left footprints in the sands of time.

1960 - 1970: Odumegwu Ojukwu “If a leader accepts himself as already dead to society, there will be no reason for cowardice in his leadership. One thing that frightens leaders and leads them to a number of excesses is usually fear of death. No leader should fear death. In fact, you should accept the fact that from the moment of leadership you are sacrificed to death. Each subsequent day becomes a bonus for the preparation of one’s memorial.”

C.O. Ojukwu led the move for the independence of Biafra which started Nigeria’s civil war that ended on January 15, 1970.

The agitation for an independent Biafra has not died. In addition, some Yorubas are also pushing for an Oduduwa Nation. What is clear is that there are significant groups of Nigerian citizens that believe the Nigerian state does not recognize them as equal stakeholders in the country.

1971 - 1980: Obafemi Awolowo, GCFR, SAN “There is an urgent and massive need for moral and spiritual reconstruction: the kind which will help to demolish morbid desire for naked power and domination and ensure justice, equity and fair play for all.”

Often described as the best president Nigeria never had, Awolowo had a track record of good governance and it was easy to extrapolate from his antecedents in the Western Region what he would have done as Nigeria’s president. His legacy of “free” education would live on for generations.

Educating students cost money, but it was “free” to the students because taxes were used judiciously. Awoists are likely the only group of political party members driven by an ideology. As a parallel, Mr Buhari, likely has more ardent followers than Awolowo, but the reason for the demi-god like worship is hollow in comparison. I also wonder if 30 years from now, there will be anyone of significance who identifies as a Buharist, as there are Awoists today.

1981 - 1990: Wole Soyinka “The man dies in all who keep quiet in the face of tyranny.”

1986 Nobel Laureate for Literature and the first sub-Saharan African to be so honoured.

Beyond his Nobel Prize, Wole Soyinka (WS

2011 - 2020: Office of the Citizen Used by different people in the US in the 20th century, the concept of the ‘Office of the Citizen’ resonated in Nigeria. I heard the phrase for the first time in 2014 from Mrs Oby Ezekwesili and Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria presented the idea to the public at its 5th anniversary event in 2015. Mrs Ezekwesili gave the keynote address, and she has consistently championed the message that the ‘Office of the Citizen is the highest office in the land’ so citizens must own that office and leverage their voices. In her words, “Stop looking to ANYONE to ACT for YOU. It is now time to ACT for your own sake. Don’t tweet at me to act. YOU have the power to act. ACT!" Citizens who understand the power they have to elect and hold those in public office accountable can truly move mountains!

as he is famously called) has consistently stood up for Nigeria. From taking over a radio station to his clear position on the Nigeria-Biafra war; his fight against the military rule; his vocal stance to ensure that the law was followed when President Yar’Adua was ill, to his scathing criticisms of the Buhari administration, he has consistently not kept quiet.

1990 - 2000: MKO Abiola – HOPE ‘93 Winner of what is adjudged to be Nigeria’s freest and fairest election to date, his campaign slogan was ‘Farewell to Poverty!’ Ironically, Nigeria is currently the poverty capital of the world. MKO Abiola declared himself president in 1994 and was jailed by General Sani Abacha for treason. He died in prison on July 7, 1998, on the eve of his release. He was

pardoned in 2018, twenty-four years later, by the government of another military general and was given the national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), which is reserved for presidents.

2001 - 2010: First Decade Free of Military Rule We must move forward and lay the foundation for good governance and democracy. It is clear that Nigerians want a country where fairness, justice and equity are not mere slogans, but principles put into timely and indiscriminate practice.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar during his July 20, 1998 address to the nation as we prepared to return to civilian rule in 1999.

2021 - 2060: ‘Yemi Adamolekun I am #OnePerson. I stumbled into this space, but I believe very deeply that Nigeria should and will be great. I believe I deserve better.

It is really that simple and I see a clear role for myself in this season of my life. If a few more people believed they deserved better as well, Nigeria will be different.

The power of an individual shows that #OnePerson can and does make a difference in the words of Albert Schweitzer. #OnePerson is the theme of EiE’s 10th anniversary and its second decade as we celebrate those who have positively and significantly impacted their communities, big and small, and encourage other citizens to use their ‘voices’. ‘Voice’ is figurative. It can be speaking out or donating money to solve a problem, feeding the poor or running for elected office. We must stop looking outside of ourselves for a messiah but look inward, making a conscious decision to play our parts in the puzzle. In the words of Myles Munroe, “Whatever you avoid, you can never change. You must become the answer to your own prayer.”

Those in leadership positions are Nigerians; not Nigeriens; neither are they from the UK or Mars. They are Nigerians, so why do we continue to allow the worst of us to lead the best of us, and in the process make life difficult for all of us? In the famous words of Margaret Meade, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Ojukwu, Awolowo and Abiola did not achieve their objectives, but they started a process, and their place is guaranteed in the history of Nigeria.

Nigeria, as an independent country, will be 100 in 39 years.

What do we see? What would we like to see?

How would we like Nigeria to be described during its centenary celebrations?

What you would like to see and what you believe is possible can be quite different.

If they don’t align, how do we get from here to there?

It is simple; yet complex. A dear egbon, Tunji Lardner, calls it complexicated (complex & complicated). #One Person must determine that they represent light and hope.

However, as ‘hope’ is not a strategy for change, ‘voice’ must be activated, amplified, and deployed for the demonstration of ‘power’.

Power only responds to power.

Really, what are you waiting for? Are you not tired? When will enough be enough? Even from a position of enlightened self-interest, we owe it to ourselves to act. Nigeria@100 is around the corner. We should act NOW! t:FNJ "EBNPMFLVO JT UIF &YFDVUJWF %JSFDUPS &OPVHI JT &OPVHI &J& /JHFSJB 5IJT BSUJDMF XBT BEBQUFE GSPN IFS DPOUSJCVUJPO UP 3FNBLJOH /JHFSJB 4JYUZ :FBST 4JYUZ 7PJDFT FEJUFE CZ $IJEP 0OVNBI 5IF CPPL JT BWBJMBCMF BU 3PWJOH)FJHIUT #PPLTUPSFT PO "NB[PO

24

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325

O C T O B E R

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6 , 2 0 2 1

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4%

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6.06%

N412.08/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

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6%

1-DAY

–0.11%

YEAR TO DATE

– 15.66%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.41%

Manufacturing, Transportation, Energy, Utilities Top List of Global Internet of Things Adoption with Four Unique Service Offerings

Emma Okonji A report by IoT Analytics has revealed that manufacturing, transportation, energy and utilities, tops the list of global industries that have fully adopted the use of IoT in their operations.

IoT Analytics is a leading provider of market insights and competitive intelligence for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0.

The latest report focused on over 700 global IoT system integration and services companies.

Manufacturing top the list with

64 per cent adoption, followed by Transportation with 37 per cent adoption rate, while Energy and Utilities came next with 34 per cent adoption rate.

Other industries on the list are Health with 31 per cent adoption rate, Retail with 25 per cent adoption rate, Supply Chain, Public Sector, Agriculture, Smart Cities and Buildings had 23, 21, 16, 8 and 5 per cent adoption rates respectively.

The findings also showed that among the global companies implementing IoT projects, 55 per cent utilise a professional services

firm or system integrator.

When asked why they hired an IoT integrator, decision makers mentioned lack of internal experience, staff shortages and complex technologies.

IoT Analytics also identified four unique IoT system integration services: Strategy consulting, Solution design, Integration, and Operations/ managed services. While many IoT integrators offer a holistic range of integration services, some provide a narrow set. Integration, which is the most offered service across all identified companies, was rated 71

per cent, followed by solution design 57 per cent, strategy consulting 53 per cent, and operations/managed services 46 per cent Nearly all 93 per cent of the identified system integrators cover software integration. Those that focused on hardware integration were rated 51, while 42 per cent focused on IoT connectivity in various forms.

IoT Analytics published a list of over 700 system integration and services firms that are focusing on Internet of Things. From the findings, IoT integration is the most

offered professional service and manufacturing the most targeted vertical by the over 700 companies surveyed.

Analysing the report, the CEO at IoT Analytics, Knud Lasse Lueth, said: “Since 92 per cent of surveyed senior information technology (IT) decision makers agree that “company-wide digitization” will be more important post-COVID-19, the role of the IoT integrator is critical.

This importance is enhanced by the digital skills gap, which is the prime reason companies hire integrators.”

Senior Analyst at IoT Analytics,

Philipp Wegner, said: “Different industries have different needs. A manufacturing company with a global network of plants has specific IoT system integration requirements that differ from an agricultural company or a healthcare company.

Manufacturing clients are important to IoT integrators: 64 per cent of IoT system integration companies focus on manufacturing, including smart factories, industry 4.0, and connected products. Transportation, such as connected car, vehicle-to-everything, Continued on page 26

Google to Invest $1bn in Five Years to Support Digital Transformation in Africa Emma Okonji Google has announced that it concluded plans to invest a whopping $1 billion to support digital transformation in Africa, over the next five years.

CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, announced the plan yesterday, during the first Google for Africa event, which held virtually and live streamed simultaneously across African countries, including Nigeria.

The investment, which includes the landing of the subsea cable, Equiano, will enable faster internet speeds and lower connectivity costs, will cover a period of five years, supporting digital transformation in African countries, Nigeria inclusive.

The $1 billion investment also includes low-interest loans to help small businesses and equity investments in African startups.

Since 2017, Google has trained six million young Africans and businesses in digital skills. Google

has also supported more than 50 nonprofit organisations across Africa with over $16 million of grants, and enabled 100 million more Africans to access internet services for the first time through Android.

The investment, according to Google, would focus on enabling fast, affordable internet access for more Africans; building helpful products; supporting entrepreneurship and small business; and helping nonprofits to improve lives across Africa.

“Google is building global infrastructure to help bring faster internet to more people and lower connectivity costs. The subsea cable, Equiano, is expected to run through South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria and St Helena and connect the continent with Europe.

Internet access is also hampered by the affordability of smaphones.

Android has developed a device locking technology as part of the Android plaorm that will enable partners to offer financed devices,”

Google said, adding that it has collaborated with Kenya’s largest carrier Safaricom to support the launch of the first “Device Financing” plan in Kenya, and will expand the initiative across Africa with partners like Airtel, MKOPA, MTN, Orange, Transsion Holdings and Vodacom, among others.

The partnerships, it stated, will help millions of first-time smartphone users gain access to quality, and affordable Android smartphones.

Google further explained that

the government of The Gambia has adopted the initiative in providing addresses for residents and businesses across the capital Banjul and are now scaling to the rest of the country, “Plus codes is expected to expand to South Africa, Kenya and other countries in partnership with governments and non-governmental organisations.”

Through a Black Founders Fund, Google said it would invest in BlackContinued on page 26

A CU TGOUBSET R1 61 , 2 0 2 1 M A R K E T D ATA A S AT W E D N E S D AY, O ONNDDSS FFGGNN BBO DESCRIPTION 11.668 FGNSB 12.175 15-AUG-2021 10-OCT-2021 10.301 FGNSB 11.244 16-AUG-2021 16-OCT-2021 11.150 FGNSB 10.296 11-SEP-2021 13-NOV-2021 12.364 FGNSB 13.390 12-SEP-2021 14-NOV-2021 12.175 FGNSB 9.091 FGNSB 10-OCT-2021 11-DEC-2021

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, ͰͮͰͯ ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

WELCOME TO DELTA STATE…

L-R: The Executive Secretary, Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, Orezi Esievo; Senior Manager, Micro Enterprises, Bank of Industry, Aisha Abdullahi; Chairman, Federal Technical Committee on NG-CARES, Aso Vaporaye; His Excellency, Governor, Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa; Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Industry, Olukayode Pitan; and State Manager, Bank of Industry Delta State Office, Mr. Andrew Oghomi at the Delta State Government House after a courtesy visit by BOI MD to the Governor on the sidelines of the launch of Delta-CARES in Asaba

GSMA: 3.4bn People Do Not Use Internet Despite Living in Areas with Broadband Coverage Emma Okonji Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), has launched its global State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2021 showing that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of the world’s population is now using the mobile internet.

Mobile internet usage translates to just over four billion connected people globally, with the number expected to increase in the coming years.

GSMA however said even with the impressive growth in mobile internet connectivity, both in terms of mobile internet coverage and usage, work must accelerate to bridge the global digital divide.

According to GSMA, of the 3.8 billion people who remain unconnected, only 450 million people do not live in areas with mobile broadband coverage.

The far bigger challenge, it stated, are the 3.4 billion people who live in areas that are already covered by mobile broadband, but are not using it.

The GSMA report examined trends in the coverage and usage of mobile internet over the last six years and identifies the key barriers to mobile internet adoption.

It also looks at the early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the most significant regional effects.

Finally, it makes recommendations to help close the digital divide and ensure greater access to mobile internet connectivity.

In his comments, GSMA’s Chief Regulatory Officer, John Giusti, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic made

clear the importance of mobile internet access to people’s lives and livelihoods and has accelerated the digital transformation around the world. Mobile is the primary and often the only way to access the internet in low- and middleincome countries. While more people than ever are now using the mobile internet, some fundamental barriers stop far too many people from using mobile internet. To close this usage gap, all of us, government and industry, need to do more. In particular, we must address the key barriers to usage of mobile internet services, most notably literacy and digital skills, as well as affordability. Only through targeted and collaborative action can we bridge the digital divide.”

According to the report, during the last six years, the coverage gap had continued to narrow. It said in 2014, almost a quarter of the world’s population did not have access to a mobile broadband network, but by the end of 2020, that figure was only 6 per cent and now, 94 per cent of the world’s population has access to a broadband network, with most progress between 2014 and 2018.

“In 2020, global coverage increased by one percentage point, from 93 per cent to 94 per cent. This reduced the number of people living in areas without a mobile broadband network to 450 million. Those who remain uncovered typically live in sparsely populated rural areas with difficult terrain.

“The number of people using

mobile internet has also increased for the second year in a row. However, the usage gap remains large and accounts for the majority of the unconnected. In 2020, 3.4 billion people, about 43 per cent of the world’s population, lived within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but were not accessing mobile internet services. Although the usage gap is narrowing, it is now seven times larger than the coverage gap. In 2014, the usage gap accounted for 64 per cent of the total unconnected population – this figure grew to 88 per cent by 2020 due to the increase in mobile broadband coverage,” the report said.

It further said: “Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

now account for almost 93 per cent of the world’s unconnected population and more than 98 per cent of the uncovered population.

Between 2019 and 2020, the most significant increase in mobile internet usage is in East Asia, which was 61 per cent, grew only by 4 per cent.”

Highlighting the barriers to mobile internet usage, the report explained that the pandemic revealed the importance of mobile internet connectivity to the social and economic well-being of people around the world. People with mobile internet access were able to stay connected with friends and family, conduct business, gain access to critical information and services, and otherwise ease the monotony of lockdown life. It however said 47 per

cent of the population in low and middle income countries were still not using the mobile internet despite living within mobile broadband network coverage.

It listed key barriers to include: Lack of awareness of mobile internet and its benefits. Nearly a quarter of adults across the report’s surveyed countries are not aware of mobile internet and its benefits, and internet-enabled handsets and data became less affordable in many low and middle income countries in 2020 due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said, adding that the barriers often disproportionately affect specific segments of the population, especially people living in rural areas and women.

NCC Reviews Three Regulatory Instruments to Address Telecoms Challenges Emma Okonji The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has reviewed three of its regulatory instruments, aimed at addressing the challenges of the ever evolving communications industry and to further strengthen the telecoms market structure.

The three regulatory instruments, which were reviewed, include the Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations, SIM Replacement Guidelines, and Spectrum Trading Guidelines.

While the Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations provides a regulatory framework for the registration of subscribers of communications services utilizing

subscription mediums, the SIM Replacement Guidelines provides guidance on the standards and procedure, which Network Service Providers (NSPs) are expected to adhere to in the process of conducting a SIM Replacement, swap or upgrade.

The third instrument, which is the Spectrum Trading Guidelines, seeks to promote certainty and transparency in the processes of the commission by outlining the detailed procedure and conditions for Spectrum Trading in the Nigerian communications sector.

The availability of spectrum frequency is a necessary element in the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) technology in

Nigeria.

Speaking at the public inquiry for the review of the regulatory instruments, which held in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the public inquiry was a precursor to the commission’s current drive towards ensuring that frequency spectrum was readily available to licensees through a rapid and effective process. According to Danbatta, in view of the resolve of the federal government to tackle insurgency and insecurity through citizen identity management, it became necessary to ensure that the provisions of the Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations and SIM Replacement Guidelines are in alignment with the

National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration and related activities. He said the revision of both instruments would ensure a more secure and robust process for the registration/ activation and replacement of SIMs. “It is our expectation that this review will ensure a more robust framework for the registration of subscribers of communication services, improve the standards and procedures for SIM Replacements and ensure effective and efficient utilisation of frequency spectrum,” Danbatta said.

In his opening remarks, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders’ Management at NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, said the review process would ensure

that the regulatory instruments issued by the commission were in consonance with the best practices in the industry.

“Commission has decided to review three key and important regulatory instruments, and the objective is to engage stakeholders as part of the rule-making process set out in Section 70 of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003. We believe that this is a vital ingredient in not just developing instruments, but also in gauging the implementation efficacy,” Adewolu said.

The review is expected to generate reactions and contributions from industry stakeholders that will form the final regulatory instruments that will be published.

MANUFACTURING, TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY, UTILITIES TOP LIST OF GLOBAL INTERNET OFTHINGS ADOPTION WITH FOUR UNIQUE SERVICE OFFERINGS

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Aviation Editor Chinedu Eze Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

is the second most common industry at 37 per cent, followed by energy and utilities, such as smart metering and smart grid at 34 per cent.”

Citing the drivers of the $32 billion IoT system integration market, the report said several trends were driving demand for IoT professional services such as Cloud Computing, New Connectivity and Hardware Setups, Scaling of IoT Projects, and

Data Streaming and Analytics.

For the cloud computing, the report said many companies, pushing existing workloads to the cloud is more complicated than anticipated.

For new connectivity and hardware setups, it said the IoT integrators support companies during changes or updates in IoT connectivity technology, such as transitioning to 5G or low-power

wide-area networks (LPWAN)) and the continuous replacement and integration of more powerful edge computing devices as a part of hardware retrofits. It further said some IoT projects were scaling to thousands, sometimes millions of devices, which it said, could be complicated and often requires outsourcing operations to service providers. For the data streamlining

and analytics, the report said system integrators were often called on to connect data streams and enable new software tools to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

“IoT integrators focus on different parts of the value chain, such as industries, regions, and technologies.

Finding the right IoT integrator for a project can be cumbersome given

the myriad freelancers and small and medium companies focused on a local subset of the market. Many IoT integrators cater to specific needs and industries. The over 700 IoT system integration companies that were surveyed, employ a combined work force of nearly eight million professionals, even though not all of them are focused on IoT,” the report said.

GOOGLE TO INVEST $1BN IN FIVE YEARS TO SUPPORT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN AFRICA led startups in Africa by providing cash awards and hands-on support.

This is in addition to Google’s existing support through the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, which has helped more than 80 African startups with equity-free finance, working space and access to expert advisors over the last three years.

Google also announced the launch of an Africa Investment Fund.

Through this fund, the company will invest $50 million in startups

and provide them with access to Google’s employees, network, and technologies to help them build meaningful products for their communities.

