FRIDAY 21TH OCTOBER 2022

Senate, House Committees Back SICL’s 100% Acquisition of Polaris Bank Investor paid N50bn, assumed N1.305trn debt Emefiele: Sale marks completion of landmark intervention in a strategic institution Nume Ekeghe and James Emejo in Abuja The Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Banking have endorsed the share purchase agreement for the acquisition of 100 per cent

of the equity in Polaris Bank

by Strategic Capital Investment Limited (SCIL).

The House of Representatives approved the sale of the commercial bank, noting that it followed the laid down procedure and relevant

presidential approval.

This was just as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) yesterday formally announced the completion of the acquisition process.

SICL is owned by some northern business leaders.

A statement issued by the Director, Corporate Communications Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Osita Nwanisobi, on behalf of the CBN and AMCON,

disclosed that SCIL had paid an upfront consideration of N50 billion to acquire 100 per cent of the equity of Polaris Bank and had also accepted the terms of the agreement which included the full repayment of the sum of N1.305 trillion, being the

consideration bonds injected into the bank.

According to the statement, “The CBN thus received an immediate return for the value it has created in Polaris Bank Continued on page 5

Aisha Buhari: Not Sure My Husband’s Govt Has Met Expectations of Nigerians... Page 63 Friday 21 October, 2022 Vol 27. No 10052. Price: N250

www.thisdaylive.com TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Liz Truss Resigns as Britain’s Prime Minister after Disastrous Six-week Tenure... Page 5

Relief as Shell Resumes Crude Oil Export at 400,000bpd Forcados Terminal Ejiofor Alike Hope for addition of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil to Nigeria’s output by the

end of November, to earn more revenue to finance the 2022 budget, has risen as Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC)

yesterday resumed crude oil exports at the Forcados Oil Terminal.

The resumption of operations at the 400,000 bpd

export terminal came ahead of the October 30 schedule, when the oil giant had stated that the essential repairs would be completed.

A spokesman of Shell Nigeria, Mr. Bamidele Odugbesan, confirmed last night “that essential repairs at Forcados Oil Terminal

are complete and export operations have resumed on October 20, 2022”.

Continued on page 5

Siemens Deal: Buhari Assures 20 Power Transformers, Mobile Substations Ready By May Says two transformers for inauguration next month Reiterates partnership with Germany, Siemens to improve electricity generation Lauds training of 5,000 Nigerian engineers under PPI Deji Elumoye in Abuja The end appears in sight for the perennial power outage in the country as the federal government is billed to take delivery of 22 power transformers and mobile stations from Germany between November this year and May next year. President Muhammadu Buhari gave an indication to this effect yesterday when he played host to officials of Siemens Energy AG at State House, Abuja.

Buhari expressed delight at the notable progress in implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI). He disclosed that the first batch of two power transformers already delivered by Siemens would be inaugurated in November.

Buhari said, "I have been reliably assured that 10 power Continued on page 5

EDO/ALAGHODARO BUSINESS DINNER...

L-R: Publisher, The Guardian Newspaper, Lady Maiden Ibru; Group Executive Director, Government and Strategic Relations, Dangote Group, Mansur Ahmed; Former Managing Director, NLNG, Tony Attah; Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki; President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; the governor's wife, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki; Chairman, Sterling Bank, Dr. Asue Ighodalo; Chairman, Okomu Plc, Gbenga Oyebode; Chairman, Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc, Dr. Aderemi Makanjuola, at the Edo State Government/Alaghodaro Business Dinner in Lagos...yesterday

Obasanjo Laments Deplorable Conditions of Roads in Nigeria...

Page 58

2

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

3

4

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

5

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

PAGE FIVE

Liz Truss Resigns as Britain’s Prime Minister after Disastrous Six-week Tenure

Peter Uzoho with agency report

Liz Truss would become the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history, after announcing her intention to resign just six weeks into a disastrous term that pitched Britain deep into political and economic turmoil.

Truss said yesterday that she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week, after a growing number of her own Conservative Party’s lawmakers said they could not support

her any longer.

“Given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have, therefore, spoken to His Majesty The King to notify him that I am resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party,” CNN quoted Truss to have said, while standing outside the famous black door of 10 Downing Street. It was at the same spot where she had promised to put the UK back onto the path of economic growth and stability just six weeks earlier.

The announcement brings

to an ignominious end a catastrophic tenure in Downing Street, which appeared doomed ever since the announcement of Truss’s flagship economic agenda sent markets into panic.

A record rise in UK government bond prices sent borrowing costs surging and forced the Bank of England to make three successive interventions to rescue overstretched pension funds.

The pound at one point hit an all-time low against the US dollar.

Truss said she would stay in Downing Street until her

SENATE, HOUSE COMMITTEES BACK SICL’S 100% ACQUISITION OF POLARIS BANK during the stabilisation period, as well as ensuring that all funds originally provided to support the intervention are recovered.

“The sale was coordinated by a Divestment Committee comprising representatives of the CBN and AMCON, and advised by legal and financial consultants. The Committee conducted a sale process by private treaty, as provided in Section 34(5) of the AMCON Act to avoid negative speculations, retain value and preserve financial system stability.

“In the process, parties who had formally expressed an interest in acquiring Polaris Bank, subsequent to the CBN intervention in 2018, were invited to submit financial and technical proposals.

“Invitations to submit proposals were sent to 25 pre-qualified interested parties, out of which three parties eventually submitted final purchase proposals following technical evaluation.”

It stated that all submissions were subjected to rigorous transaction process from which SCIL emerged as the preferred

bidder having presented the most comprehensive technical/ financial purchase proposal as well as the highest rated growth plan for Polaris Bank.

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, was quoted as saying the sale of the bank, "marks the completion of a landmark intervention in a strategic institution in the Nigerian banking sector by the CBN and AMCON.” He commended the outgoing board and management for their vital role since the bridge bank was established in stabilising the bank’s operations, its balance sheet and implementing strong governance structures to address the issues that led to the intervention.

According to the governor: “The process has provided the CBN with an unprecedented opportunity to recover its intervention funds in full and promote financial stability and inclusive growth.”

He wished SCIL well as they implement growth plans to build the bank from the strong foundations that have been established.

Polaris has been operating

as a bridge bank since 2018, when the CBN intervened after it revoked the licence of the defunct Skye Bank Plc and established Polaris Bank to assume its assets and certain liabilities.

As part of the CBN intervention, consideration bonds with a face value of N898 billion (future value of N1.305 trillion) was injected into the bridge bank through AMCON, to be repaid over a 25-year period.

It noted that the actions were taken to prevent the imminent collapse of the bank, enable its stabilisation and recovery, protect depositors’ fund, prevent job losses and preserve systemic financial stability.

Speaking on the acquisition on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, the chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee investigating the sale of Polaris Bank, Hon. Henry Nwawuba, had said the lawmakers during the scrutiny of various documents and extant regulatory process on the sale of the bank, discovered that they were evidence of substantial compliance with the process.

SIEMENS DEAL: BUHARI ASSURES 20 POWER TRANSFORMERS, MOBILE SUBSTATIONS READY BY MAY transformers and 10 mobile substations would have been completely delivered and installed by May 2023.

“This is in spite of production challenges and constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has severely impacted global production and supply chain.”

The president pledged the dedication of the federal government to the partnership with Siemens and the German government to improve electricity generation in Nigeria. He urged top officials of Siemens not to relent in ensuring that government’s commitment to Nigerians in delivering the PPI was fulfilled.

Buhari told the president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Siemens Energy, Dr. Christian Bruch; CEO of Siemens Africa, Nadia Haakansson; and CEO of Siemens Nigeria, Mr. Seun Suleiman, that the outcome of the collaboration between Nigeria and Siemens would deliver critical business enablers and opportunities to engage young enterprising Nigerians in various endeavours.

The president welcomed the training of 200 Nigerian engineers on network development studies under the PPI, saying it represents “a very important up-skilling and knowledge transfer process”.

Buhari added that he looked forward to the 5,000 engineers that would be trained by the end of the programme.

Recalling his promise to Nigerians at the inception

of his administration to improve electricity supply by resolving capacity deficit across the sector’s value chain, the president lauded the German government, which under the former Chancellor, Angela Merkel, supported the country, leading to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Siemens.

He also thanked incumbent German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for Germany’s continued support for the PPI. Buhari told the Siemens officials, “A plan to deliver capacity improvements of 2,000 megawatts in the transmissiondistribution interface is now firmly the focus of PPI Phase I. “In April 2022, the Minister of Power briefed me on the outcome of his visit to Germany, where he held meetings with Siemens executives.

“That visit was fruitful in emphasising the need to expedite delivery of the pilot PPI project, elements of which have started arriving in the country.

“The minister also mentioned that you, Dr. Bruch, will pay a visit to Nigeria, and we are glad that you are with us today.

“The PPI remains a priority project for our administration and Nigerians believe in the value that the Siemens’ brand can deliver.

“On our part, nothing is spared to ensure we improve the lives and livelihoods of our citizens.”

Buhari thanked the

government of Germany for approving Euler Hermes to provide cover for the financing of the PPI pilot project, stating that this will serve as a template for the subsequent phases.

He acknowledged that the overall frameworks for technical and commercial arrangements were being concluded, stressing, “However, what I would like to see is that we attain completion of the entire transaction process

by December 2022. This will entrench the mandate of the PPI in full committal terms.”

Speaking earlier, the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, thanked the president for the vision of PPI, adding that Nigerians would be thankful to him for a long time after leaving office “because the power sector will be revitalised”.

Aliyu said Siemens was one of the world’s best in power “and will surely deliver”.

Speaking, also, Bruch sympathised with Nigerians affected by the current devastating flood. He said his team was fully committed to the PPI “and we will push forward in the weeks and months ahead, as we need to move the process faster”.

He promised to continue with trainings and improvement of capacities, adding that despite the coming general election in Nigeria, “The power initiative will continue, as we are fully committed, and will accelerate the process.”

successor was named.

Graham Brady, who chairs the 1922 Committee, which represents rank-and-file Conservative Members of Parliament, said yesterday that the new party leader – the prime minister – should be in place before the end of October.

Speaking outside the House of Commons, Brady said the contest to replace Truss as the party’s leader should be concluded by October 28.

Further details of the process would be announced later Thursday, he added.

Truss had tried to save her position by admitting her plan was a mistake and replacing her chancellor and long-time ally Kwasi Kwarteng with Jeremy Hunt, a staunch supporter of former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest over the summer.

In the end, even that was not enough.

On Wednesday, Truss lost another top official when Home Secretary Suella Braverman dramatically quit just a few weeks into the job, using her letter of resignation to launch a blistering attack on the prime minister’s leadership.

“The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes.

Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come

right is not serious politics,” Braverman had written in a critique of Truss’s numerous U-turns on taxes and public spending.

Making a bad day even worse, chaotic scenes unfolded in the UK parliament on Wednesday evening during a vote on whether to ban controversial fracking for shale gas.

Lawmakers reported that aides for Truss had manhandled MPs into the voting lobby to force them to vote against the ban proposed by the opposition Labour Party. Politicians in the lobby tweeted eyewitness accounts alleging that MPs were being physically dragged to vote in the government lobby, amid angry scenes of shouting and altercation.

House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced Thursday that he had ordered an investigation into the allegations.

The names of potential successors began floating around even before Truss announced she was going to resign.

Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, who stepped in for Truss during a difficult parliamentary debate earlier this week and also stood in the leadership contest over the summer, will likely be in the running. Sunak, who was Truss’ biggest rival in that contest, is another possible

candidate.

Meanwhile, allies of Boris Johnson, Truss’s predecessor in Number 10, made it clear yesterday that they think the former prime minister would stand in the leadership contest, according to two sources who worked on Johnson’s 2019 leadership campaign.

Newly appointed Home Secretary Grant Shapps and Kemi Badenoch, who came fourth in the last leadership contest, could also stand.

Truss announced her decision to leave on day 45 of her tenure. George Canning previously held the record for the shortest term in Downing Street, having served for 119 days until his death in 1827.

Her move ensures a fresh power struggle within the ruling Conservative Party, which has haemorrhaged public support for the past year and has now overthrown Boris Johnson and Truss in the space of a few months. The new prime minister would be the third since the last general election in December 2019 and the fifth since the Conservatives came into power in 2010.

Earlier this year, Truss’s predecessor, Johnson, narrowly survived a confidence vote in his leadership. But he resigned weeks later when dozens of ministers and members of the government quit, citing a lack of confidence in his government.

PDP Resumes Presidential Campaign Tomorrow in Benin Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign will resume tomorrow, Saturday in Benin, Edo State.

The campaign rally will be the third in the series after the flag-off in Uyo Akwa Ibom State and in Kaduna.

In a statement by the Director General of the Presidential Campaign,

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, all governors, members of the National Assembly and chieftains of the party were invited.

"This is to cordially invite all elected PDP governors, members of PDP National Working Committee, NASS members, NEC members, BOT, members, state chapters, former governors, former ministers, PDP candidates

and stakeholders to the Edo State Presidential Campaign rally, Tambuwal stated.

He added: "Please endeavour to attend and participate as we join hands with our Presidential Candidate, H.E. Atiku Abubakar, GCON, (Waziri Adamawa) and Vice presidential candidate, H.E Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa CON, to rescue Nigeria."

RELIEF AS SHELL RESUMES CRUDE OIL EXPORT AT 400,000BPD FORCADOS TERMINAL SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Abimbola EssienNelson, had in a statement last week disclosed that repair works on the Forcados Oil Terminal would be completed by the end of the month.

“In addition to the repairs, we are working to remove and clamp theft points on the onshore pipelines to ensure full crude oil receipt at the terminal,” she said.

According to EssienNelson, the active illegal connections to SPDC joint venture’s production lines and facilities in western Niger Delta as well as the inactive illegal connection to the onshore section of the 48-inch Forcados Export Line were part of the company’s on-going programme to remove illegal connections on the pipelines that feed the terminal.

She said, “SPDC gives priority to the removal of active illegal connections and to illegal connection points that have leaks. This scheduled programme is continuous, as new illegal connections are identified during surveillance of the pipelines.

“An example of such illegal connection is that on the onshore section of the 48-inch Forcados Export Line which is currently not active and has no sign of leak at the interconnection point.”

Essien-Nelson reiterated SPDC’s commitment to running its assets safely, reliably and in accordance with globally accepted standards.

Located at the western Niger Delta, the Forcados Oil Terminal, which has a nameplate capacity to export 400,000 bpd of crude oil per day, receives crude oil from the Forcados Oil Pipeline System, the second largest pipeline network in the oil-producing region, after the Bonny Oil Pipeline System in the eastern Niger Delta.

Some international oil companies (IOCs) and Nigerian independents operating in the western Niger Delta pump oil to the Forcados Oil Terminal for export.

However, with the closure of the export terminal for repairs, about 20 oil fields had been shut in.

But Group Chief Executive

Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, had hinted that the country expected to add 500,000 bpd to its output by the end of November, mainly by restarting activities on the Shell Plc.-operated Forcados export terminal and TransNiger pipeline (TNP).

The TNP, with a capacity of about 180,000 bpd and the Aiteo-operated Nembe Creek Trunkline (NCTL), are the two major pipelines in the eastern Niger Delta that transport Bonny Light crude oil to the Bonny Export Terminal.

Group General Manager of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), a subsidiary of the NNPC, Mr. Bala Wunti, had at the weekend announced that the state-owned oil company had concluded the clamping of the damaged TNP. “SPDC continues to work tirelessly, alongside government and partners, towards the eradication of crude theft from its infrastructure,” Wunti added.

6

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

7

8

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

9

10

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

NEWS

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

SIEMENS IN THE VILLA...

L-R: Mr. Sean Manley; Mrs. Nadja Haakansson; President, Siemens Energy, Dr. Christian Bruch; President Muhammadu Buhari; Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyema during the visit of President of Siemens to the presidential villa, Abuja ...yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

CBN, NIBSS, Bankers Committee Launch National Domestic Card Scheme

Set to establish collective cyber-security centre RT200 FX records $1.2bn repatriation Customs CG: Nigeria's border security moves yielding positive results Doubts possibility of agency meeting N3trn annual revenue target Says N2.143trn so far generated in 2022 Deji Elumoye, James Emejo in Abuja and Nume Ekeghe in Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and the Bankers Committee yesterday disclosed plan to implement a National Domestic Card Scheme effective January 16, 2023.

Also, it was revealed that the central bank’s RT200 FX policy which aims to raise $200 billion from foreign exchange (FX) earnings from non-oil proceeds over the next three to five years, has continued to yield dividends as it has recorded $1.2 billion in repatriation, $870 million sold through the Investors and Exporters’ (I&E) window and N42 billion paid as rebate.

These were disclosed during a virtual press briefing at the end of a Bankers’ Committee meeting.

Also yesterday, the ComptrollerGeneral of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd), declared that the federal government's move to ensure that the nation's borders were secured was yielding positive results.

Speaking on the plan to launch a national domestic card scheme, the Chief Executive Officer, NIBSS, Mr. Premier Oiwoh, stated that the new initiative being birthed by the CBN, NIBSS and Bankers’ Committee would enhance financial inclusion and create solutions to improve card ecosystem innovation in Nigeria.

Oiwoh said: “The domestic card scheme is a scheme that has been the brainwork of the CBN and it is being deployed to improve the payments landscape across Nigeria.

“So, part of the proposition that this domestic card scheme will be creating is that it drives acceptance and efficiency, reduce operating

costs of a card operation in the country and also the provision of unique, reliable services because other features or other products will be layered on this card. Uniquely, this card will be configured to address the unique ecosystem issues that we have to help improve payments across the nation.

“We also expect the card to provide affordable pricing, the charges will certainly be lower because it is expected to be charged for in naira as against foreign currency. We also expect more local contents; contents uniquely for the Nigerian landscape which will support micropayments and credits, e-government, identity management, transportation, the health sector and agriculture in terms of payments.

“We expect this to reduce the dependency on cash across the landscape and help promote the

cashless initiative by the central bank.”

He added that the operational effectiveness of this card was expected to be robust and should drive a lot of innovation and validation, end-to-end visibility to improve fraud management, and a better dispute resolution process around the current card operating system.

He added: “it would improve sovereignty and security of our data and operations which would be locally based. It will also help and drive financial inclusion across the federation.

“These cards as I said with the platform and then lots of products will be layered across ranging from debit cards, virtual cards, debit cards, non-interest cards which will specifically address the needs of the Muslim segment of the country, then identity card.

Any form of card scheme can be

Buhari Sacks NDDC's Interim Administrator

Audu-Ohwavborua steps in as acting MD Senate to receive names of nominees for new Board, Mgt

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the Interim Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Effiong Okon Akwa after acting in that capacity for almost two years.

Also, in line with presidential approval the most senior director in the Commission, Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua would perform the duties of the managing director in acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive chief executive and members of the Governing Board.

Akwa was appointed on December 12, 2020, after the removal of Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, the then acting managing director of the interventionist agency.

This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday, by the Director, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA), which supervises the NDDC, Patricia Deworitshe.

The statement titled: "NDDC Sole Administrator Relieved of Appointment," stated that the

president approved Akwa’s immediate disengagement.

"The statement read: "President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the disengagement of the Interim Administrator of the NDDC, Mr. Effiong Okon Akwa, from his post with effect from today, 20, October 2022. Mr. Akwa was appointed interim administrator of the Commission for the duration of the Forensic Audit into the operations of the NDDC, which has now been concluded.

"President Buhari has also approved the constitution of a new Management Team and Governing Board of the NDDC in line with Section (2) of the NDDC Act, 2000.

"The names of the nominees for the new management team and Governing Board are to be transmitted to the National Assembly for approval."

The Senate had in November 2019 confirmed the nominees for the NDDC board with Dr. Pius Odubu as chairman; Bernard Okumagba (Delta) as managing Director; Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom), Executive Director of Projects; Maxwell Oko (Bayelsa),

Executive Director of Finance and Administration; Jones Erue (Delta); Victor Ekhator (Edo); Nwogu N. Nwogu (Abia) and Theodore Allison (Bayelsa).

Others were Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom), Maurice Effiwat (Cross River), Olugbenga Edema (Ondo), Uchegbu Kyrian (Imo), Aisha Muhammed (North West); Shuaibu Zubairu (North East) and Abdullahu Bage (North Central).

Rather than inaugurate the board confirmed by the Senate, the president had then approved the appointment of Akwa, who has just been sacked.

With the plan to send names of new nominees for the NDDC board and management to the Senate, it appears that the Presidency has jettisoned the ones confirmed by the Senate, despite agitations for their inauguration by several stakeholders in the Niger Delta.

The immediate-past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio had repeatedly assured that the already confirmed board of the agency would be inaugurated as soon as the Forensic

Audit report was submitted.

The audit report was submitted in August 2021.

Meanwhile, a separate statement issued by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs announced the appointment of Audu-Ohwavborua, an engineer as the NDDC acting managing director.

The statement explained: "Sequel to President Muhammadu Buhari's approval of the disengagement of the Interim Administrator of the NDDC from his position, the president has further approved that the most senior director in the Commission should take over the running of the affairs of the Commission in line with the Federal Government Circular dated 4th December 2017, with Ref. No. 50/S./C.2/268, pending the appointment of a substantive Managing Director and members of the Governing Board.

"Accordingly, Engr Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua (FNSE) will perform the duties of the Managing Director in acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive Managing Director and members of the Governing Board."

layered on top.”

Also, announcing the progress made on the RT200, the Managing Director of CitiBank Nigeria, Ms. Ireti Samuel- Ogbu said: “In terms of RT200, as we know this scheme was introduced by the central bank in February, to generate $200 billion in foreign exchange earnings and the whole idea behind this initiative was to diversify sources of FX away from the dominance of oil and to increase the contribution of non-oil exports, to increase availability and to support export-oriented companies to expand their operations and capabilities.

“We were very pleased to observe that this initiative is really beginning to bear fruit and show success. And at the end of the third quarter, September, the total amount repatriated was $1.2 billion for the quarter, and out of that the total amount sold into the I&E window was $870 million, which ended up in terms of rebates paid by the central bank and you may be familiar that rebates are paid N65 naira to a dollar, so N42 billion rebates have been paid in the third quarter.”

Speaking on the planned national cyber-security centre, Samuel-Ogbu said: “Cyber security is a very challenging subject and one of the unintended consequences of automation and digitisation and our vision as the banking industry is to actually come up with counter-measures in order to mitigate that risk.

“So, to prevent cyber-attacks to deter them, to predict and even pre-empt threats, cybersecurity centre has been a vision and it's been built and assembled to be able to do this. And we believe that by having this collective approach as an industry, it will really help to mitigate the vulnerability of risk of cyberattacks.”

She added that this centre currently housed in the CBN would provide information-sharing across the industry and if there was a large scale cyber-attack, having coordinated efforts would mean minimising damage and enhancing recovery time.

She added: “This cyber security centre is very much in line with best practice. In fact, it's something which are fitting

we have seen work very well around the world when we bring professionals from information security investigation services, and technology infrastructure, to do strategic intelligence and analysis and share that information industry-wide.

“So it's very pleasing to see that we are taking this kind of action, and this action is very much in line with international best practice.”

Also briefing journalists, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Lotus Bank, Mrs. Kafilat Araoye, said that measures taken by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to rein in inflation by increasing MPR rate as well as the cash reserve ratio (CRR) were well accepted by the banks with the expectation that it would rein in inflation.

She said: “The meeting held today discussed the last outcome of the MPC meeting, and it's clear that you have to do some very strong measures to ensure that we rein in inflation.

“The two major decisions were the increase in the monetary policy rates by 150 basis points and the increase in the CRR from 27.5 per cent to 32.5 per cent.

“We also support that as banks because this will help to mop up excess deposits out there and excess money in the system and reduce pressure even on FX. “So, it is a very good move in ensuring that all the efforts made in the past to curb inflation come to fruition. As banks, we support and will believe everybody within the country should understand the move beyond the decisions that have been taken.”

Customs CG: Nigeria's Border Security Moves Yielding Positive Results Meanwhile, Ali yesterday declared that the federal government's move to ensure that the nation's borders were secured was yielding positive results.

The Customs CG who while appearing on the weekly Ministerial Press Briefing at the State House, Abuja, also raised the alarm that the revenue generating agency Continued on page 63

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

11

12

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

13

14

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

15

16

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

17

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022

18

POLITICS

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

New Thinking to Power the Prosperity of Ekiti

Niyi Olajide writes on the need for indigenes of Ekiti State at home and in diaspora to support the move of the new Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to take the state to greater heights

I

t gives me great pleasure to be granted this esteemed platform to say a few words of goodwill, and to share some thoughts about what I believe the future holds for our homeland Ekiti State after this season of transition. My message today is very simple. To win the future, its time for all of us to A.C.T. ‘A’ for accountability and action; ‘C’ for commitment; ‘T’ is for teamwork.

Before I proceed, I will share a bit of my background. My name is Niyi John Olajide, a proud son of Erinmope-Ekiti. The third of five boys born to my parents. It may also interest you to know that I was born in Ajegunle in Lagos. I grew up and had my primary and secondary education in Nigeria, before going abroad for further studies.

I grew up in a Nigeria where it was the ideal for every child to have a qualitative education in public schools regardless of the economic circumstances of their families where every child could aspire to a brighter future and be given the chance to fully express his/her God-given potential in life.

I say very often that it is the solid foundation in character and learning that I got from my family and as a Nigerian that accounts for the modest achievements I have attained so far in life. That, in addition to the fact that I have the good fortune of being an Ekiti man.

My parents didn’t get beyond a primary six education, but they were very educated, and they placed a high premium on their children excelling in school and being morally upright.

Indeed, from very early in life my being Ekiti became my very essence and shaped my worldview. I internalized the pristine Ekiti values that have guided me in my life and career so far – selfless service, collaboration, hard work, excellence, and integrity.

To further buttress my point about how highly Ekitis value education and how teachers were revered, I may borrow from the speech so eloquently delivered by our renowned Ekiti poet, Prof. Niyi Osundare, at the inauguration of Governor Fayemi as Governor about this time four years ago.

In his speech, he rendered an old Ekiti song, which goes: Elu o e Elu o aaa o, Elu o e Elu o aaa o Ku ‘ku bati moti p’omo mi lule oko o (If death does not kill my children in my husband’s house).

Mo ti a p’itan ijo mo je o (I will one day tell the story of when I had enough to eat.)

Mo ti a p’itan ijo mo mu o (I will one day tell the story of when I had enough to drink.)

Mo tia s’eye Ologun Tisa o (I will be the proud mother of the Gallant Teacher.)

As Prof. Osundare noted, the significance in the song of the singer’s aspiration to become ‘Eye Tisa’ – the Teacher’s mother – indicates the high esteem in which the teacher was held in those days. The teacher’s role and impact went beyond the classroom by virtue of his learning and education. The teacher was regarded, among other things, as an embodiment of enlightenment, a community leader, a consultant on many matters, and a disciplinarian of the community’s wayward children. That was the high premium we placed on education, and on those responsible for educating the future generations.

So, for me, there is no debate about the most pressing imperatives our good country must address to win the future – Education and the Restoration of our Values.

In this regard, I thank Governor Kayode Fayemi for taking action and being accountable to prioritise these issues during your tenure and for all you accomplished, including the recent announcement by UNICEF that Ekiti state has the second lowest rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

I celebrate Governor Fayemi for his vision,

creativity, and diligence that has brought our beloved state this far, and for grooming a worthy successor in the person of H.E. Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, who is now set to consolidate and build upon the legacy.

The orderliness demonstrated with this transition is a source of pride to all Ekitis at

home and abroad and has laid a precedence we must never fall short of in the future.

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the outcome of sustained efforts to improve the quality of education, and the restoration of the primacy of our values in society which we are beginning

to see, is a new mindset that is essential for the times we are in – a new way of thinking required to win the future.

We must reorient our hearts and minds with a focus on our youth who are in the majority, to see the opportunities before us as a people and a State who are uniquely positioned to become the most prosperous state in Nigeria within the next 30 years, in line with the Ekiti State Development Plan (2021 – 2050).

Some might wonder if I am talking about the same small landlocked Ekiti State with meagre federal allocations, and immense developmental challenges.

My belief in Ekiti’s opportunity is not unfounded, nor is it wishful thinking.

As an entrepreneur who started Axxess at the age of 26 and grew it into a global corporation disrupting the industries we operate in, I owe my success to spotting business opportunities long before they become obvious. I believe Ekiti’s prosperity is possible. I truly believe with the proper mindset, anything is possible.

I recently led a discussion among our leaders at Axxess globally to encourage all of us to dream about what is possible for our company and at the same time reflect on our respective individual purposes in life. I know my own purpose is to serve others, and I suspect that many of you also feel a similar purpose. I also imagine that right now most of us are giving a lot of thought to what role we are going to play in Ekiti’s future.

-Olajide writes from Erimope Ekiti NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

NILDS as Capacity-Builder for Federal Legislators, Others Udora Orizu writes that the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), in over a decade has provided required support services for federal lawmakers and other key players in the legislative process, the most striking of which is capacity-building for them.

H

istory cum mandates of NILDS As obtainable in most democracies, after the advent of the fourth republic in May, 1999 and take off of the 4th National Assembly (NASS), the need for a capacity-building institution for elected federal lawmakers and support staff, arose with establishment of Policy Analysis and Research Project (PARP), in 2003 which later metamorphosed into full fledge Institute in March, 2011.

The Institute then known as National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), as an organ of the National Assembly, was established by an Act of Parliament signed into law on the 2nd of March 2011

by President Goodluck Jonathan through a bill passed to that effect by the 6th National Assembly.

Scope of operations of the Institute later got widened with approval of establishment of new Department of Democratic Studies as well as a Department for Post Graduate Studies by its Governing Council which eventually got the seal of Law on January 26th, 2018, through signing of National Institute for Legislative Studies Act (Amendment ) Bill 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari with attendant transformation into National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies ( NILDS).

Prior to name transformation from NILS to NILDS in 2018, the Institute had in 2013, commenced its postgraduate programmes in affiliation with the University of Benin on courses centering on Legislative Drafting, Parliamentary Administration, Legislative

Studies, Elections and Party Politics etc , the scope of which has expanded ever since and even aiming at awarding Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degrees in the area of Legislative Studies and Parliamentary Administration.

Functions of the Institute to the National Assembly right from take off in March 2011, are similar to the services offered to the US congress by Congressional Research Service, Congressional Budget Office and Library of Congress driven by core objectives of providing quality academic and professional research, policy analysis, training, documentation and advocacy on democratic governance and legislative practice and procedures.

Amendment on its Act in 2018, generally enables NILDS to provide capacity development services to democratic Institutions and governance in Nigeria and beyond which has been leveraged upon within the last 40 months under the leadership of Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman as Director - General.

Emphasis on Capacity - Building / widening of Scope under Professor Sulaiman As one of its core mandates , NILDS had right from establishment in 2011, made capacity - building one of the services rendered to federal lawmakers and various categories of bureaurats at the National Assembly right from the time of Professor Ladi Hamalai who served as Director General from 2011 to 2019.

Gratifyingly, within the last 40 months of Director - Generalship of Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman in NILDS, scope of capacity - building services has been widened, by not only extending it to elected members of State Houses of Assemblies and other parliamentary workers but also to parliamentarians within the Africa continent.

A very good example of widening of such scope was the two-day capacity - building workshop organized recently by NILDS and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung ( KAS), for journalists covering both the Senate and the House of Representatives in Abuja.

At the workshop, Professor Sulaiman posited: “The role of media in democracy goes beyond informing the public of the issues that shape their lives to providing spaces for an informed and inclusive public debate and an outlet for the voices and perspectives of citizens, including marginalised ones. Consequently, one of the most important roles the media can play is that of building consensus.

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

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

19

20

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

21

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

S & P INDEX

2 0 , 2 0 2 2

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

11.25%

CALL

10.25%

INDEX LEVEL

613.31%

1/4 TO DATE

-0.85%

N416.86/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

11.50%

1-MONTH

9.56%

1-DAY

0.16%

YEAR TO DATE

7.64%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10.52%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.44%

With Effective Communication, NAMA May Generate $1bn Annually from Over-flier Charges

Chinedu Eze As air travel returns to normal after the COVID-19 economic devastation, which constricted international flight operations, there are indications that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) may generate about $1 billion annually from over-fliers charges, with increase in traffic of flights across Nigeria’s airspace.

According to industry analysts, the projected revenue is possible, especially when there is effective communication between the pilots operating the flights and the air traffic controllers.

Over-fliers refers to flights flying across Nigerian airspace to other destinations from different parts of the world but pass through Nigeria

and utilising Nigeria’s weather forecast, flight traffic on their routes, altitude and other information that would enable the pilots fly safely to their destinations.

The charges paid by the airlines are collected for NAMA by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), but for Nigeria to render the service through its air traffic controllers, Nigeria’s upper airspace, where these flights pass through, must have effective communication between the pilots operating the flights and air traffic controllers, according to analysts’ views. Nigeria’s airspace is known as Kano Flight Information Region.

The acting Managing Director of NAMA, Matthew Pwajok, told THISDAY in an interview that there

was hope that more flights would pass through Nigeria’s airspace as more airlines operate international flights, disclosing that the number of flights that pass through the airspace is increasing.

“I don’t have the figures off-head but I know we checked the statistics of over-flier flights over Kano recently. We had about 1,456 flights over flying the Nigerian airspace in January 2022. As of September 2022 we had over 2,100 over flights.

That is a marginal increase and the analysis showed that some airlines that were over flying from Europe to Johannesburg, to Cape Town, to Durban, to Luanda and to the DRC that were hitherto not following the Nigerian airspace, returned back, and we attributed that to the

implementation of communication programme that I told you,” he said.

Pwajok explained that the new communication equipment installed to enhance communication in the airspace has significantly improved ground to air, and air to air communication.

“There is free routing in the airspace. Analysts have shown that flying through Nigerian airspace shortens flight time by about 10 minutes on some routes.

This means huge cost in fuel saving for the airlines. This is because some of the routes before now were what we call conventional routes.

Routes that are designed to follow ground equipment, ground based navigational systems. But with Performance Base Navigation

(which is based on satellite), you can fly from any point to another point directly,” he said.

The NAMA boss further explained that NAMA has effectively implemented the performance-based navigation that it has attracted more international carriers to fly through Nigeria.

“We leverage on that to implement what we call the Free Routing Airspace, which is providing or availing aircraft with capability to fly any point to any point at wind advantage. Normally, when an aircraft is flying with a five nautical tail wind; that means the speed of the aircraft is being increased by five nautical miles per hour. And that goes a long way over the entire route to lead to improvement to shorter flight

time. And by implication reduce the fuel consumption for flight over that same route. The same distance he might have flown for a certain time is shortened because the flight has wind advantage. Naturally it will reduce the flight time even on the same route.

“But what we have done is to create more direct routes, shorter routes not based on ground equipment but based on satellite navigation. They can fly from one point to the other; satellite navigation is available at any point and can guide you. So we use the Total Radar Coverage we have and we use performance based navigation to implement what we call the Free Continued on page 23

Hope Rises as TAV Wins Concession of Lagos International Airport Chinedu Eze After many years of speculations and projections, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has disclosed that TAV Airports Holding has won the bid for the concession of the Lagos airport.

THISDAY learnt that the consortium formed by TAV Airports Holding, NAHCO Management Services Ltd and Planet Project Limited, submitted bids for the tender to operate and develop

the international passenger and cargo terminals of Lagos Airport in Nigeria for a period of 20 years, a development that raised the hope of industry stakeholders.

According to an announcement made by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Consortium has been selected as the preferred bidder, but the selection is subject to the necessary official approvals.

“After the necessary approvals are obtained, the next step in the tender process is a negotiation stage

between FAAN and the Consortium,” the agency explained.

TAV Airports Holding is a Turkish airport operation and services firm that is part of Groupe ADP. It is one of the world’s largest airport operators, providing services to one million flights and 152 million passengers, according to 2018 available records.

THISDAY learnt that a team from the company visited the Lagos and Abuja airports in 2016 to inspect facilities and since then has been

interested in investing in airport development in Nigeria.

In January 2021, Turkish media reported that TAV Airports Holding was interested in adding projects in Africa and the Balkans to its portfolio, if they corresponded to its strategic and financial goals. The reports indicated that TAV Airports Holding had marked Africa as a ‘leading market’ and the Balkans and Central Asia as ‘developing markets.’

Reacting to the successful bid,

the Director, Operations, Cargolux Airlines and the President of the Association of Foreign Airlines (AFARN), Mr. Kingsley Nwokoma, said concessioning the airport was a good move and expressed the hope that the biding was transparently done.

He said that if the process was transparent, there should be kudos to the Ministry of Aviation for midwifing the process and noted that Nigerian airports were in dire need of private sector investment

because the facilities needed to be modernised to meet international standards.

