THURSDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2020

US Secret Service Increases Biden’s Security Ahead of Possible Victory Overtakes Trump in Pennsylvania Jonathan: It’s better to lose power and gain honour Martins Ifijeh in New Jersey, USA The United States Secret Service has increased its protective bubble around the Democratic Party’s Presidential

candidate, Joe Biden, who last night overtook his closest rival, President Donald Trump in the count in Pennsylvania, putting him an inch away from becoming the United States’46th President.

The Secret Service sent an extra squad of agents to Biden’s campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware as expectations rose that the Democratic candidate was inching towards victory

yesterday.

Biden is currently leading the presidential race with 264 Electoral College votes to his credit, while his closest rival, President Donald Trump is on 214 Electoral College votes.

The required college votes to be declared winner is pegged at 270.

The nation awaits final results from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina. Already, Biden

is leading in Nevada, and Pennsylvania appears to be tilting towards him. Georgia has ordered a recount of votes.

The Secret Service, an Continued on page 5

WTO’s Chair Submits Okonjo-Iweala’s Name for Ratification as DG… Page 6 Saturday 7 November, 2020 Vol 25. No 9343

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With 8 Newly Sworn-in Justices, S’Court Nears Full Quota of 21 Alex Enumah in Abuja Eight new Justices of the Supreme Court were yesterday sworn in by the Chief Justice

of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, thus, pushing the number of Justices of the court from 12 to a record 20, one Justice short of its full

complement of 21 justices as stipulated by the constitution.

Justice Muhammad, who lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointments,

stated that the figure "is the highest in recent times."

The justices sworn in yesterday were Lawal Garba, (North-west), Helen

Ogunwumiju (South-west), Abdu Aboki (North-west), and M M Saulawa (North-west).

Others are Adamu Jauro (North-east), Samuel Oseji

(South-south), Tijani Abubakar (North-east), and Emmanuel Agim (South-south).

Continued on page 5

Sanwo-Olu Presents Report to Buhari on Lagos Destruction, Seeks Support Fresh #EndSARS protesters arrested, arraigned in Abuja Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, presented a report on the numerous property destroyed by hoodlums in the state during the #EndSARS protests to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, with an appeal to the president to assist the state in its recovery process.

This is just as a Magistrate Court remanded six #EndSARS protesters that were arrested and arraigned in Abuja yesterday, following fresh demonstrations at the entrance of the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, Governor Sanwo-Olu declined to take questions from State House Correspondents on the reason he visited the president and on the state of affairs in Lagos.

However, the president stated the reason for the

governor’s visit via tweets on his verified Twitter handle, @ NGRPresident and this was confirmed by the governor’s aide, "President @MBuhari this afternoon met with Governor @jidesanwoolu of Lagos. The Governor presented a Report on the extent of the destruction suffered by Lagos State in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests. #AsoVillaToday," the president tweeted.

Senior Special Assistant to Sanwo-Olu on New Media, Gawat Jubril, also tweeted, “Governor @jidesanwoolu, today (yesterday), presented the report of the recent coordinated arson in Lagos State to President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

In the report were the images of public and private assets destroyed in the violence Continued on page 5

Gunmen Attack Adamawa Speaker’s Residence, Abduct 2... Page 6

THE GRUESOME REPORT...

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (L) presenting a pictorial report of the aftermath of EndSARS protests in Lagos to President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday.

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Wike: Agitating for Secession Must Stop, Restructuring will Foster Unity What everybody should be talking about is restructuring. If we are practising federalism, let it be federalism. We can’t be talking about federalism but practising unitary system Festus Akanbi Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday called for concerted efforts to achieve unity among the various groups in the country instead of agitating for secession.

He said most of the lingering political issues would be solved if restructuring of the country is undertaken rather than

engaging in divisive activities which could encourage agitation for secession.

The governor spoke during a courtesy visit of a delegation of the All Nigeria Anglican Communion led by its Primate, Rev. Henry Ndukuba to the Government House, Port Harcourt.

Wike said: “We need the unity of this country.

What everybody is talking about is the restructuring

of this country. If we are practising federalism, let it be federalism. We can’t be talking about federalism but we are practising a unitary system of government.�

He urged the Church to continue to pray for Nigeria because the country was apparently sitting on a keg of gun powder. “Nobody can run away from it. Things are not working well in the

country. Where the country is supposed to be is not where we are. Even when you are in the pulpit, it is an opportunity to speak to your members that things are not well�

Speaking on the recent crisis in the state, Wike explained that the people of Rivers State have for decades lived peacefully with Nigerians from other parts of the country but

regretted that criminals under the aegis of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra have misconstrued the peaceful disposition of the state to carry out treasonous activities like hoisting their flags in Rivers communities.

He stated that Rivers State was peaceful during the #EndSARS protests until IPOB members unleashed unprovoked attacks and

killed six soldiers, four policemen, and destroyed all police stations and Court buildings in Oyigbo.

Responding, the Anglican Primate said: “We came not only to encourage you as the Lord encouraged Joshua, we believe as the Lord was with Joshua, He will also be with you; He will strengthen you, and under your leadership, this state will know greatest, development and peace.�

one of those affected, Adeniji said the matter had been adjourned till January 25, 2021.

Violence trailed the #EndSARS protest across the country, leading to loss of lives and destruction of property.

the warning during an interview with State House correspondents, after his meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also warned youths taking part in the protest across the country to be careful.

On the unpredictability of the #EndSARS protests, Zulum, whose state has remained the epicenter of the activities of insurgents, said the Boko Haram crisis in the North Eastern part of the country started with protests by youths against the use of motorcycle helmets in the state capital, Maiduguri.

SANWO-OLU PRESENTS REPORT TO BUHARI ON LAGOS DESTRUCTION, SEEKS SUPPORT sparked by the hijack of #EndSARS protest.�

The governor had established the Lagos State Rebuilding Trust Fund and set up an eight-man Board to coordinate efforts to restore lost assets.

He said the trust fund would look into rebuilding the state after suspected hoodlums destroyed public and private facilities in the state.

In the heat of the protests, ministers from the South-west were directed to relocate to their home states to assist in dousing tension, and in their report presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), they recommended that the federal government should

assist businesses affected by arson and looting in Lagos and in other parts of the country through the CBN and the National Economic Council (NEC).

They specifically recommended the use of the CBN Intervention Mechanism under the COVID-19 funding or any other related funding mechanism to assist victims of the arson attack across the country, beginning with Lagos State.

Magistrate’s Court in Abuja Remands Six #EndSARS Protesters The renewed #EndSARS

demonstration in Abuja yesterday led to the arrest of six protesters among those that converged on the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja. They were arraigned by the police and remanded by a Magistrate Court.

The protesters, who gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly, were dispersed by the police, using tear gas and gunshots with six of them arrested.

The police arraigned them over criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting public disturbance and public nuisance, but they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A human rights lawyer, Tope Akinyode, who represented

the accused persons, said the protesters were being held over “allegations of unlawful assembly and wanting to distort the societal peace. “Of course, those are clearly trumped up charges because the protesters protested in accordance with the law.�

Akinyode said the magistrate refused to grant bail to the defendants when he moved an oral bail application, stating that the judge wanted the bail application done in writing.

Those arrested are Oluwatosin Adeniji, Paul Akinwumi, Davo Chom, Abdulsalam Zuberu and Kabiru Gasali.

In a video posted online,

Zulum to #EndSARS Promoters: Boko Haram Started with Youths’ Protests Also yesterday, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, warned promoters of the #EndSARS protests that the Boko Haram insurgency started with youths’ protests.

The governor, who gave

Continued on page 37

US SECRET SERVICE INCREASES BIDEN’S SECURITY AHEAD OF POSSIBLE VICTORY agency under the Department of Homeland Security, is in charge of protecting the White House and senior government officials, visiting high officials, and others.