Pichai said: “We have made huge strides together over the past decade, but there is more work to do to make the internet accessible, affordable and useful for every African. I am excited to reaffirm our commitment to the continent through an investment of

$1 billion over five years to support Africa’s digital transformation to cover a range of initiatives from improved connectivity to investment in startups.”

On his part, Managing Director for Google in Africa, Nitin Gajria, said: “I am so inspired by the innovative African tech startup scene.

In the last year we have seen more investment rounds into tech startups than ever before. I am of the firm belief that no one is better placed

to solve Africa’s biggest problems than Africa’s young developers and startup founders. We look forward to deepening our partnership with, and support for Africa’s innovators and entrepreneurs.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Small Business Development in South Africa, Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams, said: “I am happy to note that Google has been active in supporting Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs),

dedicating even more resources to this sector, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last 12 months, Google has helped close to 500,000 African businesses get online and reach new customers.”

Since 2012, the Google Arts and Culture team has partnered institutions across the continent to preserve and promote their collections, providing a free online platform, which anyone around the world can access.

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DEVELOPMENT

Addressing the Hazards in Tobacco Market Ugo Aliogo examines a recent research finding published by Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa, which states that 29,472 deaths in Nigeria are attributable to smoking

T

he tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced; killing more than eight million people a year globally. More than seven million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Another survey revealed that over 1.3 billion people in the world use tobacco and over 80 per cent of this population live in low-and-middle-income countries where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is very heavy. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and has one of the leading tobacco markets.

Undoubtedly, the above statistics are worrisome and calls for serious actions to be taken by authorities concerned to stem the tide of tobacco smoking. Meanwhile, on the home front, Nigeria is not exempted from the staggering death statistics. It was discovered that 16, 100 Nigerians are killed annually by tobacco. While over 18 billion cigarettes are being sold and consumed annually, which makes it worrisome despite laws put in place to curb production and importation of the ‘killer sticks’ as tobacco, companies have devised new ways to advertise on social media, Nollywood movies, sponsoring events, and others.

WHO FCTC PROTOCOL

Following the 2003 World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Nigeria ratified the convention agreement in 2005, and in 2015 signed into law the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act that regulates all aspects of tobacco control including advertising, packaging, and smoke-free areas. Despite these initiatives, some reports suggest that the prevalence of smoking in the country is still on the rise especially with 16,100. However, Article 14 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) promotes tobacco cessation awareness and support for tobacco dependence. While Nigeria has put in place mechanisms for implementation of some of the FCTC measures, unfortunately, the measure of adopting cessation programmes designed to offer help for smokers to quit remains largely underutilized.

According to the FCTC, “Main countries of origin for illicit cigarettes are China, Paraguay, the Russian Federation, the United Arabic Emirates, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. While main destinations are: The European Union, the United States of America, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Iran, Iraq, Hong Kong, and Pakistan. While the main transit and transit-destination countries are: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mali, Niger, Guinea, Nigeria, Syria, Malaysia, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Poland, Lithuania, Greece, Montenegro, Turkey, and Bulgaria. In addition, free trade zones have also been used in the illicit tobacco trade in the UAE, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Panama, Greece, and Egypt.”

The FCTC noted that 54 parties have signed the Protocol. Among them are major players in the global illicit tobacco products trade, such as China, the EU, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Kenya, Iran, Panama, and Colombia.

The WHO Protocol is confident that if most of the source, transit, and destination countries ratify the Protocol, the illicit cigarette market is expected to be reduced significantly.

To broaden the scope of the discourse, THISDAY spoke to the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative

Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, whose viewpoints on the issue was that illegal tobacco market in Nigeria is huge, adding that clamping down on illegal activities of players in the industry falls within the purview of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

He also affirmed that in line with the National Tobacco Control Act 2015, the health ministry has the power to issue licenses for the manufacture and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products.

He maintained that the ministry of finance makes fiscal policies on taxation, while the custom service duties are to collect these taxes and also to ensure that illegal tobacco products do not find their way into the country, adding that these Ministries must work together to ensure that illicit tobacco doesn’t gain entry into the Nigerian market.

He hinted that there are still huge gaps in addressing the problem by these government bodies although some milestones have been achieved by them.

On his path, the Senior Global Director, AntiIllegal Trade, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) Ian Monteith, said criminals have and continued to take advantage of COVID with continental differences.

He also stated that they recognize that unemployment increased and purchasing power disposable income has reduced as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monteith further explained that a JTI report noted that across the 30 European countries (EU, UK, Norway, and Switzerland) 34.2 billion cigarettes smoked in 2020 were illegal, which represents 7.8 percent of total cigarette consumption in the EU and the tax loss for governments c.€8.5 billion.

He remarked that from a KPMG survey, France is the European country with the highest illicit cigarette trade incidence – 32 per cent at the end of 2020, adding that South Africa showed Prohibition did not work, “more amazingly has been the growth of illegal manufacturing in the European Union (EU).”

DRIVERS OF ILLICIT TOBACCO TRADE

Rafsanjani is optimistic that the low or nonpayment of required taxes is driving illicit trade in the country, thereby fuelling the trade in illicit tobacco, and it is heightened by the lack of a robust system of tracking and tracing these products as has been witnessed in such African countries like Kenya.

According to him, “There have been alleged reports that the Tobacco Industry is behind the illegal trade in tobacco to avoid taxation.

Tobacco products like cigarettes are not products manufactured without better automation within the highly technical industrial arena. It is the Tobacco Industry that has such facilities to manufacture these products. While they push their legal brands through the ‘right’ channels, they push the illicit wants through the back door.”

Monteith argued that organized criminals are highly adaptable, creative, exploiting public anxiety and enriching themselves not just from tobacco, but other products such as PPE, alcohol, and pharmaceutical even counterfeit COVID

vaccines have been identified in Asia.

The JTI’s Senior Global Director asserted that some consumers believe illegal tobacco is a victimless crime, therefore there is a need to inform them of the broader social impact of buying illicit products from criminal groups, “many of these groups also traffic people and weapons, with far-reaching consequences for society.”

He maintained that illegal trade impacts everyone, farmers, millions of retailers, suppliers to consumers, pointing that the loss of revenue to law-abiding people is significant, as is the impact on consumers lured into buying sub-standard products.

According to him, “HMRC estimates that 8 per cent of cigarettes and 33 per cent of roll your own tobacco smoked in the UK is illicit – HMRC Measuring Tax Gaps Report 2020; In 2020 UK Tobacco revenue increased by £1.35 billion due to closed borders demonstrating the extent of the illegal trade. 14MM victims costing an estimated $150 billion to society and governments. New trend of debt bondage. Motivate the public to accept responsibility, collective actions however small, can have an impact.”

COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ILLICIT TOBACCO TRADE

The CISLAC Executive Director argued that there is no evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 impacted illicit trade in cigarettes, stating that statistics reveal that smokers used more of the products within the pandemic and supplies were not reduced enabling price stability of the product.

Monteith said: “So, COVID has not prevented criminals from profiting. It rather puts pressure on consumers’ purchasing power and pushes them to turn to illegal products. That’s why we need a more coordinated approach and a combination of partnerships fighting the underlying causes as well consequences and symptoms. Without demand, there is no supply. One important action is to educate consumers that with every illegal pack they buy they support criminal groups. Global community campaigns are required.”

BORDER CONTROL

There is the argument from the FCTC that transnational organised crime markets are global in scale; therefore strategies to address them should also be global. The principles of combating transnational organised crime also apply to the illicit tobacco trade: the global scope and multifaceted nature of the illicit tobacco trade require a coordinated international response. The protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products is the global response of the global tobacco control community. The expectation is that if most countries that are parties to the WHO FCTC will ratify the Protocol, it is hoped that it will be highly effective and reduce cigarette smuggling by more than 60 per xent.

The FCTC remarked that countries differ in their relationship to the illicit tobacco trade: some countries are the source for illicit tobacco products, while others play a role in the transit of the illicit products, while some are the destination.

However, Rafsanjani’s perspective is that the country’s porous borders and the absence of a robust tracking and tracing system contribute to the illicit trade in tobacco, moreover, poor fiscal policy on novel products such as shisha

and hookah are fueling the increased sales of these illegal products in Nigeria.

The JTI Senior Global Director avowed that the company has been advocating for increased cooperation among countries’ intelligent agencies to stop illicit trade across borders, cooperation with enhanced intelligence sharing between law enforcement agencies (LEAs) needs to be supported by the private sectors.

According to Monteith, “In its operations in Nigeria JTI has made anti-illicit trade one of her major objectives, scaling up awareness and always ready to partner with relevant agencies of the government such as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in the collective fight against illicit products, contrabands, and smuggling activities. JTI is also partnering with Interpol to combat the illicit tobacco trade.

“Governments should take a holistic approach when tackling illegal trade. Excessive regulation and sudden and sharp tax increases incentivize illicit trade. Law enforcement is effective only if reasonable and balanced policies are in place. As governments seek to revitalize the economy, they should consider the possible pitfall of sharp tax hikes or additional taxation designed to change behaviours around lifestyle choices and the environment that drive down affordability.”

THE SOLUTION

The need to tackle illicit trade has become very much imperative because it stifles the operation of the legitimate industry, erodes market share, and has wide-reaching negative societal impacts. Furthermore, the trade allows criminal gangs to smuggle across borders, engaging in large-scale tax evasion and producing counterfeit cigarettes. Judging by the weak penalties for perpetrators, poor border controls, low arrest rates, and tobacco taxes, there is a huge disparity between neighbouring countries.

In combating the illicit tobacco trade, the FCTC suggests that parties should not rely on tobacco industry estimates for measuring the illicit market in their country, adding that those estimates are often unreliable and alarmist. It also argued that parties should be encouraged to collect data on the illicit trade and undertake an analysis of the characteristics of confiscated tobacco products such as the product type, brand name, place of seizure, modus operandi, intended destination, counterfeit or not, quantity and weight.

The CISLAC Executive Director expressed great optimism that there is a way of the problem, stating that in order to prevent this illegal trade, the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (PEITT) aims to make the supply chain of tobacco products secured through a series of measures by governments.

According to him, “There is need for the establishment of a global tracking and tracing regime within five years of entry into force of the protocol, comprising national and regional tracking and tracing systems and a global information-sharing point located in the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC. Other provisions to ensure control of the supply chain include licensing, record-keeping requirements, and regulation of Internet sales, duty-free sales, and international transit. To address illicit trade that has occurred, the Protocol establishes offenses, addresses liability and seizure payments as well as the disposal of confiscated products.”

Monteith is confident that vigorous enforcement and robust deterrents are essential to combat illegal trade.

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

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NGO Pushes for Quality Content in School Curriculum, O f f e r s F r e e Tra i n i n g f o r C o n t e n t P rov i d e r s Emma Okonji A non-governmental organisation (NGO) that develops educational contents with entertainment for African schools, Ubongo, has stressed the need for quality content that is fused with entertainment and story telling that will enhance teaching and learning in schools.

Ubongo’s mission is to use top quality and localised edutainment to help African’s 500 million children learn, and leverage their learning to change their lives, through its radio and television programmes, including mobile phones broadcasting.

Speaking at a one day training workshop for content developers and educators in Lagos recently, organised

by Ubongo, Head of Education and Research at Ubongo, Cliodhna Ryan, said the NGO was also using technology tools to develop digital contents and broadcast same through digital channels that would help enhance quality teaching and learning at schools.

Nigeria Adaptation Consultant for Ubongo, Mr. Olatayo Olaniyan, said

the educational contents provided

by Ubongo are in line with the government’s curriculum across Africa, aimed at developing the educational content across Africa, using locally sourced materials.

“As an edutainment company, Ubongo is careful at keeping abreast of the broadcasting codes and regulations that govern content in different African countries, including Nigeria, because from the beginning, the key partner for us has been the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and our content has gone through several levels of vetting from them, before broadcasting. NTA is a government owned broadcasting house with very stringent regulations, and they are keen at upholding the standard of education,”Olaniyan said.

Speaking about the one day training workshop in Lagos, the Director of Marketing and Communications at Ubongo, Iman Lipumba, said the training would give content developers and educators the support they needed to develop more educational contents

Interstellar Partners Interswitch Group to Develop Blockchain Solutions Emma Okonji Interstellar Inc., an Enterprise Blockchain Infrastructure Services Company and Interswitch Group, Africa’s Integrated Payments and Digital Commerce Solutions company, have announced a long-term strategic partnership agreement to jointly develop blockchain-powered infrastructure services and solutions.

Interswitch and Interstellar have been working together over the last two years, carrying out blockchain technology research. As part of the partnership Interstellar’s Blockchain technology stack (STARGATE) will be integrated with Interswitch’s industry-leading payments and digital commerce technology. This will further enhance the shared vision of the businesses to drive greater financial inclusion and prosperity across the continent.

Both companies have been preparing for the blockchain revolution in the African market with several ongoing initiatives including a Pan-African Payment Ecosystem (PAPE) powered by a private permissioned blockchain network, which includes a consortium of Banks and Fintech players.

Founder and CEO at Interstellar, Ernest Mbenkum, said: “We are delighted to have established this strategic partnership with Interswitch, one of Africa’s most valuable fintech businesses. This marks the genesis of an innovative and collaborative partnership aimed at delivering impact-focused and enterprise grade blockchain-powered services across the African continent.”

Interswitch has been at the forefront of major innovation

milestones in payments in Nigeria for the last 20 years, garnering recognition along the line as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Africa (Deloitte Fast-Growth 50) and gaining acclaim as the first homegrown African Fintech Unicorn following a minority investment by Visa in late 2019. Today, Interswitch’s current business footprint covers more than 26 countries in Africa.

Divisional Chief Executive Officer for Transaction Switching and Payment Processing at Interswitch, Akeem Lawal, said: “We are excited to partner with Interstellar on this journey and we look forward to the amazing things we will achieve together in the African market.

This new alliance underscores the directional evolution of our blockchain innovation strategy, which is premised on our strategic intent of developing a native, proprietary enterprise-grade distributed ledger technology stack that is practically tailored to the African context. This enables us to progressively digitize multiple industry value-chains across African markets whilst also supporting the actualization of the Pan African Payment Ecosystem, riding the wave of opportunities created by such initiatives as the AfCFTA.” The adoption of distributed ledger technology applications in Africa offers significant potential for advancing socio-economic growth, empowerment of communities, digitization of industries, lowering the costs of local and cross border payments, localization of emerging technology and the development of African tech talent.

that schools could adopt.

“We want to inspire a lot more edutainment interventions in Nigerian schools, and we are advocating for the return of quality content in school curriculum. We will continue to invest in order to increase the number of languages, including local languages, through

which we can reach the schools.

During the workshop, we identified the needs of content providers and trained them in that direction free of charge. The essence is to grow more partners that will be developing school contents that will support teaching and learning in schools,” Lipumba said.

The Lagos State Government has announced its partnership with Freedom Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in order to launch initiatives that is aimed at rehabilitating and empowering communities in Lagos state.

The initiatives include Ile Ayo, Ile Alafia, ile Ogo and Ile Ireti.

The Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu during the God Bless Nigeria Independence day rally

themed: ‘Agege No Shaking’, held recently in Lagos revealed that the initiatives would be focused on providing medically assisted detoxification to individuals aged between 17 to 59.

He said the intervention was for those who are struggling with addiction to alcohol and hard drug substances such as prescription medicines, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, crack and codeine by identifying areas within the state that possess such individuals and provide empowerment and rehabilitation

workshop, participants were given certificate of participation. The participants expressed satisfaction about the training, and suggested that such training should be regular in order to keep abreast with modern technology that will enable them assist in building quality contents for schools.

INSURANCE FOR ALL…

L-R: Regional Director, West Africa, Africa Re, Temitope Akinowa and, MD/CEO, AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, Kunle Ahmed during the cheque presentation to Insurance Companies that benefited from the IFC’s Global Index Insurance Facility Experience Account managed by Africa Re in Lagos… recently

Infinix to Inspire Next SEPLAT JV Deepens Generation with Zero X Healthcare in Edo, Social Media Challenge Delta Communities Emma Okonji Days after Infinix Mobility launched its Zero X Pro device in Nigeria, the tech company says it will start of its #ZeroXChallenge, which is an initiative to inspire boundless creativity among Nigerians and empower the youth to explore beyond the ordinary.

The Infinix ZERO X Pro was launched in an exclusive event on the 15th of September 2021 in Lagos, with the theme #SeeBeyond.

An important inspiration behind the design and features of the device was derived from human’s desire to do the extraordinary, to be more; to strive for the impossible: be it man’s first footsteps on the moon. The need to see beyond was the driving factor that led to the development of this product.

The Zero X Pro delivers cuttingedge innovation in Nigeria, redefining moonlight photography and offers super Moon mode for capturing shots of the moon. While unveiling the phone, photography experts TY Bello and George Okoro, presented nature and lifestyle-inspired shots taken with the revolutionary Zero X Pro camera, which possesses a super moon mode, night-selfie mode, periscope lens, and powerful

hybrid zoom. The device, which is considered an affordable luxury has set the stage for a whole new era of smartphone technology.

The Infinix Zero X Challenge calls Interested individuals to take creative phone photos using any mobile phone but all photos must fall within the lifestyle and nature category. Individuals are to post all entries on social media using the hashtags #InfinixZeroXChallenge and #ZeroXShotsChallenge, as well as tag @infinixnigeria social media pages.

At the close of submission, the top entries will be selected and these entries will be open for further delegation by the judges, and two best photos will be announced: one from each category to be winner.

Selected entries from the initiative will be rewarded with a day with photography experts, TY Bello and George Okoro with a phone photography masterclass and a free phone for the winners.

At the masterclass, TY Bello and George Okoro will share insights on how to get into a creative mindset while using the ZERO X Pro to capture impeccable images of lifestyle and nature, including shots of the moon.

Lagos Govt Partners NGO to Empower Communities Hamid Ayodeji

During the training, participants were grouped and each group was made to identify some challenges in teaching and learning processes, and to develop solutions on how to address such challenges, through teaching that is combined with story telling and edutainment.

At the end of the one-day training

schemes for them.

He said that his administration was passionate about collaborating and up-scaling the efforts of the God Bless Nigeria church so as to cater for the rehabilitation needs of drug and alcohol dependent persons across the state.

“We are delighted that God Bless Nigeria has decided to collaborate with the government to come to Agege to rehabilitate and empower its residents. We decided to partner with Freedom Foundation and God Bless Nigeria because they have

been achieving great things in their efforts towards rehabilitating and empowering helpless and homeless people across the shores of the state.

“Thus, we decided to set up schemes that we are going to be implementing together which includes Ile Alafia, Ile Ogo, Ile Ireti and ile Ayo. “These initiatives would be implemented to tackle the problems of communities across Lagos State with the collaboration of Freedom Foundation and God Bless Nigeria,” he stated.

Shalom Uzochukwu Seplat Energy Plc, operators of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC)/SEPLAT joint venture has kicked off the 9th edition of its annual Eye Can See Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme with a major activation at the Oba of Benin’s palace.

A statement signed and made available to THISDAY by the Manager, Corporate Communications, External Affairs and Sustainability, Seplat Energy Plc, Stanley Opara, said the programme witnessed a large turnout of people from within and outside of Benin City who showed up to have their eyes checked, obtain prescription glasses, “or get operated upon to remove visual impairing cataracts.”