According to him, it is good when airlines come to Nigeria they operate in airports that have modern facilities as obtained in other parts of the world.

“If the process is transparent then we look at the experience of the company that won the bid, the ability of the company to deploy funds to upgrade facilities at the Continued on page 23

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT T H U R S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 0 , 2 0 2 2 BILLS

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

Yield

100.09

14.10

99.53

13.75

96.85

13.71

108.30

13.72

100.25

13.90

Change Updated Time (%) 14, -0.15 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022

MATURITY NTB 10Nov-22 NTB 26-Jan23 NTB 9-Feb23 NTB 9-Mar23 NTB 27-Apr23

Discount

CPS

5.91

5.93

6.51

6.64

6.62

6.77

6.84

7.04

Change Updated Time (%) October 14, 0.00 2022 October 14, 0.00 2022 October 14, 0.00 2022 October 14, 0.00 2022

7.52

October 14, 0.00 2022

7.22

Yield

MATURITY FSDH CP VII 27-OCT-22 SIBP CP III 27-OCT-22 DLMG CP IV 11-NOV-22 FDHP CP III 17-MAR-23 VHPL CP III 1-APR-23

Discount Yield 11.14 11.21 10.29 10.34 13.64 13.82 12.67 13.42 17.17 18.71

Change Updated Time (%) 14, 0.00 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022 14, 0.00 October 2022

OTC F X F U T U R E S CONTRACT Current TENOR Contract Rate Updated Time ($/₦) (MONTH) NGUS OCT 26 449.69 October 14, 1 2022 2022 October 14, NGUS NOV 30 2 451.43 2022 2022 NGUS DEC 28 453.18 October 14, 3 2022 2022 NGUS JAN 25 454.92 October 14, 4 2023 2022 NGUS FEB 22 456.67 October 14, 5 2023 2022

22

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

AIR WATCH

FG Engages Firm to Monitor Helicopter Movements in Nigeria Chinedu Eze In a bid to keep an appropriate record of helicopter movements in Nigeria, the federal government has engaged a private firm to achieve these objectives on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement.

The Managing Director, Naebi Dynamic Services Limited, Mr. Stanley Chike, told newsmen in Lagos that the firm was investing in multi-billion naira state-of-the-art equipment to monitor activities in the aviation and the oil sectors across the country.

According to him, the firm is investing in a multinational control room centre, radar equipment and navigational facilities to monitor the activities in the two sectors and beyond.

With this investment, Chike said movement of low level flying equipment like helicopters, would be appropriately captured and recorded by the country, while the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the government would also increase.

He disclosed that through its

feasibility studies, the company discovered that no fewer than 200 helicopters were in operations in the country, many of them providing shuttle services to oil companies.

So the company service would provide security in the airspace and also earn revenue for the country.

Chike also said that stakeholders in the aviation, oil and gas and security sectors were carried along in the new initiative and appealed to International Oil Company (IOC) to cooperate with the firm to improve security and activities in the sector.

He also declared that the revenue generation of the deal was not novel as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), recommended practices approved it, while it is also a law in Nigeria.

Apart from this, he also emphasised that more employment would be generated for the country by the firm, put at 15, 000, while criminalities and criminal activities would be reduced as many youths would be taken off the streets.

He said: “Before we started, I noticed some lacunas in the system,

we did a feasibility study and processed it and forwarded such to the government. After then, we had the stakeholders’ buy-in, the aviation and oil sectors. I want to thank the federal government for implementing this after the law has been passed.

“As we all know, aviation is a global practice and whatever is done in one country is replicated in the other, including Nigeria. The IOC will not pretend that they don’t know this is the practice that happens in their own countries, but we went further to ensure that after the ICAO law, it is also enshrined in our Act. So, it is a law nationally and globally. In other countries, helicopter operators are charged per weight, but here, we just have a common charge irrespective of the weight.

“Our job covers offshore and onshore and you will agree with me that we have over 200 heliports; we have more than 100 airstrips, oil rig platforms, aerodromes, FSPOs, helideck and co. with this, beyond Niger Delta.”

Nigeria Excels in First Global Robotic Challenge, Wins Bronz e Medal Emma Okonji The Nigerian team that participated in this year’s First Global Robotic Challenge in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 13th-16th, has showcased Nigeria as a country of talented people with digital skills that could be improved upon, if given the enabling environment.

Team Nigeria from selected secondary schools, participated in the global robotic competition with other students from over 40 countries.

Team Nigeria was sponsored by the Managing Director of Aramex, a delivery service company, and joint venture partner of Aramex International LLC in Nigeria, Mr.

Faisal Jarmakani, a philanthropist that is associated with multiple corporate social responsibility initiative focused on enabling the education of underprivileged youth.

Team Nigeria had five students, which include: Tofunmi Olusodo of Supreme Education Foundation schools; Abdul-Qoyyum Oyadeyi of Oxbridge Tutorial College; Samuel Olaiya of Igbobi College Yaba; Famidah Yussuf, and Taimiyyah Abdullahi-Aliyu, both of Heritage Home Schools.

The theme for this year’s competition was ‘Carbon Capture’, designed to re-affirm the common goal of capturing and reducing carbon from the environment

through simulation method.

For exemplifying the values of the First Global Community, demonstrating professionalism and building bridges with fellow teams from various countries, Team Nigeria, came third place and was awarded a bronze medal for the Dr. Mae Jemison Award for International Unity.

Narrating their experiences with the Nigerian media after they returned from the global robotic competition, the students were thankful to their sponsor and school management that selected them to represent Nigeria at a global robotic competition, as well as their coach and mentors who prepared them for the competition.

AFARN Commends NAMA on Airspace Safety, Holds Summit President, of the Association of Foreign Airlines (AFARN), Mr. Kingsley Nwokoma, has lauded the initiative of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for the upgrade of navigational facilities across the country, remarking that many of the security and surveillance equipment will help greatly to detect the activities of oil thieves and others who engage

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

in illicit activities.

Nwokoma said: “We hear situations where helicopters operate and you can’t identify them with oil theft going on. All these installations are going to improve safety not only in the aviation industry but safety of human lives. A drone is a smaller thing. If those drones land in the forest, the installations will capture their movement.”

Nwokoma used the occasion to announce the AFARN Safety Summit and Awards 2022 with

the theme, ‘Aviation Safety In A Global Distressed Economy: The Place of Nigeria.’ He disclosed that the aviation industry was the most affected by COVID-19, and that it took a long time before the sector recovered.

The economies of the world according to him were distressed further by the Russia-Ukraine war, hinting that the theme of this summit is in view of the new world order and the place of Nigeria in terms of aviation security.

Airlines Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Africa’s First 787 Dreamliner Delivery Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first 787 Dreamliner delivery to the African carrier.

Over the past decade, Ethiopian Airlines has utilised the outstanding capabilities of the 787 to sustainably grow its long-haul network across the world, making its hub in Addis Ababa one of the leading gateways for international travel in Africa. Ethiopian Airlines was the first on the continent to take delivery of the 787 and today operates a combined fleet of twenty-seven 787-8s and 787-9s that play an integral role in its long-haul fleet.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, Boeing also unveiled an exhibition design

for educational exhibits in the mobility hall of the Ethiopian Science Museum. The museum will feature permanent exhibits from Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines, including a 787 Dreamliner simulator experience.

“We are glad to mark a decade since we ushered in the first 787 Dreamliner into Africa, building on our pioneering role in African aviation,” said Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mesfin Tasew.

“The 787 has been instrumental in expanding our long and medium haul flights and redefining on-board comfort for our passengers thanks to its advanced technology and remarkable cabin features,” he further said.

A I R WATCH How Government Officials Pose an Obstacle to International Travel

Chinedu Eze Air travelers and industry stakeholders have come to the conclusion that government officials pose the greatest obstacle to air travel and cargo movement in Nigeria.

The officials, according to them, work for agencies such as Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigeria Customs Service, State Security Service, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, the Port Health Services, the Nigerian Quarantine Services and Aviation Security operatives.

The officials, they alleged, have built extortion and exploitation structures that they use to rip-off air travellers and importers as well as exporters who move their cargo by air. For many years, victims of these government officials have cried out for justice, and evidence of the obnoxious activities of the officials have gone virile, both video and photo evidence, but government has not been able to stamp it out.

It has been confirmed by various sources at the airport that officials of these agencies bribe their superiors to be posted to international airports, especially the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Like the Nigerian police on the highways, these government officials look for loopholes on travel document of passengers or exploit passengers’ ignorance and sometimes concoct their own rules to rip-off travellers. The media have been inundated with reports where a passenger narrated how she was forced to part with N15, 000 to Immigration Service official who said that because she was less than 40 years and travelling alone, he could not allow her to travel to Dubai. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently issued travel rules to Nigerians, stating that anyone less than 40 years and travelling alone would not be allowed to entre UAE, but after the issuance of the rule, UAE has continued to issue visa to applicants who are less than 40 years and travelling alone. And after the initial reaction of the Middle East country, where reports indicated that some Nigerians who did not meet that condition were not allowed to enter UAE; unless they contacted a Nigerian resident in the country who could guarantee their good behaviour, many other Nigerians issued visa afterwards were allowed to travel to the UAE. But the Immigration officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos extorted money from many Nigerians who did not meet the initial conditions given by UAE. The immigration officials decided to stop Nigerians whose passports indicated were younger than 40 years, travelling alone; unless they paid about $100 dollars, thus exploiting that loophole from the UAE rule.

A Nigerian traveller narrated her experience how Immigration official refused to stamp her passport. According to the traveler, after he has done with the biometric process, he opened a page in my passport booklet and said: “This is where I’m supposed to stamp, but I can’t stamp it until my oga says so. Go there and meet him,” while pointing to the ‘oga’ and then faces oga’s direction and said to him, ‘oga’ na Dubai.

When she met the official she was referred

to, she noticed that there were other passengers held down for the same ‘offence’. She saw those passengers bribe the Immigration officials.

After the others had paid about $100, she gave them N10, 000 but the Immigration official retorted, “That your 10K is too small oh, add something.”

The passenger narrated that when she paid them N15, 000 they stamped her passport but the account number they gave her to pay the money was an account owned by another person not among the officials.

After I had paid, they stamped my passport.

Isn’t this crazy?, she asked.

However, reports confirmed that Immigration has withdrawn those officials accused of extortion from the airport.

Another Nigerian passenger who identified herself as Konyinsola Olukoya also narrated her experience of how she was frustrated by the officials of Port Health Service when she arrived Nigeria aboard British Airways flight.

“I disembarked from the BA 083 flight on Friday, 16th of September, 2022 at 04.45am and headed straight to the Port Health Services desk. An official requested for my permit to fly (QR code), so I presented it to her. Not satisfied she requested for my COVID 19 vaccination card, I presented her the soft copy but she said it was incomplete hence inadequate. She then requested for the hard copy, so I told her I didn’t have it and if the soft copy I presented to her were inadequate it wouldn’t have generated the QR code. She insisted I presented it and I told her it was at home. I was asked to either ask someone at home to bring it to me at the airport or send someone to pick it up for me at home.

I told her nobody had access to where the card was kept except me. She was very polite while all that ensued. She then referred me to a lady, called Fatima, another Port Health Services staff. So I was led by Fatima to an inner room where some other passengers sat and I was asked by a man called Fortune to sit. Mr. Fortune and Ms Fatima were both very rude and hostile not just to me but other passengers,” she said.

She was eventually given back her passport after several hours delay and after interventions.

Similar scenario played out in cargo export by air at the nation’s airports. Recently in a conference, stakeholders excoriated government agency officials and observed that they discourage export by extorting businessmen and women who export cargo to earn foreign exchange for the country.

Assistant Director, Investor Promotion, NEPZA, Augustine Onyekwere stated that there are many charges leveled on the exporters that were not approved by government.

“If you look at what is going on in some of our aviation industries precisely in this environment, there are a lot of unapproved people in that place. Maybe because it is our usual Nigerian way of doing things, some of these levies cannot be accounted for or taxes that people collect.”

The exporters narrated their horrifying experience, how they are forced to pay all kinds of charges to be allowed to export their goods. This has been the trend in Nigerian airports and globally it has damaged Nigeria as a destination.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

23

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Olusanya: FMN is Attaining Business Sustainability Through Local Content Devt The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Nigeria’s leading food business and Agro-allied group, and a key player within the FMCG industry, Boye Olusanya, in this interview, provides insights on the Group’s sustainability approach through local content development in Nigeria. Oluchi Chibuzor present the excerpts in backward integration. Focusing on our five core value chains of grains, oils and fats, starch, feeds and protein, and sugar, I am happy to say that we have achieved varying levels of success.

Working with local farmers, we are contributing to the modernization of the agriculture sector and, for the most part providing a solution to the development of raw materials grown locally to supply the needs of the Nigerian market and, progressively, for exports. Just a few years, we reimagined one of Nigeria’s favourite staples with the introduction of Golden Penny Garri, which, might I add, speaks volumes to our commitment to developing newer products through customer-driven innovation as with the launch of Sunti Brown Sugar.

Made from naturally grown sugarcane, cultivated, harvested, and processed locally in Sunti, Niger State, Sunti brown sugar is our way of showcasing what is possible when we invest in Nigeria. We partnered with our local communities and Nigerian farmers to develop a product that Nigerians can truly be proud of. This product clearly demonstrates our commitment to the vision of the National Sugar Master Plan and the self-sufficiency in the production of sugar agenda in Nigeria. I dare to say that Sunti brown sugar seeks to restore Nigeria’s lost glory in the community of sugar-producing nations since we are still the only brand of brown sugar that is currently 100% wholly produced in the country.

What is your take sir on FMN’s performance in the last financial year? am pleased with our full-year results.

Despite an increasingly challenging business climate, including rising international food prices and input costs that reduced gross margins by 5% to N108 billion, our business continued to show its resilience. The group had outstanding top-line growth across all business segments for the year, with revenue increasing by 51% and Profit Before Tax reaching N41 billion, up from N37 billion in the prior year.

Our food segment grew by N270 billion due to higher B2B volumes and growth in core B2C categories as we continued to expand our focus on local content.

I must point out that we couldn’t have achieved the level of performance we reached in the last financial year without our team’s relentless dedication. So, I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my FMN family. I feel fortunate to work with some of our industry’s most brilliant and driven individuals. In keeping with our purpose of feeding the nation every day and our operational expectations, I can happily say that our businesses are geared towards achieving profitability and cash flow generation in the future.

I

Recently, FMN acquired a 71.69% stake in Honeywell Flour Mills. What are the key drivers of this strategic business move?

The acquisition is consistent with our short-tomedium-term goal of increasing and solidifying our footprint in the Nigerian market. With the acquisition of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, the FMN Group has become a more resilient national champion with an ambition of becoming a market leader in Africa. Given the size of the acquisition, it is fair to say that we have created even more opportunities for our stakeholders, including our consumers across the country, who can now benefit from a broader product range, supported by a robust Pan-Nigeria distribution network. In addition, our employees now have better career development prospects, and our investors can bank on creating a new African giant in the food space positioned to reap the benefits of the growing Nigerian population and leverage opportunities stemming from the AfCFTA. Undoubtedly, the acquisition serves as a catalyst for a more substantial stream of innovation focused on local content offerings, better access to food, improved nutrition, and economic emancipation for local communities.

As you can imagine, the combined entity has become a critical provider of the continent’s food needs.

As an organization that is sustainabilityfocused, can you tell us about FMN’s sustainability mandate in terms of organizational vision, content localization, supply chain optimization, and your B2C roadmap?

Our sustainability agenda is themed ‘Localization for Sustainability. There is a need to localize our sustainability plan in such a way that our supply chains across all levels will be self-sustaining and resilient enough to withstand the emerging volatile socio-economic environment. In our role as an Enabler and sustainable provider, FMN is greatly committed to increasing our local content. The need to create value further back in the supply chain and reduce dependence on imported raw materials has been identified as a strategic imperative for our Group in the years ahead. Our supply chain

Olusanya optimization plan is a connected system of organizations, activities, information, and resources designed to source, produce, and move our products from origination to the final destination, which in this case is our consumers. As an organization, we recognize that our business is ultimately about providing for the livelihoods of millions of families, thus we need to innovate across all our value chains and touch points. As we respond to our consumer’s needs, we would put in place feedback channels that allow for impact data, and insights, which in turn would form the basis of our future creations thus creating process efficiency.

From our upstream supply chain outlook, our continued investment in the Food and Agro-Allied sector is predicated on the need to achieve economies of scale in food production via a crop-specific value chain, increasing productivity and ultimately modernizing the country’s agricultural sector.

In the downstream sector, our projection is to continue to innovate the supply chain system for process efficiency so much so that our consumers can satisfactorily access our products and services from their places of comfort in a timely manner.

Furthermore, the Group established a Backward Integration Program (BIP) to create value in the supply chain and reduce dependence on imported raw materials, especially sugar and wheat. A clear demonstration of FMN’s commitment to the development of the sugar value chain in Nigeria is through Sunti Golden Sugar Estates in Niger State, which is widely regarded as the country’s premier greenfield investment

in the sugar industry since its inception in 2012. With a total landmass of over 21,000 hectares, including a world-class sugar refinery, the company continued to expand operations at Sunti Golden Sugar Estate including an additional $300 million in Nasarawa state and a commitment to investing another N70 billion over the next three years to develop the upland area of the Sunti Sugar Estate. Holistically, we are looking at creating an integrated supply chain that can provide us with a competitive advantage and complete access to high-quality, fair-priced products from cultivation to final consumption while accelerating food processing, value addition, and the sustainable development of our supply chain. As an organization with strong sustainable guidelines, we need to be flexible, agile, and innovative across all our value chain.

Congratulations on the recent launch of Sunti Brown Sugar. Would you say this achievement indicates that your investments in local content promotion and backward integration are yielding the desired results?

I am happy to say that it is. As a leading food processing business, we have always felt the need to be involved in all stages of the food value chain. We believe it is crucial to securing our supply chain, as it ensures that we have total quality control over our production process and can continue to deliver the highest quality of products to our consumers. And that is why we have, over the years, continued to invest heavily

What proactive strategic plans does FMN have in place to ensure uninterrupted business operations amid unprecedented and emerging volatile socio-economic environments?

The thinking that drives business continuity plans in the event of socio-economic shocks should ideally be crisis-specific because you can’t realistically anticipate all crisis scenarios. I can’t imagine that, as recently as 2019, executives in Nigeria and around the world, expected that their major operational imperative in 2020 would be responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the moment, our plans are situated largely in the context of the particular risks that affect the Nigerian environment, some of which are global risks from the downstream sector. Given interconnected global commercial relationships and the global supply chain, businesses are bound to be affected by the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia as stated earlier.

Thus, as an organisation with both a nationwide reach and strong ties to international markets, FMN has put in place a business continuity plan to safeguard our supply chain and food production process to ensure that Nigerians can continue to have access to their daily nourishment. We have plans in place for all possible scenarios that can be activated as needed. Uniformly operating under the theme of content localization, we would continue to strengthen the capabilities of our people, from our network of smallholder farmers, young entrepreneurs, communities, our stakeholders, and society at large. FMN will remain vested in the provision of enabling structures in the areas of human capital development, provision of quality inputs, specialized training, and related extension services.

Holistically, we are also looking at creating an integrated supply chain that can provide us with a competitive advantage and complete access to high-quality, fair-priced products from cultivation to final consumption while accelerating food processing, value addition, and the sustainable development of our supply chain.

HOPE RISES AS TAV WINS CONCESSION OF LAGOS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT airport. We also have to look at the process of the biding because we want to make sure that the process was transparent. We have to also know the criteria for the selection

because I am aware that some Nigerian companies also bided,” he said.

He added: “Concession is good if it is done in the right

way. Gathwick in the London and City Airports were given in concession to a Nigerian investor.

So with concession, there is strong hope that the airport will look

better, have better facilities and also provide a more efficient service to travellers and other airport users.

We expect better-trained staff and a more infrastructural development.

Concession will inject more money into the system. We know that aviation is very expensive. Many airports now run aerotropolis, where you will have shopping malls,

cinemas and other business in an airport environment. We are going to see the efforts of the concessionaire in the new airport that will come,” he said.

WITH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION, NAMA MAY GENERATE $1BN ANNUALLY FROM OVER-FLIER CHARGES Routing Airspace that allows aircraft to fly from any point to any point directly, thereby flying shorter routes, saving fuel and pilot workload,” he stated.

According to Pwajok, the number of improvement on over flight is reasonable, noting that if Nigeria recorded1, 500 over-fliers in January, “we had an addition of about 600, and to us that is more than a marginal improvement. We are hoping to also implement more improvements that will guarantee safety and efficiency, and security

of lives over our airspace to attract more inflow of airlines that might before now be using other routes,” Pwajok said.

According to him, NAMA has projected expectation of more income since the agency had an assurance that more flights would be passing through the airspace to other international destination.

“Airlines are coming out of COVID-19 restart and recovery and trying to build up resilience. The same thing with the air navigation service providers, we are trying

to recover from the COVID-19 impact. So the number of flights are also picking up. In addition to those that were not flying before; airlines are developing increased recovery and restoring some of their routes and connections that were stopped because of the COVID-19,” Pwajok stated.

He said that with the initiative of Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), the African Union is projecting through AFCAC (African Civil Aviation Commission) an initiative for a

single African sky is also being made and Single African Air Traffic Management (ATM) system is also being made, remarking that these are all initiatives aimed at increasing connectivity between African states, and when such connectivity is increased, the number of flights would increase and then of course,“we expect that revenue will increase.”

“So, we are reasonablygetting the assurance that both the numbers and the revenue will increase. We expect that there should be an improvement.

If all these concepts of improving connectivity are done, if Nigeria Air comes on stream we expect that it should be able to take advantage of some of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) to increase flight connectivity to some Africa countries. And when this increases, of course, it naturally gives you more improved revenue to the agency. And also as the economy improves, we expect activities to increase. And as political activities also increases, movement of flight in general aviation, commercial

flight will also increase.

“That will naturally increase our revenue as time goes on. So we are very optimistic that as we recover from the COVID-19 and as we expand the industry, being witnessed with the number of airports that are coming up, there has to be flights to open up to these new airports. And as they open up also, revenue will accrue to the industry as more and more air services are provided both internally and also externally,’ the NAMA boss added.

24

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION

Challenges of State Airports with Limited Resources Despite the benefits of having airports in every state, many governors have embarked on aerodrome project at the expense of critical facilities of higher utility to the people, writes Chinedu Eze

B

uilding state airports have become a butt of controversy over the years because many observers believe that it is merely to serve the interest of the elite and those in power. They have argued that out of over 200 million population of Nigeria, only about 14 million persons travel by air every year and that includes domestic and international passenger traffic.

Industry observers also noted that it could be erroneous to believe 14 million persons travel by air annually. But a critical look the number of persons that travel by air may not be more than 10 million because when you count passenger traffic, you don’t count individuals. You count traffic movement. So one person might have travelled 20 times in a year so that individual becomes 20 passenger traffic.

Data indicated that for both arrivals and departures, there was a total of 13.006 million passengers in 2021, and that was 43.3 per cent higher than the 9.069 million passengers that used local airports in 2020, but lower by 3.6 percent than the 13.19 million local passenger movements in 2019. The highest passenger traffic in Nigeria, according statistics from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was in 2014, 2015 and 2016 before the economy began to slide and before COVID-19 pademic hit the world and asphyxiated air travel.

During this period, in 2014 total passenger traffic was 15, 335, 772; in 2015, it was 15, 222, 187 and it went a bit down in 2016 to 14, 564, 722, when economic strangulation began to happen on Nigerians. In these figures, international passenger traffic is about over 4 million; so domestic passenger traffic hovers around 11 million annually. That is about two per cent of Nigerian population.

COST

In 2021, former Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson puts the cost of building the airport in Yenagoa at N70 billion. Many industry observers described it as outrageous.

Reports also indicate that the Lagos State government would build the Lekki International Airport at the cost of about N102 billion.

Also in 2021 the Anambra State government official stated that the cost of the state owned airport at Umueri was N6 billion ($16 million then) and not $2.2 billion as earlier reported.

Kebbi airport was reported to have cost about N17 billion. So from this exposure, it could be said that the minimum cost of airports built by the state governments was about N5 billion.

That is too much money to some of the states that are building airport. Ekiti state, for example, relies on federal allocation for about 90 per cent of its revenue and it is one of the states that receives the smallest allocation from the federation account, which is N3 billion to N4 billion monthly.

Industry analysts are of the view that while some of these airports are a boost to the economic growth of the states like the ones in Uyo, Anambra, Asaba; but it is a drain on the resources of some states and that explained why some of these states hand them over to FAAN, thanks to the magnanimity of the

federal government.

They also argued that some of the states that build these airports are in dire need of roads to link the state capital to the communities for the movement of agricultural produce and enhancement of rural economic activities in the states.

Many of them have very dilapidated schools, no hospitals and even potable water in most of the communities. These essentials, they said, are negated and funds were used to build airport. They also insisted that some of these airports cannot record more than 2000 passengers a year, so why the huge investment?

Also some industry stakeholders say that agrarian states without robust finances would earmark huge amount of money and build airports, insisting that such airports serve the elite at high opportunity cost of providing, for example, potable water, electricity, inward roads that could connect the rural communities to the cities for the movement of farm produce.

The also berate the state government for expecting that they would earn revenue from such projects when feasibility studies said otherwise. That explained why most of the states are handing over their airports to the federal government to manage through FAAN.

ELEPHANT PROJECTS

The Group Managing Director, Finchglow Holdings, Mr. Bankole Bernard told THISDAY on Wednesday that state airports were elephant projects, which is the easiest way the governors steal money by inflating the cost of the project, while spending little on it. So, if the state governors wish to build airports, they should first generate the revenue before deploying it to the project instead of depending on the federal allocation.

Bernard also frowned at the sharing of federal allocation to the states, saying that it makes some governors lazy, blunts their creativity to generate revenue on their own, while some other governors work hard to boost the earnings of their states. He is of the view that the federal government should stop sharing allocation so make the governors innovative, adding that it would ebb the desperation to become a state governor.

The Managing Director of Flight and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan, told THISDAY that no state owned and managed airport is currently operating at financial break-even figures, emphasising that their monthly expenses is higher than their monthly income.

“I dare the management of a state airport to publish her monthly financial status: statement of income and expenses. The gap between their income and expenses will continue to widen as need for servicing and repair of infrastructures grow. There are personnel recurrent training and other current expenditures that must be met monthly. Meanwhile they cannot grow income because the government will

subsidize their expenses, which induces “laziness” of innovation,” he said.

Akpan also noted that the governors that build these airports need the airport opened for their travels; so commissioner must make request to augment the airport expenses as exigencies.

“These airports become burden to their state government’s finances. They then outsource to private companies. The private company soon realizes that there are other infrastructural inputs critical to the success of that airport, which refers all concerned to setup plan. If the state government belongs to the party at center, they simply deploy their connections and FAAN takes over that airport - this is the convenient shortcut. FAAN herself has said only few of their airports can sustain themselves financially; about four of them. And we continue to wobble, with hiccups along our development path.

Cargo airports, agro airports, regional hub airports, international airports, city airports, viable and unviable airports, we don’t lack inventory of names. Airports, airfields, airstrips are classified and published all over the world; our Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has the department in charge of aerodromes,” he said.

BENEFITS

But looking at the gains of having an airport, travel expert, Ambassador, Ikechi Uko, recently observed that building airports is good because it enhances easy and fast movement of persons, goods and services and the more states are connected by air the better. Former Group Managing Director of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebre Mariam once stated that with four-kilometer runway, a city could connect to the rest of the world.

Ambassador Uko noted that investors do not like to travel by road; they like to travel by air, which is faster. For example, a foreigner who wants to invest in farming in Taraba would be happy if he could fly to Taraba state to inspect the farms but would be discouraged if he cannot get there by air.

Key industry operator in response to the criticisms that trailed the establishment of sate airports stated that governors building these airports aren’t really building them for cargo purposes. They are building airports, but designating them ‘cargo airports’ usually makes it easier to justify them. However, every single one of them comes with a passenger terminal building and little or no cargo facilities. In actual fact, there are very few cargo airports (relatively) in the world.

Airports do not need to be designated as ‘cargo airports’ as they usually serve dual purposes (passenger and cargo) as the need may be.

“I have learnt not to disparage the construction of airports by State Governors in Nigeria. If they have the honest desire to make them work, they are a great economic gateway. If not right away, then gradually, as long as they know

what to do with them, they will eventually come in handy. Uyo is a perfect example.

The ‘oyinbo’ textbook prescription says that it would ‘cannibalize’ Calabar’s traffic and create two less viable airports, 10 minutes flying time apart. But alas, yes it did affect Calabar’s traffic initially, but Calabar recovered and resumed its growth side by side Uyo, in the immediate aftermath of the Duke years (due to Governor Duke’s investments and positioning of Calabar then as the local go-to tourist destination).

“With subsequent neglect of that strategic direction and abandonment of that trajectory, Calabar degenerated to the almost no-go place it is today, while Uyo over the last few years became the fastest growing domestic airport. Calabar cannot blame Uyo today for its drop in passenger traffic. It can only blame the economic non-strategy of the state’s government. On the other hand, Bismarck Rewane in his current macroeconomic analysis, names Uyo as one of the 10 fastest growing cities in Africa. Of course the existence of the airport is a major catalyst for this,” he said.

The industry stakeholder also noted that Asaba too, is another potential example.

“They seem to have finally taken sensible decisions there about developing the airport.

There’s space for it to grow independent of and with limited impact on Benin (as long as Edo State know what to do to boost economic activities their domain). Ditto the new Anambra airport at Umueri. Those four airports (Asaba, Awka, Enugu and Benin) can co-exist and grow independently without killing each other, while interdependently feeding four different economic eco-systems,” he said.

“I am more than convinced that there’s space for every one of them to become good economic catalysts for their catchment areas, if ‘sense’ is applied. Once an airport has been built, it is there. Those around it have a responsibility to apply ‘sense’ to it to make it a catalyst, rather than use it as a cash cow forever as Delta (state) initially tried to do for many years. What a waste that was! So we should encourage those Governors who choose to build airports to use proper consultants and proper construction companies and build efficient and cost effective, fit-for-purpose airports, to reduce the colossal waste we usually see from these projects. But it is what it is,” he added.

But looking at the airports and their viability, there are varied opinions that not many of the airports can yield revenue or become economic catalyst due to the status quo of the state it is built. For example, when Kebbi airport was built, it was said that it would be a gateway for the export of onions, which was being exported to North African country or countries. But since the airport became operational and at the cost of about N17 billion, it has not serviced the export of any farm produce to anywhere outside the country. It is similar fate that will be suffered by Ekiti airport and Bayelsa airport.

Such humongous expenses for projects that are not of high utility by the majority of the people of the state are misplaced expenditure.

25

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

UNVEILING LOADMOTO APP …

L-R: Admin Official, Samuel Olasinde; Administrator, Shade Adegoke; Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, James Jegede and Co-founder, Joseph Ogobor, all of LoadMoto Technology Limited, at the unveiling of LoadMoto ride hailing app in Lagos… recently

Glow Initiative Partner Access Bank on Solar Power for Schools Ugo Aliogo Glow Initiative for Economic Empowerment, through its Solar Up Nigeria (SUN) initiative, has completed the third batch of the Solar for Schools Community project where it installed a 3.5kw solar system for Community Secondary School, Nkpolu, Rivers State with support from Access Bank.

A statement, Glow Initiative said inadequate infrastructure in rural areas and constant power outages in grid- connected areas

prevented students from learning in optimal conditions.

The statement also stated that students lacked access to modern information technology which is crucial for educational and economic empowerment, adding that solar energy has the potential to power the education system in rural areas by providing adequate electricity.

The statement explained that access to solar electricity for a rural school would enable them to meet their electricity needs such as lighting, powering

educational appliances, ventilation, computer and ICT, and education.

The statement revealed that Itchi community is a remote community in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria, while noting that the town is about 18.6km from the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka and about 74.7km from Enugu the capital city of Enugu state.

The community secondary school Itchi was established in the 1980s by the community

and since its inception till date it has never been connected to the national electricity grid.

The school relies on generators to power their computer room which had a big toll on the school’s lean resources.

According to the statement, “ICT, digital and internet education are powerful skills of the 21st century. Young people must thereby be equipped with the knowledge with which they could create own businesses and employ others.

“The project team on arrival

at Itchi community paid a courtesy visit to the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Lazarus Ugwuoke. The team briefed the traditional ruler of their intention to install a 3.5KVA solar PV system at the community secondary school.

The traditional ruler expressed delight at the initiative and pledged the support of the community in ensuring the smooth implementation of the project. He also pledged his commitment to ensuring the safety of the solar system

when installed The leadership of the community and the Management of the school were delighted that their community school was selected to benefit from the “Solar for School” project.

“The project will be a great relief for them as their problem of electric power supply for the school will be permanently fixed.

The leadership of the community also pledged their commitment to ensure that the installed solar PV systems will be adequately safe guarded.”

Hacey Harps on Protection of the Girl Child Winners Emerge in JAN National Competition 2022

Ugo Aliogo

Executive Director, Hacey Health Initiative, Rhoda Robinson, has called for increased investment in empowerment and protection of the girl child.

She listed health care, education, political participation as key areas in needs of improvement in relation to the girl child.

She said this at a recent conference to mark the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child, organised by Hacey, in partnership with Access Bank, with the theme: ‘Empowering the Next Generation of Female Leaders.’

Robinson, however, noted that in 2022 Global Gender Index, Nigeria recorded progress, being among

the first 50 countries with economic opportunities available for women.

Robinson explained that a major challenge girls face was gender inequality, which cuts across a girl’s right to access basic support such as protection form violence and harm and the right to live free from fear.

“These challenges affect a girl’s ability to grow and become effective contributors, participators and decision makers in the society,” she added.

According to her, there are structural barriers that prevent girls from being decision makers within even the family space and communities.

“All this factors contribute to limiting a girls potential to live

how she wants and be a positive influence for herself and family,” she further said.

Speaking on the role of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the development of the girl child, Robinson said: “SDGs are geared towards ensuring that no one is left behind and discriminated against so that everyone can benefit from development. Goal five, which is on gender equality speaks directly to the challenges girls face when it comes to gender and sexual violence, harmful traditional practices and the girl’s ability to participate in the society.”

The Hacey ED stated that the initiative was focused on building capacity of girls across communities, so that they could

be able to empower other girls around them.

“We can ensure that when girls of today become women in the future they are able to claim their rights, be decision makers and reach their full potentials,” she said.

She added that Hacey organises yearly essay competition, where secondary school girls are allowed to share their ideas on how and what should be done better for the girls.

Programme Manager, Hacey, Chioma Osakwe, noted that aside the conference, Hacey, in partnership with Access Bank, would embark on health and leadership education across schools in 10 states of the federation.

First Bank Rewards Customers in FirstMobile Cash-out Promo Ugo Aliogo First Bank of Nigeria has rounded off its promo tagged FirstMobile Cash-out Promo designed to reward users of the FirstMobile app, its industry-leading mobile banking application with the presentation of prizes to the grand prize winner and other consolation prizes at the grand finale of the promo.

In collaboration with Interswitch, FirstBank launched a promo to reward users of the FirstMobile app.

The promo ran for three months.

The promo, which started March 21, 2022, ended June 21, 2022. Various prizes including, N1, 000,000, N40,000, N10,000.00 cash prizes, N40,000 Airtime, LED Televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioning systems were won in the course of the three months

campaign.

A minimum of two bills payment worth N1000 and five airtimes of at least a total of N2000 in a week, qualified a customer for any of the prizes. The promo was opened to new customers and existing users of the FirstMobile app.

The high point of the event saw the presentation of the grand star prize of N1 million to Mrs. Olawale Zainab Omolola, a business woman.

Speaking at the event, Head, of Digital Channels, First Bank, Adebayo Olariwaju, said: “It was a momentous day for us as a business because is another day for us to validate the fact that we keep our promises and we tell our customers that using the first mobile app is beneficial and gives them satisfaction and also allow them to be whom they want to be.

“The first mobile promo has been

on for a while, and we have been able to keep our promises, this shows that if you bank with First Bank and you do it consciously you can be rewarded. This is not going to be the last we will continue to reward our customers from time to time.

“The focus of the promo is for the customers to drive usage among themselves, we want to improve the visibility of the app, which is an app regarded as very good for the market experience. The focus is to derive acceptance, adoption, and usage and also to make customers appeal to all users. Interswitch is our primary partner for the app development, they have come in to identify with the bank’s aspiration to promote the app adoption in the market.”