It had already deployed some agents to protect Biden around early July after he triumphed in the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries.

Airspace over Joe Biden's home has also been classified as "Restricted Airspace ". No civilian, private, commercial or military flying objects are permitted to fly around and through that area.

As a former vice president, Biden could have requested Secret Service protection before then, but reportedly did not.

If Biden becomes presidentelect, Secret Service protection is expected to ramp up to a higher level.

Meanwhile, Biden has overtaken President Donald Trump in the count in Pennsylvania, putting him an inch away from becoming the United States president.

He had earlier overtaken Trump in Pennsylvania. The state’s 20 electoral votes would put Biden over the 270 votes needed to win the contest.

Thousands of requested overseas and military ballots were being awaited by the deadline yesterday, and there

are provisional ballots left to count.

Biden pulled ahead in Pennsylvania yesterday with the release of the vote count of mail-in ballots from heavily Democratic Philadelphia.

Prior to the latest release, Biden had been trailing Trump by about 18,000 votes in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania was among the most hotly contested states of the cycle, with both Biden and Trump making regular trips to the state for most of the campaign.

Both candidates spent considerable time there in the final days of the race, with Biden holding a final rally in Pittsburgh the night before the election.

Election officials had cautioned that the winner of the presidential election might be unknown days after the election is over.

Rules in some states don’t allow election workers to begin the labour-intensive work of processing mail-in ballots until election day. And with a record number of voters casting their ballots by mail, the influx could delay final tallies for days.

On the allegations by the Trump campaign team, election law experts and state election officials had overwhelmingly said there had been no sign of

widespread or even sporadic voter fraud.

They said counting votes just took more time than in past years because the coronavirus pandemic had changed the way people go about it.

But the Trump campaign said the lawsuits were necessary.

Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign attorney, Bob Bauer, said the suits had no merit and were meant to spread a false narrative about the electoral process.

He said it is more about “Trump’s own effort to discredit the election.�

Trump’s campaign lost court rulings in the closelycontested states of Georgia and Michigan on Thursday, even as it vowed to bring a new lawsuit challenging what it called voting irregularities in Nevada.

In the Georgia case, the campaign alleged 53 latearriving ballots were mixed with on-time ballots.

In Michigan, it sought to stop votes from being counted and obtain greater access to the tabulation process.

State judges tossed out both suits on Thursday.

Judge James Bass, a superior court judge in Georgia, said there was “no evidence� that the ballots in question were invalid.

In the Michigan case, Judge Cynthia Stephens said: “I have no basis to find that there is a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.�

Trump allies alleged that there had been voting irregularities in Nevada’s populous Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. A Trump campaign spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters on the Michigan and Georgia rulings.

Georgia to Recount Votes The US state of Georgia said yesterday it would recount votes from the election in which Biden has eked out a razor-thin lead over Trump. “With a margin that small, there will be a recount in Georgia,� Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told reporters in Atlanta.

Raffensperger, the top elected official overseeing elections, said that the presidential contest in the state “remains too close to call.�

Almost complete results as of yesterday morning showed Biden leading by just over 1,500 votes in Georgia, where changing demographics and strong turnout from AfricanAmericans have put in play a Southern state once seen

as reliably backing Trump’s Republicans.

Georgia is equally critical as it is the only state holding elections for both its Senate seats this year, meaning it will determine which party is in control. “The final tally in Georgia at this point has huge implications for the entire country,� Raffensperger said. “The stakes are high and emotions are high on all sides. We will not let those debates distract us from our work. We’ll get it right and we’ll defend the integrity of our elections.�

He said that Georgia was letting observers from both campaigns watch the counting after Trump, with no evidence, alleged widespread fraud nationwide.

Biden Overtakes Trump in Pennsylvania, Edges Close to Winning

Perhaps, urging Trump to accept defeat, former President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday posted that it was better to lose power and gain honour.

Jonathan stated this in a Facebook post and recommended this philosophy

“to all leaders facing challenging situations at the polls�.

He wrote: “Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any citizen. It is better to gain honour at the cost of losing power than to gain power at the cost of losing honour. At any point in time, the power of love should matter more than the love of power. This is my philosophy.

I have lived it. It has brought great peace to both my beloved nation and I. And I recommend it to all leaders facing challenging situations, either in government, or at the polls, or even in their dealings with fellow political actors.�

Jonathan, who sought reelection on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2015, had conceded defeat to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.

Although Jonathan was not specific about the world ‘leaders’ he made the recommendation to, his statement was made at a time when the United States is electing a new President to lead the nation for another four years.

The incumbent President Trump, and his Democrat challenger Biden are presently slugging it out at the polls.

constitution, you should consider yourself the happiest and freest person on earth," he said.

The CJN reminded the new justices that their elevation to Supreme Court was in recognition of their astuteness and evident passion for hard work and urged them to bring their experiences and dexterity to bear at the apex court.

He further charged them

to be morally upright, be persons of integrity and always respect the constitution and other extant laws of the country.

The CJN presided, as the eight of them, in turn, took their oath of office and oath of allegiance to the Nigerian Constitution.

After their swearing in, the eight new justices climbed the bench to their positions, where 12 seniors were already seated.

Jonathan: It is Better to Lose Power and Gain Honour

WITH 8 NEWLY SWORN-IN JUSTICES, S’COURT NEARS FULL QUOTA OF 21 Speaking shortly after he administered the Oath of Office on the new Justices, the CJN requested the appointment of the remaining one on the grounds that sooner than later, some of the judges on the bench of the Supreme Court would be going on retirement.

While congratulating the new justices on their elevation to the bench of the apex court, Justice Muhammad advised

them to be focused and not allow their personal ambition to becloud their sense of judgment.

According to him, the Justices should begin to see themselves as God's representatives on earth and make a conscious effort to halt "interactions with people of unenviable inclinations and pedigree", if they had any.

"Let your conscience guide and filter every thought that

traverses your mind from this moment", he said.

While noting that the justices may have at one time or the other been confronted with some forms of criticism or verbal assaults by litigants who lost their cases, he admonished them to be prepared because, "more of such will come your way, where appellant's expectations are often very high and infectious".

According to him, it is necessary to do so because it is impossible to please everyone, especially litigants. “I am, however, making it absolutely clear to you that the easiest way to fail in life is to try pleasing everybody. “The only deity you can fear is the Almighty God. Once your judgment is in consonance with what God expects from you and is also in accordance with the

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Ă?ĂĄĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁĚš Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

WTO’s Chair Submits Okonjo-Iweala’s Name for Ratification as DG Festus Akanbi Chances of Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of coasting to victory in her bid to head the World Trade Organisation (WTO) got a big boost yesterday with the formal submission of her name for the position by the Chair of the General Council for WTO, Dr. David Walker and Facilitators for the appointment of the next Director General.

The Facilitators are Ambassador Dacio Castillo, Chair of the Dispute Settlement Body and Ambassador Harald Aspelund, Chair of the Trade Policy Review Body.

THISDAY’s check showed that the decision to formally submit Okonjo-Iweala’s name was taken at the meeting of the Heads of Delegation of the organisation held on October 28, a decision which analysts said may have finally sealed the fate of the U.S.-backed South Korean candidate Yoo Myung-hee.

However, due to some reasons including the recent tightening of measures to contain Covid-19, following a rise in infections in parts of Switzerland such as Brussels, which hosts the headquarters of the organisation,

and the ongoing US elections, the final selection process has been postponed till further notice.

The submission of OkonjoIweala’s name is seen as a confirmation of the earlier decision of the informal session of the Council to adopt her “as the candidate most likely to attract consensus and recommending her appointment by the General Council as the next DirectorGeneral of the WTO�.