The statement also noted that the programme would be deployed in different centres across Delta and Edo States, adding that thousand of Nigerians would be screened for eye ailments, surgeries performed, and eye glasses dispensed.

The statement also noted that the flag off of the programme was done alongside the chiefs led by the Eribo of Benin Kingdom, who represented the Oba of Benin Chief John Oviesoge.

The event was also graced by key government officials, traditional rulers, NPDC representatives, and the media, amongst other dignitaries.

In her remarks, the Director, External Affairs and Sustainability, Seplat Energy, Dr. Chioma

Nwachuku, revealed that ensuring sustainability of the communities where Seplat operates remains top in the agenda of the company particularly the health and well-being of their people.

Nwachuku said: “We are committed to partnering with our host communities with the view to touching lives.

The Eye Can See programme has been on since 2012, and every year, the company brings a dedicated team of medics to ensure it makes the right and needed impacts. Our focus on the good health and well-being of our people is unwavering, and this is in line with Sustainability Development Goal (SDG) 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing of all at all ages. Seplat has, through the programme, impacted 80,194 persons; dispensed 35,755 reading glasses, and performed 3,456 cataract and related surgeries.”

In his remarks, the Oba of Benin, who was represented by the Eribo of Benin Kingdom, Chief Oviesoge lauded Seplat for supporting and enhancing the physical and mental wellbeing of members of its host communities and pledged his kingdom’s support to the Company and its activities.

He commended the Company’s resolve to continue to invest in its areas of operation, saying the move had helped to boost the fortunes of the areas.

The statement hinted that the Eye Can See programme is in addition to other yearly social programmes deployed

by Seplat in her areas of operation.

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Osibanjo, Obasanjo, Ndukwe, Others for Telecoms Summit Nosa Alekhuogie Vice President Yemi Osibanjo is expected to chair a One-Day Telecommunications Summit slated for Thursday October 28, 2021 at The MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The One-Day Summit will commemorate the 20 years of the transformation of telecommunications services in Nigeria, which saw to the emergence of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)

Networks in Nigeria in 2001.

The highlights of the Summit include a Masterclass for mostly Media practitioners to be moderated

by Tony Ojobo, President, African ICT Foundation with the Group Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu as the Guest Speaker. There will be a TwoPart Anniversary Lecture under the Chairmanship of Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. The first part entitledTelecommunications In

Nigeria: The Revolution will be delivered by Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, former Executive Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Chairman, MTN Nigeria. The second part titled Telecommunications In Nigeria: The Next Frontier will be delivered by Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC. Also prominent on the line up of activities for the Summit are the unveiling of a Commemorative Publication entitled: Nigeria’s GSM,

The Ultimate Game Changer by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the formal exposure of the anniversary documentary titled: Nigeria’s Telecommunications Revolution: An NCC Legacy. The Awards segment will be in two broad categories. The first category will be for individual awards and is in four subsets; Evergreen Award, Pathfinders Award, Enablers Award and HonourableMentions.

The second category will be for institutionsand include Industry

Pioneers Award and Industry Pacesetters Award.

Notable among the sixteen individual awardees are former President Olusegun Obasanjo, under whose tenure the telecommunications transformation was consummated, Late Alhaji Ahmed Joda, who led the Board of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to midwife the telecommunications revolution, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, who as the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC

was on the driver’s seat, Prof.

Isa Pantami, who as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has, so far, given new impetus to the nation’s telecommunications sector, Prof.

Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, who continues to sustain the growth occasioned by the telecoms revolution and Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr, whose innovative streak continually adds verve to the telecommunications sector in Nigeria.

Global Consumer Data Firm Rates KongaPay High WD Launches Solution to Support Content Creators Nosa Alekhuogie

KongaPay, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-licensed fintech platform, has been identified as the leading provider of digital payment services for e-commerce transactions in Nigeria.

The rating came from Statista, a globally renowned market and consumer data firm.

The development justifies the huge popularity and impressive dominance KongaPay enjoys as a reliable, secure and trustworthy e-payment channel for many savvy users in Nigeria. Furthermore, the platform, which ranks as one of the thriving subsidiaries in the Konga Group, Nigeria’s leading e-commerce giant, has once again lived up to its billing as one of the top enablers of online shopping in Africa’s biggest market. ‘‘In 2020, e-wallet held about 10 percent of digital payments in Nigeria. The most common service was KongaPay, which accounted for four percent of the payments, while PayPal followed with three percent,’’ research from Statista disclosed.

‘‘Overall, cash and bank transfers were the second most common payment methods in online retail after cards. However, data on credit card penetration in Nigeria show that the share of people owning a credit card is quite low,’’ it added.

KongaPay has recorded significant growth since the landmark acquisition of Konga by Zinox a little over three years ago. The platform has witnessed an impressive 700% growth in number of existing wallets, with projections indicating a rise to over one millionwallet holders by the end of 2021. The dominance of KongaPay in e-wallet transactions in Nigeria has hardly come as a surprise to the Management of Konga, which has disclosed that more landmark strides are on the way, not only for the fintech platform, but for the other thriving verticals under the Konga Group umbrella. Lending more insights into the massive groundwork going on behind the scenes to further grow its market share, Vice President, KongaPay, Isa Aliyushata, is bullish about the chances of the platform taking its popularity as a trusted e-commerce

payment vehicle to other African markets.

According to Aliyushata, ‘‘E-commerce is growing in Nigeria and compared to when the bug first bit, the proportion of those making online payments is also gradually hitting an upward curve. Now, for most e-commerce shoppers willing to make payments digitally, a few considerations are paramount.

These include security, reliability, user-friendliness, convenience, and, of course, safety. KongaPay offers all these and much more. ‘‘We have not only built a robust and reliable payment platform but have also done a lot of work in expanding the scope of services being offered by KongaPay. ‘‘Today, with KongaPay, you can make cardless withdrawals for all banks in Nigeria, transfer money to individual accounts or various accounts at once, receive payments from customers, creditors or benefactors through a variety of means, buy airtime from various telcos or network providers such as MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile, etc.

Nosa Alekhuogie Western Digital, a global leader in data infrastructure, has launched a new solution for the growing community of creators around the world, known as the WD Blue SN570 NVMe SSD. The new internal flash drive is a powerful solution for upgrading current PCs or optimizing a custom build.

Vice President of Client and Enterprise SSDs for Western Digital’s Flash Business Unit, Eric Spanneut, said: “Complex workloads require high performance and reliability, and the right type of storage can help streamline workflows and increase productivity.

“Our new WD Blue SN570 NVMe SSD is built with creators in mind, providing fast speeds, data protection and endurance to support their creative vision.”

To keep creators inspired, each new purchase of a WD Blue SN570 NVMe SSD comes

with a one-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud, offering access to some of the world’s best creative apps and services such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Premiere Pro and InDesign.

Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships at Adobe, Marc Leibowitz, said: “Whether at home or on the go, people are creating in ways that demand more and more from their devices.

“By teaming up with Western Digital, we are able to equip creatives with the tools they need to do their best work, wherever and whenever inspiration strikes.”

The new WD Blue SN570 NVMe SSD is designed for endurance, packing high performance into a small-form factor to keep imaginations flowing -- all while maintaining low power consumption.

Key features of the new WD Blue SN570 NVMe SSD include:

NVMe Technology: Create faster while consuming low amounts of power. With read speeds up to 3,500MB/s† (500GB‡‡ - 1TB‡‡ models), systems can run up to 5X faster than Western Digital’s best SATA SSDs. Built-In Support: Work with extra confidence and peace of mind as the downloadable Western DigitalmSSD Dashboard helps monitor the drive’s health, available space, temperature and more.

According to a UNESCO report, it is estimated that more than 50 million people across the globe self-identified as having a career in the cultural and creative industries. With the ever changing definition of “creator” in a technology-driven world, this title now reaches beyond graphic designers and videographers to include content creators, UI/UX designers, artists and illustrators, entrepreneurs and freelancers, engineers, architects, grad students and more.

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

APBN Cautions Professional Bodies on Overreliance on Government Patronage Raheem Akingbolu A top corporate player and former Managing Director at Cpms, Kadiri Adebayo Adeola has called on professional bodies in Nigeria to begin engage in activities that could further boost the developmental profile of Nigeria and what they could do outside of government rather than putting all their hope in what comes from the government.

Speaking at the 37th Annual General Assembly of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), held in Lagos recently, Adeola, who spoke on the paper titled, ‘Rethinking Professionalism, Leadership and Development’, said if the society must change for the better, it must start with some individuals who determine the desired values the society should embrace, adopt and commit themselves to these values, and constitute the nucleus from where these values are spread through

the larger society.

He stated that rather than focus on service delivery, the nation’s professionals are pre-occupied with complaints about the inadequacies of the government for members.

He therefore, charged members of the association to jettison the entitlement mentality they presently exhibit, and work hard on providing products and services that will delight their customers, clients and the end-users of such offerings.

The guest speaker, who also urged the professionals to exhibit competence and be ready to provide quality services to enable the customers and clients get value for their money, added that besides regulating their members and seeing to their welfare, the essence of professional associations is also to protect the public from incompetent and unethical professionals.

He pointed out that the call had become imperative since many of

the nation’s professionals do not exhibit adequate competence and ethics, thereby making it difficult for clients to seek redress in the event of dissatisfaction.

The Guest Speaker also decried the present situation in the country where most professions do not have viable or visible professional associations to regulate them, especially at the vocational and artisan levels “Even among the elite professions where professional associations exist, the focus of the professional associations is generally on the welfare of their members rather than the quality of service delivery to the public. More emphasis is laid on qualification rather than competence.

“If the hypothesis that the daily living experience of the citizenry derives from interaction with professionals is accepted, then the frustration experienced by the citizenry can be significantly improved if the

Five Years After, Coca-Cola Unveils New Global Brand Raheem Akingbolu Coca-Cola has unveiled a new global brand philosophy and platform called Real Magic, which invites everyone to celebrate the real magic of humanity.

The platform, which was unveiled on Wednesday, refreshes the brand’s trademark promise – to unite and uplift people every day – with renewed relevance for the world we live in today.

The platform is built from lessons of the last 18 months: that we can find the magic all around us when we come together in unexpected moments that elevate the everyday into the extraordinary.

It also acknowledges the many contradictions experienced as new generations find harmony and human connection in a virtual and divided world.

“Real Magic is not necessarily a major departure from our messaging in the past. In fact, it still captures the essence of the Coca-Cola brand, whose long-term

brand philosophy and belief encourages people to indulge in a sense of community, and to view life with a renewed sense of purpose”, says Alfred Olajide, Vice President and Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria.

“Through the Real Magic campaign, we seek to have a fresh perspective on the quotidian moments we typically dismiss or forget and highlight how these shared mundane experiences should be cherished”, he continued.

Real Magic marks the first new global brand platform for Coca-Cola since ‘Taste The Feeling’ in 2016 and is being launched alongside a refreshed visual identity for CocaCola, as well as a fresh iteration on the Coca-Cola logo that will feature across Coca-Cola marketing. Inspired by its representation on Coca-Cola’s iconic packaging, the “Hug” logo lifts the curved Coca-Cola trademark on the bottle and can labels to provide a visual signature that will embrace and frame moments of magic across Coca-Cola’s

communications.

The campaign also features social and digital executions, as well as out-of-home activities, such as a star-studded launch event in Nigeria this October, featuring the country’s biggest on-air personalities, artists, footballers, influencers and more. As a part of the campaign, Coca-Cola will also implement consumer engagement activities, with a view to rewarding fans and consumers.

“Coca-Cola is a brand defined by dichotomies: humble but iconic, authentic yet secret, real yet magical”, said Manolo Arroyo, Chief Marketing Officer for The Coca-Cola Company. “The Real Magic philosophy is rooted in the belief that dichotomies can make the world a more interesting place – a world of extraordinary people, unexpected opportunities and wonderful moments. At the same time, it captures the essence of Coca-Cola itself: a real taste that is indescribable, unique, a touch of real magic”.

Nigerian Breweries Announces Air Peace, Innoson as GUS 21 Corporate Partners Nigerian Breweries Plc, organisers of Gulder Ultimate Search, have announced a collaboration with leading Nigerian airline Air Peace and indigenous automobile company Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing for the 12th season of the survival reality show.

The unique collaboration will see the two Nigerian brands join forces with Gulder Ultimate Search to reward the winner and contestants with exciting prizes when the show premieres on screens from October 16 2021 for the 12th season.

The Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries, Emmanuel Oriakhi, said: “We are so thrilled to have these two great Nigerian brands supporting Gulder Ultimate Search. And we look forward to the highly exciting opportunities the partnership will present to contestants and viewers of the show.”

The partnership announcement follows the unveiling of GUS contestants on Sunday, September 26, 2021.

“We’re so excited to be partnering with such an iconic show. Through this partnership, we will support the tenacity, and resilient spirit of young Nigerians who have shown to always find a way out of any difficult challenge life throws at them. It is our way of cheering Nigerian youths on to success,” Chairman, CEO, and founder of

Air Peace, Barr. Allen Onyema, said.

Cornel Osigwe, Head of Corporate Communications and Affairs, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, said, our collaboration with Gulder Ultimate Search presents us with the opportunity to also contribute to the iconic show, recognising and rewarding resourceful Nigerians. We are excited to be doing this.”

This is not the first time Innoson Vehicles is partnering with a reality TV show that is focused on bringing out the creativity and energy of the Nigerian youth and these are the virtues among others that characterizes the personality of Innoson which he used in building the brand Innoson as we have today.

We’re excited to be part of this reality TV show and we hope that our partnership with Gulder Ultimate Search will be the seal to a great mutually beneficial relationship between Nigerian Breweries and Innoson Vehicles.

After a stellar 11-season run from 2004 to 2014, Gulder Ultimate Search, Nigeria’s first reality TV show, is returning to the screens in October 2021 with ‘The Age of Craftsmanship’ as the theme of the 12th season.

Since its debut in 2004, GUS has delivered some of the most memorable TV moments of the last two decades and launched the careers of many film and TV stars including Kunle Remi, Dennis Okike, Chris Okagbue, Uzor Osimkpa, Chinedu Ubachukwu, and many more

quality of professional performance improves,” he added.

Adeola charged the nation’s professionals to up their ante by taking on the greater challenges of national development.

Earlier, the President of the association Akinloye O. Oyegbola had expressed the readiness of the nation’s professionals to support governments at the national and sub-national levels. He condemned the obvious preference of governments at the various levels for foreign professionals over the local ones. He however charged the 30-member associations on the need to enhance professionalism

and ensure their clients get value for their money.

Similarly, he expressed the concern of the association over the country’s penchant for borrowing stated that if the loan is for infrastructure, then the loans should payout themselves.

The association also looked at the lingering issue around VAT and suggested that it should be given ample consideration at all levels so as to prevent it from degenerating into a conflagrating crisis.

“The issues about duplicity of taxation will depress the economy if not nipped in the bud”, it said.

On AFCFTA, the association

believes that Nigeria as the continent’s largest economy, has a huge role to play in making the African Continental Free Trade Agreement deal to work.

“AfCFTA provides free movement of goods and services within the markets of countries that are signatories to the agreement. Signatories to the deal have the opportunity of exploring the continent’s over 1.2billion market. We will like to implore the federal government to encourage Nigerian brands and investors, to leverage this deal to expand their business frontiers and enhance the nation’s economy.”

Bolt Launches Bolt Food Delivery Service in Nigeria To help provide easier access to daily essentials such as food, a leading ride-hailing platform in Africa, Bolt has launched its food delivery service in Nigeria. Bolt Food is the latest category set to offer customers competitively affordable and efficient food delivery service to customers while offering good working conditions to food couriers and profit to restaurant partners.

With over 30 million customers worldwide, Bolt has built its ridehailing platform efficiently to offer the best service in the sector to drivers and riders, positioning the company as a leader in Nigeria’s mobility sector. The company will now extend its expertise to food delivery to advance the sector with innovation and technology.

Speaking on the launch, Bolt Nigeria’s Country Manager, Femi Akin-Laguda, said, “We are excited to launch Bolt Food, which will allow Nigerians to order food from their favourite restaurants and receive it quickly and safely at their home or office.”

“Our ride-hailing business is built on efficiency and easing mobility for riders while offering drivers a flexible opportunity to earn more income. Bolt is eager to bring this approach to food delivery and ensure that our partner restaurants benefit from our loyal customer base. This is also a way for us to augment the earning opportunities for Nigerians by contributing to the gig economy. We will ensure that it is worthwhile for couriers on

the platform like drivers have benefited from our ride-hailing platform,” Femi concluded.

The entrance of Bolt Food to Nigeria will help restaurants have a broader reach to customers, with Bolt acting as a reliable platform for affordable delivery and efficient service. At the initial stage of the launch, customers can only place food orders from more than 100 restaurants in Lagos Island. Bolt is looking to add new restaurants to the app daily while also expanding to other parts of Lagos soon.

To place an order, users have been urged to download the Bolt Food application on their smartphone, with an array of different restaurants and available menu options to choose from.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ , OCTOBER 7, 2021

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ Chiemelie Ezeobi ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

Making Wheelchairs for Cerebral Palsy Children Affordable and Accessible Most children living with cerebral palsy need wheelchairs for mobility, but only a few can afford it in Nigeria. To fill that lacuna, Kingsley Okukpon Albert, a self-trained the technician, is fabricating wheelchairs locally and making them affordable for low-income earners, reports Vanessa Obioha

Locally made CP wheelchair

T

he COVID-19 pandemic came with a lot of uncertainties and hardships last year. One of such was the scarcity of wheelchairs for children living with cerebral palsy (CP). The congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture usually caused by an abnormal brain development often before birth affects about 700,000 Nigerians according to The Provost, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof. Afolabi Lesi, in a 2017 report.

The professor added that over three million Nigerians are directly affected by it. The World Health Organisation also posits that over one billion people live with some form of disability in the world and the percentage is higher in developing countries.

Depending on the severity of the movement disorder, most cerebral palsy children need wheelchairs for mobility. But only a few can afford it in Nigeria. A cerebral wheelchair can cost as high as N2.2 million or N4.5 million, revealed Bukola Ayinde, an advocate for inclusive education for cerebral palsy children.

Struggles of Parents For low-income households, carrying the child on the back is the available option. Ayinde is familiar with the struggles parents go through conveying their children to health centres for physiotherapy. She disclosed that most mothers who live in the outskirts of Lagos have to walk long distances, carrying their children on their backs to visit public health centres. This, she said, often results in backaches.

Blessing Kingsley, a parent of a child living with cerebral palsy recounted the challenges of conveying her daughter from one place to another.

“If we have to go to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for her treatment, we will have to leave as early as 6 am. Sometimes, we don’t get home till late at night.”

Even before the pandemic kicked in, CP wheelchairs were scarce as most of them were imported. Ayinde revealed that between 2019 and 2020, the scarcity of CP wheelchairs was very high. Therefore, as countries began to shut their borders, ground international flights and halt production, parents of children living with CP were deeply affected.

Enter Kingsley Okukpon Albert. When Albert met his wife Blessing a few years ago in Ondo State, his dream was to build a family with her and help her achieve her goal of becoming a university graduate. Blessing came from a less privileged home and was determined to pursue her education.

However, the couple’s plans were upended when their first daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. At first, they thought she was under a curse that needed to be broken. The poor child was taken to different spiritual homes, endured different incisions all in a bid to make her ‘normal’. At one point, the couple was advised by a clergyman to give up on the child because the chances of her surviving five years were very slim.