The the grand star prize winner, Mrs. Zainab Badmus, who was

represented by her husband Bashiru Badmu,s said: “I feel happy that my wife has the opportunity to win 1 million, I can’t really express how much I feel about it, I say a very big thank you to First Bank. Though we have been banking in First Bank for a long time, am very happy she has to win the money and I will advise people to bank with First Bank. I have been banking with the bank since 2012. I have not regretted banking with them and I said a very big thank you.

“The money belongs to my wife so she has the discretion to determine what she will do with it, but according to her she said she will use maybe N500,000 to buy land for her father and use the remaining to add up to her business, she also said use N100,000 from the money for Charity.”

Ugo Aliogo Winners have emerged at the Junior Achievement (JAN) Nigeria National Competition 2022 that was held in Partnership with FirstBank Nigeria.

The winners include: International School, University of Lagos; Queen’s School, Ibadan; Top Faith International Secondary School, Akwa-Ibom; and Special Education School, Tudun Maliki.

Speaking at the event, the Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, at First Bank, Folake AniMumuney, emphasised that the initiative aims at empowering secondary school students to build fulfilling careers and be financially conscious from a young age.

This, she pointed out would help young people gain the tools and knowledge to make effective, informed financial management decisions and achieve long term financial independence.

She said through the initiative and FirstBank’s partnership with JAN, over one million young Nigerians have been impacted as they have continued to strategically drive sustainability practises through the innovation and participation of students in the JA Company programme.

According to her the bank remains committed to engendering an entrepreneurial mindset in children and young adults thereby fostering their creativity, wealth creation and management skills and ultimately, nurturing

the kindness culture and corporate responsibility and sustainability involvements.

“The overarching goal of the Junior Achievement Company Program to empower young people to own their economic success by enhancing the relevance of education, is in tandem with FirstBank’s FutureFirst Initiative, which is our financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career counselling programme. It was established to promote financial inclusion amongst the youth,” she said.

In her remarks, the Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria, Foluso Gbadamosi, said: “Our mission towards inspiring and transforming young people with the skill sets and mindsets needed to help them thrive in a global economy has been both challenging and exhilarating.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who has made today possible. We are proud of these young leaders and their growing capacity for innovation which we believe will take Nigeria to the next level.”

Meanwhile, the overall winner of the competition was the Green Apex student company from the International School, University of Lagos that produced a biodegradable sanitary pad for women.

The first runner up was the Nexus Queen’s Creation student company from Queen’s School, Ibadan that developed a decorative led lamp structured with 80 per cent carton.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

26

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

L-R: GM, Airspace Planning, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr Richard Mshebara; GM, Public Affairs, Mr. Khalid Emele; Director of Operation, Mr. Jubrin Haske; Acting MD/CEO, Mr. Lawrence M. Pwajok; Chairman, League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC), Mr. Olusegun Koiki;and GM Legal, Mr.Leo Eguabor, at the Interactive Session with Ag MD/CEO, NAMA at Ikeja GRA, Lagos… recently PHOTO: KOLAWOLE ALLI

AIICO’s Customers Express Nigerians Advised Confidence in Annuity Plan to Subscribe to AIICO Insurance’s customers holding the company’s Annuity policy have expressed delight over excellent and satisfactory services they have enjoyed from the company.

The customers said they have confidence in the company and would remain loyal to its services.

The customers commended the company at the 2022 Customer Service Week it organised in Lagos recently.

This year’s event with the

theme: “Celebrate Service,” saw the underwriting firm engaging in key activities which included visits to customers (older citizens) to appreciate them and presented them with gifts.

In his newsletter to customers, AIICO Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Babatunde Fajemirokun, stated that the occasion gave the underwriting firm the opportunity to amplify its gratitude to them for their

valued relationship with AIICO. “You are the sole reason we are in business and getting better at what we do. Journeying through life with you gives us the most pleasure,” fajemirokun stated.

According to him, the theme for this year’s event is ‘Celebrate Service’. He said at AIICO, Customer Service is not just a department; it is a function that has all employees as stakeholders.

“Our fundamental purpose

is to serve you and we are obsessed with meeting and exceeding your expectations.

We look forward to many more years of serving you wholeheartedly,” he said.

In a recent interview, some of AIICO’s annuity customers shared their experiences.

Mr. Joseph Igebulem, an annuitant, gave the company a 99 percent pass mark noting that the underwriting firm has met and surpassed his expectations.

Nutritionist Tasks FG on Policy to Grow Organic Food Crops James Emejo in Abuja The federal government has been called upon to evolve a policy geared towards ensuring that 25 per cent of Nigerian food crops are grown organically.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive, QEI Concepts Limited, Lady Green Ikwuazom, made the plea during the launch of the Lady Green Organic Restaurant in Abuja.

She claimed that most of the health-related issues confronting Nigerians as well as people around the world are largely a consequence of the kinds of poisonous food they ingest into their guts.

Ikwuazom said research had shown that organic food can be used as medicine to treat several ailments being suffered across the world, adding that most developed

countries now “use only food to treat their patients, they don’t use drugs”.

She said, “And I said how can I replicate that in Nigeria with all the issues with fertilisers and the soil is polluted…So, if you fix the food, fix your gut, you’re healthy.

All the issues are in the gut.

“Every sickness and disease is coming from your gut. It is coming from the food we eat. We

are targeting to deal with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and that’s causing a lot of issues in our country right now.”

She said the government should also take steps to ensure that organic foods are accessible for ordinary Nigerians by partnering the Nigerian Organic Agriculture Network (NOAN) to further develop and promote the organic culture in the country.

Takaful Insurance

Insurance stakeholders drawn from the private sector and the academia have advised Nigerians, including business owners, to subscribe to Takaful insurance.

The stakeholders said Takaful Insurance remained the only ethical insurance that offers enormous benefits to all members of society.

They stated this at the Takaful workshop organised

by Noor Takaful Insurance Limited in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The event themed which has the theme Takaful: The Next Frontier For Insurance”, featured a panel session involving scholars, businessmen, religious leaders, as well practitioners in the industry.

Delivering his welcome remarks, the Chairman, Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, Mr. Muhtar Bakare, noted that the workshop was organised to deliberate on the role Takaful Insurance could play in

managing the increasing level of uncertainties in the world by providing support when necessary and promoting collaboration and equity for the people.

In his keynote remarks, the Chairman, Oyo State Muslim Community, Alhaji Kunle Sanni, represented by Barrister Rasheed Attah, explained that the Takaful model remains the best insurance option for Nigerians as it is guided and regulated by ethics, equity and fairness as well as being regulated by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

Also speaking, the ViceChairman, Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, Mr Aminu Tukur, stated that the company was excited to bring Takaful insurance to Ibadan, saying that it would continue to drive massive awareness for Takaful to the extent that it would become widely acceptable among Nigerians including non-Muslims.

Heirs Insurance Bags Outstanding Insurance Aruwa Capital CEO Bags Double Honours in Wom e n , B u si ne s s E m p o w e r m e n t Product Award

James Emejo in Abuja The Founder and Managing Partner, Aruwa Capital Management, Adesuwa Rhodes, has been honoured by the Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM) for championing and setting the pace in empowerment of the women

folks globally.

She was named among top 40 under 40 Black Women in Asset Management during an award ceremony in London.

Speaking after the awards, an elated Rhodes said, “It is very encouraging to see that the hard work we are putting at Aruwa

Capital Management close to the gender investing and funding gap in Africa, continues to receive global recognition to Glory of Almighty God. “Thank you, Jacqueline Taiwo, for your leadership in curating this important event and shining a light on black women in the

industry.”

Also commenting on the Choiseul award Rhodes said, “I’m very honoured to be selected in the Choiseul100africa 2020 ranking among the top 100 young Africa leaders under the age of 40 set to play a major role in the economic development of the Africa continent.

NEPC Boss Reiterates Commitment to Economic Diversification Through Exports James Emejo in Abuja The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Dr. Ezra Yakusak, has said the council remained focused on realising the economic objectives of the present administration in the area of economic diversification.

He stressed that the mandate of the agency was to develop and

promote non-oil exports in order to diversify the economy from a monolithic to a robust economy driven by the non-oil export sector.

Speaking at a media retreat for the Commerce and Industry Correspondents of Nigeria (CICAN) in Abuja, he said the NEPC is poised to build and sustain a mutual-beneficial relationship with members of the fourth estate.

Yakusak said, “This is premised on the fact that as conveyors of information, the media has a critical role to play in not just promoting NEPC activities and programmes but also creating awareness of the opportunities in the non-oil sector and sensitising the exporting community and the general public on the need to embrace export as our only means of survival as

a nation.

He said the council’s “Export4Survival” campaign which he launched on assumption of office represented a patriotic call for all Nigerians to realise the urgency of engaging in non-oil export trade as a viable means of economic growth, poverty alleviation, industrial development and boosting our foreign exchange earnings.

Leading insurance underwriter, Heirs Insurance Limited (HIL), has bagged the award for the most outstanding female-centric insurance product of the year.

The award was for its inclusive ‘Her Motor insurance’ plan for women.

Presented at the 2022 edition of the Women in Marketing and Communications Conference and Awards (WIMCA) in Lagos, the award demonstrates HIL’s promise to be inclusive, while democratising access to insurance.

Her Motor insurance plan provides an all-inclusive protection and coverage for women and their vehicles, while they pursue their ambition and go about their daily lives.

It promises a 24-hour road rescue during emergencies, vehicle repair, and medical

support in the case of an accident, among other benefits.

Speaking on the award, the Chief Marketing Officer, Heirs Insurance, Ifesinachi Okpagu, said, “We are honoured to receive this award. At Heirs Insurance, we are committed to offering more value to our customers and beyond, in line with our mission to improve lives. We are extremely proud of how Her Motor insurance plan has been embraced by many women and how it clearly demonstrates our stance on putting people first.”

She said Heirs Insurance is a subsidiary of Heirs Holdings, a pan-African investment group, with a portfolio spread across 23 African countries and four continents. Heirs Insurance is leading the digital insurance play in Nigeria and is on a mission to democratise access to insurance.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

27

28

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

29

30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

31

32

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

33

34 T H I S D AY FRIDAY OCTOBER 21 2022 TR

UT H

& RE A S O

Friday October 21, 2022 Vol 27. No 10055

N

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

FAREWELL, BISI OGUNJOBI TIMIEBI KORIPAMOAGARY pays tribute to Bisi Ogunjobi, a development economist and former Vice President of African Development Bank

See page 39

THE GOOD NEWS FROM EHINGBETI JAMES AGBEKORODE rejoices at the official approval of an airport and a seaport for Lagos

See page 39 EDITORIAL

CURBING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN/ CHILDREN

See page 40

1

SAMSON ITODO lists policy actions that will ensure the BVAS and IReV perform optimally in the general election

INSPIRING CONFIDENCE IN THE BVAS AND ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF ELECTION RESULTS “The system of using the BVAS for the conduct of elections has come to stay. There’s no going back” – Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman Africa’s biggest election will hold in February 2023 in Nigeria. It’s the seventh successive general election in Nigeria’s 23 years of unbroken democratic expedition. With 10 million new voters added to the voters’ roll, an estimated 95 million registered voters will vote in 176,846 polling units distributed across 774 local government areas. A total of 12,163 candidates sponsored by 18 political parties are on the ballot for election into 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies, 993 state constituencies, 28 governorship positions, DQG WKH 2΀FH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW 7KH HOHFWLRQ is conducted against the backdrop of a new electoral law and innovations introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enhance electoral LQWHJULW\ DQG LQVSLUH SXEOLF FRQÀGHQFH LQ WKH HOHFWRUDO SURFHVV ,Q WKH ÀQDO DQDO\VLV WKH HͿHFWLYH LPSOHPHQWDWLRQ RU ODFN WKHUHRI RI these new electoral technologies will play a VLJQLÀFDQW UROH LQ DVVHVVLQJ WKH LQWHJULW\ RI WKH 2023 general elections.

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) are two technological innovations celebrated for enhancing the transparency of election results and boosting public trust in electoral outcomes in recent elections. INEC asserts that these technologies are addressing the 10 most pervasive weaknesses in Nigeria’s election result management process which LQFOXGH IDOVLÀFDWLRQ RI YRWHV DW SROOLQJ XQLWV IDOVLÀFDWLRQ RI QXPEHU RI DFFUHGLWHG YRWHUV collation of false results, mutilation of results and computational errors, swapping of results sheets, forging of results sheets, snatching and destruction of results sheets, obtaining declaration and return involuntarily, making declaration and return while result collation is still in progress and poor recordkeeping.

Both tools perform mutually reinforcing and critical functions in elections. The BVAS is a technological device used to identify DQG DFFUHGLW YRWHUV· ÀQJHUSULQWV DQG IDFLDO recognition before voting. The device is also used for capturing images of the polling unit result sheet (Form EC8A) and uploading the image of the result sheet online. IReV is an online portal where polling unit level results are uploaded directly from the polling unit, transmitted, and published for the public. At the front end of the online portal, members of the public can create personal accounts with which they can gain access to all uploaded UHVXOWV VWRUHG DV 3') ÀOHV 7KLV DFFHVVLELOLW\ RI polling unit level results increases transparency and public trust in the process.

'HVSLWH LPSURYLQJ SXEOLF FRQÀGHQFH LQ electoral outcomes, the introduction of BVAS and IReV is anathema to political actors determined to subvert the people’s will at all costs. It is, therefore, not surprising to learn of alleged attempts to torpedo INEC plans to safeguard the integrity of the election using the

BVAS and IReV. A case in point is the litigation instituted in the Imo State High court seeking a restraining order against INEC to suspend the deployment of the BVAS for the general election.

Across the world, the introduction of electoral technologies has attracted contestations and controversies driven mainly by its propensity to enhance election credibility and undermine public trust in elections at the same especially when electoral technologies are compromised.

Most importantly, electoral technologies ensure H΀FLHQF\ LQ HOHFWLRQ DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ DQG OLPLW human interference with the electoral process.

As these technologies evolves, attempts to compromise them heightens. Elections can be stolen, and voter choices upturned by FRPSURPLVHG HOHFWLRQ R΀FLDOV ZLWK D FOLFN RI a button. Tech tools may also be subjected to disruptive cyber-attacks. These issues amplify the essence of greater transparency by election management bodies to increase public trust DQG FRQÀGHQFH LQ HOHFWRUDO WHFKQRORJLHV Therefore, to increase the trust quotient in the BVAS and IReV, INEC should implement the following actions as a matter of urgency: One, BVAS Software Optimization: (΀FLHQF\ LQ WKH GHOLYHU\ RI HOHFWRUDO VHUYLFHV builds public trust. The BVAS software should EH PRGLÀHG DQG XSJUDGHG WR LPSURYH YRWHU accreditation and picture quality. Its IOS should be upgraded to introduce a feature that enables the camera to detect or capture/ focus on the object of interest, such as the entire result sheet. In addition, a PDF compression script should be integrated into the portal to ease downloads of election results.

Two, Timely conduct of penetration tests and mock exercises: In Kenya, the electoral commission is under a mandatory duty to test, verify and deploy technology at least 60 days before a general election. Nigeria’s Electoral Act has no similar provision. Notwithstanding, INEC has conducted simulation exercises for the BVAS in the past. While the 105 elections may be considered mock exercises for the BVAS and IReV, the high volume of information exchange, data processing, and transmission involved in the general election is incomparable to those elections. This is why penetration tests and mock exercises are required to assess the

UREXVWQHVV H΀FLHQF\ VHFXULW\ DQG FDSDFLW\ of INEC servers and devices before their eventual deployment for the general election.

Pre-deployment tests should be based on an extensive and representative methodology that integrates stakeholder consultation and public participation. Sharing the outputs of the test/exercises will enlist public support for the BVAS and IReV, just as creating RSSRUWXQLWLHV IRU LQGHSHQGHQW YHULÀFDWLRQ DQG audits of electoral technologies will be pivotal WR LQVSLULQJ SXEOLF FRQÀGHQFH :KLOH WKHUH has been no successful cyber-attack to date on the BVAS and IReV, the public will require assurances of the durability, reliability, and robustness of INEC’s tech defense system.

Three, Electronically transmit and publish voter accreditation data on the IReV: In addition to the transmission of polling unit level results, INEC should electronically transmit and publish the number of accredited voters on the results viewing portal. The BVAS stores the number of accredited voters; however, the stored data is not transmitted electronically or published on the IReV portal.

Electronically transmitting the number of accredited voters is in accordance with Section 64(4)(5)(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, which provides that the number of accredited voters recorded and transmitted directly from the polling unit shall be considered in the collation and announcement of results.

Four, Upload and transmit the ward collation results (Form EC8B) on the IReV: To deepen the transparency of the collation process, the Form EC8B, Ward collation result sheet should be uploaded on the IReV portal at the close of collation at the ward level. This serves as oversight on ward collation, which is the weakest link in the election results value chain. Uploading the collated results sheet will facilitate monitoring and tracking of the results collation process by citizens and stakeholders.

Five, Increase the processing power of the IReV: According to INEC, the IReV has been deployed in 105 elections involving 16,694,461 UHJLVWHUHG YRWHUV VLQFH LW ZDV ÀUVW LQWURGXFHG in the 2020 Nasarawa Central bye-election.

In these elections, 32,935 results sheets (Form EC8A) were uploaded from polling units in rural and urban areas, including polling units LQ FRPPXQLWLHV DͿHFWHG E\ LQVHFXULW\ )RU the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly election, 530,538 results sheets (Form EC8A) will be uploaded on the IReV portal. It will EH WKH ÀUVW WLPH WKH SRUWDO LV SURFHVVLQJ WKLV volume of results data. Therefore, INEC should increase its servers’ bandwidth, RAM size, and storage capacity to improve the processing power of the IReV portal and ensure public access to results uploaded on the portal.

Itodo is an elections, democracy and public policy enthusiast. He serves as the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa and the Convener of the Not Too Young To Run movement

35

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

Wakanow The Face of Travel Tech in Africa There is a revolution in the travel industry which is driven by an elite group of individuals with diverse experiences ranging from E-commerce to airline management and banking. They are bold and adventurous in their pursuit to innovate for the customer. It’s a revolution that is engineering the transition of travel in Africa from the traditional offline model of purchase to a democratized, transparent online solution leveraging technology. This is the makeup of the Wakanow.com team.

Wakanow is defining the future in the travel industry, opening new doors, creating ease of travel, unlocking new destinations, and providing Fintech services that enhance travel. The revolution is creating opportunities that are driving the future of how customers shop for travel and how they interface with travel agencies and the entire value chain of the travel industry. The brand has become a catalyst for change for things as basic as buying flight tickets, and booking hotels, and rides by curating the most comprehensive travel inventory. These innovations birthed a fintech BNPL company called Kalabash (Pay Small Small) Wakanow is proudly the number one travel agency in West Africa and continues to expand its innovative tenacity to the rest of Africa and beyond.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Adebayo Adedeji - Chief Executive Officer Adenike Macaulay - Chief Commercial Officer Ladi Ojuri - Chief Executive Officer Kalabash Oyedeji Ojo - Chief Technology Officer Olubayode Okubanjo - Chief Financial Officer Tokunbo Adetona - Senior Vice President of Product and Innovation Sodie Osei-Bonsu - Regional Director West Africa Temitayo Shittu - Country Manager, Ghana Shola Ipinmoroti - Vice President Operations Olatoro Adigun - Vice President of Corporate Affairs

36

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

37

38

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY

3 39

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21 2022

TIMIEBI KORIPAMO- AGARY pays tribute to Bisi Ogunjobi, a development economist and former Vice President of African Development Bank

FAREWELL, BISI OGUNJOBI %LVL DQG , H[FKDQJHG PHVVDJHV RQ WKH UG RI $XJXVW :H VWD\HG LQ WRXFK UHJXODUO\ WKURXJK 606 :KDWV$SS PHVVDJHV RU WHOHSKRQH FDOOV QRW :KDWV$SS 7KHQ RQ 0RQGD\ 6HSWHPEHU WK , JRW DQ HDUO\ PRUQLQJ FDOO 7KH IHPDOH YRLFH DW the other end was agitated and hesitant. ,W ZDV KHU ELUWKGD\ DQG , UHDGLO\ RͿHUHG P\ DSRORJ\ IRU QRW FDOOLQJ KHU ÀUVW %XW VKH ZDV YHU\ GLVWUDXJKW , DVNHG ZKDW ZDV WKH PDWWHU" ´:KDW LV JRLQJ RQ"µ $QG VKH EOXUWHG ´LW·V %LVL 2 2 µ :H ERWK NQHZ D IHZ %LVLV 6R , DVNHG ZKLFK RI WKH %LVLV ´%LVL 2JXQMRELµ FDPH WKH SDLQHG UHVSRQVH :KDW KDSSHQHG" ´, MXVW JRW D FDOO WKDW KH GLHG \HVWHUGD\ 6XQGD\ µ 7KH

QHZV ZDV VKRFNLQJ EXW , GLGQ·W EHOLHYH P\ HDUV , TXLFNO\ JRW RQ WKH SKRQH DQG FDOOHG D 8, ¶ 6LVWHU 6KH KDGQ·W KHDUG 6KH VDLG VKH ZRXOG PDNH FDOOV , UHDFKHG RXW WR DQRWKHU SHUVRQ , EHOLHYHG ZRXOG NQRZ $IWHU DQ LQWHUPLQDEO\ ORQJ IHZ PLQXWHV LW ZDV FRQÀUPHG 7KH XQH[SHFWHG KDG KDSSHQHG The cold hands of death collected Bisi to the beyond. :ULWLQJ D EHÀWWLQJ WULEXWH RI D GHDU IULHQG DV %LVL LV KDUG WR FRPSRVH DV KLV VXGGHQ KRPH FDOO LV VWLOO D GUHDP +LV WH[W WR PH WZR PRQWKV DJR LV VWLOO IUHVK %LVL 2JXQMREL ZDV D EURWKHU DV ZHOO DV D FDULQJ ODUJH KHDUWHG DͿHFWLRQDWH DQG WUXVWZRUWK\ IULHQG 6RPH RI XV PHW KLP while at the University of Ibadan in DQG EHFDPH SURXG PHPEHUV RI WKH LQGRPLWDEOH 8, &ODVV VWDQGLQJ VWURQJ LQ ORYH DQG VHOÁHVV VHUYLFH 2WKHUV PHW KLP DW ZRUN SDUWLFXODUO\ WKH $IULFDQ 'HYHORSPHQW %DQN $I'% ZKHUH KH VHUYHG IRU QHDUO\ WKUHH GHFDGHV +H ZDV RXU PRVW UHFHQW 8, &ODVV 3UHVLGHQW DQG ZDV YHU\ HͿHFWLYH LQ LQVSLULQJ WKH &ODVV WR VXSSRUW HDFK RWKHU +H FKDOOHQJHG WKH Class to love each other and support each RWKHU·V VRFLDO SURMHFWV :KHQ , YLVLWHG $ELGMDQ LQ WKH V , WKRXJKW WR MXVW VWRS E\ KLV R΀FH DQG FDWFK XS DIWHU D ORQJ ZKLOH +H WRRN WLPH QRW RQO\ WR VHH PH EXW WRRN PH RXW IRU OXQFK +H ZDV D 9LFH 3UHVLGHQW RI WKH %DQN EXW WKHUH ZDV QR ´IHIHULW\µ DERXW KLP +H ZDV XQDVVXPLQJ KLJKO\ UHVSHFWHG LQ WKH EDQN DQG UHSXWHG IRU KLV KXPLOLW\ VLPSOLFLW\ DQG KRZ KH WUHDWHG HYHU\ VWDͿ PHPEHU ZLWK UHVSHFW GLJQLW\ DQG HTXDQLPLW\ ,Q DOO RI KLV IULHQGV HVSHFLDOO\ WKH $I'% JDQJ ZHUH SUHSDULQJ WR FHOHEUDWH KLP DV WKH 3UHVLGHQW RI $I'% :H ZHUH DOO KHDUW EURNHQ ZKHQ KLV FDQGLGDF\ ZDV ZLWKGUDZQ %XW KH WRRN LW ZHOO DQG PRYHG on with his service to his country and

FRPPXQLW\ +H H[HPSOLÀHG WUXH VSLULW RI VSRUWVPDQVKLS OLYLQJ KLV FRQYLFWLRQ WKDW *RG KDV WKH XOWLPDWH VD\ LQ KXPDQ destiny. ,Q ZKHQ D GHDU IULHQG DQG D IRUPHU VWDͿ RI $I'% ZKR ZRUNHG ZLWK KLP SDVVHG DZD\ LW ZDV %LVL ZKR FRRUGLQDWHG IURP /DJRV KHU WULEXWHV +H ZDV D WUXO\ FRPSDVVLRQDWH DQG GH WULEDOL]HG PDQ :H KDYH VKDUHG PHPRULHV RI KLV OLIH IURP GLͿHUHQW VSHFWUXP RI RXU UHODWLRQVKLS )URP WKH YLQWDJH VSDFH RI IDPLO\ PHPEHUV IULHQGV FROOHDJXHV DQG FR ZRUNHUV ZH H[SUHVV RXU JULHI DQG PRXUQ WKH ORVV WKDW ZLOO IRUHYHU EH LQ RXU KHDUWV :H JULHYH KLV GHDWK E\ VKDULQJ KHUH VXFK IXQ PHPRULHV DQG OHJDFLHV 6R ZKR ZDV WKLV JUHDW PDQ WKDW ZH ORVW so unexpectedly….

(OGHU 'U 2ODELVL 2JXQMREL 221 )1(6 ZDV DQ DFFRPSOLVKHG GHYHORSPHQW HFRQRPLVW FRQVXOWDQW SXEOLF SROLF\ analyst, author and philanthropist. +H ZDV ERUQ RQ WK -DQXDU\ LQ ,NDUH $NRNR 2QGR 6WDWH WR &KLHI $OLX )HOH -REL %DED (ZH RI ,NDUH DQG 0UV %LOLNLVX .DOLDW )XODQL )HOH -REL +H ZDV D GHVFHQGDQW RI WKH ,\RIHQ IDPLO\ DQ H[WHQGHG )HOH -REL IDPLO\ LQ WKH ,VKDNXQPL FRPPXQLW\ RI ,NDUH +LV IDWKHU ZDV D ZHDOWK\ ÁDPER\DQW EXVLQHVVPDQ ZKR WUDGHG LQ FRFRD +H ZDV QLFNQDPHG ¶)HOH· ¶-REL· ZDV WDNHQ IURP KLV DFWXDO VXUQDPH 2JXQMREL 7KXV KH ZDV NQRZQ DV ¶)HOH -REL· 7KLV DFFRXQWV IRU ZK\ VRPH RI KLV VLEOLQJV KDYH ¶-REL )HOH· RU -REL DV D VXUQDPH ZKLOH RWKHUV PDLQWDLQHG ¶2JXQMREL· 'U 2JXQMREL HQUROOHG LQ (PPDQXHO $QJOLFDQ 3ULPDU\ 6FKRRO ,NDUH LQ DQG FRPSOHWHG KLV SULPDU\ HGXFDWLRQ LQ +H SURFHHGHG WR 9LFWRU\ &ROOHJH ,NDUH LQ SXUVXLW RI KLV 6HFRQGDU\ (GXFDWLRQ DQG ODWHU ZDV DGPLWWHG DV RQH RI WKH SLRQHHU VWXGHQWV WR WKH QHZO\ HVWDEOLVKHG $GR (NLWL *UDPPDU 6FKRRO LQ +H SDVVHG RXW RI $GR (NLWL *UDPPDU 6FKRRO LQ DQG SURFHHGHG WR ,EDGDQ *UDPPDU 6FKRRO IRU KLV KLJKHU 6FKRRO &HUWLÀFDWHV +6& ZKHUH KLV LQWHUHVW LQ (FRQRPLFV JUHZ $ \HDU ODWHU KH JDLQHG DGPLVVLRQ WR VWXG\ (FRQRPLFV DW WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI ,EDGDQ LQ DV D GLUHFW HQWU\ VWXGHQW DQG JUDGXDWHG IURP WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI ,EDGDQ LQ 2ODELVL 2JXQMREL PHW KLV ZLIH 0HUF\ 2ODELVL RQ 2FWREHU DQG WKH\ JRW PDUULHG RQ )HEUXDU\ LQ 2QGR 6WDWH 7KHLU PDUULDJH ZDV EOHVVHG ZLWK three sons. $IWHU JUDGXDWLRQ KH ZRUNHG EULHÁ\ in the private sector before joining the &HQWUDO %DQN RI 1LJHULD LQ -DQXDU\ ZKHUH KH TXLFNO\ URVH WR EHFRPH D 6HQLRU (FRQRPLVW DW WKH 5HVHDUFK 'HSDUWPHQW RI WKH %DQN +H VWDUWHG KLV LQWHUQDWLRQDO SURIHVVLRQDO FDUHHU LQ ZKHQ KH ZDV VHFRQGHG WR WKH &RQIHUHQFH RQ ,QWHUQDWLRQDO (FRQRPLF &RRSHUDWLRQ &,(& EHWWHU NQRZQ DV WKH 1RUWK 6RXWK 'LDORJXH LQ 3DULV )UDQFH DV $GYLVHU RQ )LQDQFH DQG 'HYHORSPHQW WR WKH GHYHORSLQJ FRXQWULHV QHJRWLDWLQJ with the developed countries.

Dr. Koripamo- Agary, OON, KSM is a former Permanent Secretary, FedHUDO 0LQLVWU\ RI /DERXU Productivity

JAMES AGBEKORODE rejoices at the official approval of an airport and a seaport for Lagos

THE GOOD NEWS FROM EHINGBETI /DJRV 6WDWH *RYHUQRU %DEDMLGH 6DQZR 2OX LV QRW SOD\LQJ (DFK ZHHN WKH /DJRV 6WDWH JRYHUQPHQW PDNHV WKH QHZV RIWHQ KLJKOLJKWLQJ ZK\ LW LV WHUPHG WKH ¶&HQWUH RI ([FHOOHQFH · %XW DW /DJRV (FRQRPLF 6XPPLW (KLQJEHWL WKH EXVLQHVV RI JURZLQJ WKH state got a huge boost. ,W ZDV WKHUH /DJRV JRW DSSURYDOV IURP WKH IHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQW WR EXLOG D EUDQG QHZ DLUSRUW LQ WKH /HNNL (SH DUHD DV ZHOO DV D EUDQG QHZ GHHS VHDSRUW DW %DGDJU\ 7DON DERXW H[SDQGLQJ ¶VPDOO· /DJRV

6SHDNLQJ DW WKH (NR +RWHO DQG 6XLWHV 9LFWRULD ,VODQG YHQXH RI WKH HYHQW 0LQLVWHU RI $YLDWLRQ 6HQDWRU +DGL 6LULND VDLG D QHZ DLUSRUW LQ /DJRV ZDV QHFHVVDU\ JLYHQ WKDW 0XUWDOD 0XKDPPHG $LUSRUW LV FRQJHVWHG DQG QRZ ¶IDU · ´2I FRXUVH \RX ZLOO DJUHH ZLWK PH WKDW WKH 0XUWDOD 0XKDPPHG LV WRR FRQJHVWHG DQG IDU DZD\ IURP WKH FHQWUH RI DFWLRQ DW WKH PRPHQW EHFDXVH LW LV D QHZ /DJRV µ 6LULND VDLG ´%HFDXVH WKHUH LV (NR $WODQWLF WKH /HNNL %ULGJH /DJRV QHHGV WKLV DLUSRUW DQG ZH DUH PRUH WKDQ KDSS\ WR KDYH LW µ :LWK WKH ZD\ WKH /HNNL (SH D[LV KDV ERRPHG ZLWK FRPPHUFLDO DQG UHVLGHQWLDO GHYHORSPHQWV DJJUHVVLYHO\ VSULQJLQJ XS DQ DLUSRUW PHDVXULQJ KHFWDUHV LQ WKDW D[LV KDV EHFRPH D JRRG LGHD 6RPHWKLQJ *RYHUQRU 6DQZR 2OX DJUHHG ZLWK LW HVSHFLDOO\ DV LW FRQFHUQV WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ ZHOIDUH RI /DJRVLDQV ´)RU XV LW LV DOO DERXW SDUWQHUVKLSV ZLWK IHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQW DQG WKH PLQLVWU\ RI DYLDWLRQ EXW WKH UHDO EHQHÀFLDULHV DUH WKH FLWL]HQV WKH EXVLQHVVHV ZH DUH WU\LQJ WR DFWLYDWH PRUH µ 6DQZR 2OX VDLG DW WKH HYHQW ´*RYHUQPHQW WR JRYHUQPHQW DQG EXVLQHVV to business. That is how you develop HFRQRPLHV OLNH WKLV *LYH WKHP D SODWIRUP IRU WKHLU EXVLQHVV WR WKULYH µ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·V H[DFWO\ WKH NLQG RI FLWLHV /DJRV VKDUHV VLPLODULW\ ZLWK $V WKH QLQWK ODUJHVW $IULFDQ HFRQRP\ DQ additional airport, especially in an upscale DUHD OLNH /HNNL ZRXOG DWWUDFW SDWURQDJH

Those who live or visit around that axis would appreciate the convenience of siting an airport within their vicinity.

Now, the project has been declared, I ÀQG WKH ORFDWLRQ RI /HNNL (SH SUDJPDWLF 7KH FRDVWDO VWUHWFK KDV DERXW WZR PLOOLRQ people living and doing business there.

And with the axis already hosting LQYHVWPHQWV VXFK DV WKH /HNNL 'HHS 6HDSRUW /HNNL )UHH 7UDGH =RQH 'DQJRWH 3HWURFKHPLFDO 3ODQW 3DQ $WODQWLF University and posh residences, the proposed airport would be just another sweet topping. $V /DJRV FRQWLQXHV WR HYROYH LQWR 1HZ /DJRV DORQJ WKDW VWUHWFK WKHUH LV QHHG WR provide appropriate infrastructure, for instance, good roads. In that regards, the VWDWH JRYHUQPHQW UHFHQWO\ FRPSOHWHG DQ NLORPHWUH VHFWLRQ IURP (SH MXQFWLRQ WR (OHNR ZKLFK LV SKDVH RQH RI WKH /HNNL (SH ([SUHVV :D\ $V LW LV PDQ\ WUDYHOOHUV LQ WKDW D[LV PDNH XVH RI WKH H[SUHVVZD\ WR H[LW /DJRV LQWR 2JXQ 6WDWH DQG RQZDUGV Consequently, airport users going to other parts of the country can shorten their FRPPXWH WLPH YLD VDPH URXWH But the airport was not the only good QHZV IURP (KLQJEHWL /DJRV 6WDWH DOVR DQQRXQFHG DQRWKHU DSSURYDO 7KLV WLPH for a $2.5bn seaport to be sited in Badagry.

6DQZR 2OX·V &KLHI 3UHVV 6HFUHWDU\ *ER\HJD $NRVLOH LQ D VWDWHPHQW VDLG the approval, which was also given at (KLQJEHWL IRUPV WKH OHJDO EDVLV IRU WKH FRQFHVVLRQ RI WKH %DGDJU\ 'HHS 6HDSRUW IROORZLQJ WKH LVVXDQFH RI WKH )XOO %XVLQHVV &DVH &HUWLÀFDWH E\ WKH ,QIUDVWUXFWXUH &RQFHVVLRQ 5HJXODWRU\ &RPPLVVLRQ ODVW April.

The seaport would be built on DSSUR[LPDWHO\ KHFWDUHV DQG IXQGHG YLD 3XEOLF 3ULYDWH 3DUWQHUVKLS ,W ZRXOG KDYH P TXD\ OHQJWK FRQWDLQHU WHUPLQDO P TXD\ OHQJWK EUHDN EXON WHUPLQDO P TXD\ OHQJWK 26% WHUPLQDO DQG PLQLPXP RI P GHSWK $NRVLOH VDLG WKH VHDSRUW ZRXOG JHQHUDWH GLUHFW MREV HQKDQFH JRYHUQPHQW revenue and operate under a build, operate DQG WUDQVIHU FRQFHVVLRQ DJUHHPHQW &LWLQJ WKH /HNNL 'HHS VHDSRUW ZKLFK LV QHDULQJ FRPSOHWLRQ 6DQZR 2OX H[SUHVVHG HQWKXVLDVP DW WKH IXUWKHU RSHQLQJ RI WKH VWDWH IRU PDULWLPH EXVLQHVV ´:H DUH H[FLWHG WKDW /DJRV LV RQ WKH ZD\ to having another deep seaport on the :HVWHUQ VLGH RI WKH FLW\ µ KH VDLG “Before the end of this year, we will be FRPPLVVLRQLQJ WKH /HNNL 'HHS 6HDSRUW RQ WKH (DVWHUQ VLGH :KDW LW PHDQV LV WKDW ZKDW ZH KDYH EHHQ VXͿHULQJ DV D ORJLVWLFV DQG FRPPHUFH KXE RI :HVW $IULFD ZLOO EH DGGUHVVHG ZKHQ ZH LQFUHDVH PDULWLPH LQIUDVWUXFWXUH WKDW LPSURYHV WXUQDURXQG WLPH LQ WKLV VHFWRU µ 7KH PXOWLSOLHU HͿHFW RI WKH GLUHFW DQG LQGLUHFW HPSOR\PHQW RI WKHVH WZR SURMHFWV LV DPD]LQJ 0DQSRZHU ZLOO EH QHHGHG WR EXLOG LW 0DQSRZHU ZRXOG EH QHHGHG WR PDLQWDLQ LW 0DQSRZHU ZRXOG EH QHHGHG WR VHUYLFH WKH PDQSRZHU GLUHFWO\ DQG LQGLUHFWO\ HPSOR\HG 1HZ FRPPXQLWLHV are going to spring up.