It will be recalled that the Trump administration despite the massive votes received by Okonjo-Iweala in the campaign for DG has opposed her emergence on procedural grounds and other reasons – a position that had been criticized as unjustifiable by a majority of WTO members.

Trade sources blamed the postponement in the selection date on the fact that there had been no indication the Trump administration - which will continue to govern trade policy in the weeks ahead irrespective of any U.S. election result - had switched its support to OkonjoIweala.

Agency report quoted a WTO document yesterday saying that “For reasons including the health situation and current

FG to Spend N12.6trn on KanoKatsina-Maradi Rail Lines, 3 Others in 2021 Deji Elumoye Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The federal government has earmarked N12.6 trillion for the construction of four standard gauge rail lines in different parts of the country in 2021 including the Kano-Katsina-Maradi border rail line.

Minister of Transportation, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, who disclosed this while defending the 2021 budget of his ministry before the Senate Joint Committee on Transport yesterday, however, explained that the multiple railway projects commencing by year 2021 would be financed through budgetary and counterpart fundings and was aimed at achieving intermodal transportation across the nation.

He listed the projects to include construction of 378km single track standard gauge rail line traversing Kano - Katsina - Jibiya with a 20km extension to the commercial border town of Maradi in Niger Republic and a branch line, Kano - Dutse.

The other rail projects, according to the minister, are reconstruction and rehabilitation of new Port Harcourt - Maiduguri ( Eastern Narrow Gauge Railways), construction of the Central railway from Itakpe to Abuja and construction to a new rail line to Warri Port.

On funding, Amaechi said three of the projects namely Kano to Maradi, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and Lagos to Calabar rail lines, would be funded through foreign loans already being negotiated by the

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed.

He said the construction of Lagos - Ibadan Standard Gauge line was about 92% completed adding that for the project to achieve full loan drawdown from co-financier (China EXIM Bank ) and attain practical completion construction of pedestrian and overpass bridges have to be completed.

He said: “These additional and extra works amounting to $656million which is to be financed 100% by the Federal Government of Nigeria has been approved by the Federal Executive Council for implementation. “The project contractor, Messrs CCECC Nigeria Limited on the instruction of the ministry, has commenced work and reached advanced stages. Therefore, in order not to forestall the progress of implementation, adequate fund needs to be provided in the 2021 budget proposals to facilitate its completion.�

The ministry, he added, was proposing for 2021 a total capital budget of N205.161 billion for Land Transportation and N204.316 billion for Marine Transportation as well as overhead of N358.799 million. “The aims and objectives of these proposals are to make significant progress on all ongoing projects and to complete and deliver modern railway services that would provide an efficient and cost effective alternative transport system for economic growth and creation of job opportunities for the citizenry.�

events, delegations will not be in a position to take a formal decision on 9 November.� It said it had been postponed until further notice.

The WTO later confirmed the decision on its website, saying consultations would continue.

The body usually chooses its new leader by consensus, with trade sources saying they would be reluctant to resort to a vote.

A high-powered WTO panel last month recommended OkonjoIweala, a former finance minister, to lead the global trade watchdog, setting her up to become its first African and first woman head.

However, the South Korean candidate Yoo Myung-hee, has not withdrawn from the race, despite mounting diplomatic pressure.

There was no immediate

comment from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.

U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently criticised the WTO, calling it “horrible� and biased towards China. His administration has already blocked judge appointments, disabling its top appeals panel last year.

Okonjo-Iweala, currently chairing the GAVI vaccine alliance

board, has vowed “positivity all the way� on her Twitter feed. “Dr. Ngozi is very grateful for the WTO’s support and she’s ready to get to work as soon as possible,� her spokeswoman Molly Toomey said.

The Geneva-based body has been run by four deputies since Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo stepped down a year early in August.

COUNTING THE COSTS‌ R-L: The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman; Executive Director, Finance & Admin, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko; General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, NPA, Adams Jatto; Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria(MAN), Emmanuel Eedua and Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamoh; Managing Director, during a solidarity visit by heads of parastatals in the Federal Ministry of Transport to the NPA on the recent attack by hoodlums

Gunmen Attack Home of Adamawa Speaker, Abduct 2 Family Members Gunmen on Thursday attacked the home of the Speaker of the Adamawa House of Assembly, Hon. Aminu IyaAbass, and abducted two of his family members.

According to reports, the gunmen, who attacked the Speaker’s home, located at

Mbamba, also killed a member of vigilante group.

The Adamawa State Police Command confirmed that the vigilante member was killed by the gunmen, who abducted two people from a home they attacked, but did not state if it was the Speaker’s.

Public Relations Officer of the Command, Suleiman Nguroje said, “Yesterday (Thursday), a certain house was attacked by unknown gunmen who killed a vigilante and went away with two persons from the residence. “Our people got to the

residence around 4a.m. to halt the operations of the gunmen, at that material time what mattered to them was to rescue the two persons that were abducted by the gunmen and not who owns the house, as directed by the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adeyanju.�

INEC Blames Non Signing of Electoral Bill for Failings Chuks Okocha Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË Almost 21 months after the 2019 general election in February, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday adduced reasons why the outcome of the election was poor.

According to the commission, the non-passage of proposed amendments to the electoral legal framework (Electoral Act) operational, logistical and funding issues were responsible for the poor outcome of the 2019 general elections.

The Commission in the report explained that general impact of the actions of other electoral stakeholders, especially the political parties and candidates, the judiciary and the security agencies were responsible for the shortcomings experienced in the last year’s polls.

According to the report, the complexities of coordinating the logistic delivery and receipt of sensitive election materials were amplified by the numerous contentions surrounding the nomination and submission of candidates by political parties, most of which ended in the courts against the provisions

of the Electoral Act 2010.

INEC said that these shortcomings made it impossible for the Commission to finalise the production of the over 4,000 tons of sensitive materials required for the election as these materials could not be produced until the required submissions were either made by the political parties or the disputes over the such submissions adjudicated upon and settled by the courts.

According to the report “In effect, the available production window for sensitive materials was just about 30 days. This was far too short a period for the production, inspection, transportation and deployment of the materials, especially in cases where such materials were to be produced outside the country. “Another challenge was the shortage of operational vehicles for the deployment of election materials and personnel. Up to 90,000 vehicles were required for the movement of personnel and materials for the 2019 General Election at the cost of about N10 billion. This amount excludes the cost of hiring airplanes, helicopters and leasing of boats to deploy personnel and materials for the conduct of the elections in the

riverine areas and areas with a difficult terrain that were not easily accessible by road. “Other challenges include sabotage by partisan groups in various links of the logistics chain. For example, some boat and vehicle owners hiked prices of services on the eve of the election or withdrew their services altogether, after receiving part payments as provided for in their contracts with the Commission. “Another challenge arose from errors in naming, coding and serialisation of a number of Polling Units across the nation.

The Commission set up a SubCommittee of its ICT and Voter Registry (ITVR) Committee with membership drawn from the ICT, VR and Electoral Operations Departments to address the challenge,� the report said.

According to the report, the conduct of the 2019 General Election had raised a number of issues and challenges that were well documented in the reports of the States and FCT, including instances of violence, the snatching/ diversion/vandalisation of election materials, intimidation of election personnel, and difficulties

with service providers such as the owners of procured vehicles and boats in some states, who, having signed agreements.

The report stated that while the Commission was able to address some of these daunting challenges by dexterously harnessing its human and material resources, its latitude for action was constrained in several other areas.

The report said that the commission had to resort to proactive engagement with the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government, deployment of critical national assets, and the support of critical stakeholders, including Civil Society Organisations, the Media, the international development partners and the understanding of the citizenry to successfully conduct the 2019 General Election.

INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu said that the second report “the Review of the 2019 General Election’’ was based on the outcome of the commission’s retreats and stakeholder engagements. “The aim was to evaluate the Commission’s actions, processes and procedures before, during and after the election.’’

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NEWS

FG Targets Improvement in Infant, Maternal Health Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

JUST TO SEE YOU...

L-R: Ag. Director of Operations, EFCC, Mohammed Hadeja; Ag. Executive Chairman, EFCC, Mohammed Umar Abba; and Group Managing Director, NNPC, Malam Mele Kyari,during Kyari’s courtesy visit to the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja‌yesterday.

Yellow Fever Kills 30 in Delta Communities Massive vaccination to commence from Monday

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Yellow fever, has been finally identified as the cause of over 30 deaths in three communities in Delta State.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye, disclosed this at a media conference yesterday in Asaba.

Ononye revealed that this came to light from results of tests on samples collected by a team of medical and health officials dispatched, early last week, to the communities following reports that 10 deaths had been recorded in the area within a few days.

He however assured that the state government was taking all needed steps to localise the yellow fever outbreak and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the state even as authentication of the results on the samples’ tests was being awaited from the disease control’s regional office in Dakar, Senegal.

Ononye, who was flanked at the media event by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles

Aniagwu, the DirectorGeneral, state Orientation Directorate, Mr. Eugene Uzom, state Public Health consultant, Mrs. Ann Ojimba and officials from the national and African centres for disease control and the WHO, assured that there was no cause for alarm.

As part of the measures to immediately contain the yellow fever outbreak, “a massive immunisation exercise� would commence across Delta State by Monday next week beginning with the affected communities, he announced.

The anti-yellow fever immunisation exercise was initially to commence in the state before the end of November but had to be brought forward because of the emergency health challenge posed by the outbreak of the disease in the Ika North-East communities, he said.

The commissioner, however, advised residents aged between nine months and 44 years, and who had not been vaccinated against yellow fever in the last 10 years, to make themselves

available for vacation as it is free of charge.

In the past two weeks, what had been regarded as a mysterious disease ravaged the communities of Ute-Okpu, Ute Erumu and Idumesa in Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state, leaving at least 30 persons dead.

The communities had raised the alarm as they observed strange deaths were recorded among persons within the age bracket of 18 to 26 years only, with some of them reportedly dying before being taken to the hospital.

A mother, Mrs. Monica Emeke, who lost two of her children - a young man aged 26 and a girl aged 22 - at Ute Okpu expressed deep concern about the rate at which deaths occurred in the community as five persons were lost to the strange ailment in a one day.

However, though unofficial reports put the number of deaths from what was initially thought mysterious disease at least 35 in the communities in just about two weeks, the health commissioner said that about 22

persons had died, according to information available to his ministry.

Meanwhile, Uzom said that the state orientation directorate would immediately commence an intensive enlightenment campaign on the vaccination exercise across the state using the print, electronic as well as the social media avenues.

THISDAY checks revealed that yellow fever is caused by Aedes eagypti mosquito and that the mosquito thrives in and near human habitation where they breed even in the cleanest stagnant water.

Most cases of yellow fever occur in Sub-Sahara Africa and tropical South America, it was further learnt.

According to the Delta health commissioner, symptoms of the disease begin to manifest after three to six days of incubation, but there are usually no signs of the disease.

After this period, signs like fever, headaches, multiple aches especially in the back and knee, nausea or/and vomiting, dizziness and loss of appetite, red-eye, face or tongue would surface, he said.

Amotekun Takes over Operations in Ekiti as Police Reduce Patrol Victor Ogunje Ă“Ă˜ ĂŽĂ™ ÕÓÞÓ As the fallout of the EndSARS crisis forced the police across the country to perform skeletal policing work, the Ekiti State Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps has now spread its tentacles across the state to safeguard the lives and property of Ekiti residents.

Amotekun began operations in full throttle on Monday, November 2, 2020, after its inauguration on October 26,2020, by Governor Kayode Fayemi.

To kickstart the security outfit, the governor inaugurated 370 Amotekun Corps that would be deployed to all the 16 local government areas, to curb cases of banditry, farmers-herders’ clashes and

robbery.

During the EndSARS protests which was perceived to have been hijacked by hoodlums, scores of policemen were killed and several police stations razed across the country, which prompted the cops to take precautionary measures.

Some of them have refused to wear their uniforms in Ekiti since the violent protests occurred, which was part of the measures taken to checkmate mob action and untimely death.

It was gathered that the government was not comfortable with lax security situation across the country and the Amotekun had been mandated to map out strategies to fill the existing gap

created by police’s tactical withdrawal of services, for fear of attacks.

Unsettled by this scenario, a source said the state government and the monarchs, who are heads of their respective communities were said to have prompted those in charge of the Amotekun security network on the need to rev the pedal of operations for Ekiti to be safe.

Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday on the increased operations across the state, the Commandant of Amotekun Corps, Brigadier Gen. Joe Komolafe, said the outfit had been doing its best under the present circumstances.

He said the body having commenced operation, had swiftly deployed its opera-

tives to strategic areas of the state, to prevent any untoward incident from happening. “We are going to do our best. The essence of the formation of Amotekun Corps is to complement the police and ensure that Ekiti is safe.

We are not going to shirk in this statutory responsibility. “Our primary responsibility is protection of lives and property and we won’t fail our people. But this we are going to discharge professionally and with civility�.

The Commandant , however, kept mum about the exact strategy being deployed to prevent total collapse of security in view of the withdrawal of the police from some of the duty posts.

Federal government has assured that it will deploy the result of the the 2019 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) study of under-five mortality rate towards further improving the health of infants, children and maternal health.

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire who stated this yesterday during the launching of the national dissemination of the 2019 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) study of randomly selected deaths from households with under-five mortality cases, undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with the National Population Commission (NPC) said the study will serve as a vital tool in the critical initiative to improve the health of infants and children and also maternal health.

He said the data generated in the 2019 VASA survey would provide the information needed to identify key deficits and also help federal government in “channeling resources to address developmental needs, as well as monitor and evaluate progress towards meeting our Universal Health Coverage agenda and of the Sustainable Development Goal 3, with regards to maternal and child health in Nigeria.�

VASA 2019 edition was a follow up to the 2018 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), randomly selected deaths from households with under-five mortality cases.

Ehanire further explained that the VASA report was collaborative effort of several organisations with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Population Commission, including Development

Partners, led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “It is gratifying to note that the indicators from the report represent key areas of maternal healthcare (women aged 15 – 49, Child Health, Nutrition and Child Mortality.� He called on all federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, State Governments, Local Governments, Organised Private Sector and Civil Society Organisations to feel free to make use of the 2019 VASA data for planning and development purposes,� he said.

Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olurunnimbe Mamora, in his welcome address said the 2019 VASA report would be a veritable tool for planning for neonates, children and maternal health in the country. He disclosed that “The VASA survey was a follow up to the 2018 NDHS, where a total of 3,215 under-five mortality cases were selected out of which 31 percent (974) is neonates while 69 per cent (2,241) were Children.� “In Nigeria, the most common causes of neonatal deaths including pre-term birth (early birth), birth asphyxia, pneumonia and meningitis,� the minister disclosed.

Other causes are tetanus and malformations just to mention a few. He went on to add that other causes of infant and child deaths are religious beliefs, socio-cultural practices, age and education of mother, socio-economic status of household, illness recognition, and quality of care and health system factors,� he said Earlier, the Chairman, National Population Commission, Alhaji Nasir Isa Kwarra, said the reason for VASA study was to ascertain the causes and determinants of under-five mortality in Nigeria between 2013 to 2018

WAEC Extends Registration of Private Candidates for WASSCE Bennett Oghifo The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has again extended the registration of private candidates for the 2020 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination to next week Friday.