Another wheelchair made by Albert

Albert with the first set of wheelchairs he made

I am impressed, and he is getting better with each fabrication. Very soon, he will be competing with foreign fabricators. It is impressive that someone with no formal training and support could do so much. I wonder what he would do if he could get some basic technical training especially abroad and grants from corporations and the government Hurt that her dreams were crushed by her daughter’s disability, Blessing found it difficult to accept her as a child. But on her fifth birthday, she summoned the courage to post a photo of her daughter on Facebook.

The feedback was overwhelming. Through that post, she was connected to Mofoluwasho Liasu, a lawyer who runs a Super Parents Foundation, an initiative created to support parents of children with disabilities and their vulnerable children.

“We support them morally, physically and in every way to relieve them of their burdens as we all know managing disability in Africa is expensive and difficult,” said Liasu.

These struggles, according to Liasu, include cultural and religious bias “that inflicts pain on them. The narratives that make disabilities seem like spiritual manipulation and witchcraft.”

This often leads to a lack of support from family and friends.

“Lack of medical care is also a challenge.

Therapy and medications are so expensive and inaccessible which makes caring for them expensive especially for the low-income earners,” she added.

That encounter with Liasu did not only lead to the couple discovering that their child had cerebral palsy but also to Kingsley making wheelchairs for cerebral palsy children.

“Getting wheelchairs for their children is hard and almost inaccessible. During the pandemic, most parents couldn’t buy any as they are mostly imported,” said Albert.

He recalled an incident when one parent came from Osun to Lagos to buy a wheelchair for her child. She was told it cost N150,000 but on getting to Lagos, the price was pegged at N170,000.

She returned home dejected. His wife, Blessing, also said that another parent from Imo gave her money to purchase a wheelchair through their supplier but since most countries were shut down, her money was refunded eight months later.

Fabricating Wheelchairs Locally

By November 2020, Albert set about fabricating a wheelchair to meet the demands of parents. Liasu provided financial assistance.

“I saw hard work, I saw passion and a very ambitious man. I had no choice but to support a man like that, coupled with the fact that he is a very supportive and loving father to his child with special needs and it is rare to see a father like that. Most fathers in Africa, once they discover their child has a disability, they abscond,” said Liasu.

Albert’s first attempt did not meet his expectations. However, subsequent efforts saw him receiving patronage from many parents.

Wheelchairs for cerebral palsy children come in different types depending on the functions. For instance, there are reclining wheelchairs that enable users to open the seat-to-back angle and elevate their legs. The movement is that of a typical reclining easy chair. One of the most common wheelchair enhancement features for cerebral palsy users is power tilt or tilt-in-space. Tilt-in-space chairs have special seats that can pivot 30-60 degrees upward with the push of a button (or manually) while keeping the hips and knees at 90-degree angles.

Albert’s wheelchairs come in a standard manual format, that is with a fixed seated position. However, his come with neck pads to keep the neck in position, as well as knee and leg pads. There are also armrests and straps to keep the child in a firm position as well as boards to place food. The wheelchair seats are wooden with leather covering. This type of cushioning may not be comfortable for children as long periods of sitting can cause damage to their skin and underlying tissue because of tension, friction, and the fragile condition of their skin. The condition is known as a pressure area. Most imported wheelchairs come with specialised cushions

placed on the seat of a wheelchair to help reduce the pressure on the bony areas of the buttocks and tailbone.

Albert is yet to use stainless steel frames for his fabrications. Currently, he uses mild steel for his wheelchairs which easily rusts. These limitations often cast doubts on the suitability and durability of his works.

According to Efe Omudu, an engineer who majors in agro-equipment, stainless steel is perfect for fabrications.

“You have a variety of materials ranging from stainless steel, galvanised steel and other metals you can use. Stainless steel is perfect, esthetic but expensive. It doesn’t corrode,” he said.

He added that galvanised steel is the closest alternative to stainless steel and comes in different grades.

“Some are resistant to rust while others will rust with time.”

Of all steels, mild steel, he said, is the cheapest.

“Mild steel or what you call iron is very cheap but of very low grade. If you’re using it, you’ll need to find a way to coat it with other materials to improve its sensory appeal and prevent rust.”

Funds, it seems, is Albert’s biggest challenge.

At the moment, he works alone and often makes the wheelchairs on demand. He also needs big machines to help with the fabrications.

“Funds and some technologies to be able to do more complex fabrications that will be more suitable. This will require massive funds and training too,” noted Liasu.

“Wheelchairs can be made locally,” said Omudu.

“It mustn’t take the form of the foreign ones in its entirety. Some innovation may have to come in.”

Nevertheless, Albert’s wheelchairs have put a smile on many parents’ faces. Both Ayinde and Liasu have patronised him as a way of encouraging his efforts.

“I am impressed, and he is getting better with each fabrication. Very soon, he will be competing with foreign fabricators. It is impressive that someone with no formal training and support could do so much. I wonder what he would do if he could get some basic technical training especially abroad and grants from corporations and the government.”

So far, the Super Parents Foundation has purchased over 15 wheelchairs from him. Through referrals, other parents seek him, sometimes with specifications.

“The good thing is that they find it easy to afford these wheelchairs,” said Albert. “They go as low as N130,000 while that for adults cost N80,000.”

With these affordable rates, parents need not rob a bank to purchase one.

Albert’s wheelchairs may not be the best in the market but as Omudu pointed out, the purpose of the wheelchair is for ease of movement. With his wheelchairs, parents can move their children from one place to the other without stress. t5IJT TUPSZ IBT CFFO TVQQPSUFE CZ /JHFSJB )FBMUI 8BUDI UISPVHI UIF 4PMVUJPOT +PVSOBMJTN /FUXPSL B OPOQSPmU PSHBOJTBUJPO EFEJDBUFE UP SJHPSPVT BOE DPNQFMMJOH SFQPSUJOH BCPVU SFTQPOTFT UP TPDJBM QSPCMFNT TPMVUJPOTKPVSOBMJTN PSH

T H I S D AY ˾ , OCTOBER 7, 2021

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NEWS

FERTILITY

Info@lifelinkfertility.com; Website: lifelinkfertility.com 08033083580

500 Patients Benefit from RECURRENT PREGNANCY Nalmigo Free Medical LOSS (PART 2 ) Outreach in Nasarawa Igbawase Ukumba ÓØ ËʨË About 500 patients in Keffi Emirate Council of Nasarawa State last week benefitted from a free medical outreach programme sponsored by Nalmigo Global Limited.

The event, which took place at the Emir of Keffi palace in Keffi Local Goverment Area of Nasarawa State, offered free medical services to expectant mothers, children and the elderly.

Activities carried out during the free medical services include free medical eye checks, free malaria testing and treatment, free blood pressure and sugar checks among others.

Speaking during the outreach, President of the Nalmigo Global Limited, Dr

Agu Nnaemeka, said Nalmigo is an acronym that stands for National life Span Group, noting that has been in the business of bringing succour to the sick ones who lack financial ability to attend to their ailments.

“We are looking at attending to not less than 500 people or more persons, and we hope to achieve that. We are going to be fast as much as possible to attend to many people,” he said.

Also speaking, a member of the 2021 Nalmigo charity committee, Dr Iwuagwu Donatus, said Keffi happens to be one of the places the Nalmigo Global Limited admired over the years.

“Our aim is to touch lives irrespective of the part of the country one comes from. We

are so happy that we are here today, we are treating mostly non-communicable diseases, hypertension, diabetic, malaria among others,” he said.

Speaking while declaring the programme open, the Emir of Keffi, Dr Shehu Chindo, Yamusa extolled Nalmigo’s selfless disposition with the instrumentality of saving lives.

He thanked them for choosing Keffi Emirate to represent the North Central for their free medical outreach, describing Keffi as the oldest Emirate in the North Central Nigeria.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to THISDAY thanked Nalmigo Global limited for its gesture, noting that the group braved the odds to reach out to the poor and needy in Keffi.

Leadway Health Partners 1000 Providers Across Nigeria for Quality Healthcare Rebecca Ejifoma Leadway Health, an innovative Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO), has partnered over 1000 providers to offer quality healthcare services to Nigerians and Africans, especially in this time of global pandemic.

This was in line with its efforts to help Africans save time, money, and get rid of the hassles that make health insurance hard to navigate. According to the CEO, Tokunbo Alli, Leadway wants to ensure that this becomes a long term collaboration between them and their members in order to provide high quality health plans and care.

He emphasised: “Our aim is to attend to all needs from Africa

through our offices in Nigeria and Ivory Coast, with consultants throughout the continent and globally.”

Alli also hinted that through their wide knowledge of the health care system in Africa, the HMO understands what makes a successful health insurance plan in Africa.

Hence, he noted that “With our comprehensive network of health care professionals and facilities across Africa and international, Nigrians and Africans can count on us for the highest quality of medical care at affordable prices”.

Following the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety measures, Leadway

has made it easier for its users.

“You can reach us through our mobile app and website.

You can manage your plan and policies and more by simply accessing the internet.”

Meanwhile, as one of the pioneers and most comprehensive West African Third-Party Administrators, the CEO highlighted the HMO’s objective to increase health insurance penetration and access to quality healthcare by providing efficient health care management services and solutions.

Alli, therefore, assured its current and future customers of its focus on their core business, as they take care of administering the healthcare needs, wellbeing, managing cost of their members.

Avon Medical Supports Nigerian Women with Webinar on PCOS Mary Nnah Avon Medical, a leading multispecialty practice and a growing healthcare network, recently hosted a special webinar in commemoration of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month.

Polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS, is a major condition that affects women in several ways, but usually is under-recognised or misdiagnosed, until women develop other complications or experience difficulties in getting pregnant. Every year, the month of September is celebrated as PCOS Awareness Month to share knowledge about the condition, encourage women to get tested, and dispel common myths about the syndrome.

This year, Avon Medical used its platform to show support to Nigerian women by hosting a free health webinar on the topic, “Understanding PCOS and Why You Should Care About It’.

Speaking on the event, The Medical Director at Avon Medical Practice, Dr Lilian Ekpo, said, “Through our webinar, we

sought to shed more light on PCOS and its impact on women.

As a condition without a cure, it is vital for women to learn more about PCOS and how it can be managed, living full, healthy lives.

“Our in-house gynaecologist, Dr Raymond Takpe shared many insights and answered many questions at the webinar to people who were desperately searching for it. We are thankful to be able to use our platform as a leading healthcare provider to share knowledge within our communities.”

Attendees at the webinar shared their joy about Avon Medical using its platform to share awareness about the condition, which is often underdiagnosed in women.

At the end of the session, Avon Medical announced that it would be giving select women free gynaecology consultations on its online telemedicine platform also as a way to support women with the condition.

Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Avon Medical, Shekinah

Olagunju, said Avon Medical Practice is committed, not just to the medical healing of its patients, but to their total wellbeing.

“Our vision is to improve lives across Africa by providing quality healthcare and a superior patient experience.

We are planning many exciting health campaigns for everyone to look forward to joining.

“To learn more about the work we do, interested persons can follow us on our social media pages: Instagram; @avonmedicalpractice, LinkedIn; Avon Medical Practice, and Facebook; Avon Medical Practice or visit our website www.avonmedical.com”, she added. With headquarters, in Lagos, Avon Medical is a multi-speciality healthcare network dedicated to providing high-quality healthcare services with the best patient experience.

Avon Medical offers an extensive range of facilities including a full-service hospital, multiple on-site clinics across five states in Nigeria, a state-of-the-art dialysis centre, a reputable pharmacy, a laboratory, and an online teleconsultation platform.

Fabwoman.com

L

ast week, we discussed about recurrent pregnancy loss and some the factors that can lead to pregnancy loss. This week, we will be rounding up on the factors that cause recurrent pregnancy loss also discussing the emotional aspect and management of recurrent pregnancy loss.

Ovarian Factor: This is also referred to luteal phase defect and is seen in women with insufficient production of progesterone to maintain the early pregnancy.

Immunologic Causes: A foetus is not genetically identical to its mother so it’s reasonable to infer that there are immunologic events that must occur to allow the mother to carry the foetus throughout gestation without rejection. High levels of immunoglobin blood levels, that is IgG and IgM can lead to Recurrent Pregnancy Loss. These are responsible mainly for early pregnancy losses, before ten weeks of pregnancy. This may be due decreased maternal tolerance the foetus.

Infections: A number of maternal infections can lead to a single pregnancy loss including toxoplasmosis listeriosis, and certain viral infections (rubella, herpes simplex, measles, cytomegalo virus, coxasackie virus), malaria, syphilis and brucellosis can also cause recurrent miscarriage. Chronic endometritis which is the bacteria infection of the womb has been found to be prevalent in some women with recurrent miscarriage.

Risky Lifestyle Behaviour: Maternal alcoholism (consuming large quantities of alcohol over three drinks per week, during pregnancy) has been confirmed by case report studies to be a cause Recurrent Pregnancy Loss. Cigarette smoking with it strong nicotine component also introduces the developing baby to its poisons and causes reduction of blood supply to the womb and placenta.

Unexplained Causes: There is also a large percentage (25%) of totally unexplained pregnancy losses. Fortunately, fertility can be regained in many cases with good antibiotic cover and proper management by a specialist.

Emotional Aspects of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss If a pregnancy loss happens within a matrimonial relationship, where children are desired and anticipated, the loss is met with shades of helplessness and desperation.

If other members of the family become involved, due to the emergent nature, and hospitalization of the mother to be, (in late pregnancy loss) the family as a nuclear unit is challenged. Emotional turmoil is increased as preparations are closer to the anticipated birth of the baby boy or girl.

There are other cultural issues for example in the African setting especially the in-laws, may start doubting the suitability of the

wife as a deliverer of a future heir to the family business, and as a possible mother.

Management of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss As Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is a complication of pregnancy, close monitoring of your pregnancy by your specialist is important.

The treatment of either early or miscarriage differs. It is crucial that a thorough check up is done to help pinpoint the exact nature of the recurrent loss and best line of management. Laboratory Investigations and a transvaginal ultrasound scan of the reproductive organs are essential for assessment of an abnormal medical condition.

Blood tests to diagnose/confirm diabetes, thyroid function test, blood clots formations (thrombophilia) test, pre implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and chromosomal testing are some of the required options in management.

As understood, a human begins life when as single egg is fertilized by single sperm and develops in the womb and is nourished through a connection of blood vessels, the placenta , although unable to live independently at that point. If fertilization takes place out of the fallopian tube, it becomes an ectopic or out of place pregnancy and hence an urgent surgical emergency with incapacitating abdominal pains and bleeding from the womb. Immediate bed rest, with prevent the miscarriage, cleaning of the womb by a D&C (dilatation and curettage) and placenta removal may be the next line of management. Close monitoring by the obstetric team is vital for the best outcome.

Conclusion.

The incidence of recurrent pregnancy loss is quite common. The risk of a repeat miscarriage or abortion increases by 10% with each pregnancy loss.

Anatomic, endocrine, immunologic and infectious agents and risky lifestyle behaviours can lead to Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.

Recurrent pregnancy loss is a traumatic experience for any couple. There are intense emotional and physical pains which must be gently handled by specialists.

Corrections of the underlying medical disorder or abnormal condition will give the best chance of success for the next pregnancy.

Cases of unexplained Recurrent Pregnancy Loss seem to benefit from hormone supplementation with progesterone to prevent Luteal Phase Defect.

Management of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is individualized by the cause and tailored to each case. In vitro fertilization (IVF) has proven a valuable technology in bypassing many of the obstacles that natural conception presents.

You as the patient need to certify that your fertility specialist has your best interest at heart with access to the most modern medical technology, equipment and counselling services in order to proffer the best line of management.

34

T H I S D AY ˾ , OCTOBER 7, 2021

NEWS

World Health Organisation to Collaborate with Ned Nwoko Foundation on Malaria Eradication Zik Zulu Okafor

T

he World Health Organisation, WHO, will henceforth collaborate with Ned Nwoko Foundation in its quest to eradicate Malaria from Nigeria and Africa in general.

The news for this collaboration came from Geneva, Switzerland headquarters of WHO on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. The approval followed a long period of detailed documentation and due diligence for a project launched in January 2020 by the Foundation.

The Foundation has indeed held the first virtual interactive conversation with the United Nations General Assembly , UNGA and global stakeholders on malaria eradication.

It was a huge encouragement for International Lawyer , politician and billionaire business magnate, Prince Ned Nwoko, the brain behind the Foundation, who has expended time, physical and mental energy and a lot of financial resources to pursue the huge and ambitious project to eliminate malaria in Africa through waste management, sanitation and the ultimate development of a malaria vaccine.

This is in additionin to the Foundation’s massive works on promotion of tourism , creative arts and education.

To flag off the malaria eradication project, Prince Nwoko , made a symbolic, audacious expedition to the Antarctica where he planted the Nigerian flag. He , consequently, became the first black man in Sub-Saharan Africa to visit the South Pole and thus put Nigeria’s name on the global map, a feat that reverberated with applause across the globe.

The inspiring news of the WHO partnership spurred this writer to pry into Foundation Promoter’s history. The reticent Prince , Ned Munir Nwoko, is a British trained Lawyer.

Often described as accomplished and distinguished, he was born on December 21, 1960, into the Idumuje- Ugboko Royal family in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta state . Prince Nwoko attended the University of Keele in Staffordshire, United Kingdom where he acquired his Bachelors degree in Law and History.

He then obtained an LLM in Maritime and Commercial Law from King’s College, London.

He was subsequently called to the English Bar at Lincoln’s Inn. Prince Nwoko later qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. He then set up his own firm, Ned Nwoko Solicitors and became the Principal Partner and Senior Consultant .

At the zenith of his practice, his organisation had over 30 Lawyers in his employ and gained international acclaim for its meticulous and tenacious legal battles for financial probity, transparency, management and verification of foreign debts of third world countries and their component states.

The firm was renowned for its legal and consultancy work for several African and Asian governments . Prince Nwoko and his firm won global acclaim when he took some banks to court in Uk Paris and Geneva in what was a test case on behalf of some states in Nigeria who were said to be indebted to Paris and London Club group of lenders. He initiated discussions with Nigerian government

Ned

Zulu on the need to reconcile and verify its foreign loans that eventually culminated in the exit from the foreign loans. He engaged with the Federal government resulting in the acceptance by the Obasanjo government to reimburse the state governments to the value of 20% in full and final settlement for their claims for refund on the Paris and London Club Debt Buy-Back. Prince Ned Nwoko persuaded reluctant state governments to accept the Federal government offer and pursue the balance subsequently as the law was in their favour. This was what eventually played out as the state governments accepted the informed advice of the incisive Counsel.

In 2009, following Nigeria’s exit from the foreign obligations he was engaged in a class action at the Federal High court, Abuja, by all the states in pursuit of their refunds from over deductions. The Federal Government settled out of court leading to a total refund of over US$10billion to all the states.

His Nigerian firm, Linas International Limited, was equally engaged by the 774 Local Government Areas and following various court judgements in Linas’ favour, the federal government has refunded over US$3billion to the Local Government Areas.

Prince Nwoko returned to Nigeria in 1998, contested and won the election into the Federal House of Representatives as a member representing Aniocha and Oshimili Federal Constituency of Delta state. He remained a member of the legislative house till 2003.