Agbekorode writes from Lagos

40 4

T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

CURBING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN/CHILDREN All the major stakeholders should work towards stemming the menace

F

According to the National Human Rights Commission rom physical and verbal abuse to rape (NHRC), no fewer than 158,517 complaints of sexual and even murder, it is evident that the DQG JHQGHU EDVHG YLROHQFH 6*%9 DJDLQVW ZRPHQ authorities are not doing enough to stem the and children were received in 2021. “When you are tide of domestic violence which manifests DEXVHG RU UDSHG \RXU SV\FKLF LV DͿHFWHG µ VDLG WKH itself in many forms in Nigeria today.

0LQLVWHU RI :RPHQ $ͿDLUV DQG 6RFLDO 'HYHORSPHQW While spousal abuse cuts across both sexes, Pauline Tallen. Last year she released a report that 28 women are predominantly the victims in our country. per cent of Nigerian women aged between 25 and 29 Yet abused women rarely report the violence for fear of have experienced some form of physical violence at being stigmatised by the society. Besides, the patriarchal age 15. The study was commissioned by her ministry interpretations within our various faiths preach in collaboration with the United Nations Population endurance. Inevitably, the victim and the abuser (where )XQG 813)$ DQG WKH 1RUZHJLDQ *RYHUQPHQW VXPPRQHG DUH XVXDOO\ DGYLVHG WR ÀQG D ZD\ WR VHWWOH Meanwhile, legal practitioner, Chioma Onyenucheya WKHLU GLͿHUHQFHV UDWKHU WKDQ PDNH SXEOLF WKH LQMXU\ XUJHV DXWKRULWLHV WR WDNH WKH Since the Violence challenge more seriously.

Against Persons “If a perpetrator chooses (Prohibition) Act of 2015 The fear of being ostracized, the lack of material and financial to settle out of court and has not deterred this the victim accepts, that is a growing crime, there have resources and the general lack of sympathy and support from the personal choice and does been suggestions that not stop the state from vulnerable groups (such public have contributed immensely to the growth of domestic violence SURVHFXWLQJ µ 2Q\HQXFKH\D as women and children) be said. placed on the concurrent While it is possible to list in the constitution.

T H I S D AY institute criminal action against the abuser in our This is to ensure that consistent and uniform standards EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU country, the investigative and prosecutorial capacities apply across board and can be accessed by all such DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA of our law enforcement agencies are a huge disincentive MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO Nigerians. While locating vulnerable groups on the DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU IRU WDNLQJ VXFK DFWLRQ &LYLO VXLWV IRU GDPDJHV FDQ FRQFXUUHQW OLVW ZRXOG QRW SUHFOXGH VWDWHV IURP PDNLQJ CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EH ÀOHG ZKHUH D FRQYLFWLRQ LV REWDLQHG EXW DJDLQ laws on matters that are peculiar to their own contexts EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN WKH V\VWHP WDNHV WRR ORQJ JLYLQJ VX΀FLHQW WLPH IRU DQG MXULVGLFWLRQV LW ZRXOG HQVXUH WKDW DQ\ 1LJHULDQ MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI LQWHUYHQWLRQV E\ ¶ZHOO PHDQLQJ· UHODWLRQV DV ZHOO DV THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE woman or child could be accorded basic and uniform religious and community leaders to dissuade the protections anywhere in the country.

DEXVHG IURP VHHNLQJ VRODFH IURP WKH ODZ FRXUWV 7KH 7KH IHDU RI EHLQJ RVWUDFL]HG WKH ODFN RI PDWHULDO DQG SROLFH QHHG WR VHHN IRU VSHFLDOLVDWLRQ LQ KDQGOLQJ FDVHV ÀQDQFLDO UHVRXUFHV DQG WKH JHQHUDO ODFN RI V\PSDWK\ T H I S D AY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D reported by these unfortunate women, and alerted to and support from the public have contributed EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA the fact that battery and assault remain felonies in our GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, immensely to the growth of domestic violence in many ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI ODZ ERRNV HYHQ ZKHUH LQÁLFWHG EHWZHHQ VSRXVHV Nigerian homes. Curbing these tragic incidents is DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, Ultimately, it behooves all Nigerians to remain diligent therefore a collective responsibility. It is also the duty of ANTHONY OGEDENGBE and cast away the complacency that has hitherto been government, at all levels, to protect the most vulnerable DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI the bane of the victims of abuse in our midst. Ignoring SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH by supporting the establishment of the necessary ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI WKH VXEWOH VLJQDOV RI YLROHQFH LQÁLFWHG RQ RXU ZRPHQ infrastructure and wherewithal, including safe houses, ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI and children can only lead to disruption in our families wherein abused children and women can be securely CONTROLLERS DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO and in our society. If we therefore fail to act or report, we accommodated, counselled and enabled to regain some TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com are all complicit.

FRQÀGHQFH DQG VHOI UHVSHFW

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

LETTERS NIGERIA’S LOW IMMUNISATION COVERAGE 1LJHULDCV HͿRUW WR FRPH WR WHUPV ZLWK WKH IDWH RI LWV FKLOGUHQ remains ongoing. However, over the years, it has become in FUHDVLQJO\ FOHDU WKDW FUXFLDO PHDVXUHV ZRXOG KDYH WR EH WDNHQ LI WKH FKLOGUHQ DUH WR HQMR\ VHFXULW\ DQG SURWHFWLRQ QRW MXVW IURP the many armed and unarmed criminals who invest in creating devastatingly destabilizing insecurity but also from the imme GLDWH FKDOOHQJHV WKH\ IDFH WR WKHLU KHDOWK DQG ZHOO EHLQJ Childhood, especially the earliest times, are a time of intrigu ing vulnerability for children. Because at that point in their lives, PDQ\ FKLOGUHQ DUH VWLOO WU\LQJ WR DGMXVW WR WKH UHDOLW\ RI OHDYLQJ their mother`s wombs for a new and often challenging experi ence in the world; they are especially vulnerable to disease and other health challenges. At this point in their lives, many chil GUHQ DUH VWLOO WU\LQJ DOEHLW GHVSHUDWHO\ WR WDNH LQ WKH PXOWLSOH FKDQJHV DW GLͿHUHQW OHYHOV WKH\ KDYH WR SXW XS ZLWK IDPLOLDU but staggering odds as their often tender and fragile bodies race DJDLQVW WKH FORFN WR DGMXVW WKHLU LPPXQLW\ WR ZLWKVWDQG QHZ VKRFNV DQG FRQIURQW QHZ FKDOOHQJHV And as infant mortality has become a troubling challenge RYHU WKH \HDUV HͿRUWV KDYH WR EH UDFNHG XS LQ D ELG WR EULQJ LW down.

Available statistics are at once daunting and haunting. They

show that as of 2022, the mortality rate of infants who are less than one is about 56.68, meaning that there were about 56 deaths of children under the age of one year per 1,000 live births.

According to the World Health Organization, Immuniza tion is a global health and development success story, saving PLOOLRQV RI OLYHV HYHU\ \HDU 9DFFLQHV UHGXFH ULVNV RI JHWWLQJ D GLVHDVH E\ ZRUNLQJ ZLWK WKH ERG\CV QDWXUDO GHIHQVHV WR EXLOG protection. :KLOH LPPXQL]DWLRQ KDV EHHQ NH\ LQ VDYLQJ PLOOLRQV RI OLYHV every year, as a critical public health intervention, it has pla WHDXHG RYHU WKH ODVW GHFDGH :LWK WKH &29,' SDQGHPLF DQG associated disruptions in training health systems, 25 million children missed out on vaccination in 2021, 5.9 million more than in 2019, and the highest number since 2009. *LYHQ WKHLU VXVFHSWLELOLW\ WR GLVHDVH VWXGHQWV DUH H[SHFWHG WR EH LPPXQL]HG DJDLQVW +DHPRSKLOXV LQÁXHQ]D W\SH E +LE which causes meningitis and pneumonia, Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus, Meningitis A, Measles, Mumps, pneumococ cal diseases, Polio, Rotaviruses, Rubella, Tetanus, Yellow Fever, among others.

In Nigeria, immunization coverage continues to be low. Nige ULD KDV ORQJ EHHQ FRPPLWWHG WR WKH JRDOV RI WKH *OREDO 9DFFLQH

$FWLRQ 3ODQ *9$3 ZKLFK ZDV WR HQVXUH WKDW DW OHDVW SHU FHQW RI FKLOGUHQ XQGHU WKH DJH RI ÀYH DUH LPPXQL]HG ZLWK DOO WKH relevant and available vaccines to put an end or reduce to the EDUHVW PLQLPXP FKLOG NLOOHU GLVHDVHV However, progress has continued to be frustratingly slow.

According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) DQG WKH 1DWLRQDO ,PPXQL]DWLRQ &RYHUDJH 6XUYH\ 1,&6 MRLQW ly released by the Nigerian government, the United Nations Children`s Fund, (UNICEF) in partnership with others, only 57 per cent of Nigerian children have been immunized in the last eight years.

7KH WDVN ZKLFK GHPDQGV XUJHQW DWWHQWLRQ LV RQH ZKLFK LV capable of saving the lives of millions of children every year thereby saving the country an incalculable amount of money and pain.

This has to be the goal and if it is to merit comprehensive and critical attention, it must be seen as one which will bring ERXQGOHVV EHQHÀWV WR WKH FRXQWU\ ZKLOH VDYLQJ WKH OLYHV RI SUH cious children.

Kene Obiezu, @kenobiezu

This

Weekend

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

TR

UTH

& R E ASO

N

WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS Friends, Families Extol Mama Ibidapo at Wake See page 43

LIFE Harvest of Commendations at Justice Kayode Ogunjobi’s Book Presentation See page 44

POLSCOPE Zamfara Gov Misfires Again See page 45

Group Features Editor: CHIEMELIE EZEOBI chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com m

07010510430

NIYI JOHN OLAJIDE: Promoting

Culture of Excellence in Service Delivery

42

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

COVER

Niyi John Olajide: Promoting Culture of Excellence in Service Delivery ÓãÓ ÙÒØ ÖËÔÓÎÏ ÓÝ ÞÒÏ ÙßØÎÏÜ ÙÐ ËàÓÝÞ˘ Ë ÜÏØÙáØÏÎ ÑÖÙÌËÖ ÝÙʰáËÜÏ ÏØÑÓØÏÏÜÓØÑ ÝÙÖßÞÓÙØ ʨÜ× ËØÎ ââÏÝÝ ÖÙÌËÖ ËÜÞØÏܘ ÞÒÏ ÖÏËÎÓØÑ ÑÖÙÌËÖ ÒÙ×Ï ÒÏËÖÞÒÍËÜÏ ÞÏÍÒØÙÖÙÑã ÍÙ×ÚËØã˛ ßÞ ÌÏãÙØÎ ÞÒËÞ˜ ÒÏ ÒËÝ ÓØÞÏÜÏÝÞÝ ÓØ ÐÜÙØÞÓÏÜ ÝÏÍÞÙÜÝ ÝßÍÒ ËÝ ËÑÜÓÍßÖÞßÜϘ ÞÙßÜÓÝט ËØÎ ÞÒÏ ØÙáÖÏÎÑÏ ÍÙØÙ×㘠ÓØ ËÎÎÓÞÓÙØ ÞÙ ×ËÝÝÓàÏ ÓØàÏÝÞ×ÏØÞÝ ÓØ ÞÒÏ ÍÓàÓÍ ÝÏÍÞÙܲ ÜÑßËÌÖã ÞÒÏ ÝÓØÑÖÏ ÖËÜÑÏÝÞ ÚÜÓàËÞÏ ÓØàÏÝÞÙÜ ÓØ ÒÓÝ ÒÙ×ÏÞÙáØ ÙÐ ÕÓÞÓ ÞËÞϘ ÞÒÏ ̋ÌËÝÏÎ ÏØÞÜÏÚÜÏØÏßÜ ÖÏËÎÝ ÞÒÏ ÝÞÜËÞÏÑÓÍ àÓÝÓÙØ ËØÎ ÎÓÜÏÍÞÓÙØ ÙÐ ÞÒÏ ËÖÖËݘ ÏâËÝ̋ÌËÝÏÎ ÍÙ×ÚËØ㘠áÒÓÍÒ ÒËÝ ÖÙÍËÞÓÙØÝ ËÜÙßØÎ ÞÒÏ áÙÜÖΘ ÓØÍÖßÎÓØÑ ËÑÙݘ ÓÑÏÜÓ˲ Ï ÓÝ ÚËÝÝÓÙØËÞÏ ËÌÙßÞ Ó×ÚÜÙàÓØÑ ÞÒÏ ÛßËÖÓÞã ÙÐ ÒÏËÖÞÒÍËÜÏ ÝÏÜàÓÍÏÝ ÎÏÖÓàÏÜÏÎ ÞÙ ÚËÞÓÏØÞÝ ÓØ ÞÒÏÓÜ ÒÙ×ÏÝ Ìã Ï×ÚÙáÏÜÓØÑ ÒÏËÖÞÒÍËÜÏ ÙÜÑËØÓÝËÞÓÙØÝ áÓÞÒ ÝÞËÞÏ̋ ÙÐ̋ÞÒÏ̋ËÜÞ ÝÙʰáËÜÏ ÝÙÖßÞÓÙØݲ ßÞ ÌÏãÙØÎ ÒÓÝ Øß×ÏÜÙßÝ ÚÒÓÖËØÞÒÜÙÚÓÍ ÑÏÝÞßÜÏݘ Chiemelie Ezeobi áÜÓÞÏÝ ÞÒËÞ ÞÒÏ ÝÏÜÓËÖ ÏØÞÜÏÚÜÏØÏßÜ ÓÝ ÚËÝÝÓÙØËÞÏ ËÌÙßÞ ÝÚÏËÜÒÏËÎÓØÑ ÞËØÑÓÌÖÏ ÍÒËØÑÏ ÓØ ÓÑÏÜÓË ËØÎ ÞÒÏ ÍÙØÞÓØÏØÞ ËÞ ÖËÜÑÏ

“I

’m very passionate about economic development; about leveraging business and economic investments to improve the lives of everyone and create opportunities for a lot of people.”

Those were the words of serial entrepreneur, Niyi John Olajide, Founder of Cavista, a renowned global software engineering solution firm and Axxess Global Partner, the leading global home healthcare technology company.

endearing was the fact that he partnered SheCode to get more female engineers in the process.

At Cavista, the focus is to train and develop young talents to solve complex challenges in the Nigerian technology space, while creating job opportunities for development and growth globally.

ENDOWMENT FUND

In this regard, Olajide has endowed the largest scholarship fund for the Engineering School for Computer Science students in the University of Texas. He is currently chairing the billion-dollar campaign fundraising campaign for the university.

EARLY YEARS

Born and bred in Ajegunle, one of the underserved communities in Lagos State, Olajide’s meteoric rise was a dint of hardwork, sheer guts and some would say, the God factor.

Noting that his parents were from a humble background as his father worked his way up and eventually became a distributor for Unilever Brothers before they climbed the economic ladder that saw them move from Ajegunle to Ogba.

After his nursery and primary school, he proceeded to attend Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Abeokuta and then went to university in the United States.

Quickly clarifying that they were not swimming in money then, he added that he worked harder to pay his way through school.

EKITI KNOWLEDGE ZONE

Given that the state is known for its literacy, especially with the highest number of PhDs professors, Olajide saw the huge intellectual and human capital there, which at the time were yet to translate into economics success or prosperity for the state.

This lacuna gave birth to the Ekiti Knowledge Zone where they leverage what the people are best known for, upskill it and partner government to export that talent to the world.

FORAY INTO AGRICULTURE THROUGH AGBEYEWA FARMS

PASSION FOR NIGERIA, AFRICA

If there is one thing Olajide is passionate about, it’s harnessing the inherent opportunities in Nigeria and Africa at large. Reiterating this, he said: “I am passionate about Africa’s future and about Nigeria. And it’s not just the words. I hope all my actions demonstrate that passion”.

Already, Olajide serves on the board of the Corporate Council on Africa, which promotes U.S. business and investment in Africa, as well as on the board of the Presidential Precinct in the United States, which engages and inspires emerging leaders in Africa and around the world to address challenges in their countries.

JOB CREATION

If there is one thing that has brought Olajide home and has kept him focused, it’s creating jobs. “I am in Nigeria for three reasons- Number one is to create jobs for people. Number two is to create more jobs for people. You can guess the third one already. Jobs, jobs jobs,” he said to the awe of all.

HARNESSING HUMAN CAPITAL

Acknowledging the treasure that is human capital, he said: “Nigeria is blessed with human capital, and I believe the most important resource any society has is the people.

“We need people and we can harness their creative abilities to make things work. That’s what I believe.”

EXCELLENCE IN DELIVERY

Known for excellence, he further opines that “Fundamentally, I believe there’s nothing wrong with us and we can deliver excellence just as we can achieve excellence.”

HIGH PREMIUM FOR WOMEN

One thing that stood out during the three hours spent at Cavista was the high premium placed on women. From the entrance to the open office space to the numerous pies he has his hands in, the presence of women cut across executive positions, engineering, tech, agriculture and even tourism.

To run Cavista, two out of the three executive positions are occupied by women- Taiwo Oke, Director of Operations, Cavista and Olabisi Olotu, Senior Operations Manager. To do this job, they team up with the Vice President/Country Director, Cavista Nigeria, Mr. Dele Odufuye, while Oyindamola Fashogbon, another female holds the forth as Associate Manager, Brand Marketing and Communications.

On why he is passionate about women, he said they haven’t been allowed to participate in contributing to the society, adding that “I personally believe the world would have been a lot better if we did not leave half our women behind.

With two daughters that he aspires to teach

Olajide that anything is possible, he opined that no one had a choice in determining what their gender is and so shouldn’t be penalised for it.

BIRTH OF AXXESS

For Axxess, which plays a major role in shaping the billion dollar home health industry in the USA and the globe, it has so far processed over $30 billion in claims for over 3 million patients served by over 9,000 organisations around the globe. With a massive presence in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa, they boast of more than 1,200 employees from over 45 countries.

But while in college, nothing gave him the clue that he would be involved in the technology of healthcare. Regaling THISDAY of his foray into this field he said while he was in college, he had an aunt that worked for a local healthcare organisation.

One time in 2001, he went to visit her and noticed there were lots of people working at different workstations at different desks.

This prompted him to ask questions about their paper works and computer network?

When he revealed that there was a tech lacuna, the aunt took him to her boss who expressed interest after hearing the benefits of a computer network.

This computer network was supposed to help them improve their business, track their revenues, streamline their operations, decrease cost of doing business and help them be more successful as a business and healthcare business. Over all, it would help improve their patients outcomes.

Immediately, he set out to build a computer network for that organisation.

Giving the job done, he started getting referrals and with that, he paid his way through school. But beyond that, the opportunity opened his eyes to the tech lacuna in the healthcare industry and he went on to fill it. Backed by his business acumen nurtured way back in Nigeria, his entrepreneurial spirit sprung up and he helped his aunt set up a business.

First he researched what the licencing and regulatory standards for that type of business in the US was, in the state of Texas in particular. He proceeded to get her licence and everything else she needed.

He was just 20 then and the business still exists and thrives.

With the success recorded, he began to get referrals, “but I realised that here’s an industry that’s underserved from a technology perspective. Overall, they need to help and I saw the ability to create technology”. And so he did.

Giving a break down of what the job entails he said it made the healthcare industry benefit from cloud-based technology or web-based software in the clouds to help them be more efficient.

Noting that the old order of documentation was not effective he thought to create technology that provides excellent health care and gets information in real time.

With this, it decreased cost of business and boosted efficiency.

While it took him six months to build the technology, the first version of this cloud based software took four years to get it done as it was a lot of work. With what he was making from consulting, he poured it into the technology platform.

But the first client ever they bagged lost patience after the test run failed to work.

He went back to the drawing board and fine-tuned it. Today, they are one of the leading provider of technology healthcare in the world and number one all over the United States.

ETHICAL STANDARDS

To do this, Olajide believes in people first. This, with each addition comes a commitment to the highest ethical standard.

“We are not just in business to make money for the sake of money. Our businesses have been incredibly successful globally but we do that by maintaining the highest ethical standards.”

SOLVING COMPLEX CHALLENGES THROUGH CAVISTA

Not done, he conceived and launched Cavista Technologies Nigeria partnering Axxess Global Technology. Apart from creating job opportunities at Cavista, he made history with the employment of about 300 tech engineers, becoming the highest number of specialised tech engineers employed in the history of Nigeria. More

While most people know him as a tech mogul, he has since diversified into agriculture through Agbeyewa Farms in a multi-milliondollar investment to support Agbeyewa Farms in Ekiti that seeks to promote food security and create tens of thousands of jobs on 50 acres of arable land.

Already, the farm has kicked off on a high note with some acres already cultivated with different food crops and he is bent on restoring the idea of Agbeloba – dignity and prosperity in farming.

REVAMPING TOURISM

His interests also include tourism development, and he holds the concession to revamp Ekiti State’s flagship tourism destination, Ikogosi Warm Springs in Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti-State into a world-class golfing and vacation destination.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Olajide believes strongly in community engagement and invests actively to ensure that the local communities benefit through educational, health, transportation, and other infrastructural schemes.

LOVE FOR EKITI

Despite the towering heights his career has soared, Olajide is still deeply rooted in his community in Erinmope-Ekiti and the entire state at large. In fact, he is currently the single largest private multi-billion dollar investor in the state.

According to him, for Ekiti to prosper, achieve prosperity and actualise her dream of becoming a land of wealth and prosperity, the state must invest in the promotion of knowledge-based entrepreneurship such as sciences, engineering, medicine, technology, smart agriculture, entertainment and digital innovation.

RECOGNITIONS

Olajide has been recognised as the Outstanding Healthcare Executive of the Year and a Leader in Diversity, and Axxess is recognised nationally and internationally as a Best Place to Work.

His commitment to building a stronger community resulted in him being chosen by his peers to serve in 2020 as the youngest-ever chair of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce’ board of directors and executive committee and he successfully led the Dallas business community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

He currently serves on the Board of the Dallas Citizens Council where he works with other leaders to provide guidance on the policy issues that will move the region forward.

In 2016, Olajide was recognised as the youngest-ever Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas at Dallas.

43

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

NEWS

Friends, Families Extol Mama Ibidapo at Wake Rebecca Ejifoma Friends, acquaintances and loved ones have extolled the late Chief Mrs Jadesola Ibidapo, who passed on September 13 at age 90, during the Wake on Wednesday, October 12 at the Abalti Barracks Hall in the Surulere area of Lagos.

They paid their last respect to pave way for the Farewell Service slated for Thursday, October 13 in Lagos.

“One thing is certain, no matter how long you live on earth, one day you must leave this planet earth. And death comes at the speed of the wind, nobody knows when it will blow in one’s direction.

Those were the comforting words of the Arch Cathedral Provost of The African Church,

Ven Dr Oluwasegun Oladosu, from the elevated altar where other ministers were seated according to the order of The African Church. Adding to that, “Chief Mrs Jadesola Ibidapo was a good manager. She managed her life well. There was no contour in her life till she went to meet her Lord.”

The Ven eulogised Ibidapo as a cheerful giver, who never missed a time to distribute foodstuffs to the church members during festivities like Christmas, the first day of January and her birthday celebrations. He also commended the children on how they catered to their mother in old age and stood by her in her last days at the hospital. “Mama lived a comfortable life and reaped the fruit of her labour on her children and grandchildren,’’ the Arch

Cathedral Provost emphasised.

He, therefore, admonished the children to continue in her footsteps in distributing gift items to the less privileged and to always remember The African Church as she did.

Until her demise on Tuesday 13 September, many regarded Ibidapo as an embodiment of wisdom, a lover of God and humanity while some testified of her benevolence, rare wisdom in handling life crises, especially marital problems, and lover of hymn songs.

Among the song renditions led by the choir at the service were Nearer My God to Thee, Rock of Ages, and Abide with Me all chorused in the Yoruba language.

Mama Ibidapo, as she is fondly called, was born on 23rd March

1932 at Varon Lane on Lagos Island to the family of Abraham Onigbanjo.

She is survived by seven children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They include Prof (Mrs) Yemi Olatunji-Bello, Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU); Mr Kunle Ibidapo, a retired pilot; Mr Tayo Ibidapo, a renowned accountant; and THISDAY’s Rogba Ibidapo.

Others at the Wake included African Church Primate, His Eminence, Julius Olayinka Osayande Abbe, clergymen, church members and more.

A farewell service was held at RCCG Headquarters, Throne of Grace in Ebute Metta on Thursday and was interred at Ebony Private Vaults at Ikoyi Cemetery before a reception at Habour Point, Victoria Island.

LATE CHIEF INNOCENT AGU GOES HOME

Late Agu

On Friday, October 21st, a well-known Makurdi-based building materials contractor, the late Chief Innocent Agu, also known as the Iloha Nwata who died at the age of 64, will be laid to rest.

AChristian wake-keep service for the late merchandiser will hold on Thursday, October 20th at his compound, Umuobene, Amaji Umuabi, Udi, Enugu while on Friday, October 21st, his body leaves the Eastern Medical Centre for a burial service at the St. Peters Anglican Church, Amaji Umuabi, followed immediately by interment.

During his lifetime, the late Agu distinguished and earned himself various titles in his hometown, Umuabi and Makurdi including Ilohawata, Ogbushasha and so on. He was a darling to all on the home front in both the immediate and extended families.

Agu who will be missed dearly by his loved ones was equally a religious man whose vacuum will be felt in the Anglican Communion Worldwide.

The well-celebrated and sensational Umuabi man is survived by brothers, a wife, sisters, children, in-laws, nephews, nieces, friends and well-wishers among whom are Mr. Donald Agu, Sir Ogbuefi Joe Ojukwu and Lolo Lady Bridget Ojukwu and Mrs. Jane Ozonu.

EKULO GROUP RELAUNCHES FLIRT VODKA BOTTLE Ekulo Group of Companies, one of the largest indigenous manufacturers and distributors of quality goods in West Africa, has unveiled the new cap-design bottle of the leading vodka brand, Flirt Vodka, at the Ekulo Trade and Distributor launched L-R: Louis Odion, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, Ibijoke with husband Bode Dawodu; Feyisayo Dawodu, Bosede with husband Ibirogba Ibidapo; and in Lagos recently.

Timi Ibidapo The new attractive bottle, which is synonymous with the brand name, Flirt, is launched to reflect the bottle culture of Flirt Vodka both internationally and nationally. The launch was witnessed by some key distributors of Ekulo from Abuja, Jos, and Lagos.

Speaking at the unveiling, Emeka Andrew, Category Manager, Ekulo Group, said “Before the bottle change, Flirt Vodka had a good Stories by Mary Nnah drinking bottle and good design but, we want a sharper look of a bottle. The new bottle represents a bottle culture for the brand, West Africa’s largest and most whereby there is the same bottle shape and design, internationally anticipated cocktail event, and nationally.”

Lagos Cocktail Week (LCW), According to Andrew, “We want that sameness globally unlike is back for its 8th edition and some other brands that have different bottle shapes and sizes in this year’s edition is focusing every country. we want Nigerian consumers to have that same brand on highlighting the work of experience- in taste and look and feel that consumers in Europe, women in the industry.

South America and Asia have with Flirt Vodka. We are changing The 9-day event, which started the bottle to reflect the Flirt Vodka global bottle culture.” on October 14th and will hold The Category Manager, however, debunked any insinuation till October 22nd, promises an counterfeiting could be responsible for the change in the Flirt that even-more impressive line-up Vodka bottle. “The first bottle was very difficult to fake because for its traditional seminars, it has a cap in design, so, counterfeiting is never a challenge masterclasses, bar battles, an for the brand. What we are after is the uniqueness and global elite guest-speaker list, and some L-R: Brand Ambassador, Diageo Reserve, Tinya Alonge; Brand Manager, Star Radler, Chiamaka Efulu; Director, culture of the bottle, whereby anywhere you travel to, you will of the world’s most renowned Creative Sets Dept. Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Bisi Omojare; Founder, Lagos Cocktail drink brands.

Week, Lara Rawa; Director, Area Marketing Mastercard, Yosola Atere; Brand Manager, Martell, Elizabeth Anthony; have the same experience in taste, bottle and design.”

Founder of Lagos Cocktail Apart from launching a new globalised bottle for Flirt Vodka, Ekulo Founder, H.E.R network, Nkem Onwudiwe and Product Manager, Moet Hennessy, Ijeuru Metu at the event Week and an award-winning also used the opportunity to announce an incentive package for partners, and brand managers at drinks This year’s festival will feature women with the resources they mixologist, Lara Rawa, said distributors and customers on Flirt Vodka. The company would be companies. more female bartenders than ever. need to thrive in their respective the theme for this year’s event rewarding customers who purchase Flirt in three categories- gold, She also mentioned that the “I believe that this is a step endeavours. is “Behind the Bars, Drinks & silver and bronze. participating bars in the Bar-Hop towards making the cocktail As part of the partnership, four Brands.”

“We believed that our distributors are well capable to deliver on these aspect of the event, which is industry more inclusive and female bartenders will compete in She explained that the targets in one month, but because we are a partner’s friendly sponsored by MasterCard, welcoming to all people,” she a “Mixher Challenge,” in which inspiration behind the theme organisation, we have given everyone an equal opportunity will serve attendees unique said. they will be tasked with creating is to celebrate the individuals to participate and earn some percentage that could be helpful African-infused signature cocktail As a means of supporting these memorable cocktails based on who work tirelessly behind to their businesses.” creations throughout the 9-day female bartenders, Lagos Cocktail women that inspire them.

Judges the scenes, to deliver a great Flirt Vodka is an extensive premium quality vodka but event. Furthermore, Rawa also Week is partnering with Her will pick winners, who will win hospitality experience through very affordable compared to other vodkas within the same highlighted another element that Network, a global inspirational cash prizes to support their their craft. These individuals range”, he noted. makes this year’s LCW unique: and lifestyle platform that equips bartending career. include bartenders, mixologists,

Lagos Cocktail Week Inspires Female Bartenders

CCIC Empowers Business Owners, Impact Communities as it Marks 40 As part of activities to mark its 40thanniversary,theChristChapel International Churches (CCIC), Surelere will be impacting the communities around where it is situated even as it empowers business owners with a 1 million naira grant.

The event which starts at 9.00 am daily, has the theme, “Possessing Your Promised Land”.

Speaking during a press briefing to announce its 2022 Camp Meeting scheduled for Tuesday,

October 25th to Sunday, October 30th at the Stable, 45, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos, in commemoration of the church’s anniversary, the Chairman, 40th Anniversary Committee, Pastor Niyi Odetayo, said, “There is a total of N1m that has been set aside for this grant that will be given to members who will qualify in a competition to help them boost their businesses.

Odetayo explained that the grant was for people who already

have businesses and needed just a little more capital to push their businesses.

“We all know how difficult it is to access funds in Nigeria today and that is one of the ways by which this mission is touching the lives of its members, he said.

Speaking on the criteria to access the N1m grant, Odetayo, said, “First and foremost, we would like that young person in this church to belong to a working group; it is all about

touching lives, so whatever that person is doing, he/she must belong to a working group in the ministry, that means he /she is responsible in the ministry and therefore will be very useful and responsible to the community.”

The second criterion, the chairman said was that there must be an existing business, adding, “The grant is not for startups but for people who already have their businesses and only need a little bit of cash

to push the business forward”, he said, adding that the total grant is N1M and would be shared among 10 people so that each of them takes N100,000.

Odetayo, revealed further that the Bode Thomas Police Station will also be provided with a 1 kilowatt of the solar inverter to support them in their energy supply.

“We are quite confident that will help them in a long way to power some of their critical

equipment in the station”, he added.

He said further that a portable water project will also be commissioned at the Murtala Ajadi Animashaun Community Grammar School, Surulere.

While stating that the church has been carrying out community services every year, he added, “The church is concerned about the situation in the country right now and we are praying for peace and stability in the land.”

44

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

LIFE

Harvest of Commendations at Justice Kayode Ogunjobi’s Book Presentation The public presentation of a book on ‘Pleadings in Civil Procedure - Practice Reference Guide’ written by Justice Kayode Ogunjobi, of the Lagos State High Court is yet another watershed moment in advancing legal scholarship, writes Wale Igbintade

I

t was an assemblage of key personalities in the legal profession as a judge of the Lagos State High Court, Justice Kayode Ogunjobi presented to the public, a new book, which has been described as a treasure trove of current case law in Nigeria.

Titled “Pleadings In Civil ProcedurePractice Reference Guide,” the public presentation was held at Sir Adetokunbo Ademola Hall, Nigeria Law School, Lagos Campus, Victoria Island. An atmosphere of commendations from both Justices and senior lawyers defined the occasion.

In his welcome address, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba described Justice Ogunjobi as a “judge par excellence” saying he has deep knowledge of the law.Justice Alogba described the book as very constructive.

The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, who is also the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, BoB, in his opening remarks poured encomiums on the author, describing him as a very brilliant judge, and a pride of the legal profession, who has contributed to legal scholarship.

Olanipekun also stressed the need for the government to take good care of retired judges adding that their meager entitlements after retirement should be paid as at when due. He said “Judges, when they are retired, should not go penniless. The little you are giving them should not be delayed but should be paid as at when due.”

In his keynote address, the Governor of Lagos state, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State, Moyo Onigbanjo SAN said: “It is no mean feat for a sitting judge to find time to write a book. It is a challenge and indeed the one we look forward to for our judges who are in a vantage position and who are possessed of the law to share their knowledge with us by writing books such as this.

“In many conversations, with a number of judges, when we discuss legal issues, their depth of knowledge is always remarkable, and refreshing. It would be a shame for them to retire without sharing their knowledge with the larger public, in the legal profession. It is a book that will enrich our practice and our jurisprudence.

It has also opened the door for many other jurists and even distinguished Senior Advocates present because they know the law inside out. It is a call to duty for each, and every one of us who God has blessed with the skills of interpreting and practicing the law, to share what we know with people who will come after us.

Governor Sanwo-Olu congratulated the author for his contribution to jurisprudence and his effort to enrich the knowledge of people in the legal profession.

In his remarks, Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Court of Appeal, said “It is a joyous occasion to celebrate Justice Kayode Ogunjobi. I have known Justice Ogunjobi for about 40 years, he did matters before me as a private practitioner, and I was part of his journey of getting to the Lagos State Bench, which I’m really happy about.

When he told me that he wanted to embark on this project, I told him it was a very brave decision. Brave because, for those of us on the Bench the fear always had been, having to argue with yourself, when you write a book. You argue with yourself when a lawyer cites a section of your book before you and the facts and circumstances in a particular case may not be in favour of whatever you have advocated in that book.

But, again, that is not a reason to shy away from doing what my lord has done today. ‘’I have the exceptional privilege of seeing the book in draft form. The author went to great lengths to dissect every area of our rule of procedure. The practice of law is changing, it is changing very fast, and we need to do a lot, not just to capture the moment, but also to prepare for the future.”

In his remarks, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Terhemba

Ogunjobi

Tsoho represented by Justice Ayokunle Faji extended compliments and congratulated the author for his contribution to legal knowledge.

He said: “It is really not easy to write a book. For a judge to write a book is a good mix, particularly for Justice Ogunjobi who had been in private practice before he got to the Bench. It is a contribution to legal knowledge.”

In his review, Dr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN said the book deftly analyses important and grey procedural aspects of civil litigation from the prescribed modes of commencement of actions, to a comprehensive breakdown of pleading and evidence.

He said “the depth of the research work of the learned author and eminent jurist is shown in the over 1,000 relevant cases (updated up till 2021) cited across the Chapters of the book making it the most recent, comprehensive and reliable work on the subject. Also, in a very lucid manner, the eminent jurist adopted the persuasive and expository writing styles delivered in Times New Roman font size 12 which makes this book easily readable.