This further extension, from an earlier deadline on Friday, October 23, 2020, was tweeted yesterday by WAEC from its Twitter handle, @waecnigeria. “WASSCE for private candidates, 2020 – second series: Further extension of the registration period. “Intending candidates should note that there has been a further extension of the registration period to Friday, November 13, 2020.

Thank you,� WAEC tweeted.

On Monday, this week, WAEC released the 2020 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination results, showing that about 1.338,358, representing 86.99 per cent of 1.538,445 candidates, who sat for the 2020 WASSCE, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects with or without the compulsory English Language and Mathematics.

The Head of the Nigerian Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Patrick Areghan, who stated this at a press conference to announce the

result, said a total of 1,003,668 candidates, representing 65.24% of the total number of candidates that sat for the exam, “obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.�

The above statistics shows a marginal 1.06 per cent improvement in candidates performance when compared to 2019 WASSCE result where those who obtained credit and above in minimum of five subjects, including Mathematics and English Language, were 64.18 per cent.

Areghan added that, of the 65.24 per cent, 497,139, which represents, 49.53 percent were male, while 506,529, which represents 50.47 percent were female candidates.

According to him, “The results of 215,149 candidates, representing 13.98% of the total number of candidates that sat for the examination, are being withheld in connection with various cases of examination malpractice. “The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigation will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council for determination in due course. The committee decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their various schools.�

9

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Íż, 2020

08054699539

The Katsina State Debacle

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olitical leaders and security agents in Katsina State now act as if massacre is a normal occurrence. Bloodbath is no longer a big deal here. Human lives do not matter. Whenever scores of people are killed in the unending war between Fulani herders and Hausa farmers over grazing land, the unfeeling political leaders and security agents simply do some showboating and life goes on. Attackers are hardly prosecuted. This is the level this state has degenerated; it is in a big mess compounded by politicians and security agents that have refused to act impassively.

Political leaders and security agents know who the killers are but for almost six years, they have failed to act decisively. They know that bandits are Fulani militias fighting for herders that want unfettered access to farm lands. They know that herders often call the militias when they suffer casualties. These leaders know that Hausa farmers also have their militias called Yan Sakai. They know that Yan Sakai retaliates for Hausa farmers when their farm lands are destroyed and farmers killed. They know all these but care less. So, the killings go on.

There is hardly any week that huge human blood is not shed in Katsina State. Just 10 days ago, residents of Diskiru and Unguwar Baki in Dandume and Faskari local government areas were bombarded by these bandits. 29 people were slaughtered in the two farming communities, with scores of houses set ablaze, leaving the villagers in despair. Those killed in Diskiru were mostly women, children and the aged. A large number of women and children were also abducted. Residents of Diskiru and Unguwar Baki are still mourning as I pen this piece. The tears here would probably never dry.

The Katsina State Police Command confirmed the killings but gave a lower figure. That’s what security agents in this state do regularly.

So, where were policemen before and during the attacks? Where were the soldiers and Air force personnel deployed in the state? Have they arrested any of the Diskiru and Unguwar Baki killers, 10 days after the massacre? Any government interested in ending these killings must insist on answers to these pertinent questions. Unfortunately, they don’t do these. It was annoying seeing the Katsina police last Thursday parade just one suspect, Idi Dila, as being responsible for the attack in Diskiru and Kadsau, where many were killed.

The Katsina State Government and the government at the centre are hardly perturbed that thousands have been sent to early graves in this state. Daily, the Katsina killers are getting stronger. Survivors of the Diskiru and Unguwar Baki attacks confirmed that over 200 terrorists stormed the villages on motorcycles and were armed with sophisticated weapons for

Masari

the October 29 killings. This tells how robust the bandits are in Katsina State. There are thousands of them across the state. That was why they spent over three hours in Diskiru and Unguwar Baki unhindered, moving from house to house, killing, abducting and stealing cows, sheep and other valuables.

The list of gruesome killings in Katsina in the last five years is frightening. Local government areas like Jibia, Safana, Tsafe, Batsari, Dutsinma, Faskari, and Dandume have been turned to killing fields. Many will never forget how scores of people were killed in Tsauwa and Dankar villages (Batsari Local Government) early this year. Back in February, 21 persons were killed in Gurbi, in Kankara Local Government Area.

Early October, 11 suspected bandits were killed in Wurma, Kurfi Local Government Area, by Yan Sakai.

Where does Governor Aminu Masari stand in all of these killings? This governor is a big letdown. He did not even bother to pay a condolence visit to Diskiru and Unguwar Baki. What a governor! As a leader, Masari has refused to dispassionately respond to the endless killings. I am convinced that he is tacitly supporting Fulani militias. This was why his hopeless amnesty programme for bandits failed. I was shocked when Fulani militias killed scores in Tsauwa and Dankar villages (Batsari Local Government Area) last February, and all Masari could say, from the comfort of his office, was that two Fulanis were earlier killed in the communities and that the Fulanis simply retaliated. This governor needs

to be reminded that those who kill innocent people are as guilty as those who retaliate.

Masari, after massive criticism, grudgingly paid a condolence visit to the traumatised residents of Tsauwa and Dankar.

Last Wednesday, Masari was at his best, as usual, showboating when security agencies brought two supposed repentant bandit commanders to him from Illela village in Safana Local Government. He charged the security agencies to be ruthless with the bandits, meaning he knew they had been slipshod all along. The two bandit leaders, Sale Turwa and Muhammed Maidaji, were also granted amnesty by the governor, as if the previous ones granted amnesty renounced violence. Turwa and Maidaji should be on trial, not meeting with Masari. If the killers in Katsina are consistently arrested and put on trial, it would have sent a strong signal to all the warring factions that government is serious about ending the crisis. But it does not happen. I fear it may never happen. This governor has to raise his game and end tacit support for Fulani militias. The killings by the so-called bandits will persist for a very long time if political leaders and security agents continue to act in support of a faction.

Katsina is our President’s state. So, how has President Buhari fared in stopping the Katsina killings? He has failed woefully here too in terms of security of lives and property. Even when his community’s Magajin Garin Daura, Alhaji Musa Umar Uba was abducted, it took almost three months to rescue him. The conflict was minimal prior to Buhari’s emergence as President. But immediately he became President, the Fulani herders were bolstered, because “our brother is now in charge,� and the drive for unencumbered access to farm lands assumed a frightening dimension.

After the Tsauwa and Dankar killings, Buhari was busy analysing the “retaliation�, saying the killings were done in reprisal for what the farmers had earlier done to the bandits.

He said bandits had been subjected to jungle justice by the affected communities, causing the miscreants to return to the places to wreak havoc. If justice had been served to the killers in the first place, there would probably be no retaliatory killings in these troubled communities.

I have not heard of a single bandit convicted in Katsina State since this crisis escalated.

The Katsina State chapter of the Coalition of Northern Groups was apt when it said the Buhari government had failed the state and the country in general for not protecting the lives and property of citizens.

The group, in a communiquĂŠ issued after a recent meeting in Katsina, that discussed renewed banditry attacks, killings, and kidnappings in the state said: “The government’s attempts to reassert public confidence with repeated rhetoric

Pro-Gay Comments By Pope Francis Still Echoing I have spent quality time reading The Vatican’s so-called clarification of Pope Francis’ position on gays. The explanation simply further confirmed the Pope’s soft spot for these weird creatures.

The Pope had in a documentary “Francesco�

by Russian-born director Evgeny Afineevsky, which debuted in Rome 18 days ago, voiced support for “same-sex civil unions.� I wonder what that means.