As a member of the House, he sponsored

22 bills. Some of these bills are still being implemented today. They include National Minimum Wage Bill 1999, a bill for an Act to standardize allowances and fringe benefits payable to public/government officials-- Monetization Bill and a bill for an Act to establish public funds recovery and reward commission known today as Whistle Blowing.

In 2019, Prince Nwoko contested for the Delta North Senatorial election .

In the complex litigations that followed the election, he won at the High Court but the Appeal and Supreme Courts voided his initial victory.

Beyond his manifest strides in legal practice and politics, Prince Nwoko has interests in aviation, real estate and agriculture.

He is the Chairman of Project Tourism which his company, Linas International Limited launched in collaboration with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC to project Nigeria’s tourism and cultural endowments through profitable creative projects.

Prince Nwoko is the founder of the proposed first sports university in Africa, STARS, an acronym for Sports, Technology, Arts and Research Sciences. STARS, with structures now nearing completion, would in Prince Nwoko’s vision address the critical issue of Nigeria’s increasing poor performances in international competitions through internationally financed trainings abroad for its sports students and administrators.

Prince Nwoko is a passionate and committed

philanthropist. Through his Foundation , he has given scholarships to hundreds of indigent students across the country, sponsoring skill acquisition programmes and youth empowerment initiatives while growing the economy of the village market women through provision of petty trading funds.

His philanthropy cuts across education, tourism, sports , human capital development and agriculture.

For his benevolent financial support for Nigeria’s creative industry, Nollywood, he was made a Patron of both the Actors Guild of Nigeria , AGN and Association of Movie Producers, Nigeria, AMP. The Federal University of Petroleum, Effurun, Delta state, awarded him an Honourary Doctorate degree for his “ uncommon philanthropy, service and integrity “. He also received additional Honourary awards from the University of Ibadan and the Delta State University for his phenomenal charity.

The Commonwealth University College in Belize bestowed on him an Honorary Doctorate degree while he was also placed on a pedestal of honour in 2019 as Human Rights Champion of the Decade

by Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria for sponsoring bills that promote human rights including the National Public Funds Recovery and Reward bill that gave birth to the whistle blowing policy in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. These were in addition to several local and international awards bestowed on him for his humanitarian ventures, an untrammelled integrity and a rare passion to touch those on the lower rung of the economic ladder.

Prince Ned Nwoko, without doubt, is a man in the theatre of time. His political trek is yet unfinished.

Nigeria Health Watch Seeks Action to Check Maternal Deaths Onyebuchi Ezigbo ËØÎ Sunday Ehigiator Nigeria Health Watch, a strong public health advocacy group, has called for measures to reduce maternal mortality rate, which it said has continued to be a major public health concern.

This is just as they disclosed plans to host the maiden edition of ealthMeetsArt Gala themed ‘Celebrating Womanhood’, to recognise women in all their diversity, showcasing their strengths and resilience.

Meanwhile, according to the group, data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed that maternal deaths in Nigeria account for 20 per cent of global maternal deaths.

A statement by the Media Officer, Uche Nwagboso, said the maiden edition of the event will also be used to create a space for positive dialogue to highlight the important need to accelerate progress towards greater equality in Nigeria.

The organisation said the number of women who die while giving life in Nigeria calls for immediate attention and collaboration by all stakeholders (including the private sector, public agencies, civil society organisations, donors, and multinationals) in Nigeria’s health sector to improve current outcome.

Nwagboso explained that the art gala is being organised with support from the National Gallery of Art and Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN) who

have curated art pieces from selected female artists.

“The Celebrating Womanhood Art Gala seeks to bring together stakeholders from diverse sectors to increase awareness and provide a forum for discussion on how we can break down the structural barriers that prevent women and girls from attaining their full potential.

“We critically want to highlight the inequities and obstacles women face when accessing healthcare,” She said.

According to the Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, “As health advocates we need to inspire change, whether it is a change in thinking or a change in behaviour. This requires touching people on

an emotional level and one of the ways we are seeking to do this, is through creative arts” Ihekweazu also stated that “the goal of the Celebrating Womanhood Art Gala is to create greater awareness about maternal health issues, beyond the health sector. “ The number of Nigerian women who lose their lives while giving life remains of great concern and urgent solutions are needed to inspire positive change.”

Speaking on the #HealthMeetsArt gala partnership, Chinze Ojobo, a Fellow of African Art & Culture expressed excitement on the opportunity to partner Nigeria Health Watch on this epic event.

“FEAAN was established

in 2001 and uses art to give voice to the voiceless, the vulnerable women and endangered girl child”.

Ojobo further emphasised that “our advocacy as female artists lie solely on social issues like gender rights and equality, gender based violence, maternal health issues and so on”.

While giving reasons for embarking on the project, Nigeria Health Watch said that Art is a unique form of expression that can combine both text and imagery.

It said Art also has the ability to communicate ideas, share experiences and thoughts, stretching the imagination without relying solely on words. It is an outlet for human expression and a universal language that has

the power to unify.

“This approach can be an effective means of creating awareness about maternal health issues. Furthermore, by creating awareness of these issues and portraying women from their position of strength and often resilience, we hope to generate greater mobilisation of resources and engagement to ensure that gender issues are mainstreamed.

“The gala will be a hybrid event with the opportunity to share in the experience and view the art pieces online, on Friday. The gala is being organised with the support of MSD for Mothers through its global initiative to help create a world where no woman has to die while giving life,” it said.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

35

36

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Value of Transactions Done through Mobile Banking Hit N9.7tr in 9months Nume Ekeghe The value of transactions done through mobile banking and point of sale (PoS) terminals between January and September this year increased by 89.7 per cent to N9.69 trillion as against N5.11 trillion recorded in the same period of 2020, indicating a rise in the adoption of electronic channels.

Particularly, the use of mobile money inter-scheme channels had increased on transaction volume on the channel by 113.8 per cent while value of transaction soared by 167.25 per cent. This was shown by latest data According to the data, released by the Nigerian Inter Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) yesterday,

transaction volume on mobile money inter-scheme channel between January and September this year stood at 118.69 million compared to 88.24 million recorded in the nine-month period of 2020.

Similarly, the value of transactions on the channel rose to N5.07 trillion within the nine-month period of 2021 compared to N1.89 trillion recorded in the same period of 2020.

Mobile money transactions had likewise risen to the highest level in September as transaction volume stood at 26.9 million compared to 26.63 million in August, while the value of transactions rose to N771.87 billion last month as against

N719.42 billion recorded in the previous month.

PoS terminals had recorded a volume of 706.94 million between January and September 2021. This is a 60.35 per cent improvement over 440.86 million transactions done via the channel in 2020.

Value of transactions consummated on the channel within the period under review also rose to N4.62 trillion compared to N3.21 trillion recorded in 2020.

Meanwhile, the value of POS transactions in the country for the month of August 2021 had dropped to N504.88 billion compared to N554.67 billion that was recorded in July, while it rose marginally compared to N503.91 billion carried out in June 2021.

BoI Becomes Signatory to UN Responsible Banking Principles

MARKET INDICATORS

Nume Ekeghe

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has become an official signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Banking, a single framework for a sustainable banking industry developed through a partnership between banks worldwide and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).

The Principles are the leading framework for ensuring that banks’ strategy and practice align with the vision society has set out for its future in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Industry, Mr Olukayode A. Pitan in a statement noted that banks who have signed the Principles

commit to be ambitious in their sustainability strategies, working to mainstream and embed sustainability into the heart of their business, while allowing them to remain at the cutting-edge of sustainable finance.

Pitan stated: “We are honored to be the first Development Finance Institution in Nigeria to commit to the UNEF FI Principles for Responsible Banking alongside other leading DFIs in the international space. This global framework strengthens our approach to addressing the sustainable development challenges of our economy by critically analyzing our market to identify pressing needs of our communities, environment & customers.

“This partnership, which is another pioneering effort for the Bank, is in line with our

dedication to lead the Development Finance industry in Africa to improve the overall strategic impact of our interventions towards environmental management, social development, industrialisation, and poverty alleviation through sustainable finance.”

“Signatories to the Principles take on a leadership role, demonstrating how banking products, services and relationships can support and accelerate the changes necessary to achieve shared prosperity for both current and future generations, building a positive future for both people and planet. These banks also join the world’s largest global banking community focused on sustainable finance, sharing best-practice and working together on practical guidance and pioneering tools of benefit to the entire industry.

IBEDC Assures of Better Days Ahead for Oyo Communities Kemi Olaitan ÓØ ÌËÎËØ The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc, has assured that the poor power supply, inadequate metering and high billing of customers been experienced in some communities in Okeho area of Oyo State would soon become things of the past as power supply situation would soon improve.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the distribution company, Mr. John Ayodele, in a statement, said a 132 KV line supplies 11 local government areas from Oyo town to Iseyin, Okeho, Otu, Paapo, Ago-Are up to Saki putting a lot of pressure

on the infrastructure, stating that this was the reason for the poor performance.

He said towards solving the challenge, the Federal Government has commenced construction of a new 132 KV line to augment and improve the present supply.

According to him, “In addition, we are about to energize the control room at Ogan to enable effective supply arrangement by stepping down the 33KV line to 11KV, this will serve the communities better.”

Ayodele further said Okeho is on service band E, which means that they should get an average supply of four hours daily, but

currently they get an average of five hours, stating that in line with NERC stipulated tariff, the communities are billed monthly on cumulative average of computerized daily supply in compliance with the capping policy.

“IBEDC is a customer-centric organization, and we are working on metering our customers to put an end to the billing issues. As soon as we begin more deployment of meters under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) or any other scheme approved

by NERC, we shall continue to meter our customers based on the service band categorization for ease of distribution”, he said.

NASCO Denies Reports of Involvement in Criminal Activity The Management of NASCO Group Nigeria has decried the defamatory and slanderous contents of an online article currently being circulated on social media about its business. In a statement, the company said, “We state categorically that we have never, and will never be sponsors to any criminal act, organization, or violence of any kind that will disrupt the peace and tranquility

of the Nigerian state or any country in the world.

“After the unfortunate events of 2001, thousands of people and entities around the world were subjected to various investigations. A detailed examination by the United Nations Security Council and the US Government totally exonerated NASCO’s late founder, Dr. Ahmed Nasreddin, and his business

interest of all false allegations.

It was clearly establsuhed that NASCO ws never at any time associated with the sponsorship of terrorism - directly or indirectly - anywhere in the world.

(Reference: United Nations Security Council Resolution SC/9172 dated 15 November 2007 & United Nations Security Council Resolution S/2008/25 dated 17 January 2008).”

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ Ͱͷ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $78.37 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $77.73 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), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey

37

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

Stock Market Maintains Bullish Run,Appreciates by N286.53bn in 3 Days Darasimi Adebisi The Stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) appreciated by N286.53billion in three days to maintain its bullish trading activates this week.

Consequently, the market capitalisation rose by 1.4per cent to close on Wednesday to close at N21.24trillion from N20.96trillion the stock market opened for trading this week.

The market appreciated most

on Tuesday following investors renewed interest in Airtel Africa following its share buy-back plan buoyed the impressive performance.

THISDAY had report that the market capitalisation gained N14 billion on Monday to close at N20.970 trillion, while on Tuesday, it appreciated by N247 billion to close at N21.217 trillion.

Similarly, the overall market capitalisation value increased by N25 billion to close at N21.242

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

trillion on Wednesday.

The stock market Month-toDate and Year-to-Date returns increasing to +3.9per cent and +1.2per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, the positive outcome on Wednesday was buoyed by investors’ buy-interests in banking and industrial sectors, as NGX All-Share Index (ASI) increased by 0.12 per cent to close at 40,765.20 basis points.

Analysing by sectors, the Insurance (-0.7 per cent), Consumer

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Goods (-0.2 per cent) and Oil & Gas indices declined, while the Banking (+0.1 per cent) and Industrial Goods indices posted gains.

The market positive performance was driven by price appreciation in large and medium capitalised stocks which are; FBN Holdings (FBNH), Northern Nigeria Flour Mills (NNFM), UAC of Nigeria (UACN), Lafarge Africa and Africa Prudential.

However, the market breadth closed negative, recording 20 los-

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

ers as against 19 gainers. FBNH recorded the highest price gain of 7.78 per cent, to close at N9.70, per share.

University Press followed with a gain 7.38 per cent to close at N1.31, per share. while NNFM appreciated by 6.49 per cent to close at N8.20, per share.

Livestock Feeds went up by 5.38 per cent to close at N2.35, while Universal Insurance appreciated by five per cent to close at 21 kobo, per share.

O F

On the other hand, Pharma Deko Plc led the losers’ chart by 6.01 per cent to close at N2.66, per share.

Associated Bus Company followed with a decline of 5.71 per cent to close at 33 kobo, while Regency Alliance Insurance shed 4.88 per cent to close at 39 kobo, per share. Chams shed 4.55 per cent to close at 21 kobo, while Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 4.17 per cent to close at 23 kobo, respectively.

0 6 / 1 0 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

38

THURSDAY, Ϳ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2021• T H I S DAY

39

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 05Oct-2021, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS

MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS

AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 158.74 160.12 -1.94% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 7.61% Nigeria International Debt Fund 317.13 317.13 -15.98% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 106.20 107.25 -4.15% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ACAP Income Funds N/A N/A N/A AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.13% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.38 3.54 -0.55% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 9.00% Anchoria Equity Fund 137.41 139.13 4.09% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.14 1.14 -14.36% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 20.15 20.76 11.13% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 441.58 454.90 10.29% ARM Ethical Fund 39.10 40.28 16.00% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.08 1.09 -1.28% ARM Fixed Income Fund 0.98 0.99 -6.43% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.37% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 106.61 106.61 4.82% AVA GAM Fixed Income Naira Fund 1,040.08 1,040.08 4.01% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) N/A N/A N/A mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com ; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.02 1.02 3.58% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.21% Paramount Equity Fund 17.03 17.35 6.51% Women's Investment Fund 139.99 141.62 5.20% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.01% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 122.30 123.11 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 107.87 107.87 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.91% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.22 1.24 2.01% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.44 1.44 -9.32% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 7.60% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 6.83% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,165.18 1,183.79 1.20% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1,425.31 1,425.31 11.56% FBN Balanced Fund 194.52 195.84 3.64% FBN Halal Fund 113.25 113.25 9.28% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.38% FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Money Market Fund Legacy Debt Fund Legacy Equity Fund Legacy USD Bond Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

127.16 163.97

127.16 3.99% 166.17 8.46% fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com

Bid Price 1.00 3.98 1.63 1.19

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 1.00 6.31% 3.98 2.85% 1.66 6.87% 1.19 4.82% coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price N/A N/A N/A

Offer Price N/A N/A N/A

Yield / T-Rtn N/A N/A N/A

GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.55% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.85 2.92 -0.11% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 153.75 153.02 -1.45% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.25 1.30 -0.45% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.11 1.11 8.99% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.45 1.47 6.25% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,156.83 1,156.83 6.48% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 11.64 11.67 11.05% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 9.99% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.54 1.56 13.55% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.18 11.19 -8.02% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.47% PACAM Equity Fund 1.42 1.43 -10.12% PACAM EuroBond Fund 111.74 113.74 1.80% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 131.70 134.03 9.62% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 10.10% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,469.48 3,507.21 8.04% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 233.55 233.55 3.87% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.26 1.28 7.63% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 308.57 308.57 4.72% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 232.88 236.38 6.71% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.46% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,606.76 10,755.55 1.06% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.28 1.28 4.14% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 115.89 115.89 4.33% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 104.27 104.27 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.32 1.34 3.16% United Capital Bond Fund 1.93 1.93 5.11% United Capital Equity Fund 0.89 0.92 12.24% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.15% United Capital Eurobond Fund 120.69 120.69 5.43% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.09 5.39% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.06 1.06 6.45% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 13.06 13.18 10.07% Zenith Ethical Fund 14.53 14.68 19.02% Zenith Income Fund 24.42 24.42 1.82% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.70%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

124.98 53.61

10.62% 6.12%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

13.85

13.95

4.80%

126.96 100.37 17.62 18.76

130.11 102.57 17.72 18.86

5.58% 1.17%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund

SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.92 5.61 18.04 1.00 20.79 157.29

3.96 5.69 18.14 1.00 20.99 159.29

3.85% -1.40% 11.02% 0.00% 1.30% -28.46%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.40

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

40

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

41

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN DESK

COMPILED BY BAYO AKINLOYE

Dubai Ruler Hacked Phone of Ex-wife, Princess Haya: Court The High Court has found that the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, interfered with British justice by ordering the hacking of the phone of his ex-wife, Princess Haya of Jordan.

The phones of her solicitors, Baroness Fiona Shackleton QC and Nick Manners, were also targeted during their divorce custody case, according to the court.

Princess Haya said the discovery had made her feel “hunted and haunted”.

Sheikh Mohammed denied any knowledge of the hacking.

He said the court’s findings were based on evidence that was not disclosed to him, and that they were “made in a manner which was unfair”.

The judgments are a blow to the sheikh and a further revelation as to his treatment of female members of his family.

The High Court judgments, which were published on Wednesday afternoon.

WHO Approves Rollout of First-ever Malaria Vaccine

Children across much of Africa are to be vaccinated against malaria in a historic moment in the fight against the deadly disease.

Malaria has been one of the biggest scourges on humanity for millennia and mostly kills babies and infants.

Having a vaccine - after more than a century of trying - is among medicine’s greatest achievements.

The vaccine - called RTS,S - was proven effective six years ago.

Now, after the success of pilot immunisation programmes in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, the World Health Organization says the vaccine should be rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high malaria transmission.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, directorgeneral of the WHO, said it was “a historic moment”.

“The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control,” he said. “[It] could save tens of thousands of young lives each year.”

UNICEF: Mozambique Insurgents Recruiting Children to Fight

The UN Children’s Fund reports that Islamist insurgents are recruiting young children to fight in northern Mozambique’s volatile, oil-rich province of Cabo Delgado.

UNICEF says it has received numerous reports of children being forcefully recruited by

the Mozambican militant group al-Shabab.

It says the group — not affiliated with the Somali insurgency of the same name — has reportedly taken boys and girls from their families and villages.

UNICEF notes there is evidence of sexual violence against girls and of young girls being forced into marriage with their abductors.

Human Rights Watch recently said the boys, some as young as 12, are being trained in bases across Cabo Delgado and forced to fight alongside adults against government forces.

UNICEF spokesman James Elder says there is no accurate count of the number of children that have been recruited, but it is believed to be in the thousands. He says some of the children have been rescued, but none have been released by their militant captors.

Pope: Shameful Catholic Church Covered Sexual Abuses of Thousands of Children

Pope Francis voiced regret Wednesday that he and the Catholic Church had not done more to protect hundreds of thousands of children sexually abused by church clergy and lay members in France over several decades.

According to an independent commission, the French Catholic clergy sexually abused more than 200,000 children in the country over the past 70 years.

The panel’s report said more than 100,000 other children were victims of abuse by church lay members such as teachers at Catholic schools.

“There is, unfortunately, a considerable number. I would like to express to the victims my sadness and pain for the trauma that they suffered,” Francis said at his weekly public appearance at the Vatican. “It is also my shame, our shame ... for the incapacity of the church for too long to put them at the centre of its concerns.”

The panel’s report, released Tuesday, said Catholic clergy in France sexually abused about 216,000 minors since 1950 and that church lay members had victimised more than 110,000.