It is therefore not surprising that his Lordship, Honourable Justice Kekere-Ekun had in her forward to the book commented that the book is written in simple prose and makes compelling and informative reading for anyone interested in the subject matter, whether a member of the legal profession or not.’’

“Taking off on the intellectual journey in the book, the learned jurist in Chapter One, undertakes an adroit analysis of the prescribed modes of the commencement of an action in

civil jurisprudence to wit; Writ of Summons, Originating Summons, Originating Motion, Petition and Complaint (all together referred to as Originating cc Processes). The said chapter further examines how the judicial division of filing, life span, and issuance and service of Writs could affect the competency of actions filed before the court of the land.’’

“No doubt, this book is not only intellectually stimulating but thoughtprovoking and solution-oriented. The reader is encouraged to not just undertake a brief perusal of the book but an in-depth study of its contents, which I guarantee will provide a solid understanding of the law on pleadings in Nigeria.

“I gladly recommend this book to every lawyer and legal enthusiast.

This book will certainly open doors for you to another world where you effectively advance the case of your clients and gain mastery in the art of preparing effective pleadings.’’

In a goodwill message, Justice Gboyega Ogunfowora of the Ogun state high court representing the 1986 set of great Ife traced his relationship with the author to the time they were undergraduates at the University. ‘’When we were at the University of Ife, my matriculation number was 1045, and Justice Kayode Ogunjobi’s matric number was 1046. He has always been erudite, and compassionate. Justice Ogunjobi has done all of us proud. He has written a book that all of us should read, it would enrich us. We also thank the Lagos State judiciary for giving him the opportunity to serve, he added.

“The author went to great lengths to dissect every area of our rule of procedure.The practice of law is changing, it is changing very fast, and we need to do a lot, not just to capture the moment, but also to prepare for the future”

Representing the Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Mr. Tunji Oyeyipo SAN described Justice Ogunjobi as a very thorough jurist who would do a good job on whatever he laid his hands on.

While recommending the book to legal practitioners, and judges, he prayed that the author’s remaining years on the Bench would continue to be productive not only in delivering judgements but also in writing more books.

In his response, the author, Justice Kayode Ogunjobi expressed gratitude to God and his learned colleagues for their support saying ‘’I am overwhelmed by the number of distinguished personalities presented. My gratitude goes to Almighty God for His grace upon my life. I have received support from different people generally and I like to thank you all who have contributed to making the project a reality. I thank my children for the love they have shown me. I cannot thank you enough, from the depth of my heart I express my profound gratitude.’’

Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi was born on the 9th of September 1959 in Agege, Lagos. He had his primary school at Sacred Cherubim & Seraphim Primary School (Shiloh) Agege and attended both Anglican Grammar School, Iludun Oro, and Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta, Ogun State for his secondary school. He obtained his Lower Sixth Form from Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos State. He proceeded to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) Ile Ife, Osun State for his university education. He graduated with a LLB in 1986 and was called to Bar in 1986/1987 after his Law School. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in October 1987.

He started his legal career in the law firm of Bola Akinyele & Co and in 1989 and in 1991 he set up his firm Kayode Ogunjobi and Co. He was in active legal education and advocacy, appeared in all Superior courts of record in Nigeria, and has diverse experience in several areas of law, with a special bias in litigation and alternative dispute resolution. t+VTUJDF 0HVOKPCJ XBT BQQPJOUFE B KVEHF PG UIF -BHPT 4UBUF )JHI $PVSU JO "QSJM

45

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

POLSCOPE Zamfara Gov Misfires Again áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

E

arly in the week, the governor of Zamfara State, Mr Bello Mohammed, better known as Bello Matawalle, ordered the closure of five media outfits in the state. It was an exercise of power he did not have. The media houses affected are two federal government media organisations and three private ones. They include: FRCN (Pride FM) radio Gusau, NTA Gusau, Amji TV Gusau, Gamji TV Gusau and Alumma TV. He further ordered the Commissioner of police in the state to ensure the closure was enforced. Their offence is that they dared to cover the political rally organized by the rival political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state.

The state government, had in this political season, banned political rallies in the state, allegedly to curb the rise in terrorist activities.

In the governor’s thinking, the coverage of the rally, which he had banned, amounts to an affront to his authority in the state. It betrays his poor knowledge of the role of the media in society. How can the media, in exercise of its constitutionally-guaranteed role, be taken as an affront to his authority?

Expectedly, he has received much condemnation across board from major stakeholders and non-stakeholders alike.

And he has rescinded his order. What Gov Matawalle did amounts to an attempt to gag the press and media services in the country.

He probably should take a few lessons on the role of the media in a democracy. Assuming his ban on political rallies in the state is legitimate, does the defiance of that order by a political party not amount to news that should be reported?

Pray, what did he even do to the PDP which defied his order before venting his anger on the media houses? And assuming if he has powers over private TV houses in his state, does he also have powers over federal media organisations like the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Television Authority? In more ways than one, Matawalle has been told he is not the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) who has the sole right to regulate the activities of broadcast organisations in the country. Can Gov Matawalle’s affront to the media be taken as done in ignorance?

He is not a neophyte in government and public administration, yet, he betrays, every now and then, traits of impulsiveness.

Gov Matawalle

Here is a man who had been a federal lawmaker (in the House of Representatives) for twelve years. Does he or should he not know the law?

He had been a commissioner for Local government in his state for four years, does he not know the law? He had schooled in University of West London, does he not know the law? He has been the state governor since 2019, does he not know the law? Can his ignorance of the law (if he truly is) be accepted as an excuse for the serial breaches and affronts?

The 60-year-old father of 29 children –16 boys and 13 girls, and husband of four wives, cannot be new to the laws of the land having served previously at various levels of governance.

Late June this year, the same Gov Matawalle, perhaps swarmed by the

plague of insecurity in his state, had called on the residents of the state to go ahead and acquire lethal weapons with which they can defend themselves against the rampaging terrorists in the state. He, in fact, promised to help residents facilitate the acquisition of the arms.

Again, he did not have that power. Only the National Security Adviser (NSA) of the country has the powers to grant such privilege.

He had offered to distribute 500 forms per each of the 19 emirates in the states, towards the acquisition of the said arms.

Yes, his state had been in the eye of the storm as far as security issues are concerned. The BBC had done a damning documentary--- the Bandit Warlords of Zamfara--, earlier in the year. But it is clearly not enough for the wild and arbitrary

measures he is adopting.

He had banned the riding of motorcycles in the state; he had banned the sale of petrol in some Local Government Areas in the state; he had banned all markets in some Local Government areas; he had banned political rallies, etc. Extending this to the media was thus not only overkill, it is also illegal.

In addition to the ban-this-ban-that penchant, he had ordered the recruitment of additional 200 men into the state-owned Community Protection Guards (CPG) Investigations are revealing that Matawalle’s maximum rule approach is not far from wanting to be and remain the political determinant in the state.

It is remarkable that he was elected under the platform of the PDP. But on June 29, last year, he formally announced his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). That he rides high in the political wave of the state is supported by the fact that he defected along with the three senators of the state, six out of the seven House of Representative members in the state, as well as all 24 members of the state House of Assembly. He is clearly not a political novice.

He is thus determined to remain the powerhouse of politics in the state. Thus, any confrontation from any quarters (including his erstwhile political family—PDP), has to be crushed, and if the media practitioners come in-between, so be it, they all have to be crushed together. A gateway to totalitarianism.

His erstwhile deputy, Mahdi Gusau, who refused to decamp with him to the APC got impeached. And in his place, Hassan Gusau, had long been appointed.

Already, there are indications of clashes and violence in the political activities in Zamfara State. Some deaths have been recorded.

In all, Gov Matawalle, beside the episodic remorse in reversing his order on the closure of the media outfits, has to be watched carefully. He has goofed twice in four months.

A third gaffe may be summarily disastrous to the ethos and practice of democracy. The will and wish of the Zamfara people cannot be circumscribed. They must be allowed to freely choose whom they want to govern them. They cannot and should not be forced or coerced.

Re: Lawan, Akpabio, INEC And Senatorial Tickets

M

y attention has been drawn to an article authored by you with the aforementioned headline.

In the said article of 14th October, you erroneously stated that Senator Akpabio has lived his entire life on government, and did not fact-check your submission on what and who Akpabio was before he ventured into politics.

For the record, Akpabio is a legal practitioner of over 30 years in the Bar. Before his appointment as a commissioner, he was one of the founding Directors of EMIS Communications, an outfit that laid the foundation upon which what is now generally called GSM was built and improved on. So it is not true that he has lived his entire life on government.

His tenure as the governor of Akwa Ibom State (2007-2015) was the golden era in the history of the state, and it earned him the appellation ‘The Uncommon Transformer’ and that record is yet to be erased.

You see, he was offered the ministerial appointment not as compensation as you erroneously stated. He got that ministerial appointment purely on merit, considering his track record as governor and Minority Leader of the Senate as a first-timer. These unparalleled records in public offices are yet to be equalled by any of his successors.

So what you wrote is entirely your personal opinion which you are entitled to, and it does not in any way represent what the good people of this great country believe Akpabio is.

Your position on the Senatorial Primary for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, which Senator Akpabio won and was declared winner by the body legally recognised by the law and in this case, the National Working

Akpabio

Committee (NWC) of the APC is also not true.

Please get a copy of the Supreme Court Judgment on who is legally recognised by the law to conduct party Congresses and Primaries.

The concerns you raised on two nomination forms have long been explained by the INEC. Why are you so particular about Akpabio? How about Tambuwal, Umahi and even Ayade, who all collected two forms?

The law requires INEC to monitor primaries at designated time, venue and date as fixed by the NWC of the party. INEC has no duty doing

otherwise.

Justice Nwite’s judgment stated clearly that where the NWC of a party invites INEC and it chooses not to attend to monitor their Congress, their absence at the exercise does not in any (way) invalidate the exercise. That is the position of the law. INEC was duly informed of the June 9 primary that produced Akpabio, but Igini for some reason best known to him, refused to attend.

APC senatorial primaries all over the country took place on the 28th. And Udom Ekpoudom chose to hold his on an earlier date and Igini chose to attend a primary that was not ordered by the NWC of the party, how would the outcome of that exercise stand?

The 28th May 2022 Primary that was held where Obong Ekperipe Ekpo won was cancelled by the NWC of the party due to security infractions and a re-conduct of the exercise was held on the 9th of June. INEC headquarters was duly informed but Igini chose not to attend. At the re-conducted primaries, the authentic winner of the legally organised primary of 28th decided to step down from the race, leaving Akpabio, Ekpoudom and one other aspirant to slug it out and at the end of the exercise, Akpabio polled the highest votes and was declared the winner by the party’s election panel from Abuja.

Just like you are entitled to your personal opinion, Etiebet is also entitled to his. He is not the law, what I have been saying is basically the law and not the (a) warped opinion of anyone.

Few questions would suffice here.

1. Which date was fixed by the NWC of the APC for the conduct of senatorial primaries nationwide, 27th or 28th May? 2. Which party official from the National headquarters of the party conducted the purported primary you said DIG Udom Ekpoudom purportedly won?

3. Who between the NWC of a party and INEC chooses the date, electoral officers, venue and time for primaries and Congresses?

4. Who conducts party primaries? INEC or NWC of the party?

5. Is there any law of the land that stops any politician from contesting for any office he wants as an aspirant?

From your position on purchase of more than one form for any elective position by politicians, you must have been influenced by the erroneous assertion by former Resident Electoral Commissioner of Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, on the position of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.

Igini’s misinterpretation of that Section of the law has since been publicly corrected by the Spokesman of the INEC, Mr Okoye on national television.

By the time you use your good office as a journalist and a writer to get the answers to the above posers, you would have found out that what you published on the above subject matter was way off the facts.

The landmark judgment by His Lordship, Justice Nwite as far as I know, was based on facts and what the law says, and not on what the law should say. t+BDLTPO 6EPN $IJFG 1SFTT 4FDSFUBSZ 5P 4FOBUPS (PETXJMM "LQBCJP

46

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

ABCON: BDCs Central to CBN’s Exchange Rate Policies Kayode Tokede The Association of Bureaux De Change of Nigeria (ABCON) has stated that Bureaux De Change (BDCs) are at the centre of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) exchange rate policies.

The ABCON President, Aminu Gwadabe, who disclosed this in Lagos, said the CBN suspension of forex sales to the BDCs will not lead to revocation of licenses as the operators are still under the purview of CBN regulations.

Gwadabe, said the small retail exchange institutions BDCs- remain at the centre of CBN’s exchange rate policies implementation, hence the need for the regulator and public to continuously support BDCs’ roles in exchange rate stability.

This, he added, can be achieved through increased automation of their processes and providing more channels of transactions for sustainable price

equilibrium while eradicating rent seeking, currency substitution and speculation.

“I am very confident that Nigeria will in not too distant future appreciate a stable exchange rate and availability of forex in the local economy as the right people for government policies’ implementation get such responsibility, “he stated.

Gwadabe cited the Naira4-Dollar scheme of N5 bonus for every $1 diaspora remittances as well as the N65 rebate for every dollar of non-oil export proceeds and other incentives as commendable, but require total overhaul with stakeholders’ engagement.

“I am not a prophet of doom and student of continuing naira depreciation but except fundamental goodwill and courage is demonstrated, the naira will continue to suffer loss in exchange for the greenbacks,” Gwadabe maintained.

While responding to a question on where the BDCs are sourcing forex, he said though some BDCs are lucky to be operating at the international airport and other off-table transactions, majority of them are out of business due to lack or total absence of alternative sources.

“A licensed BDC in Nigeria cannot access oil proceeds, non-oil proceeds, and diaspora remittances. We need expansionary regulatory approvals on the scope of transactions and margin reviews,” Gwadabe said.

According to him, an average BDC operator licensed by CBN is comatose and heading for extinction.

To strengthen the naira, Gwadabe believes it is time to allow competition and mutually-beneficial engagements among stakeholders and regulators.

L-R: Executive Director, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited, Mr. Dayo Omolokun; Executive Secretary, Bank Directors Association of Nigeria, Ms. Adebukola Orenuga; Chairman, Bank Directors Association of Nigeria, Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi; Non-Executive Director, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mrs. Onari Duke and Executive Director, Coronation Merchant Bank Limited, Mrs. Funke Feyisitan-Ladimeji, at the 25th Annual General Meeting of Bank Directors Association of Nigeria…recently

MARKET INDICATORS

Skymark Raises N1.84bn Series 5, 6 CPs, Issue Oversubscribed Skymark Partners Limited, has announced that it has successfully issued Series 5 and 6 Commercial Papers (CP) under its established N5billion Commercial Paper Issuance Programme - raising a total sum of N1.84billion.

The issuance consisted of two series – a 182-day series priced at 16.9376 per cent discount and a 279-day series priced at 17.4308 per cent discount.

Skymark Partners set out to raise N1.8 billion but despite very tight market liquidity conditions, was able to exceed this target and raised N1.84 billion.

Speaking about the successful issuance, Chairman of Skymark

Partners Limited, Egie Akpata said, “This issuance consolidates Skymark Partners position as an active issuer in the CP market and provides our firm with the liquidity needed to achieve its strategic objectives” According to him, “The success of the CP issuance during a period of very tight market liquidity indicates the investor community’s trust and acceptance of Skymark Partners as a counterparty of choice for the long term. We remain thankful to our investors for their continued support and confidence in Skymark Partners Limited.”

Akpata also expressed his

appreciation of the effort and strong support of United Capital Plc, the Dealer for the transaction.

The continued growth trend of revenue and profits in FY 2021 resulted in DataPro affirming Skymark’s long term rating of A and shortterm rating of A1. The rating remains valid till June 2023.

Unaudited accounts as at June 30, 2022 shows strong growth of all key financial metrics of Skymark Partners Ltd. Series 1-6 CPs issued under the CP programme have raised N5.4bn for working capital financing. Series 1 & 2 CP maturities have repaid N1.1bn.

Clickafix Delights Customers in FirstBuy Promotion Throughout the month of October, Clickafix, a one-stop shop for reliable and trusted home service professionals, is offering new customers across Lagos to pay as low as N100 on all services.

Announcing the deals in Lagos recently, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clickafix, Arusha Goswami, said the month-long promo is designed to appreciate new customers who have just downloaded the app on their phones or those who are yet to make transactions on the app so they can experience the

comfort, choices, and reliability being offered by Clickafix at a reduced price.

Goswami said with the Firstbuy promo, customers only need to initiate a transaction and enter the code Firstbuy in the promo code and they will pay as low as N100 for any service on the app. According to her, with N100, customers can access the best of services in repairs of their electrical faults; carpentry; plumbing; home appliances; refrigerators; generators; air conditioning; hair and beauty services; home cleaning and

fumigation.

She added that customers who are yet to download Clickafix should make good use of the promo by downloading the app from their play store or IOS and they can enjoy the benefits of the promo by paying as low as N100 for their first services on the app. She assured that the Customer Success Team of the company will assist the customers all through the transaction process and ensure they get the best of services. The promo, according to Goswami, will end on October 31st, 2022.

Dettol, Wellbeing Foundation Africa Promote Hygiene Education in Communities Reckitt through its Dettol brand in Nigeria has partnered with Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) for accelerated Hygiene education in schools, communities, and healthcare facilities.

The partners will be using the Dettol Hygiene Quest Curriculum, a collaboration which also coincides with the 2022 Global Hand washing Day campaign.

The public presentation and official flag off the partnership was recently held in Lagos State and was attended by representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, the State Basic Education Fund, leaders from both organizations,

stakeholders in the health and education sectors from Lagos state, Kwara state and the FCT, Abuja.

The Dettol Hygiene Quest curriculum aims to educate, empower and inspire six million school children to practice healthy hygiene habits, to achieve a 20 per cent increase in hand washing incidence, reduce diarrhea cases by 10 per cent and achieve a 10 per cent decline in absenteeism by 2025. In the pilot program amongst public schools in 20 LGAs within Lagos State, the curriculum reached over 85,000 school children, and results from the Impact assessment showed

a 34 per cent increase in knowledge of proper handwashing, and a seven per cent reduction in diarrhoea amongst the participants after the intervention.

Over the next 12 months, Dettol Nigeria in partnership with the WBFA, will be accelerating the Hygiene Quest’s program in the FCT, Abuja, Lagos and Kwara State with the aim to educate and aid behaviour change in children’s hygiene habits and reduce the incidence of illness and sick days from school.

This in turn will have a profound, generational, impact on health, education, and development.

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JUNE 2022 Money Supply (M3)

48,865,823.53

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

167,956.2

Money Supply (M2)

48,797,867.32

-- Quasi Money

28,405,330.1

-- Narrow Money (M1)

20,392,537.22

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,722,785.91

---- Demand Deposits

17,669,751.32

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

6,242,394.29

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

42,623,429.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

57,267,178.05

---- Credit to Government (Net)

17,996,690.06

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

39,270,488

--Other Assets Net

5,566,430

Reserve Money (Base Money

11,320,304

--Currency in Circulation

3,259,269.15

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,320,303.72 384,377.56

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

June 2022

Inter-Bank Call Rate

11.10

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

13.00

Treasury Bill Rate

2.45

Savings Deposit Rate

1.38

1 Month Deposit Rate

3.48

3 Months Deposit Rate

4.55

6 Months Deposit Rate

4.97

12 Months Deposit Rate

5.30

Prime Lending rate

12.29

Maximum Lending Rate

27.61

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 27 SEPTEMBER 2022

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $89.50 a barrel on Monday, compared with $92.67 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

47

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

MARKET NEWS

ISAN Seek End to Judicial, Other Issues Affecting Shareholders KayodeTokede Shareholders under the aegis of the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN) have said, it is seeking to address judicial and other typical issues stifling the activities of shareholders in the capital market and the economy at large.

Announcing the ISAN seventh Triennial Delegates Conference and Gala Night slated for next

week in Lagos, the national coordinator of ISAN, Prince Anthony Omojola recently said, the event was necessitated by the urgent need to proffer a panacea for several policies and laws that is stifling the activities of the capital market thereby deterring investors.

According to him, “Triennial Delegates’ Conference, as the name states, is a three-year event which all our members

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

and all strategic stakeholders in the nation’s economic in general and the Nigerian capital market in particular always eagerly look forward to. This event is used to call attention to issues that are pertinent to economic development and corporate governance.

“In addition, to organizing Triennial Delegates Conference’s, we also organize conferences to address the current topical

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

economic issues. Companies and Allied Matters Act makes an elaborate attempts to protect the interest of all investors in general and minority interest in particular with the various regulatory agencies ensuring that this principle of protection is understood and sustained.

“As a watchdog of publicly quoted companies, we have charged ourselves with the responsibility of ensuring that

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

all the stakeholders adhere to the rules in accordance with Best Corporate practices with diligence.

“In the course of playing our own part in the scheme of things, we have had to agree or disagree with successive governments, their regulatory agencies. Company boards and their managers especially those of them that are quoted on the Nigeran Exchange Limited

O F

(NGX). We have organized demonstrations and even gone to court to seek redress or seek correct legal interpretation on some of issues we consider to be arbitrary imposition by regulators.

“We have been fighting that unclaimed dividends do not belong to the government and will not belong to the government or any of the agencies under any guise.

2 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

48

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

49

50

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

51

52

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

53

54

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

ʬ

ʬ ʬ

7 R S 7 U D G H V E \ 9 R O X P H

7 R S * D LQ H U V T ic k er

T ic k er

-1.6%

9.6%

F ID ELIT YB K

UP D C R EIT

3.05

8.9%

GT C O

8.3

0.0%

6.8

7.7%

J A P A ULGOLD

0.28

7.7%

J A P A ULGOLD

WA P IC

0.36

5.9%

J A IZ B A N K

4.4

-1.1%

D A N GSUGA R

15.90

3.9%

A C C ESSC OR P

4.4

-1.8% -1.9%

0.28

3.7%

T R A N SC OR P

4.0

ST A N B IC

29.00

3.6%

A IIC O

3.7

1.8%

LA SA C O

0.87

3.6%

M TNN

3.5

0.0%

UN IT YB N K

0.47

2.2%

WA P C O

3.2

2.1%

WA P C O

21.65

2.1%

Z EN IT H B A N K

3.1

-0.7%

7 R S 7 U D G H V E \ 9 D O X H

7 R S / R V H U V T ic k er

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

P ric e C hg %

39.4

P ric e C hg %

0.80

F T N C OC OA

Vo lum e

P ric e

C WG

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

A IR T ELA F R I

1759.1

0.0%

M TNN

687.0

0.0%

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

B ET A GLA S

41.50

-10.0%

A LEX

6.50

-9.7%

R T B R ISC OE

0.28

-9.7%

GT C O

154.0

0.0%

M B EN EF IT

0.28

-9.7%

F ID ELIT YB K

149.0

-1.6%

R EGA LIN S

0.24

-7.7%

WA P C O

68.7

2.1%

CHA M S

0.26

-7.1%

Z EN IT H B A N K

63.1

-0.7%

C H A M P ION

3.40

-4.5%

N GXGR OUP

47.3

0.0%

A C C ESSC OR P

35.4

-1.8%

NA HCO

5.23

-4.2%

B ER GER

5.70

-4.2%

FB NH

27.9

0.0%

-2.6%

VIT A F OA M

16.9

0.7%

ST ER LN B A N K

1.52

Investment Research

Brokerage

Asset Management

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Taiwo Ogundipe | togundipe@afrinvest.com

Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com

Damilare Asimiyu | dasimiyu@afrinvest.com

55

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 19Oct-2022, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Dollar Fund 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 N/A N/A N/A AIICO Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 7.27% Anchoria Equity Fund 135.43 136.92 -2.74% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.16 1.16 1.39% info@anchoriaam.com ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 20.40 21.01 0.55% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 479.00 493.44 6.17% ARM Ethical Fund 40.75 41.97 4.59% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.09 1.09 0.74% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 4.79% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.26% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 86.86 86.86 -9.31% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,081.26 1,081.26 8.16% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.09 2.09 2.51% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.23 2.28 3.02% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.82% Paramount Equity Fund 17.48 17.79 4.66% Women's Investment Fund 143.17 144.86 0.85% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.60% Cordros Milestone Fund 130.07 130.94 4.58% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 111.72 111.72 5.04% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.41% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.05 1.05 8.65% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.00 1.00 -0.26% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 103.80 103.80 2.41% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1518.39 1518.39 11.39% FBN Balanced Fund 190.56 191.80 8.73% FBN Halal Fund 124.74 124.74 11.41% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.95% FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) 126.81 126.81 6.29% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 154.41 156.48 2.86% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.41% Legacy Debt Fund 1.05 1.05 8.65% Legacy Equity Fund 1.00 1.00 -0.26% Legacy USD Bond Fund 103.80 103.80 2.41% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn

Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A

FSDH Dollar Fund N/A N/A N/A GUARANTY TRUST FUND MANAGERS LIMITED enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) N/A N/A N/A Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.62 1.65 14.20% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,158.77 1,158.77 7.47% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 11.77 11.88 7.73% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.01% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 100.44 100.44 8.40% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 10.87% 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 1.60 1.64 2.00% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.49 11.55 2.93% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 8.40% PACAM Equity Fund 1.32 1.34 -6.89% PACAM EuroBond Fund 120.68 123.69 6.00% 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 121.84 124.30 0.05% 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 1.07 1.07 10.04% 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 3,457.74 3,490.90 2.08% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 243.08 243.08 3.19% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.35 1.37 7.94% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 327.93 327.93 4.73% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 248.16 251.61 6.35% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.85% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,460.95 11,615.20 5.04% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.35 1.35 4.26% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 120.09 120.09 2.72% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 113.27 113.27 6.48% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 0.89 0.92 1.30% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.32 1.33 0.96% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.14 1.15 9.86% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.09 1.09 7.24% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.93 1.93 6.31% United Capital Eurobond Fund 124.03 124.03 5.85% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.91% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.37 13.49 1.37% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.29 15.43 4.58% Zenith Income Fund 23.22 23.22 5.80% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.57% VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 3.77 3.87 -5.87% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 5.65 5.75 -3.27% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 16.21 16.41 -8.28% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.07% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 18.56 18.76 -7.07% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 135.34 137.34 -14.13%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

119.29 52.14

5.27% 2.50%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.10 122.09 90.70 17.10 16.40

14.20 125.16 92.68 17.20 16.50

0.81% -3.96% -9.08% 10.14% -2.46%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.59

0.00%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

56

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

57

58

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

NEWS

BROADBAND TECHNICAL AWARENESS FORUM...

L - R: Board Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami; Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; SSG, Zamfara State, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe; Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, and Board Chairman, MTN Nigeria, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, during the Broadband Technical Awareness Forum for Governors held in Abuja…yesterday

NNPC Names Vice Presidents to Accelerate Post-commercialisation Drive NLNG assures flooding won’t impact cooking gas availability Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has named five executive vice presidents in its efforts to consolidate its post-commercialisation drive, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

Accordingly, the Group Executive Director, Upstream, Adokiye Tombomieye is now the Executive Vice President (Upstream) while the Group Executive Director, Downstream, Mr. Adeyemi Adetunji will take the role of Executive Vice President (Downstream).

In addition, the Executive Director, Gas and Power, Abdulkabir Ahmed will become the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energies, while Inuwa Danladi has been named the Executive Vice President,

Business Services.

Furthermore, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan will take the role of Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Sustainability; while Chidi Momah becomes the General Counsel for the National Oil Company (NOC).

Aside helping the NNPC establish continuity of leadership in critical business areas, it was gathered that the move will further give the NOC the leeway to recruit expatriates from any part of the world and enable the company benefit from international best practices in the oil and gas industry.

The Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC) had on September 21 last year completed the incorporation of the NNPC Ltd in accordance with the provisions of the Petroleum

Industry Act (PIA) 2021 which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 16, 2021.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has said that the force majeure it recently declared will not affect the supply of the product to the market.

General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, while speaking on Arise Television, THISDAY’s broadcast arm yesterday, stated that its not likely that the development will impact the local cooking gas market.

The company provides about 40 per cent of LPG used in the domestic market, while the rest is imported.

“We are aware of the flooding in part of the country, specifically

in the Niger Delta area. But just to assure that the notification is that our facility in terms of production has not been impacted. We are still producing LNG or exporting LNG. “However, the notice of force majeure that was issued was clearly to say that our upstream gas suppliers have been impacted by the flooding where the gas is coming from and as a result of that, we are not getting the gas coming into our facility to liquefy and export.

“Just to emphasise, we are still in production and we are still exporting LNG and LPG from our facility on Bonny Island,” he said . According to him, the situation will get better when the flood levels reduce.

He added: “Everyone is watching and waiting; however, the assurance is that as at

NMDPRA Moves to Reduce Accidents in Oil Industry as 60 Nigerians Die in Sector-related Incidences Says sabotage constitutes 98% of oil spills Rivers, Bayelsa lead in cases of pipeline vandalism Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) yesterday moved to reduce incidences of fatalities in the oil and gas sector with the hosting of its first Industry Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Managers’ Forum.

At the event which took place in Abuja, the Authority announced that between August and September 2022, 60 fatalities were recorded in industry-related accidents in 34 incidents.

In addition, the NMDPRA stressed that 62 injuries occurred, with a breakdown showing 12 fatalities and seven injuries in filling stations, while three deaths and three injuries were recorded at the refineries.

The NMDPRA further disclosed that 12 persons died in truckrelated accidents, 20 in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) retail outlets, five in LPG end-user incidents while eight people lost their lives at the depots.

Furthermore, the NMDPRA said eight persons were injured in LPG retail-related occurrences while 32 persons were injured at the depots.

Also, Rivers state led the Niger Delta states spill cases with 82 incidents, followed by Bayelsa with 75 cases, Delta with 12, Akwa Ibom with two and Imo state with two during the period under review.

Of the cases, equipment failure constituted 16 per cent, maintenance error was 19 per cent, while sabotage constituted 98 per cent. In terms of approvals, 20 laboratories were approved, one was denied while five remained under processing.

Speaking at the event, the Authority’s Chief Executive, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, said the petroleum industry has been at the forefront of HSE innovations in the last few decades often in response to the peculiar challenges that the industry faces.

He explained that the platform was to exchange ideas, thoughts and deliberate extensively on topical day-to-day operational and process related HSE issues, stressing that it is in this regard that the Authority has decided to revive the forum to enable it build on its past achievements.

“The oil and gas industry has for several decades maintained a pride of place at the top of the

global energy mix despite the threat posed by renewable and cleaner energy sources.

“However, recent concerns about global warming, exponential improvements in the efficiency of renewable energy alternatives and the politics of oil pricing have combined to pose almost an existential threat to the global petroleum industry.

“The threats of renewable energy sources which in the past were almost always dismissed by energy industry experts have today become more real than ever and I would like to draw your attention to a few of the more recent trends,” Ahmed said.

He stated that some of the big international oil companies (IOCs) are currently funding gigantic research into alternative fuels, noting that as ‘sweet’ as Nigeria’s crude is renown to be globally, it has recently lost its most valued customers while its gas buyers are themselves now competing with it in the same marketspace as suppliers.

“If Nigeria is to continue to benefit from its vast petroleum resources, now more than ever is the time to build sustainability into our oil and gas value chain as

well as management of its wastes.

“And this task rests on the shoulders of not only the regulators but all stakeholders,” Ahmed, who was represented by the Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installations and Transportation Infrastructure, Francis Ogaree, stated.

In a goodwill message, the Executive Commissioner Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC) of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Capt. John Tonlagha, said the platform serves as a veritable tool to bridge the gap between the regulator and the entirety of the value chain in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

“We have discovered over the years that exchange of correspondences between the regulator and the industry on critical HSE matters without a platform like this to cross fertilise ideas, have extensive and robust industry wide deliberations for proper alignment on topical issues, achieve little, and in most cases, present the regulator as a watchdog setting up players in the industry to be in perpetual non-compliance with all the attendant consequences.

yesterday (Wednesday, October 19, 2022) the flood has level has remained where it is. It hasn’t risen beyond where it was.

The commitment from our gas suppliers is that as soon as the situation gets better, more gas will come into our facility.”

According to him: “ LPG is in the market and should be in the market the way we used to buy it in the market in terms of volume and availability.”

Massive flooding across the country had disrupted economic activities and displaced thousands in recent weeks, with over 600 people having been confirmed dead by the government.

Earlier, the NLNG had declared force Majeure on its 22 million tons per annum processing plant, explaining that the development impacted its upstream gas suppliers.

Obasanjo Laments Deplorable Conditions of Roads in Nigeria Babalola, Ozekhome express worries over country’s rising debt profile Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday lamented the deplorable conditions of roads in the country, saying it was impeding movements of citizens in the pursuit of their businesses.

Obasanjo spoke while making a brief comment at a lecture delivered

by Chief Mike Ozekhome titled: 'The Place of Education in a crisis-ridden Nigeria,' to mark the 10th convocation ceremony of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti(ABUAD).

Explaining his lateness to the convocation lecture in his brief speech at the occasion, the former President said: "kindly accept my apologies for coming late to this ceremony. I thought if I leave Abeokuta at 4.30am, I will get to ABUAD at 10am.

But when we got to the middle of the journey, the conditions of our roads were bad.

"We started asking which was the best route to take to get to Ado Ekiti. It was tough before we could get here, kindly pardon me."

He praised the university's founder, Chief Afe Babalola for replicating and surpassing in ABUAD, what he did at the University of Lagos, when he appointed him the Pro -Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of the university saying: "I am proud to associate with ABUAD." Babalola in his submission at the lecture, regretted that Nigeria's total debt profile as at March 2022 was N41.60 trillion, saying the federal government and patriotic Nigerians must take proactive measures to

offset the debt.

The legal icon suggested that Nigerians, who are private jet owners, proprietors of universities, all presidential aspirants, owners of multinational companies and successful individuals should to contribute millions to defray the debt which he described as alarming.

In his lecture, Ozekhome, described surging school abduction, banditry and endless borrowing as evils now killing the Nigeria's education system, saying they portend signs of a "failed state.”

For Nigeria to restore sanity to the education sector, the senior lawyer called for proactive and aggressive actions in tackling "corruption, poverty, insecurity, commercialisation, mediocrity, illegality, deprivation, cultism, poor funding," and other ills pummeling the education sector.

The human rights lawyer warned against commercialisation and poor budgetary allocation to education, saying allotting a paltry of 7.7 per cent to the sector rather than the prescribed 20 to 25 per cent, may continually dim Nigeria's future and create despondency for many citizens.

Ozekhome added: "We have gotten to a terrifying situation where armed bandits and kidnappers now hoist flags on Nigerian soil, collect taxes from Nigerians; and give them identity cards and passes. They challenge Nigeria’s sovereignty.

“Some hold school children hostage and demand from their parents, bags of salt, rice, maize, millet, and beans; baskets of tomatoes, pepper and mango.

59

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

11TH SERIES LECTURE OF CHIEF ANYAOKU...

L-R: Former National Chairman, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Former Secretary General, Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and Guest lecturer, Prof. Ayo Olukotun, during the 11th series lecture of Chief Anyaoku held in Ibadan...yesterday

WHO: 500 Million People May Develop Heart Disease, Diabetes Before 2030 Countries to spend $27bn annually on diseases

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja An estimated 500 million people may develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to physical inactivity between 2020 and 2030, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated.

WHO attributed the heightened health challenge to apparent lack of infrastructure, such as good roads, access to parks, cycle lanes, and footpaths, in some countries. It said treatment and management of the resultant disease scourge was expected to gulp huge sums of money annually, if governments around the world failed to take urgent action to encourage more physical activity among their populations.

WHO said the economic burden of physical inactivity was significant, adding, "The cost of treating new cases of preventable non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will reach nearly $300 billion by 2030, around $27 billion annually."

These were contained in WHO's

first-ever global report, which highlighted high cost of physical inactivity across the globe.

In the global status report on physical activity 2022, published yesterday by WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, it revealed measures and the extent to which governments were implementing recommendations to increase physical activity across all ages and abilities.

According to WHO, data from 194 countries show that, overall, progress is slow and countries need to accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase levels of physical activity and thereby prevent disease and reduce burden on already overwhelmed health care systems.

It said, "Less than 50 per cent of countries have a national physical activity policy, of which less than 40 per cent are operational. Only 30 per cent of countries have national physical activity guidelines for all age groups."

WHO noted that while nearly all countries report a system for

monitoring physical activity in adults, 75 per cent of countries monitor physical activity among adolescents, and less than 30 per cent monitor physical activity in children under five years In policy areas that could encourage active and sustainable transport, it said only over 40 per cent of countries have road design standards that make walking and cycling safer.

WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said, "We need more countries to scale up implementation of policies to support people to be more active through walking, cycling, sport, and other physical activity. The benefits are huge, not only for the physical and mental health of individuals, but also for societies, environments, and economies.