Speaking in the film about pastoral outreach and care for people who identify as LGBTQ, the pontiff said: “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.� Pope Francis added in the documentary that he “stood up for that�, apparently referring to his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires when, although opposing same-sex marriages in law, he supported some legal protections for same-sex couples.

The film also shows him encouraging two gay men to attend church with their three children.

The Vatican clarified that Pope’s comments were taken out of context and did not signal a change in doctrine by the Catholic Church. It

explained further that the film spliced parts of an old interview. It said the Pope was speaking about his opposition to a same-sex marriage law in Argentina 10 years ago when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires; that he spoke about the rights of gays to have certain legal protection, but not about same-sex marriage; that Pope Francis was referring to certain provisions made by states, and certainly not to the doctrine of the Church, which he has reaffirmed numerous times over the years.

These clarifications cannot obliterate the fact that the Pope tacitly supports LGBTQ, particularly by saying that they are children of God and deserve legal protection. I thought, according to the bible, LGBTQ are evil and belong to the devil. The Vatican even clarified that the Pope said a son or daughter with a homosexual orientation should never be discriminated against within the family. For me, Pope Francis has given the body of Christ a new definition of “Children of God,� which is not according to the Bible.

Children of God cannot include LGBTQ. This is unacceptable. Those opposed to the will of God cannot be called children of God. That’s my little understanding of the Bible. Canvassing legal protection for LGBTQ is ungodly. Encouraging them to attend church services is heresy. Honestly,

Pope Francis

I believe Pope Francis should just step aside in the interest of Christianity. Thereafter, he should go and set up an NGO to fight for the rights LGBTQ. He can’t be doing that within the precincts of the Vatican.

of being on top of the situation seem to be worsening as killings and kidnapping for ransom have become a daily occurrence in most parts of the state.� The communiquÊ, co-signed by the group’s chairman, Jamiu Charanchi, and the secretary, Abubakar Kabir, demanded a review of the entire national security architecture and the Katsina State Security Committee in order to inject higher levels of competence, integrity, and accountability.

It’s so sad that thousands of lives have been lost on both sides of the divide in Katsina.

The killings continue unabated. Those in the position to end the Katsina debacle have been irresponsible and insensitive. This is the truth that must be told. They should be ashamed of the endless killings. I will like to see a dispassionate commitment to ending these killings. Killers must be apprehended and punished, while victims should be appropriately compensated. A pragmatic and result-oriented military operation must take off immediately; not this jaundiced “operation Sahel Security�. The herders looking for unfettered access to farm lands must be firmly told that this is intolerable. For peace to reign, herders must be compelled to cuddle ranching. Masari should provide technical and financial support to the herders to settle in the ranches.

Buni

Absentee Governo Mai Mala Buni I knew governance will suffer in Yobe State immediately Governor Mai Mala Buni took the job of Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress. These days, you will hardly find him in Damaturu. Buni is always in Abuja. Obviously, there is no way these two jobs can be combined. They are both tasking.

Project Yobe is now suffering because Buni is spending more time on project APC. Huge files are on Buni’s table in Damaturu waiting for his attention. The Yobe APC stakeholders were right to demand this governor’s impeachment because of his “unavailability in the state to discharge his constitutional duties as governor.�

The Chairman, Yobe APC Stakeholders, Hussain Muhammad, said: “Buni has abandoned the state and only visits once in a month. It has become expedient to draw the attention of the public, especially the state House of Assembly, to the aberration of having a governor who is non-functional. Buni was not elected as APC’s Acting National Chairman, but as Yobe State governor and he swore to obey the constitution. It is our position that he had become a self-serving governor, who failed and betrayed his people when they needed him the most. “As stakeholders, we have made both individual and collective efforts at letting Mai Mala Buni realise his mistakes, but it appears that as we inch closer to making him realise, he digs in further into his sit-tight plans at the party’s national secretariat. We, therefore, call on the Yobe State House of Assembly to begin impeachment process if he fails to resign as governor.�

These Yobe stakeholders are making sense. Buni should return to Yobe and face his constitutional duties. He should tell the APC to look for another person to pilot its affairs. This is clearly not a job for an incumbent governor.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPA P PER ˾ NOVEMBER 7, 2020

SUPER SATURDAY

Toke Makinwa’s Pains, Dreams On-Air-Personality, actress, model, fashion entrepreneur and multi-media celebrity, Toke Makinwa, was 36 last Tuesday. She spent the day reflecting on her pains and dreams at 36, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

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eneath the facade of a seemingly gy happy ppy life and successful career, lie many y expectations p and challenges. g That aptly p y describes multi-media celebrity y cum fashion entrepreneur, p Toke Makinwa. The On-Air-Personality, y actress and model took to the social media last Tuesday y to bare it all so you know there’s nothing like picture perfect image

to her as she turned 36 y years on November 3. In a post on her Instagram p g p page, g the showbiz g girl shared the many y struggles gg she has had to face this y year and some of the many y expectations p she had before her 36th birthday y which are yet y to materialize.

Toke’s expectations p lately y have largely g y dwelt on marriage g and childbirth. Barely y few months to her 35th birthday y last year, y the fashionista had expressed her wish to walk down the aisle a second

time and also make (male) babies as she made known her birthday y dreams. The controversial media g girl had among g other things g declared in a p post: “I want to wake up p to the sounds of the ocean, visit nearby y islands, drink some rum and live it up p as it’s my y last y year as a single g g girl. Ready y to g give marriage g a second chance and of course the bambinos too. . .”

Toke had the year y before last hankered for a man when she expressed her feelings thus. “Times like

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPA P PER ˾ NOVEMBER 7, 2020

11

SUPER SATURDAY Toke Makinwa’s Pains, Dreams this g guys, y I wish I had a man to g get home to.

A man to kick it with, just j chat about work and other times I just j grab g the remote control and watch TV. . . whoever I marry, y y you gona g be p proud of this baby yg girl, y you will bless God daily y for the warrior he’s blessed y you with. A cornerstone, her spirit p is undefeated, her soul is gold. My y kids will call me blessed.”

Since her 18-month-old-marriage g to Maje j Ayida, y (the famous body y fitness expert) p crashed irredeemably y in the most scandalous manner in 2017, the OAP has been linked to a few high g society y men who she has at her beck and call.

The question q now is: Who is Toke settling g down with? Simply pyp put in Pidgin g English, g ‘Na who Toke wan marry y abi na who wan marry y Toke?’

Once a y young g black g girl with mighty g y dreams, Toke as a single g lady y is doing g well especially p y with a thriving career in media, modeling and make-believe.

In her lengthy g y birthday y post p to mark her 36th birthday, y the social media influencer said she thought g that by y this time of the year, y she would be p pregnant g with her first issue and p posting g “baby y on the way” y p pictures, but her belly y is still flat, and her waist is still disappearing. p pp The divorced media p personality y who was seen twerking g up p a storm at her birthday y gig gg lamented bitterly y about her struggles gg in the now viral p post. The socialite g gave an insight g into the challenges g and emotional hullabaloo she has had to face this y year. According g to her, the only thing g she has g got g going g for her is work. Toke recalls losing g friends to betrayal and her anxiety on an all-time high. g Toke who shared a stunning g photo p of herself and had earlier announced that she contracted the dreaded COVID-19 and hoped p she would be fine before her birthday, y detailed in her lamentation the following: g “The month of October was not the best I’ve felt, I don’t just j want to post p glam g pictures p cos I do love the glam life but that’s not all there is to me. I have g been g given this p platform to share, to rise, to fall, to bare it all so you y all know that there’s nothing g like p picture perfect, p we are all jjust trying y g to fig gure life out. I was stressed emotionally, y exhausted spiritually, p y working g round the clock feeling g empty p y cos I had so many y expectations p and it seemed like the devil heard be brag g so loud about how g good God has been to me, he decided to test my y mind.