Spain Govt Offers Youths €250 to Leave Parents’ Home

Spaniards aged 18-35 should be offered a monthly bonus to help them leave their parents’ home and pay rent, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has proposed.

The €250 (£213; $290) benefit would be given for up to two years and is part of a broader housing package.

A draft rental law would also introduce rental caps for big property owners, particularly in recent years where rent has soared.

Spain has among Europe’s highest rates of property ownership.

But that also means that fewer than one in four homes are available for rent. And in some areas, such as the big cities of Madrid and Barcelona, rents have been on the rise while incomes have fallen by over seven per cent in just one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Housing is a grave problem in our country,” Mr Sánchez said.

Under the prime minister’s plans, the youth bonus will be passed on by Spain’s autonomous regional authorities to under-35s who earn less than €23,725 a year. They would decide whether it would be handed out per person or per rented home.

Taiwan Seeks Australia’s Cooperation Amid China Incursions

Taiwan has asked Australia for help following the increase in recent days of incursions by Chinese jet fighters into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.

China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province that will someday rejoin the mainland. However, authorities in Taipei consider the island a sovereign state.

Like most other countries, Australia does not formally recognise Taiwan’s self-declared independence. However, there are important bilateral economic and social ties.

Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, this week urged Australia to increase intelligence sharing and security cooperation as Beijing intensified its military presence in Taiwanese airspace.

Australia’s spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Monday that the “resolution of differences over Taiwan and other regional issues must be achieved peacefully through dialogue and without the threat or use of force or coercion.”

US Blinken to Close France Visit with OECD Talks

After a push to patch U.S.-French relations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken closes a Paris visit Wednesday with the final day

of ministerial talks at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Blinken highlighted several challenges as he spoke at the opening of the meeting Tuesday, including the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis, inequity and setting rules for a technologically advancing world.

“The principles at the heart of this organisation and our democracies are being challenged by authoritarian governments that argue their model is better at meeting people’s basic needs. Some of these same governments are actively seeking to undermine the rules-based order that has been fundamental to security and prosperity of our countries for generations,” Blinken said, without naming specific nations.

Blinken said member nations must “prove that our approach can make a better life for people … in all countries and in a way that’s more equitable than in the past” while holding “ourselves accountable.”

In addition to the final work at the OECD meetings Wednesday, Blinken is holding separate talks with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez.

China-Taiwan Tension: French Senators to Visit Taiwanese President

A group of French senators arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit Wednesday following a large Chinese show of force with fighter jets amid the highest tensions in decades between China and Taiwan.

The group, led by senator Alain Richard, will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwanese economic and health officials and the Mainland Affairs Council. Richard, a former French defense minister, previously visited Taiwan in 2015 and 2018, according to Taiwan’s semi-official Central News Agency, and heads the Taiwan Friendship group in the French senate.

China’s ambassador to France Lu Shaye sent a warning letter in February calling on Richard to cancel the Taiwan visit, according to local media reports.

The visit will likely provoke a rebuke from China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and therefore opposes any international engagement with the island such as visits by foreign government officials. It also has aggressively poached Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies.

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THURSDAY, Ϳ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

AFRICA MAGIC CONTENT MARKETPLACE...

L-R: Kannywood filmmakers, Adams Zango and Abba El-Mustapha; Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Busola Tejumola; and Kannywood actor, Ali Nuhu, at the Africa Magic Content Marketplace in Kano... recently

US Mulls Release of Emergency Reserves to Curb Rising Oil Prices Emmanuel Addeh with agency report The United States Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, yesterday raised the prospect of releasing crude oil from the government’s strategic petroleum reserve, declaring that “all tools are on the table”.

This is as the Joe Biden's administration confronts a politically perilous surge in the price

of petrol, with the average price at the pump hovering at $3.19 a gallon, the highest in seven years, a situation the White House fears could damage its political prospects ahead of the midterm elections next year.

“It’s a tool that’s under consideration,” Granholm said of a release of crude supplies from the national strategic petroleum reserve, which analysts say could calm oil markets

and bring prices down.

Granholm also did not rule out a ban on crude oil exports. “That’s a tool that we have not used, but it is a tool as well,” she told the FT Energy Transition Strategies Summit.

The strategic petroleum reserve, located near the Gulf of Mexico, is the world’s largest emergency stockpile of crude oil and is managed by the US department of

energy.

The reserve contained 617.8m barrels of oil last week — equal to about a month of US petroleum products demand.

The last big release was in 2011, when the Barack Obama administration worked with other International Energy Agency (IEA) members to tap emergency stocks to bring down soaring prices. Congress has also authorised periodic sales to raise

IN HISTORIC MOVE, WHO APPROVES WORLD'S FIRST MALARIA VACCINE is to set up local vigilante groups, who cannot carry equipment necessary to combat insecurity in this 21st security. The kind of weapon they could carry under the present Nigerian law is the type a person going to hunt for game in the bush can carry while those they are supposed to confront are armed with almost the most sophisticated weapons available.”

Afenifere asserted that were those at the helm of affairs genuinely committed to securing Nigeria, as the situation currently demanded, the state governments would be administratively allowed to establish state police forces while a quick amendment would be made to the relevant sections of the constitution to that effect.

The statement further read, "At the moment, state governments fund police commands in their states, just as police commissioners in the states are members of the states’ security councils. Yet, the governor has no power to give an order to the state police commissioner, as the latter only takes order from the Inspector General of Police or his lieutenants – and not the governor!

"Thus, if anyone is to be blamed for security lapses in various parts of the country, it should be the federal government.

“Admittedly, the states ought to devise means to ensure the security of their people. But with the present structure of security institutions in the country, all the state governments can do would be supplementary to whatever the federal government does."

Afenifere maintained that the hypocrisy in the threat by the attorney general became manifest because no state of emergency had been announced to be in the offing in states where serious security challenges had been occurring for months, if not years, such as Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Niger, where sections of local governments were under the control of bandits, as

announced by the state governors.

It stated, "But then, declaring a state of emergency does not, in itself, solve the security problems.

Such a step would, at best, turn the state into a police state. Those who are committing the atrocity may go underground for a time only to resurface after the election.

What the government should do, therefore, is to holistically solve the security problem.

"In any case, if government declares a state of emergency in Anambra State and there is insecurity in some other states, especially, where and when elections are due, would the government again declare states of emergency in those states? After all, it is a fact that some unscrupulous politicians may orchestrate artificial atrocities if they consider it as the short cut to the declaration of a state of emergency."

Femi Falana: Emergency Rule Does Not Allow President to Remove Governor from Office

Lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana emphasised that even emergency rule did not empower the president to remove a governor from office.

Falana detailed his thoughts in the following statement: “Section 305 of the constitution provides that the president shall have power to issue a proclamation of a state of emergency if there is actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the federation or any part thereof to such extent as to require extraordinary measures to restore peace and security or there is a clear and present danger of an actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the federation or any part thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert such danger. Such emergency rule will lapse if it is not supported by a resolution by two-thirds majority of all the members of each House of

the National Assembly approving the proclamation within two days after the publication in the gazette or within 10 days when the National Assembly is not in session.

“It is pertinent to note that the president shall not issue a proclamation of a state of emergency in any state unless the governor of the state fails within a reasonable time to make a request to the president to issue such proclamation. The power of the president to impose emergency rule is limited to the adoption of extraordinary measures to restore law and order or peace and stability. In other words, if a state of emergency is validly declared in any state or in the entire country the president is empowered to deploy troops and take other extraordinary measures to restore law and order.

“Since 2015, President Buhari has imposed emergency rule in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina states by deploying members of the armed forces to assist the police in the restoration of law and order. The president has adopted such extraordinary measures without seeking the approval of both chambers of the National Assembly. In other words, since the emergency rule imposed on the North-east region by President Goodluck Jonathan expired by effluxion of time President Buhari has not renewed or extended it.

The National Assembly has not challenged the illegal emergency rule imposed without any declaration as stipulated by section 305 of the constitution.

“To that extent, I want to believe that the Buhari administration has just realised that the deployment of troops without the declaration of emergency rule in many states of the federation is illegal and unconstitutional. Hence, the threat issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation is an attempt to return to constitutionalism with respect to imposition of emergency rule in Anambra State and other

states in the North-west, North-east and South-east regions where the federal government is waging a full scale war against terrorists and the so called gunmen.

“I wish to submit, without any fear of contradiction, that nowhere in the constitution has the president been vested with the power to remove the elected governor of a state and suspend democratic structures. The governor of a state can only be removed by impeachment or resignation and not by imposition of emergency rule. I “n the same vein, the tenure of legislators is four years in line with the provisions of the constitution. Even though former President Olusegun Obasanjo removed two governors via the imposition of emergency rule, the PDP-led federal government later jettisoned the illegal practice. Hence ex- Presidents Umaru Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan never used emergency rule to remove elected governors or suspend legislative houses and local government councils. Indeed, the federal government has since realised that it is unjust and immoral to remove a governor of a state since the president exclusively controls the armed forces, the police and other security agencies. To that extent, the federal government should drop the dangerous plan to remove the governor of Anambra State and impose a sole administrator on the eve of the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

"All the efforts states in the South-west, for example, have made to allow their security network, Amotekun, have the power of a state police have been rebuffed. So, the Anambra State governor, like his counterparts in other states, is constitutionally and administratively encumbered from providing security in his state, despite the fact that the same constitution dubs him as ‘the chief security officer’ of his state."

government revenue.

Exports of US crude oil have been unfettered since Congress lifted federal restrictions in 2015.

The price of US crude stood at about $77.60 a barrel on Wednesday afternoon, hovering at its highest level since 2014. It has risen in tandem with other commodity prices, prompting fears that energy inflation could stall a post-pandemic global economic recovery.

On Monday, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies OPEC+, ignored pleas from the US government to increase output more quickly than the group had already planned.

Instead, it stuck with plans to release an additional 400,000 barrels a day on to the market in November, part of a gradual unwinding of last year’s historic supply cuts.

Granholm said the US was

disappointed and that “everybody was hoping that there would be additional supply made available so that prices would not be jacked up”.

She also said the US was doing “all it can” to address the tight natural gas supplies that have sent prices skywards in Europe and Asia, including looking into accusations of “manipulation of the market” by Russia.

In the UK, record-high gas prices rattled through bond markets this week, as traders weighed the economic damage to the British economy from the fuel price spike.

In Asia, a bidding war with European buyers sent prices for cargoes of liquefied natural gas on the spot market to more than $50 per million British thermal units on Wednesday, an all-time high and dramatic reversal from record low prices in May last year.

Sea Pirates Attack Fishermen, Seize Outboard Engines, 25 Stranded on Sea

Okon Bassey inUyo

Suspected Sea pirates have attacked fishermen on the high Sea off the coast of Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, siezing their outboard engines with 25 victims stranded on the water.

The attack came almost 24-hours after the fishermen protested frequent attacks and abductions of their members in the state.

Spokesman for the fishermen, Oluwajuwon Ogunbiyi, told journalists in Uyo yesterday that the recent attack occurred on Tuesday.

He said about 25 fishermen aboard the Outboard engines were stranded at sea, because people were afraid to go for a rescue operation for fear of being attacked.

"Last night (Tuesday) around 7-pm, we got a report that the sea pirates attacked two board engines off the coast of Ibaka. Those people are stranded on the waterways.

Closed to 20 Persons were in the bigger boat and another contained five people.

"No one could go there that night for a rescue operation for fear of being attacked. These fishermen are still stranded at

the waterways. They seized their Outboard engines and left them there and each outboard engine cost over N2.5m and l am not even sure you will see any of these engines in Nigeria," he lamented.

He blamed the frequent attacks on the fishermen to lack of sustained patrol by Naval operatives but commended the state Commissioner of Police, Andrew Amiengheme, for providing a leeway out of the situation.

"The only reason these sea pirates are attacking the fishermen is because there is no patrol," he said.

He, however, called on the Forward Operation Base, Ibaka to intensify patrol on the waterways in order to minimise incidence of attacks and abductions of the fishermen in the state.

But the commanding officer, Forward Operation Base, Ibaka, Capt. Abu, has denied the allegations of lack of patrol on the waterways.

"I was at the sea yesterday and I only came back this morning", he stated, stressing, "Any time you come here, we will tell you the efforts we have been making," he said.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

43

NEWS

PDP NEC Meets Today to Ratify Zoning Chuks Okocha in Abuja The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is scheduled to meet today to ratify the zoning of offices of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) for the October 30 and 31st national convention.

The meeting has, however, been preceded by several horse-trading to determine, who occupies the office of the national chairman, already zoned to the north.

Outgoing National Secretary of PDP, Senator Umar Tsuari, had Monday summoned an emergency NEC to discuss and approve the report of the zoning committee on the offices of the membership of the National Working Committee.

Last week, in a landmark resolution, the National Convention Zoning Committee (NCZC) led by the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had swapped the offices for the NWC between North and South.

By implication, the office of the national chairman formerly in

the south went to the north, and the office of the national secretary in the north moved to the south Also, the NEC will discuss and approve the budget for the convention.

However, the NCZC, on Tuesday, submitted its report to the NWC for onward transmission to the NEC But northern PDP stakeholders had since begun to consider the options of who becomes the national chairman zoned to it.

The two zones of North West and North Central were in contest for the national chairmanship of the PDP. According to a member of the PDP northern stakeholders and member of NEC, the name of a former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, who was governor for eight years and deputy national chairman, has started to feature as a consensus successor to Uche Secondus Though all the offices are elective, the northern stakeholders wanted a consensus approach, except where it was not possible to reach a consensus

Gunmen Kidnap Female University Student in Kano, Demand N100m Ransom Ibrahim Shuaibu inKano

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have kidnapped a 300-Level female student of Bayero University, Kano. The student, identified as Sakina Bello,was said to have been abducted around Janbulo and Rijiyar Zaki areas of the Kano metropolis on Tuesday.

The abductors were said have called on her relations yesterday morning and demanded the sum of N100 million ransom.

Police spokesman in Kano, Mr. Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, confirmed the incident.

Kiyawa, a Deputy

superintendent of police (DSP) said the police had received a report of a missing person around 3.00pm on Tuesday and started investigating the matter immediately.

He said that the Command had since swung into action with a view to tracing her whereabouts.

Also commenting on the issue, the BUK spokesman, Lamara Garba Azare, said the university has not been on session since July, and will resume on November 1.

“We are not on session. We have no students residing on campus at the moment, and we have not received any incident of abduction of any student.”

Court Summons Firm’s MD, Director over Alleged N680m Fraud Wale Igbintade Justice Daniel Osiogor, of the federal high court, yesterday summoned the Managing Director, Wallenship Nigeria Limited, Prince Oladele Akinola, a.k.a Alhaji Abubakar and one Temitope Obe, to appear before it over alleged N680 million fraud.

Justice Osiogor, issued the summon sequel to an application made by the officer-in-charge of Legal Department of Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU),

Barrister. Emmanuel Jackson, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

In urging the court to issue the summon against the defendants, CSP Jackson informed the court that the application is in accordance with Section 113 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

He further told the court that since the initial charge was filed and the first amended charge dated September 28, 2021, the defendants have failed to appear before the court to take their plea.

Shema topped other considerations because of experience, but some other stakeholders were said to be opposed to him because he has a pending Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) case.

The source said the party stakeholders were wary of

harassment by the EFCC should he become the national chairman, and apart from that, he is generally accepted.

Besides, the northwest had produced only two national chairmen in the persons of a former governor of Katsina State, Ahmed Maikerif and Dr

Harilu Bellingham, who acted briefly when Vincent Ogbulafor was removed from office. In the North Central zone, the name of a former President, David Mark, came up, but sources claimed that the northern stakeholders were less enthusiastic, because the zone has produced more

WELCOME ON BOARD…

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (left), and His Special Adviser on Media and Projects, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, during the swearing in of commissioners and special advisers in Benin City, Edo State…yesterday

Obaseki Swears in 11 Commissioners, Two Special Advisers Adibe Emenyonu inBeninCity The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has sworn-in 11 commissioners and two Special Advisers as members of the Edo State Executive Council (EXCO).

The commissioners and their portfolios include: Joseph Eboigbe is the Commissioner for Finance; Prof.

Obehi Akoria, Health; Mrs. Otse

Momoh-Omorogbe, Budget and Planning; Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, Education; Isoken Omo, Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Others are Moses Agbukor, Water Resources; Ethan Uzamere, Mining, Gas and Oil; Maria Edeko, Social Development and Gender; Monday Osaigbovo, Local Government; Andrew Emwanta, Communication and Orientation,

while Oluwole Iyamu is Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

The two Special Advisers are Crusoe Osagie, who was appointed as Special Adviser, Media Projects and Sarah Esangbedo AjoseAdeogun, appointed as Special Adviser, Strategy, Policy, Projects and Performance Management.

The inaugural EXCO meeting

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has notified the travelling public that starting from yesterday it would close the drop- off zone at the departures of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The agency explained that the temporary closure was to allow for the completion of the ongoing canopy installation works at the concourse of the old international terminal building.

FAAN said in a statement signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the agency, Mrs.

Henrietta Yakubu that it would provide alternative access to ease vehicular and human facilitation around the area, so it would temporary open the drop off zone of the new international terminal to serve airport users, while the project would last.

“The FAAN hereby notify passengers, airport users, stakeholders and the general public that effective Wednesday, October 6, 2021, there will be a temporary closure of the regular drop off zone at the departure frontage of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

was held after the Commissioners and Special Advisers were sworn-in.

The governor urged, “We must advocate transparency and uphold accountability in all we do in our respective portfolios. In enthroning a high-performance culture, an organizational performance scorecard has been developed for each ministry.

Kogi CJ Urges Lawyers to Cooperate, Seeks Financial Autonomy for Judiciary Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Richard Olorufemi has urged the lawyers in the state to see themselves as critical stakeholders in the administration of justice and cooperate with Judges in the state in order to effectively dispense justice to the people.

Olorunfemi made the call while presenting newly appointed Judges for the High Court of Justice to the state’s four branches of the Nigerian Bar Association at the judiciary headquarters in Lokoja this morning.

The newly appointed Judges are: Justice Abubakar Suleiman Ibrahim, Justice Sulayman

Abdallah and Justice Aminu Ali Eri. The CJ said the new judges are “highly cerebral, have the knowledge of the law and have demonstrated courage, candour and integrity while on the Magisterial Bench before their appointment and the High Court and state judiciary” were happy to have them. He said

he had no doubt that they will remain an asset to the judiciary.

He therefore, asked that they should be cooperated with in the discharge of their duties “The most important thing I will implore the lawyers who will be appearing before them from time to time is to please give them maximum cooperation.

EFCC Arrests 12 Illegal Oil Dealers in Rivers Blessing Ibunge inPortHarcourt Operatives of the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), have arrested 12 persons for alleged involvement in illegal oil dealings.

The suspects were arrested alongside five oil tankers with

registration numbers: DEG 54 XS; BND 401 ZN; BGM 140 XA, UGH 553 XR and AKD 238 XS, at the Nigeria Port Authority’s (NPA) premises, Onne, Rivers State. Media Head, EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement that the suspects were arrested on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.

He gave the names of the suspects to include: Sunday Ogbuji; Okereke Henry; Chijoke Sunday Sunshine; Anayo Egwatu; Nnana Jonah; Tambari Doneh; Atoyebi Taye; Baba Emmanuel; Chigoze Ikemefula; Uba Promise, Ekibor Ekele and Ikechukwu Christian.