“We hope countries and partners will use this report to build more active, healthier, and fairer societies for all.”

WHO further observed that while national policies to tackle NCDs and physical inactivity had increased in recent years, currently, 28 per

cent of policies were reported to be not funded or implemented.

It added that COVID-19 pandemic had not only stalled these initiatives, but also affected other policy implementation, which had widened inequities in access to and, opportunities for, engaging in physical activity for many communities.

In order to help countries increase physical activity, WHO said its global action plan on physical activity 2018-2030 (GAPPA) had set out 20 policy recommendations – "including policies to create safer roads to encourage more active transport, provide more programmes and opportunities for physical activity in key settings, such as childcare, schools, primary health care and the workplace.

"Today’s Global Status report assesses country progress against those recommendations, and shows that much more needs to be done.”

The apex world health body said a critical finding in the global status report on physical activity was the existence of significant gaps

NEC to Review CBN's Deduction of Budget Support Facility from States' Allocations Sets up committee on flood mitigation Deji Elumoye in Abuja The National Economic Council (NEC) yesterday resolved to review the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) plan to commence deductions from state governments’ share of the monthly federal allocations.

The move was aimed at exploring further financial succor for states regarding repayment of the federal government’s budget support facility.

The Council chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo therefore, resolved to set up a panel with representatives of the federal government and the states to review the matter.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo stated, “bearing in mind all of the financial difficulties, we take the position to review the plan

to commence the deduction for the loan.”

NEC at its monthly meeting resolved that representatives of the Governors’ Forum, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, among others, meet to review modalities for the imminent deductions of funds from States by the Central Bank of Nigeria, to repay the Budget Support Facility granted to states by the federal government.

It noted that the decision was in consideration of current difficulties experienced by state governments in fulfilling their financial obligations.

The council equally endorsed the revised National Social Protection Policy presented by Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed.

The policy would now go to the Federal Executive Council (FEC)

for input and from there to the National Assembly for Legislative approval.

When passed, the new policy would replace the “2017-2022 National Social Protection Policy.”

The minister added that the expected benefits of the revised NSPP included among others, “reduction of multi-dimensional poverty; promoting social justice, equity and inclusive growth; reduce unemployment, social and economic vulnerabilities, and other threats to sustainable development.”

The NEC also resolved to constitute a committee of the federal government and state governors to liaise with other relevant stakeholders to find immediate and long-term solutions to flooding problems across the country.

The vice president noted that the committee liaising with critical stakeholders, would support efforts,

whether short, medium or long term, in mitigating the impact of flooding as well as finding lasting solutions to the issue.

Council also commended the efforts of stakeholders including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in the vaccination of more Nigerians against COVID-19.

According to the presentation of the COVID-19 Scorecard by the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shaibu, “over 127 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been procured and administered through collaborations by the federal government and other partners since the inception of the exercise.

“Additional 10.5 million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccines have been procured by the federal government and is being expected in the country before the end of the year.”

in global data to track progress on important policy actions, such as provision of public open space, provision of walking and cycling infrastructure, provision of sport and physical education in schools.

The report also urged countries to address weaknesses in some existing data.

“We are missing globally approved indicators to measure access to parks, cycle lanes, foot paths – even though we know that data do exist in some countries.

"Consequently, we cannot report or track the global provision of infrastructure that will facilitate increases in physical activity,” Head of WHO Physical Activity

Unit, Fiona Bull said.

Director Department of Health Promotion at WHO, Dr. Ruediger Krech, said, “It is good for public health and makes economic sense to promote more physical activity for everyone “We need to facilitate inclusive programmes for physical activity for all and ensure people have easier access to them.

"This report issues a clear call to all countries for stronger and accelerated action by all relevant stakeholders working better together to achieve the global target of a 15 per cent reduction in the prevalence of physical inactivity by 2030.”

NNPC's Wunti to Lead Oil Industry Discourse on Energy Security at NAPE Pre- Conference Workshop Peter Uzoho The Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investments Management Services (NAPIMS), an arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bala Wunti, would next Wednesday deliver a keynote address on energy security and transition at the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists's (NAPE) 2022 Pre-conference workshop.

The event scheduled to hold in Lagos, with the theme: "Energy Security and Transition Strategies: Opportunities and Challenges in Nigeria," would also have the Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Ms. Rose Ndong as part of the speakers.

NAPE in a statement signed by its President, Dr. James Edet and the Publicity Secretary, Mrs. Tunbosun Afolayan, listed the immediate-past Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) and Chief Executive Officer of First Exploration and Petroleum Company Limited, Mr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero amongst others as part of the speakers.

According to the association, the rising need for transition towards more sustainable energy sources and the global geopolitics requires a strategic rethink around

the energy industry in Nigeria.

It said there was need to define the pathway to be chosen by Nigeria to achieve the sustainable energy, which the populous world deserves.

While observing that the climate change reality was facing everyone in Nigeria today, with desertification in the north and flooding in the south, NAPE said this change called for a crucial need to significantly reduce carbon emissions while ensuring available and affordable electricity.

In response to this new reality, it stated that many countries including Nigeria, have set various net zero carbon emission goals, recalling that at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), Nigeria committed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060 and had very recently, launched the Energy Transition plan.

NAPE maintained that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was now in place and Climate Change Act signed into law, saying the oil and gas industry has a role to play towards successful implementation of these regulations and ambitious plan.

The explorationists observed that globally, significant consumers of the hydrocarbon industry were undergoing a massive technological shift towards low or zero carbon energy usage like electric vehicles.

60

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

NEWS

COMMENCEMENT OF THE VOICE AFRICA BY AIRTEL...

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Fame Studio Africa, Akin Salami; Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Africa Plc, Emeka Oparah; Music Artist, Paul Okoye (Psquare); Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji; Music Artist, Peter Okoye (Psquare); Founder/Chief Executive Officer, HIP TV, Ayo Animashaun and Head, Brand Research and Communications, Airtel Africa, Nandu Buty, during the press conference to announce the Commencement of The Voice Africa by Airtel in Lagos...Wednesday.

ABIODUN AJALA

Flooding: US Commits $1m Emergency Humanitarian Assistance for Victims in Nigeria NEMA distributes relief materials in Ondo NUJ call for suspension of political campaigns in South-south Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja, Fidelis David in Akure and Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa The United States, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $1 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to support the people affected by unprecedented flooding in Nigeria.

The US embassy, in a statement yesterday, explained that the unusual heavy rainfall, which resulted in flooding, had affected nearly 2.8 million people across the country. It added that many homes had been damaged or completely destroyed, displacing millions of persons.

The US government stressed that the $1 million in new USAID support would allow local partners on the ground to provide emergency shelter assistance, relief commodities, and hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices amid the on-going cholera outbreak and multipurpose cash assistance for people affected by the devastating floods.

It stated, "The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $1 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to support the people affected by unprecedented flooding in Nigeria."

The US government lamented that floods had exacerbated an already critical humanitarian situation in Nigeria, where on-going conflict, especially in the northern region, had driven millions of people from their homes.

The statement added, "In the same region, more than four million people are projected to continue experiencing acute food insecurity amid the worsening global food crisis."

The US expressed concern that standing floodwaters could increase the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states, where cholera outbreaks were declared in August and September, with 7,750 cases recorded.

It stated in 2022, 31 out of 36 states reported cholera cases.

The statement quoted the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, to have said the United States continued to stand with the people of Nigeria during this extremely difficult time.

“We are filled with grief for the flood victims who have lost so much – livelihoods, homes, and

even loved ones,” Leonard said.

As experts expect heavy rainfall and flooding to continue through November, due in part to climate change and insufficient drainage infrastructure, the US government said USAID disaster experts would continue monitoring the situation in close coordination with humanitarian partners and the federal government to assess needs and determine if additional assistance is required.

It said in 2022, USAID provided more than $356 million in humanitarian assistance to people most affected by conflict and food insecurity in Nigeria.

It stressed that this life-saving assistance was in addition to USAID's annual $539 million development budget for Nigeria that supports economic growth, health, democratic governance, and education.

NEMA Distributes Relief Materials to Flood Victims in Ondo Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), yesterday, distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to support persons affected by the 2022 flood disaster in Ondo state.

Distributing the materials in Akure, the state capital, the Director-General of the agency, Mr. Ahmed Habib, said the items included the president’s special intervention involving release of assorted grains from silos.

Habib said the quantity of grains approved for the state included 2,100 bags of 50kg maize; 1,774 bags of 50kg sorghum; 3,948 bags of 25kg garri; 1,000 bags of 10kg rice; 1,000 bags of 10kg beans; 1,000 bags of 10kg maize; 75 bags of 20kg salt; 75 kegs of vegetable oil (20ltrs); 150 cartons of seasoning cubes and 75 cartons of tin tomato.

Ahmed, represented by the Director, Special Duties NEMA, Dr. Bamidele Onimode said, "The non-food items comprise 7,350 pieces of nylon mats; 1,000 pieces of treated mosquito nets; 600 cartons of bath soap; 2,500 pieces of guinea brocade (5 yards); 1,000 pieces of children’s wear; 1,000 pieces of women’s wear and 1,000 pieces of men’s wear.

"These items have been delivered to the state government to assist the most vulnerable groups. The grains will be distributed directly to the deserving persons in collaboration with the state government, senators

from the state and the minister representing Ondo State.

"We all agree that in the last couple of weeks, several states of the federation, including Ondo State, have suffered widespread flood disasters, which unfortunately have resulted in loss of lives, human displacement, loss of means of livelihoods and socio-economic dislocation.

“The current global economic meltdown and pre-harvest food shortages have further exposed the vulnerability of the affected population."

The NEMA DG noted that the Ekiti operations office of NEMA had continuously worked with critical stakeholders, including the state Ministries of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Ondo State Emergency Management

Agency (OnSEMA), Ondo State Fire Service, among others, to respond and conduct damage and loss assessments to guide relief intervention to persons in need of support in the state.

He said the result of the assessment indicated that about 5,235 households were affected by the floods, several houses destroyed, while cultivated hectares of farmlands were submerged.

He stated, "The assessments reports were forwarded to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development following which President Muhammadu Buhari approved the release of 12,000 metric tons of assorted grains from the National Strategic Reserve Stock for distribution to all states of the Federation and the FCT."

In his remarks, Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, commended the federal government and NEMA for coming to the rescue of the victims in the state, saying the gesture would assist victims affected by ravaging flood in 2022.

Aiyedatiwa promised proper and timely distribution of the items.

Aiyedatiwa, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Idowu Ojo, said the relief intervention indicated that the federal government, through NEMA, was always concerned about the welfare and well-being of the people of the state.

NUJ Calls for Suspension of Political Campaigns in

South-south Following the humanitarian crisis occasioned by the on-going flooding of the coastal regions of the country, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Zone F (South-south) called for the suspension of all political activities in states of the South-south geopolitical zone for two weeks.

A statement by the vice president, Zone F (NUJ), Opaka Dokubo, and zonal secretary, John Angese, said this would allow for concentration of attention in harnessing efforts and resources needed to bring succour to the suffering masses.

The South-south zone of the NUJ described as inadequate relief efforts so far given to the affected states and local governments in the region by the federal government.

BUA Group Partners USAID, Donates $500,000 to Curb Tuberculosis, HIV in Nigeria Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

BUA Group through its foundation, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) has donated $500,000 to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of efforts to curb tuberculosis (TB) and HIV in Nigeria.

The Managing Director of ASR Africa, Ubon Udoh while speaking at the signing agreement in Abuja, yesterday, said the donation would be drawn from the annual ASR Africa Fund for Social Development and Renewal.

He said ASR Africa was

committed to the development of Nigeria’s healthcare sector, adding that the end-to-end diagnosis to treatment partnership with USAID will provide additional capacity and expand ongoing efforts aimed at tackling tuberculosis and HIV across Nigeria.

Udoh stated: “We are pleased to partner with USAID on tuberculosis and HIV control in Nigeria. ASR Africa will continue to invest its resources towards tackling pressing developmental issues in health, education and social development across Africa in line with its mandate.

"ASR Africa’s contribution of dignity kits will also strengthen services for survivors of genderbased violence, including medical and psycho-social services at Sexual Assault Rescue Centers, also known as SARCs, that are supported through USAID’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program.”

The Managing Director noted that ASR intervention also included the provision of 11 loop-mediated isothermal amplification diagnostic machines, also known as TBLAMPs; laboratory reagents and consumables, as well as 1,200

dignity kits for survivors of genderbased violence across selected states in Nigeria.

According to him, in addition, about 10 Tuberculosis Directly Observed Therapy (DOT centers) would be renovated across the country.

These TB-LAMP diagnostic machines would enable 11 facilities to effectively diagnose TB, which continues to be a challenge in under-resourced health facilities across Nigeria from where those diagnosed will be placed on treatment at the TB DOT centers to be renovated by ASR Africa.

Provinces Endorse Jinping’s Five-year Ambitious Plan Michael Olugbode in Beijing The re-election of Chinese President Xi Jinping for another term is becoming clearer as delegates from different Provinces of China have endorsed his next five-year ambitious domestic and foreign policy agenda.

A range of delegates on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the People’s Great Hall in Beijing, told reporters yesterday that their delegations had approved Xi Jinping’s report as a blueprint for building a modern socialist China.

The spokespersons of the different delegations from the provinces such as Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Municipalities of Shanghai, Beijing among others; confirmed their approval of Jinping, who is also the CPC’s Secretary General’s report by-consensus.

The Secretary General had during the opening of the national congress of the party last Sunday delivered a report where he emphasised building a modern socialist China in all aspects for the next five years and going forward.

He had said: "From this day forward, the central task of the

CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realise the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernisation.”

He also highlighted an array of domestic and foreign policy interventions to be undertaken within the next five years to achieve the planned objectives.

The deputy secretary of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the CPC, Lian Yimin,, disclosed that all the 64 delegates to the

congress from the province had studied and analysed the report and resolved to adopt it as a supreme guiding document in the implementation of the state programmes in their area.

He said: “When learning and finally comprehending the report, the delegates felt more strength and confidence.”

He revealed that in the last decade of the Jinping administration, their region has achieved a great milestone in terms of development mostly under the arrangement of coordinated development of the Beijing-TianjinHebei region.

61

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

STATE HOUSE WEEKLY MEDIA BRIEFING...

L-R : Comptroller General of Customs , Col. ( Rtd)) Hameed Ali; Deputy Comptroller General of Custom in charge of Tariff and Trade, Talatu Mairo Isa; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Security and Country Risk Assessment, Col. ( Rtd) Felix Alaita and Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentives, Kaycee Ekekezie at the State House weekly Media briefing held at the Presidential Villa , Abuja …yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

Oilserv: Force Majeure on NLNG's 22MTPA Processing Plant Big Blow to Nigeria's Economy Says flood also impacted delivery of $2.5bn AKK pipeline project NLNG backtracks, says Bonny plant not shut down completely Peter Uzoho The Chairman of Oilserv Group and Chief contractor of the $2.5 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, Dr. Emeka Okwuosa has described the force majeure declared by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited on its 22 million tons per annum (MTPA) processing plant due to flooding as a big blow for Nigeria's economy.

Okwuosa also lamented the impact of the massive flooding, which has devastated many parts of the country, on the execution of the $2.5 billion AKK project, saying the incident has disrupted the movement of pipelines and trucks to the project site.

This is coming as the NLNG has backtracked on its earlier statement on the force majeure,

saying its Bonny plant was still in operation but was working at limited capacity.

Okwuosa, who spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the just-concluded energy summit organised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), maintained that the shutdown of NLNG's operation due to the flood would impact the country negatively.

"Definitely, it's a big blow. First of all, from the point of view of national economy, it's a big blow because Nigeria needs all it can get to be able to run its economy and, you may wish to know that a big chunk of our revenue comes from the export of oil as well as gas. Now, to look at what has just happened with NLNG declaring force majeure.

Northern Group Endorses Atiku for 2023 Presidency John Shiklam in Kaduna The Arewa Youth Progressives Alliance (AYPA), has endorsed former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, for 2023 elections.

Addressing a press conference in Kaduna, yesterday, Secretary General of the AYPA, Hamza Lawal, said following the recent interactive session with some presidential candidates in Kaduna, the group was convinced beyond doubts, that Atiku was the best for the presidency, considering his vision, experience and capacity.

Lawal said, "I address you today on behalf of all the Northern youths alliance across the 19 states of the region. Our group watched with much delight the recent parley between Arewa apex bodies with all the major presidential candidates for 2022 election. As you are aware, the enormous tasks ahead and the state of affairs in the country call for greater concern from all.

"Our economy is in disarray, the level of insecurity across the country is worst in our history, our educational sector, has collapsed.

There is no doubt, the nation is in crisis and at a cross road at the moment."

The group lamented that the last seven years of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has brought down the north to its knees with all forms of negative tendencies.

"After listening to all the candidates and their presentations, our group thereby comes up with the following resolution for overall interest of the North and the country. That among all the candidates, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP stands out in terms of economic management blueprint, security capability, job creation, uniting the country and experience.

"So, with the above, our group hereby endorses Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for 2023. We promise to mobilise all the northern youths, professionals, market women, Artisans for the purpose and success of Atiku in 2023,” the group said, noting that Atiku "a pan Nigeria leader without bias, he is not an ethnic nor religious bigot and has no regional coloration, very experience individual in politics, economy and a unifier."

Obviously, the massive flooding has been in the news in the past couple of weeks.

"We are impacted as a company also. We are building the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline, the first section of it which starts from Kogi (Ajaokuta) to the boundary of Kaduna State and I can tell you, in the past two weeks, we've not been able to move our pipes, we've not been able to move our trucks.

It's very impactful," the Oilserv chairman said.

He explained that when flood of such magnitude occurs, it would definitely impact oil and gas production because the facilities would be affected.

According to him, a major part of the gas that feeds NLNG comes from Associated-gas, which is gas produced along with crude oil, adding that when there are constraints in oil production, it affects gas production.

"That's also why we are having less volumes going to NLNG right

now because of the fact that oil production is affected. Quite a large chunk of production is shut in at the moment by many producers and I know clearly that NLNG must be struggling. So it's very impactful," Okwuosa noted.

He said current measures being taken by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other stakeholders including the security agencies to tackle the alarming oil theft and vandalism was a step in the direction.

Believing that those actions by the stakeholders would make a difference, Okwuosa stressed the need to bring back Nigeria production up and try to at least meet the daily quota granted by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

He said it made no sense that Nigeria would not be able to take advantage of the current high oil price, a situation he said was not the best for the country.

"NNPC is moving in the right

direction. But if I may add, I would say that definitely, what is important is to go to the root cause of this issue. It is important to be sure what is causing it.

Who are the players in this issue?

And then, how do we go about dealing with it.

"The issue of getting the security agencies involved is a no brainer. Definitely, you cannot enforce without interfacing very well with security agencies, whether it is the Army, or the Police, Civil Defence, of course the Navy. And I can say clearly therefore, we need to the root of it," he stated.

The other measure to be explored in fighting oil theft, according to him, was total engagement with of the host communities.

"It's also important that the producers are huddled together with NNPC Limited, huddled together with the Upstream Regulation Commission and be able to come up with clear steps

that you can say are sustainable because it's not just about solving the problem for today, it is about solving it permanently. It is important that we address it like this," Okwuosa added.

Meanwhile, the NLNG has backtracked on its earlier statement on the force majeure, saying its Bonny plant was still in operation but was working at limited capacity.

The General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, NLNG, Mr. Andy Odeh, said in a statement yesterday that its plant was in operation though at a limited capacity, due to reduced gas supply from some of its upstream gas suppliers.

"None of NLNG’s assets on Bonny Island or in any of its host communities are impacted by the flood. The Force Majeure is as a consequence of a similar notice

by Upstream Gas Suppliers due to the impact of flood in their production facilities.

Buhari Inaugurates APC PCC as Tinubu Unveils Action Plan Today President Muhammadu Buhari will today lead governors, National Working Committee members and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress to the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the party this afternoon at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.

At the event, which is to signal the formal launch of the party’s campaign season, the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima would unveil their ‘Action Plan’ for the transformation of the country.

The 80-page document, containing a multi-sectoral policy options, was tagged “Renewed Hope 2023 – Action Plan for a Better Nigeria.”

According to the document, the former Lagos State governor would prioritise National Security, Economy, Agriculture, Power, Oil and Gas, Transportation and Education, when elected President

Buhari’s successor next February.

Tinubu also outlined policy options for Healthcare, Digital Economy, Women Empowerment, Judicial Reform, Federalism/ Decentralisation of Power and Foreign Policy.

He promised huge investment in Sports Entertainment and Culture, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, to expand jobs and opportunities for millions of Nigerian youths, and promised to continue and expand the massive Social Investment Programs of the Buhari administration.

In his foreword to the document, Tinubu said his plans were conceived after travelling the length and breadth of the country and listening to people from different life strata.

“Our nation’s history affirms that our people constitute our most valuable treasure. Whether the hardworking farmer, the industrious market woman, the dynamic young entrepreneur or

the hopeful child, Nigerian people rank among the best anywhere.

They excel in every aspect of human endeavour when given a fair chance.

“Senator Shettima and I have traversed every part of our beloved nation, listening to the concerns of our fellow citizens. Young and old, poor and rich, educated and uneducated, Christian and Muslim; all have expressed their views and concerns.

“People do not seek superficial answers to hard questions.

Nor do they want the broken, unimaginative, failed promises repackaged and fed to them again.

They want true and innovative solutions, which address the challenging realities of today.

“Our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was founded on the premise that the people of our beloved country are entitled to the benefits that only progressive good governance can procure."

According to the APC candidate,

having listened to the yearnings of the people, he was emboldened to change their stories for good the same way he did in Lagos State as governor for eight years while putting together the best team.

“When I was governor of Lagos, my team and I developed institutions and policies that changed the face of the state. It became a safe place for its residents and an engine of prosperity for all those willing to work in pursuit of their economic dreams. What my team and I achieved in Lagos, together we all can achieve for Nigeria. Our objective is to foster a new society based on shared prosperity, tolerance, compassion, and the unwavering commitment to treat each citizen with equal respect and due regard.”

Tinubu noted that total transformation of Nigeria could be achieved, building on the foundation laid by the present APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

62

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

NEWS

UNVEILING OF COMPENDIUM OF SCHOOLS INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSFORMATION...

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu (third right) performing the virtual commissioning of new projects in Lagos Public Schools as well as compendium unveiling of Schools Infrastructural Transformation, at the Marquee Hall, Eko Fm/Radio Lagos, Agidingbi, Ikeja, on Wednesday, with him are some Traditional rulers.

2023: Interfaith Body Endorses Obi, Baba-Ahmed Supporters of presidential hopeful accuse el-Rufai of bitter politics Emameh Gabriel in Abuja An interfaith body from North Central states led by Archbishop Leonard Kawas, the General Overseer of World Harvest Ministry and Sheikh Muhammed Muritala Mahmood, yesterday, declared the readiness of the group to support the candidacy of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Datti baba-Ahmed.

But the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, has described the visit as not only timely but divine, adding that the party, had uncovered plot to attack its members in some states across the country.

This is as supporters of Obi, have accused the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai of playing bitter politics.

However, the group made the declaration, when its leaders from the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna and

Niger, paid a visit to the National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, at the party's headquarters in Abuja, where they prayed for the success of the party in next year's general election.

Speaking during the visit, Archbishop Kawa, who led the delegation said their decision to support the Labour Party was necessitated by the fact that Obi and Baba-Ahmed represented the two major faiths in the country and that because they were individuals, who had distinguished themselves, they were the best shots for the people.

He explained that they "have partnered with Islamic bodies and scholars for years in this country to bring about unity between all faiths, including traditional worshipers."

"We are here today because Nigeria is faced with a critical election in few months time and that election will make or mar

Osagie: Failed APC Can’t Lie Its Way to Victory in 2023 Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state was staging a feeble comeback to the public space to pollute the air with their lies and poorly-crafted falsehoods, noting that the party could not lie its way to electoral victory in the 2023 presidential election.

In a statement, Osagie said the APC in Edo State seemed to be searching for its lost voice in pursuit of the golden fleece from the electioneering season and were “shamelessly falling over themselves to eat from the crumbs from the Lagos largesse in the run up to the general election.

“For them, the 2023 election is another business venture that must be harvested for its full worth. This is why they have staged a feeble comeback to the public space to pollute the air with their lies and poorly-crafted falsehoods.

“Though we have repeatedly stated that they thrive on vague and unfounded claims, which do not deserve any attention, however, it is necessary to educate them and set the records straight.

“The Edo State Government runs a transparent government that enjoys the support of the other two arms of government. The three arms of government have continued to work harmoniously to deliver the

dividends of democracy to Edo citizens, who today are witnesses to the impactful projects and reforms ongoing across the state.

“It is mind-boggling that the party at the national level that has been borrowing trillions of naira to pay salaries of federal workers is making a fuss in Edo State, where the government has consistently paid the highest minimum-wage in the country and still continues to deliver on its mandates to the people across other sectors of the economy.

“It is also rather unfortunate that members of the APC emerged as members-elect after the 2019 general election but refused to make themselves available to serve the people and perform their legislative duties, because of their primordial loyalty to their godfather. For this, the party has lost moral grounds to pontificate on the conduct of the Assembly.

“It must be stated that Governor Godwin Obaseki has led one of the most ambitious reforms in Nigeria’s education sector through the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme. The programme has been so successful that other APC-controlled states have come to understudy and adopt our model.

This is in addition to massive recruitment of teachers to fill vacancies in the sector,” he stated.

this country. We have faced a lot of challenges in the last seven years. There have been killings, hunger and suffering in the land.

"We have always been confronted with questions by our people as to where do we go from here. So, we embarked on a search as to what kind of leader do we need to lead the country from this situation" "We discovered that labour party has selected a candidate that is religiously balanced. These are distinguished leaders, who have distinguished themselves in their careers. We decided that it was now time for us to support the national chairman of the party to succeed in his campaign.”

On his part, Mahmood, who led a delegation of the Muslim community from the four North Central states, said the "movement has been in existence for years for the purpose of uniting Nigerians of all faiths.

"We must make moves where there will be harmony between Christian and Muslim," he said, even as he prayed for the unity of Nigerians and across faiths and for God to provide the country with visionary leaders.

Abure, on his part, said the visit was the best thing that happened to him and the party as it was timely and was designed by God, saying this was, because the party has been under attacks lately in

various states across the country.

Abure said: "What I appreciate most in this gathering is the prayers that you have offered.

The prayers are coming at the nick of time because we are under attacks. We are getting information that they are going to raise guns and they have designated states that are their target.

"We know for sure that the time for God has come. The time for the people has come. We have suffered enough. Today, I am fulfilled and I am happy. It has reenforced my faith that 2023 is real. We cannot stop talking about the challenges in the country. The challenges are man made.”

Meanwhile, some of Obi’s

supporters under the aegis of Great Nigeria 4 Obi-Datti (GN4ObiDatti), said el-Rufai has displayed intolerance by lying against Obi, claiming that he was put in house arrest by Obi in 2013, when he visited Anambra for election duty.

The group at a press conference addressed by its leaders, Barrister Tony Chukwuelue, Mike Okaka, Johnny Obika and Shehu Alhassan, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to caution him. "el-Rufai has unsuccessfully tried severally to smear Obi with his numerous delusional fabrications to torpedo the OBIdient ship which is cruising to Aso Rock.

Oyebanji Suspends State Functions over Speaker's Death, Mourns Buhari, Sanwo-Olu, Bamidele, others grieve Deji Elumoye in Abuja, Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti and James Sowole in Aabeokuta Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed deep sorrow on the passing of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, who died on Wednesday, in Ado-Ekiti, at age 66.

The Governor, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, said Afuye's death was shocking, sad and unfortunate and therefore suspended state functions in honour of the dead.

Also, President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Babajide SanwoOlu of Lagos State, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and other prominent Nigerians, have joined family and friends to mourn Afuye’s passing.

Oyebanji said Afuye's death was unbelievable, because he was on his entourage during an inspection tour of some projects in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday and did not show any sign of illness.

He said he was shocked when he got a call early Wednesday morning that the late speaker was rushed to the hospital, hoping he would leave the hospital hale and hearty in view of the medical attention he was receiving when he paid him a visit at the EKiti State University Teaching Hospital ( EKSUTH) Intensive Care Unit ( ICU), Wednesday afternoon.

"Ekiti lost an illustrious son, a

perfect gentleman and a champion of democracy and rule of law. My heart bleeds over the loss of this great leader, who was a great friend and brother indeed.

"On behalf of myself, my wife, the government and good people of Ekiti State, I commiserate with the Afuye family and the people of Ikere Ekiti. May the good Lord give everyone of us the fortitude to bear this loss," Oyebanji said.

Buhari, in a release by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the late speaker had distinguished himself as a key soldier for democracy and was widely admired as a humble grassroots political leader, who relentlessly championed the interests of his people.

“He served the state and its people diligently and devoted his life to uplifting common good,” said the president, who prayed for the repose of his soul and fortitude on the part of his family, friends, admirers and the entire people of the state to bear the loss.

Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, described Afuye, who represented Ikere Constituency 1 at the Ekiti State House of Assembly, as one of the illustrious sons of the state, who contributed immensely to the growth and development of Ekiti State during his lifetime.

The Lagos governor described the

deceased as a principled politician, progressive, loyal, trustworthy and committed member of the ruling party in Ekiti State.

He said the lawyer and human rights activist turned politician spent his life in the service of humanity, Ekiti State and Nigeria, especially, as a Commissioner for Information, lawmaker and later speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

Governor Sanwo-Olu also commiserated with Oyebanji, former Governor Kayode Fayemi and the entire members of the state assembly on the death of the Speaker.

“Rt. Hon. Afuye was a committed public officer, who served Ekiti State passionately and selflessly in different capacities. He did his best for Ekiti as a member of the executive and legislative arms of government. He was also a committed member of our great party, APC till his death “On behalf of the people and government of Lagos State, I sympathise with Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji and the entire people of the State on the demise of the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye.

Also, the Southern Senators Forum, through its chairman, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, described Afuye, as one leader that contributed immeasurably to Ekiti development through effective lawmaking and partnership with

the executive.

Bamidele, in a statement son behalf of the 51 Senators, sympathised with the state government, Afuye's family and political associates, on the loss of this priceless leader, who gave his physical and intellectual resources to develop the state.

"Hon Funminiyi Afuye was one leader that had etched his name in gold in the building of Nigeria's democratic institution. He was patriotic and that necessitated why he put his life on the line fighting military junta as a member of the defunct NADECO,” he said.

Former governor and Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Segun Oni, also mourned Afuye and described his death as not only a rude shock, but devastating to Ekiti people.

Oni, who in a press release by his media aide, Jackson Adebayo, said Afuye belonged to the group of Omoluabi Ekiti as a very humble and astute politician, who served Ekiti meritoriously in various political positions, added that he left behind a good legacy.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Hon. Femi Bamisile, too described as a rude shock, unimaginable disaster, unbelievable and unexpected, news of Afuye’s passing.

63

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

ROYAL ENDORSEMENT FOR PDP I N ENUGU...

L-R: The traditional ruler of Edem-Ani Ogwugwu Ancient Kingdom, Nsukka Local Government Area, HRH Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu (Igwe Ogadagidi), Enugu State Governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Enugu North Senatorial District, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the PDP candidate for Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency, Chief Engr. Vita Abba, when the people of the community visited the governor at the Government House, Enugu, yesterday, to endorse his senatorial bid and that of other PDP candidates.

Aisha Buhari: Not Sure My Husband’s Govt Has Met Expectations of Nigerians Chuks Okocha in Abuja The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, yesterday, gave a semblance of a

house divided against itself, when she said she was not sure that her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, has met

the expectations of Nigerians She was, however, optimistic that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would win next year’s

presidential election.

Aisha, who stated this in an interview with the BBC, posited that it was the reason she apologised

Atiku: I Stand with Families Who Lost Loved Ones to #EndSARS Says his heart is still shattered Group wants human rights violators prosecuted Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, in commemoration of the second anniversary of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest against police brutality, said his position on #EndSARS had not changed and therefore stood with Nigerians, who lost their loved ones to the incident.

Atiku, in a statement he personally signed said the sad memory of what happened during the protest could not be wished away so quickly and had left his heart shattered.

This is as the federal government has been urged to ensure that perpetrators of

human rights violations were prosecuted and victims given justice, in order to ensure that the #Endsars protests did not repeat itself in the country.

However, according to Atiku, "Two years ago, on this day, I shared a statement of sincere disappointment, anger, condemnation and pain. Two years after, that position has not changed.

“The sad memory of what happened is what we cannot wish away. There’s still a compelling need for Police reforms incorporating state police and justice for those who have suffered police brutality.”

Referring to the video he shared during the ENDSARS, Atiku said, “I maintain the position expressed in this video broadcast

on 20/10/20. Our children must be heard and provided with spaces to express themselves within the ambit of the law and given opportunities too.

“My heart is still shattered for the families, who lost loved ones during the #endsars demonstration. I stand with all families still grieving from their losses."

Also, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, during a capacity building workshop for human rights monitors held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, lamented that the issues that led to #Endsars protest were still continuing, saying many victims of human rights abuses were yet to get justice.

Nwanguma appealed to various states government who set up judicial panels of enquiries on human rights violations during ENDSARS protest, to implement the reports of the panels.

"There are lessons that must be taken from that unfortunate outcome of #Endsars protests, which ended with #Lekkimassacre.

The fact is that the government should understand the need to respect the rights of citizens.

"The government must understand that if the human rights of citizens are not respected, citizens are likely to recourse to rebellion. That is why human rights are protect by the rule of law. And also understand that there is a link between respect for human rights and promoting peace.”

to Nigerians.

Mrs Buhari had earlier apologised to Nigerians about the hardships they were facing during the special prayers she organised on October 1 to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the country’s independence.

But President Buhari had on Monday during his last ministerial retreat reeled off some of the completed and ongoing infrastructure projects executed in the past seven years, suggesting his administration had met the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

But his wife said in the interview that, “The expectations on us were so high and maybe after seven years, we haven’t met their expectations. Only God knows what is in somebody’s mind.

“As a human being, you can’t say you are right or you have done what you should, so the government has really tried, the administration did its best but may not be the best for others.

So, we must apologise to Nigerians whether we met their expectations or not.”

Asked the areas she thought the government failed the most,

Aisha said she didn’t follow the government programmes.

“I don’t know, because I run my office like a charity. I only accept people, but I don’t belong to politics. All I do is support them in terms of health or education. I don’t follow what they do,” she added.

Nevertheless, she insisted the APC would win the next presidential election.

“Why would you ask me this question? We (APC) will continue.

APC will win the election. By God’s grace. We faced a big challenge, because when my husband came to power, there were no resources, but I insisted that we were the ones, who said we will do it and we have to do it,” she explained, adding also that, she did not have any political ambition.

“I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be the wife of the President. It’s a great position. I thank God and I am asking him to make us finish safely and to hand over power to the APC government. I don’t have any political ambitions. I will be the wife of the former president, what else am I looking?" she asked

areas that were factored into the N3.019 trillion was the collection of the telecommunication tax, which up to now we have not started, also, the collection of the carbonated drink tax, which we started just in June or July.

“So we did not start at the time we were supposed to start and those were factored, those figures ought to have added to the N3.019 trillion.

“But despite that, we're working very assiduously to make sure that we plug other chances and see if we can, by the end of December, report to Nigerians that we have been able to make the N3.019 trillion,” he said.

Ali also disclosed that the Service would make about $17.6 billion for the country at the completion of its automation.

He projected that the Customs would need $3.5 billion to fully automate its operations and limit human interactions.

Asked what he had been able to do to rid the agency of corrupt officials, Ali disclosed that over 2,000 officers had been dismissed for one form of misconduct and complicity or the other since he

took over as the head of the Service.

On fears in certain quarters that his successor may dismantle his structures and reverse reforms in the Customs, Ali explained that he would not be held liable if such happens.

He, however, assured that with his efforts to deploy technology in the operation of the Service, such reversal would be difficult assuring that his successors would only build on his achievements.

Commenting on the role of the Customs in oil theft, Ali explained that the responsibility of enforcing maritime laws and sea security lie with the Navy and NIMASA (Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency).

Asked to explain the increase in tariff on imported vehicles and seizures of same on highways by his men, the Customs boss said the cost of clearing cars rose because the Service has deployed technology to determine the year and make of imported cars to avoid undervaluation.

According to him, imported cars are now being appropriately valued and requisite duties collected from importers.

CBN, NIBSS, BANKERS COMMITTEE LAUNCH NATIONAL DOMESTIC CARD SCHEME may find it difficult to meet the N3 million revenue target set for it by the federal government in 2022 fiscal year.