“Falling g sick after God told me the p plague g in the land will not visit my y family… y I couldn’t travel cos my y work load kept p piling p g and I just j wasn’t feeling g great. g I stopped pp p praying y g cos I was tired of the same p prayer y p points and as my y birthday y drew closer I felt even more anxious.

“Yesterday y I watched a sermon by y @sarahjjakesroberts titled “Girl g get up” p and I broke down really y bad. I was carrying y g it all in, smiling g for the world but the weight g of all my y emotions was on override and I let it all out. I felt God, I felt new and I felt p peace. I started to remind myself y of that little g girl with dreams, the little girl that wanted to live the life that I live now g and though g all isn’t p perfect. I am turning g 36 whole. I know only y God could have brought g me this far and the view from the 36th floor will be even more amazing. g “I know this was meant to be a hot picture p but I decided to share this to let someone out there know that we are all in this thing g called life together. g All of it, the happy ppy and sad, the jjoy y and aches, the wins and loss, the view will only yg get better, I p promise y you. Sorry y for the long g caption, p if it’s not for you, y scroll and pass p but if it is, read it knowing g God knows your y name and he makes no mistakes. He is never late and y your miracle is taking g longer g cos it will be a sign g to the whole world that he did it.

Hang g in there”.

The ‘Baby yg girl for life’ has only y managed g to stay y true to her tag g by y looking as flawless as ever on her 36th birthday. y In a follow up pp post, the vlogger gg g gave g gratitude to God as she g gets ready y for a series of audacious takeovers. “The view from the 36th floor is Bold…….. Get ready y for a series of ‘audacious’ takeovers. It gets g better from here. It’s my y birthday y I’m on my y worst behavior” She captioned p her subsequent q p post thus: “03/11.

The day y I came to be. 36 is the y year for signs g and wonders. A series of ‘audacious takeovers’ is about to happen pp this y year, I can’t wait.

Thank you y God for the gift g of life, to think I beat the Rona, survived 20/20, there has been so much increase. My y life is the real definition of g grace. I’m too thankful to see another day. y I’m the birthday y gy gyal and I’m going to disturb your timelines today.”

Toke Makinwa

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ÍżËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

NATIONAL CARRIER: AN UNENDING TRAGEDY Government should get its priorities right, argues Armsfree Ajanaku

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he definition of insanity, according to the acclaimed genius, Albert Einstein, is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.

Einstein may not have had Nigeria in mind when he provided such an apt postulation, but the typical Nigerian way of advertently repeating the same mistakes validates his assertion. Nowhere is this anomaly more apparent than in the ongoing scramble by the Nigerian government to form a national carrier. At a time the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating economies, with far reaching implications for the airline industry, many have questioned the wisdom in reintroducing the issue of the national carrier in national discourse.

Last week, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika told the Senate with gusto that N78.96 billion of the capital budget of the ministry would be devoted to finalising plans for the new national carrier. I am sure that even the legislators who have not said anything about the crazy proposal, are probably still trying to figure out how much sense such a project would make at a time like this. That is, at a time of very serious competing national priorities exemplified by the crisis in the education, health and public infrastructure sectors, the choice of a fanciful national carrier, with no rigorous business case, and zero sustainability plan, cannot be acceptable to the Nigerian people. Nigeria has the highest number of poor people in the world, and the recent youth unrest in the country calls for investments in low hanging fruits sectors such as agriculture, entrepreneurship and infrastructure which will enable young people to unleash their energies to grow the economy.

In the coming weeks, the lawmakers ought to take the pain to properly interrogate the allocation of the billions to a national carrier, which details remain the exclusive preserve of government officials. The oversight role of the National Assembly requires the legislators to push the minister to provide clear details relating to the viability of business case, and the possibility of sustaining such money guzzling ventures, which are long term profit yielding investments. The National Assembly ought to show some patriotism, even if for a fleeting moment by ensuring scarce national resources are not frittered on whimsical projects, which provide no compelling business case. If I were in the National Assembly, my first question to the minister would be: if the money involved is your personal fund, will you put it in a business, which has no clear pathway to recoup the investment?

Online sources point to the very drastic reduction in the number of airline passenger across the world, which has similarly impacted the number of flights. Across the world, there is an astronomical rise in the number of cancelled flights, and the number of planes flying empty between airports gives an indication that the aviation sector is in deep crisis. While the optimism exists that things will rebound, the key issue for Nigeria right now is set its priorities right. With substantial drops in revenues and job losses in the aviation sector, which serious investor will be ready to take a plunge at this time? It is also on record that airliner manufacturers and airport operators have been bleeding seriously with revenues nosediving and jobs being cut. Is this the kind of volatile environment the Nigeria government insists on plunging into

THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE DIRECTLY AND THROUGH THEIR REPRESENTATIVES IN PARLIAMENT MUST MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WHITE ELEPHANT PROJECTS IN THIS TIME OF SERIOUS ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND HIGH POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT, ARE ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE

with billions? These are the hard questions that the minister wanted to dodge which would have informed his reluctance to provide sufficient details to enable the public interrogate this huge fraud called National Carrier.

Apparently, the motive for resurrecting an idea which was roundly rejected by the public in 2018, cannot be noble. The impression, which was created from the minister’s appearance at the National Assembly is that the government possesses the monopoly of wisdom, and it can just wake up, take decisions, and appropriate monies without getting the broad approval of citizens. At the risk of repetition, it has to be emphasized that a national carrier is not a venture the government should just jump into without painstaking and wide consultations to get the approval of citizens and stakeholders. Two years after the botched start of Air Nigeria, it is apparent that the government has not learnt anything from its own missteps, and the missteps of its predecessors. For instance, the government according to Sirika has engaged investors to partner with it to float the national carrier. Curiously, he failed to state who the investors are and what their capacity is and how much of such investments they plan to make in other countries at this time of the global economic meltdown.

It is also apparent that the vast majority of Nigerians in the face of competing national priorities are not swayed by the fanciful talks of a national carrier, which details, business case and sustainability plans are at best nebulous. And the more the government continues to dodge the hard questions of what the exact motivations are, the clearer it becomes that this national carrier business would as well serve as a “carrier� of public resources into a few private bank accounts. In the circumstance, citizens have a duty to raise their voices and pressure government not to embark on another wild goose chase, which will result in the careless frittering away of public funds.

The Nigerian people directly and through their representatives in parliament must make it clear that white elephant projects in this time of serious economic downturn and high poverty and unemployment, are absolutely unacceptable.

The minister of Aviation and his team should concentrate on proper regulation of the sector to enable the private operators thrive instead of pursuing an unclear, unpopular, and unsustainable bogus national carrier project. Energy, time and resources should be concentrated on making the operating environment conducive such as upgrading the existing airports for the private sector players who are currently in the space, and have mastered the game. The ministry would serve the national interest better if it can end the inconsistencies which characterise the implementation of its policies in the sector.

Above all, there are airlines, which have demonstrated capacity to represent and project the Nigerian brand anywhere in the world. These airlines have braved the toxic nature of the Nigerian business environment to make their mark on the global stage. Instead of ventures which will merely waste scarce resources, the government should consider supporting these private businesses through synergies and mutually beneficial relationships. r"KBOBLV XSPUF GSPN "CVKB

THE NORTH AND THE ELITE

Iyobosa Uwugiaren urges northern leaders to look after the welfare and security of their people

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hat message were they trying to pass across to the rest of Nigerians and the world in general? I mean the Northern leaders: Governors, traditional rulers and senior political appointees from the North, in their recent meeting in Kaduna State -- when they stated that the intension of #EndSARS protest was to topple President Muhammadu Buhari-led government?