According to Uwujaren, “The

FAAN Temporarily Closes Enugu Suspends Traditional Ruler The Enugu State Government and order in the community. to the community have been Drop-off Zone at MMIA has withdrawn the Certificate In a statement by the stone-walled”.

Chinedu Eze

national chairmen.

“The North West has produced Solomon Lar. He was from Plateau state. He took over from the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme. Audu Ogbeh, Barnabas Gemade came from Benue State, while Abubakar Baraje from Kwara State and Dr. Ahmadu Ali.

of Recognition of Igwe Anthony Ogbodo Okorie as the Traditional Ruler of Amechi Awkunanaw Autonomous Community in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state, over the unfortunate breakdown of law

Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Dr. Charles Egumgbe, the state government condemned the persistent crisis in Amechi Awkunanaw Community, and expressed dismay that “attempts at bringing peace

Egumgbe told suspended Igwe Okorie that law and order have indisputably broken down in his community leading to injuries to persons and property, stressing that “the situation if not checked may exacerbate the present

suspects were arrested based on some verified intelligence linking them with suspicious illegal dealing in petroleum products and selling same to unsuspecting members of the public as genuine products through their Tank Farm”. He said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded

security challenges in our land”.

The commissioner pointed out that the actions and inactions of Okorie in the crisis were inconsistent with section 15 (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i) and (j) of the Traditional Rulers Law Cap 141, Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004.

Oki Promises Stronger, United APC if Elected State Chairman Goddy Egene Fuoad Oki, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Fouad Alade Oki, yesterday has declared his intention to contest as chairman of the party in Lagos State. In a message,

titled, ‘Declaration of Intention to contest for state chairman of Lagos State APC,” Oki said after a very deep introspection and a sense of commitment, he had formally indicated his interest to contest for the position of state chairman

of APC at the state congress slated for October 2, 2021. “My decision to contest this election is borne after careful analyses of the challenges confronting our party and on the strength of clear understanding of my personal ability to provide

the needed leadership in our collective search for solutions.

My decision to contest the position was influenced by my experience as a team player and a unifier as well as a loyal party man who desires the best for our party, the APC.

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Marwa: Lagos, Oyo are Epicentres of Drug Abuse The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, yesterday, said drug abuse is most prevalent in Oyo and Lagos States. The NDLEA boss stated this while speaking at a public lecture organised by United Action for Change (UAC) in Lagos.

He said not less than 14.3 million Nigerians abuse drugs, with the south-west zone recording the highest prevalence.

Marwa expressed concern over Nigeria’s drug statistics, saying the country is “number one in the use of cannabis”.

“Nigeria’s drug statistics should give every one of us a sleepless night,” Marwa said.

“Not less than 14.3 million Nigerians abuse drugs — Nigerians between the ages of 16 and 64 years. Among them, one in four drug users is female.

“Expectedly, cannabis is the most abused substance by Nigerians. What’s alarming, however, is that a staggering 10.6 million Nigerians abuse the use of cannabis.

“That number makes our country number one in the use of cannabis. Let’s ponder this for a moment;

10.6 million is more than the estimated population of Botswana and Lesotho combined.

“Most of the abusers first started at the age of 19, and the highest level of usage is concentrated in youth

between 25 and 29.

“The highest abuse of drugs is reported in the southern geopolitical zone,

with the south-west recording the highest prevalence with over four million Nigerians engaging in the use of various

drugs.

“In this regard, the LagosOyo axis is the epicentre of drug abuse in Nigeria.”

PAYING TRIBUTE TO LATE NDUBUISI KANU…

L-R: Wife of the late Ex-Military Administrator of the Lagos State, Gladys Kanu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu during the Day of Tribute in honour of late Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, organised by the Lagos State Government in Lagos…yesterday

APC Chairmanship: World Rivers Day: BORBDA Boss Advocates Safer Waterways Musa Pledges to Give Party New Vision Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

A frontline aspirant for the position of national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sani Musa, has pledged to re-engineer internal and working structures of the ruling party if given the opportunity at the forthcoming national convention.

Musa, who presently represents Niger East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, also promised to adapt to a participatory work style that will usher visionary and pacesetting leadership for the party.

Further unveiling his plans for the ruling party, the lawmaker, added that he will unite all members to forge what he described as a new vision and direction for the APC and the country.

His words: “If given the opportunity to lead the party I will completely re-engineer the internal structures and workings of the party. I will be adaptive to a participatory work style that will usher in visionary and pacesetting leadership for the party.

“Leadership is an awesome and great responsibility that requires high sense of innovations and vision as a mechanism to changing our country. If given the opportunity to lead the party, I will endeavour to justify every day and in every act the trust that will be placed in me.

Bringing a new beginning to our party leadership will create a new hope and direction in taking the burden of leadership of our country.

Ebonyi to Sanction Council Chairmen over Killings in their Domains Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has said the local government council chairmen, Development Centre Coordinators and traditional rulers will henceforth be held accountable for any further killing within their localities.

Umahi spoke yesterday in Abakaliki during the signing of the second phase of contracts for Ebonyi Ring Road projects.

The governor said he would not hesitate to deploy every lawful means to suspend the aforementioned categories of people if any part of the state witnessed further killings.

He said that traditional rulers should be able to identify the youths in their localities who perpetrated attacks and killings in the state.

Umahi, however, said his government was ready to suspend all projects and empower bandits if they laid down their arms, even as he warned that his administration would no longer tolerate further killings in Ebonyi.

“Let me warn all the local government chairmen, traditional rulers, development centre coordinators and parents that henceforth, they will be held responsible for any killings in the state.

“No any innocent Ebonyi citizen will be killed, no more.

Anybody that attempts that will end up in jail,” Umahi warned.

He further called on residents in the state to collaborate efforts with security agencies to ensure lasting peace.

The Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority (BORBDA) has advocated for a safer and the preservation of waterways in the country.

Managing Director of BORBDA, Mr. Saliu Ahmed, stated this in Benin City, Edo State at the occasion of the celebration of the World Rivers Day that was marked recently with the theme: “Waterways in Our Communities.”

Ahmed said human activities on the rivers have not only decrease its economy value, but also possess danger to human existence.

He bemoaned the

indiscriminate dumping of refuse and human waste on the rivers, stressing that people must endeavour to keep the rivers clean at all time.

The BORBDA boss emphasised that the agency would ensure regular cleaning of rivers in its catchment area in order to improve their economy value.

“It is imperative to make our rivers clean because it is part of our existence. You can see the tons of refuse that was pulled out of Ikpoba River at just one spot, this shows the harm we do to ourselves.

“Perhaps we need to know that throwing all this into the rivers endanger our common existence, increases cost of

treatment of the water from the rivers. We must endeavour to keep our rivers clean.

“As part of our effort to sustain the cleaning of the rivers, we are going to be carrying out advocacy and collaborate with the communities by making them understand the importance of the rivers,” he stated.

There was a lecture by an Environmentalist, Dr. Kingsley Egun, with the theme: “Threat to Rivers in Benin-Owina River Basin Development Authority’s Catchment Areas and Its Implications.”

Egun said study carried out on various section of the rivers had raised concern about high volume of pollutants deposited

in the river which has affected the water quality and the aquatic biota of the river.

According to him, “The study further showed that this has impacted negatively on the nutritional status of fishes caught in the river and also predisposes the consumers to various health risk.

“The threat to our community waterways have also impacted negatively on the cultural values and the religious economy of the indigenous people.”

The World Rivers Day celebration by the BORBDA was concluded with the planting of economy trees by the bank of the Ikpoba River.

NASCO Denies Link with Terrorism Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Management of NASCO Group of Companies Nigeria has described contents of an online article that links it with terrorism financing as “defamatory and slanderous”, noting that it will never sponsor any criminal act.

The group, in a statement by its Public Affairs Advisor, Mallam Haroun Audu, said: “We state categorically that we have never and will never sponsor any criminal act, or violence of any kind that will disrupt the peace and

tranquillity of the Nigerian state or any country in the world.”

The company said that, after the “unfortunate events of 2001, thousands of people and entities around the world were subjected to investigations.

“A detailed examination by the United Nations Security Council and the US Government totally exonerated NASCO’s late founder. Dr. Ahmed Nasreddin, and his business interests of all allegations.

“It was clearly established that NASCO was never at any time associated with the

sponsorship of terrorism directly or indirectly anywhere in the world. A similar investigation was done by the National Intelligence Agency of Nigeria, where it also came to the same conclusion, thereby exonerating our late founder and NASCO Group of any act or complicity in the sponsorship of terrorism in Nigeria or any other country.”

It said that at no time were the assets of NASCO Group and/or any of its associated business interest ever seized or their accounts frozen due to any of the stated investigations.

Describing the report as clearly orchestrated with malicious intent, NASCO rejectzsed it as false, adding that “it speaks volumes that the individual who is behind this mischievous article chose to only feature false allegations almost two-decades old, while intentionally leaving out the final UN resolutions and the accompanying exonerations.”

Though it didn’t threaten court action against the author of the allegations, NASCO believes that “as with all false and hate-filled articles, the truth will prevail.”

NEPC Partners TEF on N400m Grant for 50 Entrepreneurs Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has received N400 million in grants funding from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) through the Export Expansion Facility Programme (EEFP) to accelerate the performance of TEF Alumni small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria within the non-oil export sector.

At the signing ceremony recently, the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC,

Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, said: “NEPC is delighted to embark on this journey with The Tony Elumelu Foundation, as we jointly create an army of exporters to drive non-oil exports and promote the diversification of Nigeria’s export portfolio for inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

“We have keenly admired the work that The Tony Elumelu Foundation has

been doing with entrepreneurs across Africa, and took a cue from President Muhammad Buhari to support these efforts on behalf of the federal government through the EEFP under the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP).

“We hope that this grant of N400 million to the Foundation targeted specifically for Nigerian entrepreneurs will spur other governments in Africa to support the

Foundation in its audacious drive to create tens of thousands of entrepreneurs across the continent of Africa.”

Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, Ms. Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, said: “Our core mandate at the Foundation is to empower young African entrepreneurs with training, support and first stage funding needed to start their businesses.”

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Insecurity: Uzodimma Flags off Operation ‘Golden Dawn’ Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has flagged off the Armed Forces exercise that would help bring sanity to the state ahead of the yuletide tagged “Operation Golden Dawn” with a promise to support the leadership of the security agencies to succeed in the three months assignment.

The headquarters of the Operation is situated at Super Camp Orlu, Orlu Local government Area of the state.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony yesterday, Uzodimma commended the security agencies for their vision in creating the Centre to address the peculiar nature of the security situation in the South East zone and Imo State in particular.

“This is a special period and

season in the lives of not only Christians all over the world but the people of South-east, who are predominantly Christians coming back for the celebration of Christmas, which usually starts from October to December.

“The exercise would go a long way in improving the security situation in the South-east region and also give our people sense of security and further encourage our brothers and sisters, who are resident abroad to come home, because the area is safe and secure,” he said.

He acknowledged that it was a great achievement on the side of the security agencies, hence “they should be commended, encouraged and supported.”

He also reiterated that Operation Golden Dawn as

an exercise, would create an enabling environment for people to go about their businesses without fear of molestation.

To the officers and men of the armed forces, the governor thanked and assured them that

the government would continue to stand by them, encourage and support them.

He acknowledged the sacrifices the armed forces had made and still making to secure Imo State and assured them

that, “Government will show sufficient appreciation at the appropriate time.”

In his welcome address, the Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade Obinze, Brigadier General R.T. Utsaha, explained that, ‘Exercise

Golden Dawn’ was meant to “build on the gains so far recorded over the menace of IPOB and ESN by the security agencies” and that all “security agencies are involved in the exercise.”

Four Persons Abducted in Ekiti Midnight Raid Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti No fewer than four persons were yesterday kidnapped by gunmen during a midnight raid at Ilasa Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

Eyewitnesses in the community confirmed that the gunmen came at about 1.30 a.m. to Eti-Ero farmstead in Ilasa Ekiti and ransacked the entire households.

According to multiple sources, a child, believed to be Yoruba, and three Ebira farmers, were kidnapped and taken to captivity.

The source said: “The gunmen came around 1.30a.m. and started shooting sporadically.

The gunshots generated a lot of panic, while some brave people among them had to rush out of their buildings and fled into the bush.

“As they were shooting, they were searching all the buildings and in the course of searching, they abducted a child confirmed to be less than 10 years and three others who are farmers.

“They have been taken to unknown destination and no one has been contacted.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Sunday Abutu, said it was two persons that were abducted, not four as reported.

Tambuwal Visits IDPs in Niger Republic Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has visited the internal displaced persons (IDPs) from the state in Niger Republic.

Tambuwal assured the victims of his government commitment for them to return home.

He stated that the usual highpowered regional committee of the states of Niger Republic (Dosso, Maradi and Tahoua) and those of North-west Nigeria which have border with Niger Republic-Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina-would soon convene one of its regular meetings to find lasting solutions to the perennial problem of insecurity that has displaced some Nigerians to

Niger Republic.

A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Muhammad Bello, quoted Tambuwal as saying that Sokoto State Government will soon dispatch ten trucks of relief materials worth millions of naira, comprising food, clothes and other items to the IDP camps at Dan Dadji Makaou, Shadakori and Garin Kaka villages in Maradi State, Niger Republic, where Sokoto State indigenes, as a result of banditary, are being sheltered with the cooperation of the government of Niger Republic by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and some non-governmental organisations.

Niger Gov Appoints New Emir of Kontagora Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger has appointed Alhaji Mohammed Barau Kontagora as the 7th Emir of Kontagora.

The state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umar, announced this during a press conference at the Government House in Minna yesterday.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the appointment followed the demise of 84-year-old Sa’idu Namaska in September.

Umar explained that that the selection of the 7th Emir (Sarkin Sudan) of Kontagora was held

on Sept. 19, 2021, in Kontagora.

He said selection was done by the kingmakers of the Kontagora Emirate in line with the Customary Laws and Practice of the Kontagora Emirate.

The commissioner said that after the selection, however, aggrieved contestants petitioned the governor, alleging some irregularities in the selection process.

He said in response to the petition, the governor, acting on section 3(2) and 7 of the Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law of Niger State 1989 (as revised), held meetings with the kingmakers and also consulted the State Council of Chiefs.

SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP…

Chief Executive Officer (CEO),Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo (left), and CEO, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Ms. Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, at the signing of N400 million grant funding from the NEPC through the Export Expansion Facility Programme (EEFP) for 50 Nigerian entrepreneurs in Abuja…yesterday

Kidnapped Ondo Varsity Lecturer Regains Freedom Fidelis David in Akure Ondo State-owned Adekunle Ajasin University lecturer, Mr. Mayowa Adinlewa, who was kidnapped last week on the Akure-Ikere road, has been freed.

THISDAY had reported the kidnap of Mayowa at a bad portion of the road between Ondo and Ekiti States, however, a source close to the family confirmed his freedom to THISDAY. Also, a senior lecturer in

the university, who preferred anonymity, confirmed that the news of his freedom has been posted on the AAUA ASUU WhatsApp platform.

THISDAY gathered yesterday that the hoodlums demanded N10million for the

lecturer’s release but it was later reduced.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Funmilayo Odunlami, told THISDAY that she has not been briefed on the latest development.

FG: WE’LL BORROW TO FINANCE N6.258TRN 2020 PROPOSED BUDGET DEFICIT “So, all the major projects are being provided for. The target is to make sure that we have some of these key projects completed and commissioned during Mr. President’s tenure.”

On the difference between the price of crude oil and the $57 benchmark for the 2022 budget, the Minister pointed out: “You know that the crude oil price in the international capital market is not stable, it goes up and it comes down.

“Our assessment is that $57 per barrel is a safe zone to be in and we did this after extensive consultations with CBN, we checked the research work of the World Bank and other institutions, whose concern is investigating and researching on crude oil prices. But you know, the revenue in the budget for oil and gas is a function of the level of production as well as the price.

“We had suffered some setbacks in terms of level of production, occasioned by the limits that the OPEC set. But thankfully, OPEC has changed our quota and that will also soon ramp up.

“In the event that revenues from oil and gas outperform the budget, there is always the safeguard that the excess goes into the Excess Crude Account.

“If that happens, we have not witnessed that in the past one and a half years because the revenues have been very cyclical.”

Meanwhile, at the National

Assembly yesterday, the two chambers approved the president’s revised proposal of the 2022-2024 MTEF-FSP. President Buhari had on Tuesday sought lawmakers’ approval to increase the 2022 budget estimate from N13.98 trillion to N16.45 trillion.

The revised framework was received and referred to both chambers Committee on Finance for expeditious consideration ahead of Thursday’s budget presentation to the National Assembly.

Consequently, the approval of the revised framework yesterday followed the consideration and adoption of a report by both chambers Committee on Finance, chaired

by Senator Olamilekan Adeola and Hon. James Faleke respectively.

Both chambers in their recommendation approved the aggregate expenditure of N16.39 trillion from the previous N13.98 trillion for the year 2022. They also gave its approval to the retained revenue of N10.3 trillion; and N635.4 billion fiscal deficit. The upper and lower chambers also commended the Budget Office of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning for insisting that MDAs submit their revenue profile as premise for being captured in the 2022 budget proposal.

In his presentation, Chairman of Senate Committee on

Finance, Senator Adeola, disclosed that the new increase to the federal government’s expenditure was N5.241 trillion.

On his part, Faleke said, “that the aggregate expenditure of N16. 39 trillion be approved.

That the retained revenue of N10.3 trillion be approved.

That the fiscal deficit of N635.4 billion be approved. That the Budget Office of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning be commended for insisting that Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) submit their revenue profile as premise for being captured in the 2022 budget proposal.”

President Buhari had in the request letter to the National Assembly dated October 4, 2021, explained that the revision was necessitated by the need to reflect the new fiscal terms in the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, as well as other critical expenditures in the 2022 budget.

Meanwhile, President Buhari has written formally to the two chambers of the National Assembly seeking permission to present the 2022 Appropriation Bill on Thursday.

The joint session is to be co-chaired by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in their position as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly respectively.

Continued from Page 5

President Buhari in a letter dated October 4, 2021, read by the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and the House Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila solicited the permission of the leadership of the National Assembly to lay the 2022 budget estimates before the parliament.

The President’s letter read: “May I crave the kind indulgence of the Distinguished Senate/House to grant me the slot of 12:00 Hours on Thursday, 7th October, 2021, to formally present the 2022 Appropriation Bill to the Joint Session of the National Assembly.

“Please, Accept, Distinguished Senate President/ Speaker of House of Representatives, the assurances of my highest regards, as I look forward to addressing the Joint Session” In response to the President’s request, both chambers in pursuant to Order 21 Rule 8(1) and (2) of the Standing Orders, resolved to admit the President and his entourage to address a joint sitting of the National Assembly on Thursday, (which is today). 7 October 2021 at 12noon, for the purpose of presenting the 2022 budget estimates.

In line with the parliamentary tradition, the Senators and members of the House of Representatives will converge at the House of Representatives chamber by 11.45am ahead of President Buhari’s budget presentation by Noon on today.

THURSDAY, Ϳ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

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THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Ahmed Musa: Our Mission is to Collect All Six Points against CAR CAF permits 5,000 fans at Teslim Balogun Stadium Duro Ikhazuagbe

Captain of the Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa, has hinted that Nigeria will not drop a point out of the six at stake in the

2 0 2 2 W O R L D C U P Q UA L I F I E R S double header 2022 World Cup qualifying matches with the Central African Republic today

in Lagos and on Sunday in Douala, Cameroon.