According to him, the establishment of the joint border patrol team as well as increasing the arsenal of the agency with regards to capability to be able to fight smuggling and monitor the Nigerian borders, have been yielding the desired results.

Ali, who said smugglers were becoming more sophisticated, added that the agency was modifying its operations to respond to the threats.

He emphasised that while the agency has a mandate to generate revenue and facilitate trade, it was also ensuring the protection of the Nigerian borders through its modernisation process, known as the e-Customs Project, using technology.

“The issue of border security, if you have been following the story of how we are working to make sure that we secure the borders, first, you remember in 2019 we closed the borders, that was done to ensure that illicit items are not brought into this country.

“Two, to ensure that rice, which

is one of the areas we want to make sure that we block, is not also brought into this country.

“Also, to ensure that, between us and our neighbouring countries, we uphold the sanctity of the ECOWAS protocol because those were being breached by our own brothers across the borders and we felt the only way we can send this message to ensure that they align themselves with the protocol is to close our borders and agree.

“And we did that; after about three months of forth and back, we agreed on the constitution of what we call the Joint Border Patrol Team.

Today, we have a conglomeration of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and all other security agencies, that have come together under one roof, to ensure the security of our borders.

That is being done.”

He added: “Then secondly, we're trying to increase our arsenal, with regards to capability to be able to fight smuggling and ensure we monitor our border. For the customs, the modernisation process that we have has an inbuilt system for border monitoring, which will be both linked to the IT system, and then today we are jointly

working with the Air Force in the geospatial process to make sure that we monitor our borders and ensure effective control.

“We intend to get as more aircrafts as possible. We are talking with the army, we will soon be training our own officers to learn to pilot-drop so that when we are able to pick, not only being able to pick electronically the activities around the border, we should be able to also drop our officers at every point to be able to intercept and interdict the actions of smugglers.

“As at today, I believe that what we have put in place is working.

It may not be as at the level where we want it. But I assure you that as responsive agencies, we're doing the best way we can to make sure that our borders are protected”, he said.

Commenting on revenue generation and Customs’ projected target of N3.019 trillion for 2022, the Customs CG said despite challenges including the inability to collect the telecoms tax, the agency has so far generated 2.143 trillion in 2022 for the federal government.

According to him, the protracted

controversies around the agency to collect the telecommunication tariff, which was recently resolved in the NCS’ favour would affect the target.

He explained that the projection as at the time the N3.019 target was set was based on the assumption that the service would start the collection from the beginning of the year.

The suspension of the telecoms tariff until recently when it was resolved, he said, would pose a great challenge to meeting the target, adding that the delay in the collection of carbonated drinks' tax may also pose another challenge.

He disclosed that the Service only recently commenced the collection of the tax which he noted was also part of the assumption as at the time the 2022 revenue target was set.

“Yes, I thought I mentioned it that we were given the target of N3.019 trillion for the year 2022 and I told you that so far we have collected N2.143 trillion. So we're working towards making sure that we get to the target.

“I've also talked about our challenges that some of the key

64

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

OFFICIAL LAGOS DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND ROADMAP...

L-R: Head, Population and Development Unit, United Nations Population Fund, Dashe Dasogot; Executive Director, HACEY Health Initiative, Rhoda Robinson; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, Gbenga Omotosho; Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Lagos State, Sam Egube; Head, Group Sustainability, Access Corporation, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan; and Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, Lanre Olaniyan at the Lagos State Demographic Dividend Roadmap and Profile official launch event held at the Access Towers in Lagos … yesterday

Obaseki Hosts Dangote, Elumelu, Makanjuola, Peterside, Others at Alaghodaro Business Summit Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki yesterday hosted key players in Nigeria’s private sector, including Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of conglomerates, members of the diplomatic corps and other stakeholders in the investment community to a business dinner in Lagos.

The dinner was organised

by Alaghodaro Economic Summit Ltd/GTE to showcase the numerous investment opportunities in Edo State and galvanise private capital to boost the state’s economy, accelerate productivity and engender sustainable growth and development.

Dignitaries at the Business Summit included President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu; Chairman of Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc, Dr. Aderemi Makanjuola; Founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank

Plc, Atedo Peterside, and the Founder, Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce.

Some others were the Founder of Persianas Nigeria Limited, Tayo Amusan and Managing Director, Saro International, Dr. Rasheed Sarumi, among others.

The governor said rather than wait for Nigeria in the wake of economic uncertainties, the state had decided to step up and do things differently.

He said the state government, in search of solutions, decided to focus on developing its people; tapping its rich cultural heritage; exploring its unique ecology to drive agricultural development; focus on exploiting technology and manufacturing; building on tourism and entertainment assets and leveraging its locational advantage to drive growth.

According to him: “We have moved our systems to an electronic platform. I will be the

Kogi Receives First Derivation Allocation as Oil Producing State Kogi State has received its first derivation allocation as an oil producing state.

According to a statement, Governor Yahaya Bello disclosed this during the State Executive Council meeting yesterday, assuring the people of the determination of his administration to continue to record more wins for the state.

He said his administration had recorded many giant strides in the sectors covering the thematic areas of his New Direction Blueprint, adding that the “derivation allocation will make us do more for our people.”

Bello said, “I am elated to announce to the good people of Kogi State that my administration has received our first derivation allocation as an oil producing state. This announcement is in line with my administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability, for which we have received many awards.

“We worked hard to make this history. But we wouldn’t have achieved it without the support of our people, who stood resolutely with us to make this see the light of the day.

“We also wish to express our gratitude to President

Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership roles as well as the RMAFC for making this a reality.

“Let me reiterate this to the people of Kogi State that my promise to make their resources work for them is iron cast. We will build more schools, hospitals and construct more roads. We will empower our youth and women. Under my watch, we will ensure security."

Addressing pressmen after the State Executive Council meeting, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said the derivation allocation came at a time the state government was building legacy projects across the state, stressing that the Governor would ensure “judicious use of the derivation allocation.”

"The governor has once again proved that he is a goal getter with the tenacious manner he defended the interest of the state to be listed as an oil producing state. History will remember him for this feat," he stated.

Also, the State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiru Idris, said the administration would continue to put in place more, “people oriented projects.”

last governor to sign papers in Edo. I sign all approvals in the state on the Oracle platform.

Minimum wage is now N40,000 and we believe it is not enough.”

The governor noted that on the back of education reforms under the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme, the state was considered to have the single largest reform in education on the African continent.

He added: “We are creating more opportunities for technical education so that we can deemphasise the culture of certificates.

We also intend to train mid-level manpower in agriculture and would like to partner with the private sector to develop the curriculum for the institution.

“We are also building capacity in the healthcare sector. There is really no need to complain about other countries poaching our health workers. All we need to do is to train more.”

On his part, the Chairman of Alaghodaro Ltd/GTE, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, in his welcome address, said the event was organised to engage with and seek private investors’ partnership and

participation in driving the state’s 30-year development plan.

Stressing that Edo State remains Nigeria’s best kept investment secret, he said the state government had created a conducive investment climate for investors by strengthening institutions and ensuring a reign of, “peace, security and justice.”

“In Edo State, we will continue to demonstrate our commitment to lead the charge.

We do it because we understand unequivocally the potential of states to create a groundswell of activity that can galvanise

national economic renewal.

“It was this sort of thinking that grew the average GDP rate of our country to eight per cent between 1956 and 1963.

“In the last five years, Edo State has evolved dramatically.

Governor Obaseki and his team have demonstrated by execution a clear and unwavering resolve to transform Edo State into Nigeria’s foremost investment destination with different signposts that include a technology village, a tourist hub and transformation of the state to Nigeria’s case study in human capacity development.”

Nigeria Air: Lawmakers, AON Furious over Choice of Ethiopian Airline as Preferred Bidder Say with just 5% equity, FG mortgaging national interest to Ethiopia Deals good for Africa, minister insists Udora Orizu in Abuja Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) yesterday expressed displeasure over the federal government's choice of Ethiopian Airline as the preferred bidder and the five percent equity allotted to Nigeria in the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air. The lawmakers and AON expressed their displeasure during an interactive meeting the House held with Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and other stakeholders in the aviation sector on the proposed Nigeria Air. The federal government had last month announced Ethiopian Airline as the preferred bidder for the proposed airline.

The Minister, Sirika had said the national carrier would be launched with Boeing 737-800 (NG) aircraft, followed thereafter with B787 aircraft for international operations.

Addressing the lawmakers, Sirika said the country has five percent equity, while investors have 46 per cent share, with 41 percent share for Ethiopian Air. He stressed that Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa, with 120 million citizens while Nigeria is the most populous with 250 million, hence connecting the market, with a combination

of the two countries is good for Africa.

While disclosing that all international airports across the country have been declared as free zone as part of ongoing efforts to attract investors, both and local and foreign direct investment, the Minister said President Muhammadu Buhari had given marching order to the ministry to conclude the process for the launch of the National Carrier by December, 2022.

Sirika said, "In the next six weeks, we will have the full business case.

For now, it is not Ethiopian Airline only. It is an Ethiopian Airline consortium. It is the structure that the business case has recommended; that there should be five per cent for government.

“That it should be 46 per cent for Nigeria entrepreneurs and the remaining international partners.

And this partner in this case happens to be the consortium

by Ethiopian Airline.

“Ethiopia may seem to be competitors to us. But they are partners. They are no longer competitors. Nigeria deserves a very strong, visible efficient airline.

Partnership in international civil aviation is not new. Airlines can buy shares in one airlines or the other. It is not new; it is the norm.

So are also alliances."

But in his response, the Chairman of the Committee on

Aviation, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, was of the view that the shares allotted to Nigeria was tantamount to mortgaging the interest of the country to Ethiopia.

According to him, "You are mortgaging our national interest to Ethiopia. That is why we invited you as a parliament. You can't tell us that we are coming together.

Coming together with what?

“When you talk about alliance you are talking about countries bringing in their interest to form alliance. Honourable minister, let me explain to you, it is very simple.

You are selling our rights.

"I wonder how another country's airline that will come and manage our airline will make Nigeria an aviation hub. It is very difficult.

Ethiopian Airline cannot make Nigeria an aviation hub. Ethiopian Airline is coming to take what we have and we are talking about repatriation of fund, this is where we will see blocked funds.

“You are an aviator, frankly speaking we expect something better from you. We don't have problem with setting up a national carrier. You know we don't have problem. But we are thinking that the direction we are going is very difficult.

"We are concerned about the interest of Nigeria. The traffic belongs to Nigeria, that we are not doing well today does not mean we can't do well tomorrow. We

cannot offload our BASA to a small country like Ethiopia and Ethiopia will be running our airline for us.

“How do you think tomorrow we can be better when Ethiopia has taken the industry. They will bring all the planes that they are not using to Nigeria. We are concerned about the future. Once they take it we are completely off."

Corroborating the lawmakers’ assertions, the Vice President of AON, Allen Onyema opined that the manner Ethiopia was coming into the arrangement for Nigeria Air could cause existential problems for local airlines.

According to him, there was need to carry domestic airlines along in the process.

He said if the kind of support given to international operators were extended to local operators, they would do better, adding that local airlines don't want Ethiopian Airline to come in and ravage the country.

On his part, Captain Roland Iyayi of AON said, "Many issues have not been addressed by this proposition. These issues must be addressed to be of benefit to Nigerians. There is need to have a structure that takes the interest of the country and domestic airlines.

Domestic airlines can be equipped to become national carriers. The operations of the Nigeria Air could stifle domestic operators if not properly managed."

65

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY ON THEIR MINDS...

L-R: Fleet Manager, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Mr. Ikechukwu Ekeleme; Director General, Nigerian Conservation Foundation(NCF), Dr. Joseph Onoja; Director of Administration and Human Resources, Lagos State Ministry of Environment andWater Resources, Mr. Benjamin Olayinka; Corporate Affairs and Community Partnerships Manager (Lagos/West), NBC, Mr. Jerome Oyebanji, and Director of Legal, Office of Environmental Services, Olubunmi Obadan, at the 2022 Walk-for-Nature organised by the NCF in Lagos… recently ETOP UKUTT

Terrorism: Air, Artillery Bombardment Kill 95 Bandits Troops recover 2,509,000 litres of crude oil, 16 tankers

Kingsley Nwezeh inAbuja

The military high command, yesterday, said a combined air and

artillery bombardment of criminal while 61 others were arrested.

It also said troops recovered hideouts in the North-west and North-central killed 95 bandits and 2,509,000 litres of crude oil, kidnappers in the last two weeks 133,824 litres of diesel, 7,000 litres of kerosene, one vessel and 16 tankers while 23 illegal oil refineries were destroyed even as 22 oil thieves were arrested in the Niger Delta region within the same period, adding that, the recoveries denied

oil thieves N654,850,755.04 At a media briefing in Abuja, Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj Gen Musa Damadami, said the operation was conducted by the combined troops of Operations Safe Haven, Hadarin Daji, Whirl Stroke, Restore Sanity, and Whirl Punch, as well as the air component in the said

areas of responsibility.

He said within the period under review troops neutralised seven suspected criminals, arrested 40 others and rescued 28 civilians.

In Northwest, he said, the land and air components of Operation Hadarin Daji sustained efforts to rid the joint operation area of terrorism.

“Notably, on 15 October 22,

two notorious bandits responsible for a series of kidnapping and robbery incidents as well as terrorist activities in Zamfara and part of Katsina State in the past, named Kabiru Mania and Abubakar and some foot soldiers surrendered to their own troops at Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State,” he said.

allowances of legislators.

Gbajabiamila, who spoke in Abuja, when he received a delegation from the commission at the National Assembly, said the controversy over the pay of lawmakers and making it a public debate all the time was caused by the lumping of the salaries and allowances

of lawmakers together.

According to him, allowances were tied to sundry duties or work of the office of a lawmaker like maintaining a constituency office, while the salary is the actual pay he earns as a legislator.

“You need to explain to the public the difference between

salary and allowances. A lot of people lump them together and call them our take-home package. Salary is different and allowances are meant for many other issues. This explanation should be part of what you are working on right now regarding the judiciary and political office holders,” he added.

Zulum Harps on Improved Social Welfare for Women to Tackle Poverty, Insecurity Gbajabiamila Asks Agency to Explain Lawmakers’ Salaries, Allowances to Public Segun James

The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babangana Zulum has said boosting social welfare through women empowerment has become essential to address the challenges of poverty and insecurity in Nigeria.

The governor who said this as the Guest of Honour at the closing ceremony of the 22nd National Women’s Conference organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials

(COWLSO) said, “issues of social welfare as a way of pulling many Nigerians out of poverty and tackling insecurity must be increased through women empowerment.”

Zulum who was represented by the Borno State Attorney General Mr. Auwal Abubakar, said individuals, groups and organisations and government at all levels must collaborate and, “strive hard to improve the situation of young women in Lagos and Nigeria.”

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, called on Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to consider enlightening Nigerians on the distinction between the salary and

Kyari: Convicted Drug Trafficker Narrates How ‘Ekiti Leads in Teenage Pregnancy, Cocaine was Smuggled through Enugu Int’l Airport The witness, who claimed not members of the Inspector General Nwite had ordered that the Child Marriage in South-west’ AlexEnumahinAbuja to be a drug dealer, admitted to of Police Intelligence Response three counts, which attracted

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has declared that Ekiti State has the highest incidences of teenage pregnancy in the Southwest region of Nigeria, calling on the government to implement policies that will halt the dangerous trend.

The international agency also revealed that the state was also ranked as leading in child marriage among male folks below 18 years.

A UNICEF M4R Specialist, Mrs. Oluwasola Olanipekun, gave the startling disclosure

yesterday during a workshop organised for journalists.

The training is organised by UNICEF in partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

Olanipekun, who flaunted statistics to justify her claims, said: “Verifiable records showed that in Ekiti State, one out of 10 girls gets married before age of 15 and three out of 10 boys get married before 18.”

She described the scenario as a dangerous trend that must be tackled by stakeholders to safeguard the future of the children.

Lagos Commissioner, Stakeholders Grace Unveiling of Code4teen Lab Code 4teen, one of Nigeria’s leading education technology research lab, with focus on providing solution to technology literacy for the next generation, has recently partnered Grandmates School.

This partnership has resulted to the development of a computer laboratory centered on aiding the complete integration of computer language into the educational eco-system by providing both content and infrastructure products leveraging

research and automation.

At the unveiling of the lab, the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo; owner of Greensprings School, Mrs. Lai Koiki, and Senior Special Assistant on Education to the state governor, Miss Adetola Salau, graced the occasion as well as other educational stakeholders in the state, representatives of schools using the products; business executives among others.

The sixth prosecution witness in the trial of DCP Abba Kyari and four others, Mr Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, yesterday, narrated how he and his colleagues brought cocaine from Ethiopia into Nigeria, via the Enugu International Airport.

have smuggled drugs into Nigeria only on two occasions, just as he indicted the operatives of the agency stationed at the Enugu International Airport.

Ezenwanne alongside one Chibunna Patrick Umeibe were the two drug traffickers arrested by

Team (IGP-IRT) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

They were convicted and sentenced to six years imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to the three counts charge preferred against them by the NDLEA.

two-year jail term each, would run concurrently following their plea bargain agreement with the anti-narcotic agency.

They also agreed to stand as NDLEA’s witness in the trial of the five suspended police officers of the IGP-IRT headed by Kyari.

NLC Rejects FG’s Appeal, Insists on Deregistration of CONUA, NAMDA Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has restated its opposition to federal government’s registration of two new university based unions – the Congress for Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) - describing it as fatally flawed and a twist of the clear provisions of the law.

In response to the letter from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment urging it to accommodate the newly registered union and allow peace to reign, NLC said it believed that government would see reason and reconsider the recognition granted the unions.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige had asked NLC to allow the new unions to exist in the

spirit of Freedom of Association.

He said Wabba should desist from deceiving members of the public on the issues that led to the registration CONUA and NAMDA. Ngige had accused Wabba of using his position to deceive the general public by misguiding them with mal-citations of Labour Authorities.

However, in statement yesterday by the NLC president, Ayuba

Wabba, the labour movement said the government’s action was, “in utter disregard to tri-partism which is a core pillar of ILO and attempt to interfere with, infiltrate and balkanize an existing trade union.”

While citing legal provisions, Wabba said the government’s action was fatally flawed and represented a twist of the clear provisions of the law to serve a premeditated purpose.

Conference of Speakers Tackle Omo - Agege over Comments on Constitution Review Segun AwofadejiinBauchi Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CSSLN) has declared that the press release recently authored by the Deputy President and Chairman, Constitution Review Committee, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, on the ongoing constitution review

exercise made on October 18, 2022, was designed not only to blackmail the State Houses of Assembly but also to undermine them.

The CSSLN, therefore, declared that it would “like to make it clear that we will not give in to blackmail and intimidation by anyone no matter how highly placed,” stressing that it has never truncated and will never truncate

any constitution alteration exercise in the country.

The conference, in a rejoinder to the Press Release by the Deputy President and the Chairman Constitution Review Committee, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, on the ongoing constitution review exercise made on October 18, 2022, stated that the response would

have been unnecessary.

A press release that was issued yesterday by the Chairman of CSSLN, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y. Suleiman, who is also the Speaker Bauchi State House of Assembly, stated that “it is, therefore, imperative we make clarifications in the misrepresentations of the CSSLN and indeed the State Houses of Assembly.”

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

66

NEWS XTRA

WIMBIZ PREPARES FOR ANNAUL CONFERENCE...

L-R: Chair, Conference Planning Group, Technology Sub-committee, Molade Adeniyi; Executive Director, Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), Hansatu Adegbite; Chair, Conference Planning Group Committee, Binta Max-Gbinije; Chair, Advocacy Committee, Ronke Onadeko; Vice Chair, Conference Planning Group Committee, Foluso Gbadamosi, and Corporate Services Manager, WIMBIZ, Nnenna Enekweizu, during a pressing briefing on the forthcoming WIMBIZ 21st annual conference in Lagos…recently

Self-protection: Buhari, IG Sued over Refusal to Permit Nigerians Acquire Assault Riffles Alex Enumah in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police (IG) have been dragged before a Federal High Court, Abuja over their refusal to grant Nigerians licences for the possession of assault rifles for self-defence.

The suit filed by human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, was predicated on alleged claim that the federal government has failed to uphold its constitutional obligation of the protection of life.

By the suit Omirhobo is asking the court for interpretation of relevant sections of the Firearms Act, Criminal Code Act and other

Low Rating Worries Edo, Set to Boost Ease of Doing Business Adibe Emenyonu inBeninCity The low rating of Edo State (34) in the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) is a source of worry as the government has vowed to work with all stakeholders to reverse the trend.

At a workshop held in conjunction with GIZ in Benin City yesterday, Kelvin Uwaibi, who is the Secretary of the Ease of Doing Business in the state, noted that the survey was perspective in nature but assured that stakeholders were being carried along to ensure that the rating changes.

He said: “The state was 34th in

the Ease of Doing Business rating but I am sure we have done a lot and it will improve when the next rating is released before the end of the year.

“Today’s events is to seek agreement with the Local Government the on how to improve the way business is done since most businesses take place at the level. We also launched the Ease of Doing Business guide to ensure that the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have a document to work with. The guide will also give the MDAs something to look at as a benchmark.

WAEC: 30m WASSCE Candidates to Access, Share Originals of Digital Certificates

Funmi Ogundare

About 30 million certificate holders who had taken the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as far back as 1999 till date, will be able to access and share the original copies of their digital certificates from anywhere in the world, the Head of National Office ( HNO) Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Areghan, has said.

Areghan disclosed this yesterday in Lagos, at the launch

of WAEC digital certificate platform, that will enable users to access, share, request and confirm their certificates.

Those of 1970 to 1998, he noted, will be attended to shortly.

To assess, confirm and share the certificates, users will have to pay; N 7,500, N5,000 and N3,500, respectively. Areghan said the platform will also be used to recover candidates’ forgotten/lost examination numbers, adding that attestation which used to cost N60,000, has been reduced to N7,500.

African Journalists in Moscow for Training

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

A special session of the SputnikPro project for young journalists from African countries opened in the headquarters of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency and Radio Sputnik Moscow.

The 15 participants include television and radio hosts, as well as correspondents and producers of African biggest

media holdings, such as the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), New Vision Media Group (Uganda), News Agency of Nigeria, Zambia Daily Mail, Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), South Africa’s Independent Media Newspaper House, Radio Sabra FM (Tunisia) and Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), to name a few.

relevant laws as to whether it is lawful, legal and constitutional for the second defendant (President) to refuse, fail or neglect to grant him licence to possess an assault rifle for protection of his life and that of his family.

In the suit marked, FHC/ ABJ/CS/1078/2021, the plaintiff is particularly seeking, “A declaration that he and other Nigerian citizens are entitled to defend themselves against unlawful violence of being

killed, raped, sodomized, extorted, kidnapped, abducted, brutalised, dehumanised, debased, deprived of their rights to private and family life, freedom of movement, right of residency, peaceful assembly and association

and protection of their property from the attacks of heavily armed criminals with AK 47 Assault rifle, General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) and other sophisticated weapons, by means of licensed fire arms.

Makinde: We’ve Ensured Integrity, Transparency in Governance in Oyo Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan Oyo State Governor, ’Seyi Makinde, yesterday said his administration has employed the principles of transparency and integrity to activate good governance in the state.

This is just as he stated that his administration has been able to achieve success because it has been transparent with the

finances of the state.

Makinde said these yesterday at the 11th Chief Emeka Anyaoku Awards/Lecture Series on Good Governance, organised by the Youth Affairs International Foundation held in Ibadan.

Makinde said: “I want to thank the organisers for bringing this edition of this brilliant event to Ibadan and giving us the

opportunity to host the 11th Chief Emeka Anyaoku lecture series.

“Well, I am always excited about any event that brings together leaders; the learning opportunities they provide do have profound impact on leadership and governance.

“Justice has been done to the topic entitled ‘imperative of good governance in Nigeria.’

“I sat down there and listened to the lecture and I have also heard the discussion about 2023. Some people say good governance is a relative term, which is difficult to define but from the keynote speaker, he has taken us through some parts where we know if there is anything like good governance, there will definitely be bad governance.

ADC Presidential Candidate Pledges to fix Nigerians’Problems if Elected Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja The presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) Dumebi Kachikwu, has pledged to fix all Nigerians’ problems if voted into power in 2023.

Kachikwu, who disclosed this while speaking at a town hall meeting with the members of party in Lokoja yesterday

stated that Nigerians need a president who understands the challenges of this country.

He explained that in the ADC peace and unity are the watch words, noting that if voted into power he would not allow religious and ethnicity to divide the country.

The ADC presidential flag bearer said that Nigerian President must have mental

aptitude, stressing that such president must understands the problems and have ability to solve them.

“We want to lead a country that will work .Everyone you see tell them that Dumebi has come”, he posited.

The BOT member of ADC and former Minister, Senator Patricia Akwashiki pointed out that ADC is quite different

from other political parties.

Akwashiki pointed out that in ADC power is solely rested in the hands of the people and have the power to elect for themselves the better presidential material.

She said:” Nobody should bring ethnicity and religion to divide us. Our Presidential candidate have been preaching love and peace.”

Nasarawa Communities Beg Gov to Probe Abandoned Road Project Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia Youth leaders of Shupe and Atabula communities in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State yesterday begged Governor Abdullahi Sule of the state to investigate contractors handling Gude -Shupe-Atabula -Obi road project in the area.

The community leaders in an interview with journalists in their separate villages alleged that the contractor had siphoned

funds released to him for the construction of the road for his personal use and abandoned the project.

According to one of the youth leaders, Comrade Ajeh Yakubu, “we have ran short of patience because youths in our area have been threatening to protest when they heard the governor claiming that our road project had been completed.”

Governor Abdullahi Sule had during his 2022 Independence

anniversary speech said the road had been completed.

“We wonder who is feeding the governor with these kinds of lies. The project has long been abandoned.”

Another youth leader, Mr. Makama Ogidis said: “We were happy with the governor when he flagged off the road project for construction in his first one hundred days in office, but the same road had been abandoned.

The contractor has disappeared

into thin air.

“As I speak, flood has washed away some culverts constructed by the contractor. Our communities have been exposed to environmental hazards due to the poor work done on the roads.

“We want the governor to visit the site to inspect the level of work done by the contractor, just as he has been visiting other projects flagged off by his administration in other local government areas in the state.”

We’re Working with Security Agencies to Arrest, Prosecute Illegal Miners, Says Minister

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Hon. Olamileke Adegbite, yesterday revealed that his ministry would work with security agencies to arrest and prosecute illegal miners at the mining sites in Nigeria.

According to Adegbite, illegal miners are foreigners who came to Nigeria on different purposes

but venture into mining without licenses.

The minister made the disclosure at the 93rd Annual Lecture of the Government College Old Boys Association, held at the Justice Bolarinwa Babalakin Conference Hall, Gbongan, Osun State.

Adegbite stressed that his ministry is working with the immigration people to check

the visa of the foreigners.

He said: “We are using the law enforcement people where they have power of coercion, the police, the civil defense, the army and Air Force to make sure that wherever we find them and we arrest them and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”

He, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari as the first government that

committed to diversification of economies from oil and gas sector in the history of Nigeria.

Adegbite said, “President Muhammadu Buhari is the first president singular honor to have granted the kind of funding that’s required to project the mining sector. The government gave extra budgetary allocation to the mining sector in 2017 that 30 billion naira as of that was $100 million.”

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

67

NEWS XTRA

Eleven Persons Die in Ogun Multiple Auto Crashes James Sowole in Abeokuta No fewer than 11 persons were confirmed dead yesterday in two separate accidents which occurred on two of the federal highways in Ogun State corridors.

While one person died in the first accident that occurred early Wednesday along the Abeokuta - Sango Ota highway, another10 person were burnt beyond recognition when a truck conveying Premium Motor Spirit (PMP), popularly referred to as petroleum exploded along

the ever busy Lagos - Ibadan expressway yesterday morning.

The Public Education Officer for Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Florence Okpe, who confirmed the accident, explained that an IVECO containerised truck with registration numbers LAR 654 YD involved in the first accident, fell on a Peugeot salon car at Itori axis of Ewekoro Local Government Area, killing one man out of the two occupants.

She further stated that the

second accident, which occurred between Conoil fueling station and Sagamu interchange corridor of Lagos - Ibadan expressway around few minutes after 2a.m, involved the PMS laden tanker truck which exploded and burnt three other trucks and a commercial bus with all it’s 10 passengers.

The FRSC spokesperson blamed the multiple crash on excessive speed which led to loss of control on the part of the IVECO TRUCK and smash the Tanker body which resulted to fire outbreak due to leakage.

FG to Honour Abiodun with Industrial Revolution Award

James Sowole inAbeokuta

In recognition of his efforts to enhance rapid industrialisation, enhance the ease of doing business and make the state Nigeria’s top investment destination, President Muhammadu Buhari, will today decorate Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun with the ‘Distinguished Award for Industrial Revolution.’

The president’s intention, was disclosed in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin.

The letter was addressed to the

governor by the Permanent Secretary (General Services) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Nmadi Mbaeri.

According to the letter, the awards, which would be held at the State House Conference Centre Abuja, and being organised by The Best Strategic Media (TBS) in collaboration with the Office of the SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha.

The statement said, “The latest award, coming on the heels of the confirmation by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that Ogun State, with N100.9 billion revenue profile

in 2021, is one of the states with the highest internally generated revenue nationwide, coming only after Lagos, the FCT and Rivers State, is expected to further spur the Ogun governor to achieve greater excellence in governance.

“According to industry watchers, the governor has, in the last three and a half years, been credited with superlative performances in the area of investments in agriculture, road infrastructure, ICT, urban renewal, the building of an Agro-allied Airport, and security of life and property.”

Adamawa Women Protest Court’s Verdict Nullifying Election of APC Gov Candidate Daji Sani in Yola Adamawa State chapter of Women in Politics has staged a peaceful protest against a Federal High Court’s judgement annulling the

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as KOMOLAFE ANUOLUWAPO OLAJUMOKE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NNADI ANUOLUWAPO OLAJUMOKE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as NNADI UGONNA PEACE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OZOR UGONNA PEACE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as PATIENCE EJENAM, now wish to be known and address as PRECIOUS TOSOBUAFOR EJENAM. All former documents remain valid.

Ambrose Alli University and the general public and Should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OME-EGEONU CHIKWE CHIKERU, now wish to be known and addressed as ALLWELL CHIKWE CHIKERU. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

I formerly known as AMUSA HALIMAT GBEMISOLA now wish to be known called and address as OJORA HALIMAT GBEMISOLA. All documents bearing former name remain valid General public and Authority concern should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as PATIENCE .C. OKORIE, now wish to be known and addressed as PATIENCE CHINONYEREM NWOKEMODO-IHEJIRIKA. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS SUKPA MABEL ENIYE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OJOGBON MABEL ENIYE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Governorship primary that produced Sen Aishatu Ahmed Dihiru Binani and also stopping her from parading herself as governorship candidate of the party in the state.

Speaking to Journalists in Yola shortly after the protest , the Women leader of the group, Comfort Ibrahim Ezra said women in Adamawa disagreed with the Court’s judgment passed against Binani the APC gubernatorial candidate.

Ezra said that every well-meaning party member should stand by Binani because recent events have proven that she is the candidate to beat in the Adamawa Governorship election of 2023.

She revealed that Binani is already rattling the political space of Adamawa that even the PDP had to make drastic changes to stabilise their political strategy that is being destabilised by the general acceptability of Binani.

“You all might want to know why the PDP government in Adamawa swiftly replaced her

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

, FRQ¿UP WKDW OBAFEMI MARY OLUFUNKE and MEGBOLUGBE MARY OLUFUNKE refer to the same person. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public should please take note.

, FRQ¿UP WKDW ADESHOLA RASHEEDAT BALOGUN and ADESHOLA RASHIDAT BALOGUN refer to the same person.

All former documents remain valid.

Nigeria immigration and general public should please take note. , FRQ¿UP WKDW SUNDAY DANIEL GOD””SWI and SUNDAY DANIEL GODSWILL refer to the same person. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

That my name was written as AINAKHU BLESSING during my National Diploma, and it was also written as AINAKHU BLESSING ONOSHIOGIE during my WAEC, JAMB and other documents, it refers to one and same person now wish to be called and addressed as AINAKHU BLESSING ONOSHIOGIE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take

deputy governor candidate with a woman immediately after Binani won the APC Governorship primary election. The fear of Binani is the beginning of the catch-up strategy.

“We urged women stakeholders in the political space to rise and defend the women by protecting the mandate duly given to Binani.

“We must all remember that women are nation builders and can adequately manage resources and deliver on the needs of the people,” Ezra said

Police Boss Tells Politicians to Maintain Peace in Akwa Ibom Okon Bassey in Uyo The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Olatoye Durosinmi, has called on leaders of political parties in the state to maintain the peace being experienced in the state.

He made the call at a meeting with leaders of political parties in the state in preparation for free, fair and credible elections in 2023.

Durosinmi noted that the state is a peace brand that should be maintained.

He promised the command would create a level playing ground for all political parties in the state to function before, during and after the elections.

He assured that the police under his watch will remain apolitical, firm and committed to credible elections.

The commissioner charged leaders of political parties to advise their candidates and supporters to carry out people and issue based election campaigns rather than campaigns of calumny.

He warned against violence during campaigns and stated that those who are fond of defacing billboards and destroying posters would have the command to contend with if they don’t desist forthwith.

Durosinmi sought the cooperation of all Akwa Ibomites and security agencies for a peaceful and successful 2023 general election.

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Anti-Racism: Prophet Muhammad’s Example Craig Considine/Islamicity

R

elations between different ethnic and religious groups are deteriorating at a rapid pace. Muslims are pitted against non-Muslims and black and brown people are pitted against white.

What is needed now more than ever is a role model whose teachings counter bigotry and whose acts serve as a model for coexistence. I believe that role model is none other than Prophet Muhammad.

Approximately 1,400 years before the Civil Rights movement in the US and the anti-apartheid campaign in South Africa, the Prophet Muhammad dealt with the issues of xenophobia and prejudice in Arabia. In this short piece, I highlight how the Prophet fought against the idea of judging individuals and groups based solely on their skin color and ancestry.

Prophet Muhammad’s anti-racist views are seen in his friendship with Bilal ibn Rabah, a black slave who rose to a leading position within the Muslim community of 7th century Arabia. One story relates how Muhammad defended Bilal after Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari, one of the Prophet’s companions, called Bilal “the son of a black woman.” Annoyed with this emphasis of identifying people by skin color, Muhammad criticized Abu Dharr by stating “you are the man who still has the traits of ignorance in him.”

The Prophet’s reference to Abu Dharr’s ignorance refers to the “pre-Islamic” state of jahiliyyah, an Arabic term meaning “the state of ignorance of Divine guidance.”

This period of Arab history before Muhammad’s arrival was marked by “barbarism” and “lawlessness,” as described in the Quran. The Prophet’s anti-racist mentality helped lead Arabs out of this darkness and into the light by guiding them onto the path of justice and equality.

Bilal, who other Muslims referred to as “master” because of his knowledge and grace, became the muezzin of the Prophet, meaning that he was responsible for calling Muslims to the five daily prayers. In choosing Bilal for this honorable role, Muhammad demonstrated that social exclusion and subordination based upon skin color was not to be permitted in an Islamic society.

Before Muhammad revealed his message, Arabs were overly proud of their tribal and ethnic identities, so much so that tribes and ethnic groups became the social standard of society. The Prophet’s teachings changed all of that. He emphasized the importance of piety as the hallmark of respect. In challenging Abu Dharr, Muhammad showed that he was willing

to rebuke even his closest companions if that person denigrated someone because of his or her ethnicity.

The Prophet believed that this form of “tribalism,” or al-asabiyyah in Arabic, was cancerous because it drove people to ethnic loyalties even if that meant they supported oppression and injustice.

The Prophet’s Last Sermon at Mount Arafat in 632 AD is perhaps his most noteworthy manifestation of anti-racism.

In his speech, Muhammad stated that “An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab ... a white person has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over white except by piety and good action.”

The Last Sermon is the culminating point of Muhammad’s life. He challenged a disunited population that was constantly engaged in warfare by calling on people to unite under a banner of humanity. By distancing himself from the tendency to categorize others based upon ethnicity, the Prophet preceded the words of Martin Luther King Jr., whose “I Have a Dream” speech called for African Americans to be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Muhammad’s message of anti-racism is especially important now. Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, the African American civil rights leader who is more commonly called Malcolm X, reflected Muhammad’s insistence on harmony. After he performed Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage, El-Shabazz wrote home to his friends that all Muslim pilgrims in Mecca accepted the “Oneness of God.” He added that white people in the US should echo the Muslim pilgrims and “cease to measure and hinder and harm others in terms of their differences in color.” El-Shabazz’s anti-racism perspective mirrors Muhammad’s spirit of friendship and inclusivity. Like the Prophet, El-Shabazz is a role model for the antiracism movement.

I consider Muhammad to be a quintessential antiracist figure because he promoted peace and equality.

Without a doubt, he advanced human rights in an area of the world that had no previous experience with this practice. Non-Muslims who belittle the Prophet have certainly not considered the examples highlighted above.

To further promote better relations between Muslims and non-Muslims as well as people of different skin colors, it is imperative that media outlets highlight Muhammad’s anti-racist ethos. Rather than being a divisive figure, Muhammad is an inspiration for those working to rid the world of the evil of racism.

The Right to Life By: Islamweb Allah the Almighty honored man and created him with His own Hand and Blew into him from His Spirit.

Then, Allah the Almighty made His angels prostrate to the man and subjected to him all that is in the heavens and the earth – all from Him. Moreover, Allah the Almighty Determined the man a successor on earth and bestowed talents and blessings upon him so that he can dominate the earth. Allah preferred the man over all beasts and animals. Man cannot fulfill his goals unless he takes his rights in full. At the forefront of these rights, which are guaranteed by Islam, is the right to life – an inviolable right.

Allah, the Exalted, Says (what means): {And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right.} [Quran 6:151]. The right that permits the taking of souls was explained by the Prophet (pbuh) when he (pbuh) reportedly said: “It is not permissible to spill the blood of a Muslim except in three cases: the married person who commits adultery, a life for a life, and the one who forsakes his religion and separates from the group.” [Muslim] Out of its great concern for the protection of life, Islam threatens those who deem it permissible to kill with the severest punishment. In the Quran, Allah the Almighty Says (what means): {But whoever kills a believer intentionally – his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment.} [Quran 4:93] Moreover, it is clearly indicated in authentic Ahadeeth (ritual of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that killing a believer is one of the gravest sins. In a Hadeeth via Al-Bara’ Ibn ‘Azib (ra) the Prophet (pbuh) said: “If this world were to be destroyed, that would be less significant before Allah than the unlawful killing of a believer.” [Ibn Majah] In another Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri (ra) the Prophet (pbuh) said: “If the inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth all took part in shedding the blood of a believer, then Allah would cast them (all) in the Fire.” [Imam Tirmithi]. Also, Ibn ‘Umar (ra) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “He who helps in (the spilling of) the blood of a Muslim, even with half a word, it will be written between his eyes on the Day of Judgment ‘Desperate of the mercy of

Allah’.” [Al-Bayhaqi] The Noble Quran prohibits us from killing our children out of fear of poverty and starvation. Regarding with this Allah the Almighty Says (what means): {And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin.} [Quran 17:31] In another verse that speaks about a common practice among the Arabs during Jahiliyyah period (the pre-Islamic era of ignorance), Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed.} [Quran 81:8-9] This equally applies to the non-Muslims who live under the rule of a Muslim nation and enter into an agreement of protection with the Muslim ruler – be they Jews or Christians. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘As, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever killed a mu‘ahid (a person who is granted the pledge of protection by the Muslims) shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even though its fragrance can be smelt at a distance of forty years.” [Al-Bukhari] Moreover, Allah, the Exalted, Says (what means): {So if they remove themselves from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allah has not made for you a cause [for fighting] against them.} [Quran 4:90] This also applies to the one who commits suicide.

Allah the Almighty Warns us against this, Saying (what means): {And do not kill yourselves [or one another].

Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.} [Quran 4:29] Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hellfire, and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in Hellfire.” [Al-Bukhari] Hence, Allah the Almighty legislated retribution and the killing of the intentional killer as a revenge from him and purification for society. Allah the Almighty says (what means): {And there is for you in legal retribution [saving of] life, O you [people] of understanding, that you may become righteous.} [Quran 2:179] Even in manslaughter, Allah, the Exalted, does not exempt the killer from liability. Rather, He made it obligatory upon him to set a slave free and give ransom. If he cannot free a slave, he is required to fast for two consecutive months. Ransom for manslaughter is ordained by Islam so that people do not take life lightly and to inspire respect for the human soul.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

68

BACKPAGE CONTINUATION PETER OBI/DATTI YUSUF CANDIDATURE: THE CONVERGENCE OF VIRTUAL WITH PHYSICAL & DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE OLD MYTHS academic research on the popular success idea behind leadership culture of Nigerian pioneer leaders, with special focus on Northern leaders.

This study was provoked after what Prof Dan Richie, former President cum Pro-chancellor, university of Denver (DU), Denver, Colorado, USA (my alma mater) described as one of the most impressive State visits to the White House by an African leader. Prof Richie was referring to the state visit of the late Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria in 1961.

Incidentally that was when Peter Obi was born.

In 1961, Prime minister Balewa visited President John F. Kennedy, in what many research scholars and historians have described as one of the best State visits by any African head of state, except Nelson Mandela. In brevity, the basic findings of our study was that, what brought the success, popularity, charismatic culture and near mythical profile of old northern leaders was their deliberate focus on formation of character, ethics and development of set principles/values like integrity, conservativeness, courage, compassion, responsibility, Justice, service, humility, altruism and veracity.

These enduring values were the hallmarks of their success. This explained why they enjoyed popular general acceptance and loyalty by their people and high recognition and accolades in terms of how they were received outside their region.

Today, following many societal forces and the atrophying of our cherished core values, there is a paradigm shift from that character ethics to what I will call the anomy of personality ethics by present day northern leaders, who now focus, like their counterparts in the South, on narrow parochial selfserving pursuits of style, image, posturing, ostentatious indulgences characterized by pronounced interest in excessive self-aggrandizement at the expense of the common man. The noticeable agitation by the down trodden in the north against their current leaders today which has eroded public confidence in the new progressives of highly educated younger generation is simply because there is emphasis on appearing to be, rather than to truly be by these present day northern leaders. Imagine how Saduana, Aminu Kano, Balewa etc. will feel if they were alive today. Their legacy appears to have been tainted by their successors in a labyrinth of amnesia, leaving their posterity in the doldrums of misery.

This brings me to this young, charismatic and progressive intellectual call Datti Yusuf. After his announcement as Peter’s running mate, I decided to do an in-depth study of him and Peter Obi, as I was deciding on who to support among the presidential candidates. Antecedent is a pattern of behaviour over a period of time. It reveals one’s philosophical approach to life, reasoning and how you managed affairs left under your care. In all the businesses he was involved with, I saw astute management, compassion, discipline, conservatism and seriousness. Importantly for me, was that foreign and local people spoke highly about his performance at Baze university and the high standards he set there. In that process, he is involved in this conscious molding and recruitment of future leaders of Nigeria, to see each other as one.

I want to believe he agreed to be Obi’s running mate not because he loves his Hausa/Fulani extraction less, but because he loves Nigeria more. Condoleezza Rice wrote, in her memoir “No Higher Honour”, History is made in advance but written in retrospect.

For long there has been deliberate attempts by politicians with ulterior motives to portray the narrative that Igbos and the Hausa/Fulani are at war. That they hate each other. Fact is from time immemorial, Igbos live, trade and invest massively in the north. Igbos and Hausa/Fulani share many common values, historical accounts, few of which I shall enumerate.

In 1956, the mayor of Enugu city, in south east Nigeria was a man called Mallam Umaru Altine.

He was elected twice and his records of great achievements remain unquestioned.

In 1959, when the eastern House of Chiefs was constituted, Mallam Umaru Yushau, the Sarkin Hausawa (the Chief of the Hausa) in Onitsha was elected a member of the Eastern House of Chiefs.

In 1957, in Kano, Chief Felix Okonkwo was appointed special member of the Northern House of Chiefs. Obi and Datti have this unique opportunity to give us back that Nigeria again, which seems elusive now. Needless to mention that Nnamdi Azikiwe of NCNC, first Nigerian President was in political alliance with Tafawa Balewa of Northern Political Congress (NPC), former Nigerian Prime Minister, during the first republic.

When they do so, it will be the demystification of the old myth that Igbos and Hausa/ Fulani cannot work together, hate each other. It will be a triumph of friendship and diplomacy over fear, lies and ‘divide us’ tactic. It will be triumph of Competence and merit over entitlements.

Easterners who lived in the North in the 1940s, 1950s and shortly before the infamous Nigeria civil war would attest to how their Hausa/ Fulani neighbours gave them back their abandoned properties when they returned after the war. Some have the tendency to choose bad side of history.

But men of goodwill driven by positive energy don’t. And I refuse to.

Datti has a chance now to provoke the consciousness of all the youthful progressives of the North to join him in this clarion call. He is a successful educationist, entrepreneur and has served his people in parliament. He comes with excellent pedigree and understanding of what’s at stake and the imperatives of the urgency of now.

He can rekindle the ideals of Sarduana, Belewa, Aminu Kano and many other past northern leaders.

When dubious politicians pitch Igbos against our Hausa/ Fulani brethren, I remind them of many children who are half Igbos because of their mother’s origins and many who made lifetime friendship across the Niger.

Ahmed Joda, until his death was family friends to the Anthony Ukpabi Asikas. Yet, he was Fulani.

I had the honour and privilege of spending many Sallah festivals and feasting at his Yola home, the last one was 2019 before his death. General Ibrahim Babangida’s children are half Igbos because his late wife Miriam was one; General Nyako of Adamawa’s children are half Igbos, my late friend Alhaji Sagir Hamidu of Zamfara, his children are half Igbos.

Late Senator Adamu Augie of Kebbi State, his children are half Igbos with Justice Amina Augie of the Supreme Court. Conversely, there are many Igbo men who married Hausa/ Fulani women with half Hausa/ Fulani children.

To be sure, I pretend not to be naive, there are some actions, inactions, behaviours and activities by some infinitesimal percentage of Igbos that may fuel these suspicions, just as there are inconsequential percentage of some Hausa/Fulani people that provoke the fear and apprehensions that grip some Igbos. But I venture to say what unites us, remains greater than what divides us, if only we want to reason objectively and frankly. Yusuf must utilize this chance to underscore the positivity of our Igbo/Hausa/ Fulani bonds. This is our chance and this is our time!

Peter Obi (aka) OBI-DIENT movement reminds me of Winston Churchill’s remarks during those dark moments of the Second World War, “when great forces are on the move in the world , we learn we are spirits ... not animals; And he said, there is something going on in time and space , and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty. The assembly of these forces are not by accident. Even the gods support this cause”. This OBI- DIENT movement can only be described best in this way.

Peter Obi’s governance successes as former governor of Anambra state, south east Nigeria have been documented adequately and need not be repeated here.

But what people didn’t realize was Peter’s long time strategic game plan from inception and knew what he wanted to provoke. Being acutely aware that publicity is tantamount to relevance, Obi got himself engaged in public interviews, interactions and public debates with the youths on good governance anchored on conservative economic values and principles and reducing cost of running government. He spoke at every opportune time and place. His audience were mostly youths and professionals. Opponents laughed at his seemingly feminine voice, called him frugal and dismissed him with a wave of hand.

It was merely on social media platforms but he built it and like a typical investor put it on fixed reserve for a greater yield (ROI) one day.

Then came political parties’ primaries season.

His former party (PDP), frustrated him out. He exited quietly and refused to pay any kobo as bribe, as he would fondly say “shishi”.

Most commentators thought it was over, possibly returning to his business. Suddenly he was announced as the presidential candidate of the workers party - Labour Party. Laughable, opponents concluded as they could not see any new party making a significant impact, enough to threaten the two known major parties in Nigeria, APC and PDP. The question on the lips is what is it about Peter Obi that resonated with Nigerians to provoke this avalanche of OBI-DIENT movement. It’s almost like a revolution. For me, the answer is captured in his political manifesto just released. In it, his numero Uno priority is the unification of the country. We are divided. We hate and distrust one another.

Each ethic nationality has one blame on another and it was orchestrated by bad politicians who trade on divide and rule.

What Nigeria and Nigerians need now is a leader who has the broad mindedness to be all

TINUBU’S ACTION PLAN ENVISIONS BETTER ECONOMY POWERED

BY YOUTHS, FARMERS AND WORKERS sector based on how many unemployed urban youths a company employs and encourage youths to innovate with state credit to information technology start-ups.

To domesticate industrial production, a Tinubu administration will encourage international manufacturing companies to produce what we import domestically, in the conviction that laws such as the Local Content Law will

oblige backward integration and transfer of knowledge to Nigerians.

With agriculture and industry driving a new phase of the Nigerian economy, the additional impetus from the new measures to be introduced in energy, transportation, technology, health and education will generate the surplus needed to tame inflation, strengthen the Naira and put the economy in faster track.

inclusive and treat us all as one. A leader who will help destroy the prevailing erroneous impression and fear that most Hausa/Fulani people are bad.

This is not true. Ahmed Joda was Fulani, Umaru Altine was Fulani, Alhaji Yushau was Fulani, Sagir Hamidu was Fulani. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who is feeding many families and providing massive employment to all, irrespective of your tribe or religion is Fulani. We must resist such generalizations.

Look around you, you will find Hausa/Fulani friends, neighbours, colleagues etc., who are full of the milk of human kindness. What Nigerians and Nigeria need now is a leader who will help destroy the erroneous impression that all Igbos are nothing but pecuniary oriented vultures bent on dominating and controlling the Nigeria commerce and destroying the unity of Nigeria. This is not true. when people agitate and protest against inequality, marginalization, uneven distribution of political benefits and development, that is not destroying the unity of Nigeria. We can debate and disagree on the choice of modus operandi.

But fact is, no place in Nigeria you can’t find Igbos living, building and settling as homes, helping with overall development of the place and integrating themselves as part and parcel of that place. No evidence of believing in one united Nigeria greater than that. Being oblivious of this and just isolating their protest for equal treatment is unfair.

Ironically, all regions are crying out for egalitarianism too, from south-west to south-south, including some groups in the northern middle belt and even some core northern states.

Nigeria needs a leader who will not play the politics of religion, a leader focused on keeping Nigeria one, which is a task that must be done. Not a few can see that Peter Obi is the candidate who appreciates this yearning and desire of all Nigerians. Those downplaying this have no idea what this country is losing from this hatred and division.

The security situation in this country is almost beyond redemption. We are fixated on oil revenue and the devastation going on there but let me call your attention to other important areas. Nigeria has lost over $600 million in export revenue to Maritime security threats such as Piracy, sea robbery and hijack of vessels. Sea robbery has retarded economic development of coastal areas in Nigeria through the loss of $114.4 billion from 2008. In 2011, it was estimated that Nigeria lost over $7.7 billion to illegal oil bunkering (Reuchlin, 2015).

These loses have huge development implications of this country. I don’t want to sound too much as a scholar here with these depressing statistics, except to say we have huge economically related security challenges.

The only candidate now who appears ready and prepared to tackle these challenges is Peter Obi and Datti Yusuf, by their numerous public statements and undoubted experience in resource management.

The level of corruption is mind boggling. The infrastructural failures because of corruption in this country makes me wonder if our leaders who travel to Dubai and other countries are normal.

The Lagos- Ibadan express road has taken many years and galloping billions, yet finishing it is not in sight. Same is Enugu- Port Harcourt express way, Abuja-Lokoja express way. Port Harcourt through Warri express road just collapsed because of corruption related poor construction.

Peter Obi is not puritanical or holier than thou, but he knows the eyes of the OBI-DIENT movement is on him. Obi and Yusuf understand public policy well, how to attract funding through infrastructural bonds among rich Nigerians. Presently, we are addicted to borrowing to finance our infrastructure rebuilding. Look at our debt profile, especially with China. According to Director General of Debt Management Office, Mrs. Patience Oniha, we are about 41.6 trillion Naira in debts overall, and this shall be passed to our children. Lord have mercy!

Where in the world will you see a country having a budget of about 20 trillion Naira with only 9 trillion as anticipated revenue, leaving a deficit of about 11 trillion? Worst still, with recurrent expenditure greater than capital expenditure. Look at the amount earmarked for debt servicing and subsidy. To be sure, nothing is wrong in borrowing but what’s wrong in Nigeria is we borrow to service debts and pay oil subsidies, instead of investmenting.

Peter Obi has no monopoly of knowledge, so he must assemble a team of experts in different fields, helping him with questions as he moves along his campaign’s trails. He needs to schedule reasonable amount of time to help his governorship, senate, House of Representatives candidates campaigning in different states. He can’t win alone, he needs Labour Party senators and federal house members too. He must cut down on his diaspora/foreign visits and allocate that time campaigning for/with and supporting other Labour Party candidates with his infectious celebrity popularity.

When it comes to education, it’s obvious Yusuf and him will invest heavily. It’s unacceptably ludicrous for a country to invest only 5% of her annual budget in education. Nigeria should at least increase it to 15% or more. You build wealth through education. We need Obi who appreciates the inevitability of a strategic investment in human capital development in new areas of study like Artificial intelligence, robotic science, entrepreneurship and skill acquisition. We are in a knowledge based

global economy. Obi must create an intellectual task force who will travel around the world recruiting conscious future leaders of Nigeria. Bring them together and form a strategic alignment of like minds. Let them think, create/ develop and bring forth ideas to solve our problem.

Obi understands the imperatives of market forces, capitalist principles in the contemporary concept of globalization and the new world order. Obi knows how to grow business and create wealth and jobs.

He did them in Anambra state as a governor.

In making this strong case why Obi should be our next president, I saw the presence of three indices which must define a modern true leader.

These indices are what Aaron Miller called the 3Cs: Crisis, Character and Capacity. Obi has imbibed these 3Cs and this explains why he enjoys the popular general acceptance, recognition and support everywhere he goes. It’s this unique humility and acceptance of responsibility that brought about this OBI-DIENT movement and it is unquenchable.

Obi must bring Nigeria at par with other comity of Nations. Nigerian foreign policy must be redefined to be dictated by core national economic interests. This paradigm shift is necessary to meet the challenges of unfolding new global alignments.

Before now, Peter Obi support base was drawn largely from youths and professionals. Now comes the lion in the forest. The great African legend, one of the most intellectually busy and cerebral Nigerian leader, our own venerable president Olusegun Obasanjo, ostensibly the father of the nation. Obasanjo is not only supporting Obi, in fact he is carrying him on his head (figuratively speaking). I know this because l am an insider but limited by what l can say publicly.

No one can afford to sit on the fence any longer because what’s at stake has repercussions for generations to come. Captains of industries, notable great men of thoughts, scholars, must all come out now to join this OBI-DIENT movement.

I remind all that poverty does not discriminate along ethnic, religious and tribal lines. The killings that are taking place in south east, is taking place in Zamfara. Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, Yobe, Benue and all northern states as in south west and south south. Make no mistake about it, no region is immune. If we don’t stand up NOW, WHEN? Posterity will not forgive us if we don’t do this collectively as a NIGERIAN PROJECT. Yes politics is all about interest and every politics is local.

But there is no interest greater than the collective unity of Nigeria as one nation. Peter Obi is our best chance to reunite and become one United Nigerian Family again.

No doubt the 2023 presidential election is not going to be an easy one, because we have at least two other solid and strong contenders. They have track records of doggedness, resilience, years of political experience, one in presidential contests and the other in reach and alliances, not to ignore being a candidate of the ruling party. They have deep pockets and have been in the arena for long.

People are hungry and susceptible to monetary inducements. I get all that and factored them in.

I don’t underestimate them but in any race where there are two or more contenders, only one can emerge first. Even Steve Wonder can see that Obi is the most prepared, favourably disposed, worked hard and competent for this job at this time in Nigerian history. Not because he is Igbo, not because he is Christian, not even because he is young, but because he is most qualified in all areas. Let me make quick to caution against complacency which normally characterizes most front runners.

What the OBI-DIENT leadership movement need to do now is SWOT analysis. They need to look at their strengths and weaknesses and determine how they can leverage those to take advantage of opportunities and threats in the political market place. Obi and Datti must be totally in charge, not Abure who heads the Chairmanship of the party.

The Obidient movement leadership organogram is hard to delineate. These are reasons SWOT analysis is vital now.

INEC owes Nigeria a free and fair election, one that’s transparent. When this is done, supporters of winners can go home with a thrill of victory and supporters of losers can go home secured in the knowledge that there was no ‘mago-mago’, that’s riggings. In so doing, their agony of defeat can be contained.

Those still dismissing the revolutionary force of the OBI-DIENT movement as one that cannot be translated into real political capital in terms of votes to win the presidency, because it’s just social media magnification and manipulation, I remind them of the Arab springs which was dismissed as social media noise after the killing of that market seller. What happened thereafter in the Arab world is now history. I remind those who dismissed William Rusto of Kenya as a magnified social media creation that he won and is now Kenya President.

Wherefore I say, a time comes in the transpiration of events in a country when great forces are on the move…... OBI-DIENT movement is beyond time and place. It is the convergence of VIRTUAL with PHYSICAL and Demystification of old myths.

•Dr. Eke Agbai, Executive VP, Center for Policy & Foreign Engagement, is a Strategic Communication expert, a member, Board of Trustee (BOT), Obasanjo presidential Library (OOPL), and former information Commissioner, Abia State, wrote from USA.

69

FRIDAY, OC ͺ͹˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Osimhen Tops Chelsea’s Summer Transfer Target

Femi Solaja with agency report Victor Osimhen has become Chelsea’s number one target in next summer signings following the brilliant form of the Super Eagles forward for Italian Serie A leaders Napoli.

According to 90min.com, the Blues are seeking the signature of Osimhen in a long term bid despite signing Gabonese forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, in

the final days of the last summer transfer from FC Barcelona.

Aubameyang is already 33 years old and now in the twilight of his career while Osimhen is clear 10 years younger and full of more fire-power.

Although Chelsea still have Romelu Lukaku in their books, sources have confirmed to 90min. com that manager Graham Potter and Stamford Bridge chiefs are not planning to reintegrate the

Xhaka Fires Arsenal Close to Europa League Last 16 Granit Xhaka scored the winner as Arsenal edged closer to the last 16 of the Europa League with a narrow 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium yesterday.

The result leaves Mikel Arteta's side five points clear at the top of Group A after they maintained their 100% record.

It was also the Gunners' eighth successive victory in all competitions and they more than merited it in the rearranged contest that was originally scheduled to be played on 15 September but was postponed because of "severe limitations on police resources" following

Belgian in the squad after his loan from Inter Milan comes to an end and will instead try to offload him permanently.

In Lukaku’s place, Chelsea hope to make a significant splash on a new striker and scouts have been sent around the world to draw up a list of potential options, and there have been glowing reports of Osimhen, who has been of interest to the Blues in the past.

The Nigeria international has four goals in eight games this season, maintaining the electric form that saw him finish the 2021/22 Serie A campaign with 14 goals in 27 outings.

Under contract until 2025, Osimhen has been highlighted

as a possible target but Chelsea are by no means alone, with Bayern Munich known to be fans of the Nigeria international.

With competition for Osimhen's signature expected to be fierce, Chelsea is considering multiple options and another who has impressed scouts is Lille's Jonathan David. The Canada international took Osimhen's place in the Lille setup in 2020 and has nine goals in just 11 Ligue 1 games this year.

It is not yet clear if Chelsea’s interests in Osimhen is not likely to reignite the type of ‘tug-of-war’ that ensued when the London club snatched John Mikel Obi from the grip of Manchester United in 2006.

Chelsea are also understood to hold an interest in Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic and would consider a move for the Serb if he hit the market, but that is not expected to happen. 90min understands neither Vlahovic nor Juventus have any desire to force an exit.

As well as a new striker, Chelsea continue to pursue a double deal for RB Leipzig duo Christopher Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol, while West Ham's Declan Rice has been made the Blues' top midfield target.

Brighton's Leandro Trossard is also of interest to former Seagulls boss Potter, but he has been offered a club-record contract to commit his future to the team.

Victor Osimhen… wanted at Stamford Bridge

the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka had the pick of Arsenal's opportunities but some errant finishing and the performance of PSV's Argentine goalkeeper Walter Benitez made for a nervy evening.

However, Swiss international Xhaka drove a low effort into the bottom left corner from Takehiro Tomiyasu's cross to finally break the visitor's resistance.

Arsenal will confirm their progression to the knockout stage as group winners if they claim at least a point in the reverse fixture in the Netherlands next week.

Aruna Quadri Crashes out of Macao Championship It was a day to forget for Nigeria table tennis star Aruna Quadri in the ongoing 2022 World Table Tennis Championship in Macao, China.

According to the draw released two days ago, Aruna was paired against Swedish star Anton Kallberg who is ranked below the Nigerian

international.

The ranking failed to come into play in the course of the game as the Swedish star swept aside Aruna in a straight set.

He dominated the game and won 3-0, that is 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 and ended the hopes of Aruna surpassing the round of 32 of the championship.

Okowa Tasks Contractors on NSF Projects' Delivery Governor of Delta and VicePresidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged contractors handling projects on facilities for the 21st National Sports Festival being hosted by the state to redouble their efforts and meet completion deadline.

Okowa made the call yesterday while speaking with newsmen after inspecting ongoing projects at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba.

He said that the festival would hold from November 28 to December 10, 2022, and urged the contractors to speed up work and deliver the projects before Nov. 18.

According to the Governor, “I have gone round and I am worried. I would urge the contractors to move much faster than they are at the moment because there is a date for the festival already.”

He, however, stated that the contractors had reassured him that by the 18th of November, they would be out of the site, adding "so, I am going to hold them to their word.

"I expect the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to give me daily reports on their progress

and ensure that they meet the time.

"We cannot afford to move the sports festival further because as you move, you will be moving it into Christmas period which is not a good time to travel."

He expressed satisfaction with the quality of work, but insisted that the contractors must apply more speed to ensure prompt completion.

"The work being done is good, all I ask is that they add speed to it. I am told that they work day and night now. I hope that yields result and take us through the finishing of the project by the 18th of November," he directed.

On team Delta's preparation for the sports festival, Governor Okowa said that the state was always prepared and would continue to emerge champions.

"We are ever prepared and we have always won and we will still win again, so we are not worried about that," Okowa added.

The governor once again used the opportunity to sympathise with flood victims across the state and country and urged federal government to provide permanent solution to the annual disaster.”

Granit Xhaka (with raised hands) scored lone goal as Arsenal defeated PSV Eindhoven to top Group A of the Europa League

Flamingos Battle USA for S’final Ticket in Mumbai Nigeria’s Under-17 girls admitted yesterday that they foresee an interesting encounter when they tackle United States of America in Navi Mumbai in one of the quarter finals matches of this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals today.

The Flamingos lost narrowly, 1-2, to another powerhouse of women’s football, Germany in their first match of the competition but have since overcome stage-fright and were worthy 4-0 and 2-1

U17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

winners over New Zealand and Chile respectively.

Navi Mumbai, a planned ultra-modern city that is only 25 kilometres from the Indian capital city of Mumbai, is the venue for this titanic clash set for the Dr. DY Patil Stadium as from 12 noon Nigeria time today.

Nigeria, who would be aiming to break their quarterfinal jinx at this

competition, are up against USA for the first time at this level and this encounter is an opportunity for the West Africans to make history.

Having failed to reach the semifinals in six previous editions, the Nigerians set out to achieve the impossible, ending the country's 14-year wait for a last-four berth on their fourth quarterfinal appearance.

The Americans will hope to

reach the semis for the first time since 2008 when they finished as runners-up at the inaugural edition in New Zealand.

Impossible is nothing, really.

On 25th July 2010, in Augsburg, Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets came from behind to defeat USA on penalties in one of the quarter-final matches of the 2010 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Germany. The match ended 1-1 and the Falconets went on to win 4-2 after a penalty shootout.

Akinwunmi, Aluko Excited by Impact of Maiden Thunder Games The organisers of the just concluded Thunder Games Volleyball competition which took place in Lagos are happy about the overall success of the maiden edition.

A total of 14 teams (made up of six male and eight female) took part in the Thunder Games 2022, a national volleyball event, organised by Lekki Volleyball Club.

Two members of the Lekki Volleyball team, Banke Akinwunmi and Sola Aluko expressed delight over the outcome of the week-long event that took place between October 9 and 15 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Incidentally, Banke is the daughter of the immediate past Senior Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi.

“I started playing volleyball in secondary school. Stopped for a while then resumed. I still play till date. A group of us, volleyball players who play for leisure decided to establish a proper club and register it with the CAC in 2021. Our club is called the Lekki Volleyball Club.

“We decided to host the maiden event to promote the club but more importantly to promote the presence of volleyball and give recognition to a sport that is unpopular in the country.

“It's a dream we attained in a very short while and we hope to put Nigeria in the global volleyball map.

We had national players compete at the Thunder Games. It was great that the winners went home with N1million for the male and female categories respectively” Two teams from the United States of America (male and female) took part in the competition which had 11 sponsors like - Atlas Copco, Manal Nigeria, Air Solution, Malta Guinness, Concreed Capital, Extreme Mutual, Deverill Partners, Yellow Sisi, Coolerboy, Bradford Cole and Dafiti.

Speaking on the competition,

Barrister Akinwunmi who witnessed the final won by KeyStyle Travels Women Volleyball Team, said he was impressed with the organisation of the event, adding that; ‘sports runs in the blood in my family’.

The LOC Chairman of Thunder Games, Olusola Aluko, expressed excitement over the turnout of fans and standard exhibited at the tournament.

“I’m very happy with congratulatory messages from all over Nigeria including the Nigeria Volleyball Federation.

We planned well and the event went well. Next year’s event will surely be bigger,” concludes Aluko.

70

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • T H I S D AY

71

Friday October 21, 2022

TR

UT H

& REASO

N

Price: N250

MISSILE APC to Atiku Abubakar “Atiku has resorted to whipping up ethnic sentiments, knowing that his chances have become a mirage. He has himself, not anybody else, to blame for his expected electoral misfortune, first, he broke the fundamental rules of power rotation in his party and the country. Atiku only pays lip service to national unity…He is now fully naked before the Nigerian people“ –Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, berating Atiku over his anti-Yoruba and Igbo comment.

EKEAGBAI GUEST COLUMNIST

P E T E R O B I / D AT T I Y U S U F C A N D I D AT U R E :

The Convergence of Virtual with Physical and Demystification of the Old Myths

W

e cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it and move forward with renewed purpose and hope.

The victim in a qualified situation of distress, pain, anguish or indeed deprivation, being rational can make a conscious and conscientious decision to walk away from the established cause of misery. This preceding paragraph from Viktor E. Franklin’s “MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING “sets forth the tone and context of this discourse.

If my memory serves me well, it was May 1st, 2022, or so that I travelled to London from Abuja international airport. After going through immigration, I saw Prof. Bart Nnaji, chief Olisa Metuh, and two other gentlemen that I knew of only faintly.

As old friends with Bart and Olisa, we exchanged pleasantries and discussions ensued. One of the other gentlemen was obviously unhappy with the other guy over what he described as unfair use of his Abuja based newspaper to blackmail his university unjustly. The other guy attempted unsuccessfully to explain the context and circumstances. We jokingly said a court will be set up and Olisa was appointed the Judge. The university proprietor narrated his case and the newspaper owner put up his defence.

At the end, Olisa delivered a humorous judgment in favour of the university owner. As a scholar myself, what struck me with this young university

Obi proprietor was his impeccable and succinct articulation and intellectually guided presentation of his case.

His presentation reminded me of doctoral thesis with a well thought out statement of the problem, followed by well researched literature review. He

got my attention and we exchanged phone numbers.

When he keyed in my phone, he quipped that he had my phone number already in his contact. It turned out we had met back in 2009 when I was Special Adviser to the then Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister. This revealed another aspect of his character -keeping records, not one who use and discard. It turned out l had assisted him with land issues back then.

This London trip was on the eve of the primaries of different political parties in Nigeria and Prof Bart Nnaji himself was in that exercise at his home state of Enugu where he was a candidate for the governorship race. Curiously on board my flight I soliloquized on how this university proprietor could make an excellent candidate for a political high office in Nigeria because of his youthfulness, brilliance, confidence, debate skill and good understanding of public policy.

Fast forward, when Peter Obi announced his choice of running mate, it was Dr. Datti Yusuf Almed, the president and pro- chancellor of Baze University, in Abuja Nigeria, same man I just narrated the story of our encounter at the airport.

The first test of the mind and decision making capacity of a presidential candidate is his choice of a running mate. Peter Obi was on point and I knew he would overcome major odds with this guy on his side.

The 2023 presidential election will define the course of history in Nigeria. It is not going to be about Labour Party, All Progressive Congress (APC), People Democratic Party (PDP), and other political parties.

For me, this election must be about individuals’ antecedents and their performance records. Nigeria is at a cross-road, the killings across the country by various criminal gangs have made mockery of the work of our security agencies like police, army etc. The level of division, hatred, demagoguery, religious bigotry, and distrust among the different ethnic nationalities are deep, the economy is in coma, the education sector is terribly in bad shape with universities closed for well over eight months.

The health sector is nothing to write home about.

Hope can’t be Kept alive. There seems to be an overwhelming capitulation of the citizenry spirit, yearnings and aspirations to evil forces.

Then came Peter Obi and Datti Yusuf, in what has become known as the OBI-DIENT movement, a revolutionary youths driven struggle of a dimension unknown in this country and outside the control of Peter and Datti themselves. Now, everybody is involved, old, young, mothers, fathers, educated, middle class and upper class. Even the diasporas are not left out.

About three decades ago, I was involved in an Continued on page 68

KEHINDEBAMIGBETAN GUEST COLUMNIST

Tinubu’s Action Plan Envisions Better Economy Powered by Youths, Farmers and Workers

T

oday, the race to Aso Rock gains new momentum as the All Progressives Congress launches a manifesto that seeks to rejig the economy by unleashing the energy of the youths, the farmers, and the workers.

The 80-page document titled “ Hope Renewed” consolidates the achievements of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in agriculture, infrastructure and security and plans new ways of running the economy by adopting fiscal and monetary policies to boost the production of goods and services to tame inflation.

This shift in economic and financial strategy is no surprise to policy watchers who know the wizardry of the presidential flag bearer, Bola Tinubu in public finance.

Tackling the need to tackle inflation and the resultant reduction in the purchasing value of the Naira, a major complaint of Nigerians, the manifesto says it should not be managed by raising interest rates and tight monetary measures used for inflation caused by the rise

in demand.

Instead, it diagnoses the current inflation as the outcome of an inadequate supply of goods and services and thus devotes over 70 pages to the robust mobilization of human and material resources to fill this supply deficit.

The manifesto equally deals with other dimensions of the depleting value of the naira including the exchange rate mechanism, debt payments, and interest rate regime.

“Our fiscal strategy is to spend public money only in a way that maximizes employment of people and resources, especially those previously idle...Monetary policy must focus on the exchange rate, interest rate, and price levels. The trio must serve the objective of fiscal policy, which is broadly shared prosperity.”

In tune with the clamour of Nigerians for a stable exchange rate and strong Naira, the manifesto laments that the country is tied to “ an ineffective somewhat arbitrary exchange rates, “ concluding that the “situation gives rise to financial dislocation, currency speculation, and arbitrage.”

On debt payments, another sore controversy among Nigerians, the manifesto pledges to liquidate them by tying debts in foreign currency to revenue-generating projects, limiting such debts to essential infrastructures, and limit future debts to the naira.

Increasing the purchasing power of Nigerians is one of the targets of the manifesto. Although many Nigerians are yet to get into the tax net, those in formal employment in the public and private sectors pay as they earn. A Tinubu administration will lower taxes but spread the tax dragnet to cover more, improve collection and demonstrate value to encourage more Nigerians to pay.

Analysts believe the emphasis on the financial system as a key component of the manifesto reflects the background of the candidates: Tinubu, the auditor and finance logistician, and Kassim Shettima, banker and agricultural economist.

Nevertheless, both recognise the financial system as the system of exchange whose foundation is the production of goods and

services.

For instance, recognising agriculture as the mainstay of the economy and employer of half of the over 200 million population, the manifesto seeks to increase land for cultivation, from the current 35% capacity to 75% in four years.

To achieve the goal, it plans to increase the amount of land for cultivation in river basins with irrigation, work with states to expand rural infrastructure, farmers’ cooperatives and storage facilities for fresh crops, set up commodity boards, and promote commodity exchange markets. It plans to reform the Bank of Agriculture.

A key area for youth entrepreneurship in the party’s new covenant with the people is the plan to boost agro-processing by adding value to raw crops for domestic and export markets.

Determined to build a great African economy, the APC manifesto will incentivize the corporate Continued on page 68

Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja .

All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: editor@thisdaylive.com, info@thisdaylive.com. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929 24/7 ADVERTISING HOT LINES: 0811 181 3085 0811 181 3086, 0811 181 3087, 0811 181 3088, 0811 181 3089, 0811 181 3090. ENQUIRIES & BOOKING: adsbooking@thisdaylive.com