The Turkish Super Lig’s Fatih

Karagumruk forward revealed yesterday that the mission has the stamp of all his colleagues and will be accomplished on Sunday to make the passage to the final knock out phase

smoother.

“We have a mission, which is to collect all the six points from the two matches and make things easier for ourselves in the last two

matches against Liberia and Cape Verde. Then, we can focus on the knockout matches of March next year,” Musa stressed during a zoom session ahead of this evening’s clash with the Wild Beasts of the Central African Republic.

Within the four days, the Group C encounters of Matchday 3 and 4 between both teams will be accomplished, with the CAR hosting the return in Cameroon’s coastal city of Douala after the Confederation of African Football ruled that no football field in their country was fit and proper for international matches.

All the 23 players invited

by Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, are now in camp at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island following the arrival on Tuesday eveningof goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.

Super Eagles will fly into Douala on Saturday morning, for the game that will start at 2pmCameroon time on Sunday, and fly to Abuja immediately after the game.

This evening’s encounter will start at 5pmwith CAF’s permission to admit only 5,000 spectators at the game inside the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

TODAY E’Guinea v Zambia Tunisia v Mauritania Liberia v Cape Verde Nigeria v C.A.R Rwanda v Uganda Mali v Kenya

Super Eagles players have resolved to win all six points at stake in the 2022 World Cup qualifying double header against the Central African Republic today in Lagos and Sunday in Douala, Cameroon

DR Congo v M’gcar Tanzania v Benin Rep.

Etebo Delighted with ‘Moving Train’ Osimhen Voted Italian Serie A Player of the Month Successful Surgery Injured Super Eagles midfielder, Oghenekaro Etebo, has undergone a successful surgery for his ruptured thigh muscle.

The Stoke City star who is on loan to Watford injured the thigh muscle in a Premiership game.

And after a successful surgery on Tuesday, Etebo, with a picture on his hospital bed, wrote on his Instagram page: “Had a successful surgery yesterday and thanks to everyone for the love message. See you soon.”

Following the injury to Etebo, Watford had revealed he could be out of action for the remainder of 2021.

He has made six appearances in the Premier League this season for Watford that also parade two other Nigerian

internationals William TroostEkong and Emmanuel Dennis.

His last outing for the Super Eagles was in the 2-0 home win against Liberia, in September.

Victor Osimhen’s rising profile in the Italian Serie A got a further boost yesterday as he was voted the Player of the Month of September for the first time .

The Napoli forward got overwhelming votes of more than half of his fellow Serie A

players to earn the top honour in Italian club football.

A citation for this first-ever award described Osimhen as “a moving train”.

The Nigeria international has been in fantastic form for the Partenopei this season following the arrival of manager Luciano

Spalleti.

Osimhen scored seven goals in six appearances for Napoli in September.

Napoli also won all their four league games in September.

Manager Spalleti was also named Serie A Coach of the Month.

Another Nigerian international, Taiwo Awoniyi, was named in German Bundesliga Team of the Week on Tuesday.

Famed Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski failed to make the team in which Awoniyi was in the squad.

Former Super Eagles Media Officer, Alaiya, is Dead

Oghenekaro Etebo on the hospital bed shortly after the surgery

A leading Sports Journalist and former Media Officer of the Super Eagles, Mr Benjamin Alaiya, is dead.

Alaiya, media officer of the Super Eagles between November 2011 and February 2015, was reported to have died in his hometown, Ososo, Edo State after a brief illness.

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Lagos Chapter where Alaiya was an active member, announced his death in a statement yesterday.

His death is coming barely 24 hours after the passage of another member of the chapter, Samuel Oluwalana and former international, Sunny

Oyarekhua.

In a tribute to Alaiya yesterday, the General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Sanusi Mohammed, described the late sports journalist as a dedicated professional to be missed.

“Ben worked very hard in his role as Super Eagles’ media officer and was always a jolly good fellow.

"He was very professional and dedicated. This is quite sad. Our hearts go out to his young wife and the children. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also give the family and other loved ones he left behind the fortitude to bear the loss. It is devastating,” Sanusi greaved.

Late Alaiya

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SPORTS

Zambia will be looking forward to a vital win against Equatorial Guinea in Malabo...this evening

Africa’s World Cup Qualifiers Resume with Match-day 3 Actions This week sees the resumption of Africa’s 2022 World Cup Qualification tournament, with Match-day 3 of the group stage seeing 20 fixtures played across the continent from 6 to 9 October.

Today’s games will feature

Group E clashes between Mali and Kenya (in neutral Agadir, Morocco) and Rwanda and Uganda in Kigali – the four teams are covered by just three points, but the Eagles from West Africa will be hoping to use

this block of matches as an opportunity to seize control of the group and take a major step towards a first ever successful World Cup qualification.

Friday sees several heavyweights in action,

including Egypt hosting Libya in Alexandria and looking to claim top spot in Group F. The North African derby will be the first competitive match in charge for new Pharaohs coach Carlos Queiroz, who has put his

HiFL: Ondo FA Urges AAUA Luminaries to Win Final

Fidelis Davidin Ondo

The Ondo State Football Association has charged Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko (AAUA) known as the AAUA Luminaries, to win this year’s Higher Institutions Football League (HiFL) final to be decided on Saturday in Lagos.

The AAUA Luminaries are playing the University of

Maiduguri’s Desert Warriors in the final match of the 2021 edition of the HiFL. In a statement made available to THISDAY in Akure yesterday by the Media Officer of the Ondo State Football Association, Segun Giwa, the finals to be played in Lagos on Saturday is an honour the state’s FA is looking forward to.

According to the statement:

"The association notes that winning the tournament will bring honour and prestige to the state.

“The team has done perfectly well by reaching the final of the tournament but will actually be historic if the trophy comes to Ondo State".

The AAUA Luminaries qualified from the Benin Centre, having defeated the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. It also crushed

weekend’s qualifying round had to be organised to prune down the field of players teeing off at the finals of the event on the 30th of October as the initial response of the participants was overwhelming and all who desired to play could not be accomodated.

Successful players from this weekend’s event would compete for the India Cup trophy in the main event on 30th of October, 2021 while invited guests, sponsors guests and veterans would play on Friday, the 29th of October 2021. Lady players will have their tournament day on 26th October 2021, while the hard working pro's & caddy's of the Ikoyi Club are scheduled for 25th October.

The event is an 18-hole stroke play championship, with gross and net prizes at stake in both men and women categories.

There are a plethora of prizes including return Business Class tickets on Qatar Airways to a destination of the winner’s choice.

G leaders South Africa facing a tricky game away to Ethiopia in Bahir Dar, while Ghana’s Black Stars – who have also changed management by bringing back Milovan Rajevac, who man who took them to the final eight of the 2010 World Cup – will look to get the better of Zimbabwe in Cape Coast.

“The bar was set very high (in his first spell in charge) but we are here to make history,” said Rajevac. “If you don’t believe that, you cannot achieve anything. I strongly believe in my players.”

Saturday also sees Senegal host Namibia in Thies as they look to continue their perfect record in Group H, while the other match from that group sees Togo and Congo meet in Lome.

FIBA Africa Youth Camp MVP, Oluwatobi, Aiming for the Stars

Golf: India Cup Qualifier to Hold at the Ikoyi Club The India Cup Championship hosted by the IGF (Indian Golf Federation), being one of the most coveted events in the Ikoyi Club’s golf section calendar, is set to make a return with a qualifier on Saturday, October 9, 2021.

Keshab Vaswani, a member of the organizing committee for this year’s edition said the event seeks to deepen and strengthen the relationship between the Indian community and their hosts through the game of golf.

He said that the proceeds from the tournament provides a window to gives back to the society.

“A number of Indian and Nigerian corporates see this event as a tool to strengthening their ties with the country and give back to the society. The richness of both cultures is celebrated through the game of golf,” further stressed.

The platinum sponsors of this year’s edition include; African Industries, Zenith Bank, Qatar Airways and Pepsi.

According to Vaswani, this

the University of Lagos in the quarterfinal.

Also, in the semifinals, AAUA eliminated the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) on away goal.

The HiFL competition is organised by Pace Sports and Entertainment Marketing, in collaboration with the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA).

focus on results above all else.

“I see that the players gave everything they had during the short period that we had together and all our focus on the next match because it is very important for us,” said the Portuguese after a warm-up win over Liberia last week.

“For me, there is only one way to play and that is to win, and this is my policy to focus on winning. I am not here to revolutionise Egyptian football.

For me, all the players achieved a large percentage of what I wanted from them.”

Friday also features Ivory Coast and Cameroon taking on Malawi and Mozambique respectively, while reigning African champions Algeria will host Niger in Blida.

Saturday sees surprise Group

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Emmanuel ‘Airflow’ Oluwatobi...MVP at FIBA Youth Camp in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire...recently

The Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Africa Youth Camp in September, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Emmanuel Oluwatobi, has been tipped to attain the highest level in basketball if he maintains level headedness.

At just 17 going to be 18 years in few months with 6 feet 7 inches frame, Oluwatobi fondly called “Emma Airflow”, won the hearts of coaches and instructors at the FIBA camp with his skills on the ball.

Though he missed earlier stages of the camp as his body took time to adjust to the rigour of drills, by the time Emma Airflow took to the court, it was obvious that his skill was way ahead of his peers. It therefore was not a surprise that he was selected as the MVP. Speaking on his selection as MVP, Raptors Basketball Academy Coach, Charles Ibezeako, describes Emma Airflow as an imaging talent destined to play basketball at the highest level.

“If Emmanuel Oluwatobi calms down and listens, he’ll make it at top level basketball because he’s a great talent,” began Ibezeako who is reputed to be a top notched grassroots coach in the discovering of basketball talents.

“After being named the MVP of the FIBA camp, he needs to learn more. Right now, he’s good for college basketball in the USA,” he noted further at a media chat in Lagos recently.

Ibezeako camp in Abidjan as the biggest in the continent right now. “It’s one of the biggest basketball camps in Africa right now. They’ve been organising the camps to discover talents all over Africa, it’s a great initiative of FIBA to give kids in the continent the opportunities to be discovered.”

Oluwatobi who was nicknamed “Emma Airflow” by his manager, Nnamdi Agbakoba, admitted he had to put in extra effort to emerge the best talent at the FIBA Youth Camp.

“It wasn’t easy. It was very tough and challenging,” he stressed.

“I felt pains all over my body but my coach (Ibeziako) kept pushing me, making me work harder. When I was first invited for the camp in Abidjan, I didn’t have money for the COVID-19 tests as well. But thanks to God, money came later and I was able to make the trip. It’s a great experience that I will forever cherish,” gushed the lanky lad who was accompanied to the media parley by his mother on a wet Friday morning.

The FIBA Africa Youth Camp held in three African cities -Nairobi (Kenya), Saly (Senegal) and Abidjan (Ivory Coast) -- last month with boys and girls from different African countries attending the FIBA-NBA joint initiative.

The Abidjan FIBA Africa Youth Camps, which held from September 15 to 18, was run by FIBA experts Naoufal Uariachi and Nour Amri and NBA experts Joe Touomou and Craig Madzinski.

A total of 15 coaches, including Ibezeako, assisted in the implementation of activities at the Palais des Sports Treichville in Abidjan.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

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Price: N250

MISSILE Atuwatse III to Ayiri Emami

“There is no Ologbotsere title again. The head of the Ologbotsere title can answer the nickname. It is the pronouncement of the king and Itsekiri nation”—The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III announcing the abolition of the traditional title of Ologbotsere formerly held by Chief Ayiri Emami

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Where is the Old Sorcerer?

E ven when I have not ‘done well’ enough to feature in any of the ‘Macaroni Papers’ that constantly reveal the offshore assets of powerful people, I still believe that some of us owe Nigeria a lot for the education we got and the various doors of opportunity it has opened for self-actualization and advancement. But, as I have also found out in recent weeks, speaking for Nigeria is almost now an anathema for many of our compatriots, including those who are what they are today by reason of that same country.

I have had too many arguments with so many people lately on Nigeria that I already feel too drained so I crave the indulgence of readers for not writing this column today.

Meanwhile, I am aware of why many of our young people are giving up on Nigeria.

Nothing perhaps speaks to a time like this better than the message embedded in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by the 18th century German writer and politician, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. As distinct from the 2010 American fantasy adventure film, the poem in question tells a compelling story which started the moment an old sorcerer departed his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform.

Tired of fetching water, the apprentice, who had apparently observed his master at work, enchanted a broomstick to help him with the task, deploying a magic he was not yet fully trained in. The magic worked, but as water begun to flood the house, the apprentice sorcerer realised he had no knowledge of the command word that could make it stop.

And the more he tried, out of desperation, to brutalise the enchanted broomstick by cutting it with an axe, the more the problem became compounded as each of the pieces took up a pail and continued fetching water, at twice the earlier speed. Eventually, after much damage had been done, the old sorcerer returned to break the spell. The poem finished with the old sorcerer’s statement that powerful spirits should only be invoked by the master himself.

In the world of scholarship, the story embodies a powerful moral about the danger of setting in process forces over which one may have no control. And it has been used by several writers and philosophers, including Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who, in ‘The Communist Manifesto’, alluded to the poem while comparing the contradictions within the capitalist society to “the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells.”

In the absence of the ‘Old Sorcerer’, numerous apprentices are left to their own devices and in the process, there is confusion everywhere in Nigeria. And as I rest my column today, I can relax and flip through the papers. There is this interesting story of the confirmation by the Senate of Yahaya Muhammad as a board member of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In the process, one ‘Distinguished’ reportedly raised a critical observation that the nominee started his elementary school a year before he was born!

I understand that in Nigeria, miracles happen every day and everywhere, but Senator Hassan

Omo-Agege

Hadejia is apparently one of those who do not believe in miracles. “Let me bring to the notice of the House certain discrepancies in the report that are contradictory especially with regards to one of the nominees, Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad. The nominee according to record started his primary school before he was born. There is also an overlap in the sequence of his educational experience because here, he was born on 29th September 1969 and he started his Central Primary school in 1968…” said Senator Hassan Hadejia who raised the objection.

The presiding Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who probably read the Ajantala story in D.O. Fagunwa’s ‘Igbo Irunmale’, couldn’t understand the fuzz about someone starting primary school right from his mother’s womb. It is lost on Omo-Agege and his colleagues (some of who also parade dodgy credentials) that when you appoint such a man into the board of an institution that is supposed to restore integrity in the public space, you are invariably telling the world that you are just clowning about fighting corruption. But this of course is an issue we may have to deal with when this column resumes, hopefully next week.

Now, I can see the excitement of some people in government as Brent crude, Nigeria’s oil benchmark, hit $83.4 a barrel. It is misplaced.

Aside the fact that we are pumping just about 1.65 million barrels per day, a higher crude price will affect the pump price of fuel with implications for subsidy and other distortions in the economy. Besides, the oil curse is still very much around for Nigeria. In October 2014, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a report on how falling oil prices would affect members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), many of which “need oil prices to average

way above the Brent crude oil price of $90 a barrel to balance their books.” Using data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Arab Petroleum Investments Corp and Deutsche Bank, the WSJ wrote that the “struggling OPEC members are suffering partly for failing to diversify their economies when oil prices were high”, as well as not investing “enough in their oil industries to sustain them through leaner times.”

That was seven years ago, and the situation has since worsened. Estimating how much a barrel of oil would have to sell before the budget of each OPEC country would balance, only six (Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Angola) were projected to fare well with the price below $100. According to data from the same IMF and Deutsche Bank, Nigeria would require oil to sell for $123 per barrel for a balanced budget. With revelation that we spent more than a billion dollar on debt-servicing in the first quarter of this year and a projection of more than seven trillion Naira as deficit in the proposed 2022 budget to be presented today by President Muhammadu Buhari, we know we are already in serious trouble. But who cares?

In all the cold calculations about 2023, the economy does not feature in the discussions.

Neither is anybody concerned about the growing insecurity in which insurgents are gradually carving empires for themselves. On Tuesday, Daily Trust reported how suspected Boko Haram terrorists have infiltrated many communities in Niger State, directing residents to marry off their daughters at the age of 12 or face consequences. The report came two days after Governor Sani Bello confirmed that he had “every reason to believe that we are not dealing with bandits. From the latest operation, the way they coordinated and planned the attack has also confirmed to us that they must have had some kind of training.”

Niger State is very strategic for many reasons, including being the most expansive in territory (bigger than the entire Southeast in land mass and about 23 times the size of Lagos). More importantly, the state neighbours the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Indeed, following the April deadly attacks on villages in Shiroro and Munya local governments in the state, the governor had claimed that “The attackers included not only bandits but also Boko Haram members and their next target would be Abuja, a mere two hours away by road.”

Stakeholders in the North are today reading from the book of lamentations. The region, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf, said in June last year “is under siege and terrorized by rampaging bandits and insurgents”, for which he said President Buhari must be held accountable. “They roll into our towns and villages in convoys of motorcycles riding three on each, brandishing AK47 rifles with impunity. They spend hours killing, burning, raping, carting away livestock and abducting women as sex slaves”, said Yusuf. “In many of these villages, they put taxes on the people and keep coming back again and again to attack because there is no

law enforcement presence to protect them.

The Police or Military always show up after the carnage to count the bodies.”

We got here because just about seven years ago, many of the people who now bemoan the violence in the North thought they could mix politics with security without consequences. In an encounter I had with former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in June 2014, he explained the situation for me this way: “If you talk to many people on the streets (in the North), they will tell you it is the federal government that is behind the insurgency to destroy the North. As ridiculous as it may sound, those who say that believe it. The second theory by those who choose to be more charitable is that while the presidency may not be instigating the violence, it has the capacity to deal with it but refuses to do so because it simply doesn’t care whether or not the North is destroyed,” Kwakwanso said. “Now, if you go to the Villa, the theory there is that it is we Northerners that created Boko Haram and are instigating all the violence against our own people, killing thousands, destroying the means of livelihood of millions and causing all this mayhem just because we don’t like President Goodluck Jonathan.

Many people also believe such nonsense, and it may actually inform the lack of adequate response to the madness that is now destroying our country.”

I hope stakeholders from the Southeast will learn from that tragedy and not continue to make the same mistake. Today, the most dominant theory is that the killings and violence in Anambra, Enugu and Imo States are being orchestrated by security people at the instance of the federal government, in the same manner some Northerners argued it was President Jonathan and his government that were behind the Boko Haram killings. Only few people concede that the violence might have been instigated by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to enforce its sit-at-home order and that their ranks could also have been infiltrated by sundry other criminals with scores to settle.

The lesson from many failed states is that when violent groups become strong, the task of resolving differences are usually complicated while redress of grievances in any amicable manner becomes practically impossible. As we therefore move towards the November gubernatorial poll in Anambra State and the 2023 general election, critical stakeholders in the Southeast must recognize that these free-range actors who dispense jungle justice could also become weapons in the hands of desperate politicians. So, no matter which side of the divide we belong in the conversation about Nigeria, we must understand that nothing is ever resolved by the barrels of a gun.

The challenge of the moment is that, like the sorcerer’s apprentice, the entrepreneurs of violence who now populate the country have no magic wand to stop the fire they are unwittingly igniting. Worse still, the ‘Old Sorcerer’ who can help restore order is nowhere to be found.

This column will return next week, by the grace of God.

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