Well, we can only read between the lines through the communique issued at the end of their meeting, alleging that “those pushing for superlative agitations and other change-regime actions outside the ballot box hijacked the peaceful #EndSARS protests to further their separatist agenda.’’ The Northern leaders also called for strict watch on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to guide against unwarranted and destructive protests as well as to safeguard critical national assets.

At the meeting by the Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF) held with traditional rulers, some federal government officials, including the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu; Ibrahim Gambari, the President’s Chief of Staff, and leaders of the National Assembly in Kaduna, the Northern leaders also denounced the overwhelming consequence of the social media in spreading fake news, and called for “control mechanism and censorship of the social media practice in Nigeria.�

Even though the meeting hosted by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state reiterated their pledge to the ‘’indivisibility, indissolubility and oneness’’ of Nigeria, while fantasising a nationalistic idea in their communique, their message to the rest of the country is direct: We will protect Buhari by all means necessary. And they went further to ask him to censor what has become a tool for global mobilisation for just actions by the

voiceless – the social media.

However, it is reasonably reassuring that many of the radical elements from the north are not with these elites - their reactions in the last few days have suggested that this elitist group didn’t speak for the entire north at the meeting. And I have digested some of these reactions, including the one by Senator Shehu Sani. Their grouse is that those who attended the meeting were more concerned about retaining, sustaining their political/ economic power and protecting their huge properties across the country rather than addressing the socio-political, economic and security crises that have continued to ravage the entire region in the past decades, especially in the past five years of Buhari’s administration.

For a group of people who are not used to their subjects challenging their authorities, and daily derive joy in “rakandede’’ greeting from the poor, they were thoroughly rattled by the peaceful-turned violent protest in some parts of their region. And my reading of the meeting is that in an attempt to change the narrative of the fundaments of the protest, they needed to create a distraction; it is understandable.

Because, it is does not matter to them that our country is now referred to as the ‘’poverty capital of the world’’, with over 92 million of its nearly 200 million citizens living in life-threatening poverty. And within our country, the northern is also seen as the ‘’poverty capital of Nigeria.’’ If you are in doubt crosscheck the comparative regional poverty rates, as released by the federal government’s agency, the National Bureau of Statistics: North-West: 80.9%; North-East: 76.8%; North-Central: 45.7%, making the north poverty average of 67.8%. Then, relate this to their southern counterparts: SouthWest: 19.3%; South-South: 25.2%; South-East: 27.4%, with a southern average of 24%.

Sadly, within this context, the north is nearly three times poorer than the south.

Like their counterparts in the Southern Nigeria – who own luxury properties in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, and outside the country, the northern elite club is not troubled that Northern Nigeria has over the years lagged far-off behind Southern Nigeria in quality education, especially the absence of qualified teachers at all levels of education in the region. As a matter of fact, there are several researched works by academics, suggesting that outside first and second generation universities like Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Maiduguri, the mainstream of teaching staff at tertiary institutions in the north do not have doctorate degrees.

They are apparently more concerned about the so-called disruptive impact of the social media rather than explaining a region that is swamped by millions of out-of-school children wandering the streets while their children are attending the best of schools abroad. They appear not to be bothered that the educational structure in the region needs to be transformed and incorporated into the contemporary educational scheme for the benefit of the poor.

Check some of the economic figures released by the NBS: The entire 19 states in the three northern geopolitical zones account for only 23% of Nigeria’s GDP. Kano State that certainly tops others, produces only 3.3% of national GDP. Taraba State leads the hindmost with 0.25%. On the other hand, three states in Southern Nigeria: Delta, Rivers and Lagos states produce 36% of Nigeria’s GDP. Yet, they are not bothered!

Apart from Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna who appears to be changing the sad economic narrative in the region, other governors focus on spending/sharing oil wealth from the Niger Delta region. And

sad enough, even though the region has produced heads of government for 44 years out of the 60 years of our independence, this circumstance has no delivering impact on the lives of the ordinary citizens in the north. Six years ago, majority of the poor in the north believed strongly that Buhari-led federal government would change their fortunes. Today, go ask this set of people who voted massively for Buhari in 2015 and 2019: they will tell you bai Buhari(We don’t want Buhari).

Everyone can see the psychological mindset of these elites: They are apprehensive that day-after-day, their strategy of retaining political power at the local, state and national level, for their self-aggrandisement, is gradually being exposed and punctured – as epitomised by the recent protest in some states in the north, in spite of the many falsehoods they sold them that eventually reduced the impact of the protest in the region.

I thought the northern elites should be more alarmed about the increasing insecurity that has ravaged their region in the past six years that claimed thousand lives - even when the leadership of security agencies: Department of State Services, Nigeria Army, Nigeria Air Force, Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Police Force and others are in their hands in recent years.

Let’s not continue to pretend: These sociopolitical, economic certainties have crippled essentially the entire region, which is further contributing to the economic depression of the poor. Yet, it doesn’t matter to them that protecting and defending the welfare and security of lives and property of their people is the fundamental duty of government.

State failure materialises in the absence of security such as what Northern Nigeria and other parts of the country are experiencing today.

13

ÍżËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

On the path to victory

TO OUR READERS /HWWHUV LQ UHVSRQVH WR VSHFLÂżF SXEOLFDWLRQV LQ 7+,6'$< VKRXOG EH EULHI ZRUGV DQG VWUDLJKW WR WKH SRLQW ,QWHUHVWHG UHDGHUV PD\ VHQG VXFK OHWWHUV DORQJ ZLWK WKHLU FRQWDFW GHWDLOV WR saturdayeditor@thisdaylive.com :H DOVR ZHOFRPH FRPPHQWV DQG RSLQLRQV RQ WRSLFDO ORFDO QDWLRQDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO LVVXHV SURYLGHG WKH\ DUH ZHOO ZULWWHQ DQG VKRXOG DOVR QRW EH ORQJHU WKDW ZRUGV 7KH\ VKRXOG EH VHQW WR saturdayeditor@thisdaylive.com DORQJ ZLWK WKH HPDLO DGGUHVV DQG SKRQH QXPEHUV RI WKH ZULWHU

Good Governance Will Silence Social Media

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seen Twitter censoring the tweets of US President Donald o government is short of opposition. In a democracy, the residence of an animated opposition Trump. The machinery of censorship on social media is already in operation by the creators. signals the buoyancy of the system. Where there is democracy, there is opposition. In fact, opposiSo, the campaign to regulate social media is simply to silence the voices of Nigerians given oomph by this tion is the mitochondria of a republican system â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it keeps platform. It is compelling to believe those in government the government on the mill working according to purpose.

Why is the Buhari administration after the only opposido not understand the social media. They are befuddled tion platform of all citizens? Really, the principal task of by the utility like Homo erectus and fire. They are afraid the administration from its conception was dismantling to see the unity of voices making demands on the governinstruments and institutions of check. The Buhari executive ment. They do not understand how citizens in distant locations can come to purpose on a single platform, thwacked the judiciary and effectively broke its back when standing up for themselves. agents of the state attacked judges in their homes and when the administration contrived the removal of Walter The government secretes its agenda in the excuse that Onnoghen as chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), asphalting social media can cause the collapse of the country. This is patently false. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bloodiest epoch was decades the path for a CJN to emerge from the region where the before the accouchement of social media. We experienced president comes from. a civil war, pogroms, religious riots and political riots â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all The national assembly was not spared from the before social media. The triggers of the collapse of Nigeria bludgeoning of the Buhari government. So, effectively the two institutions which naturally provide the functional are the internal contradictions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not social media.

The seeds of the mass violence of the past are still wheels in a democracy were amputated and executivised. potent and the fault lines have been made more palpable The dominant opposition party, which should have been a by the misconstruction of governance by the Buhari adminrallying point of all genuine voices of dissent, is sterile â&#x20AC;&#x201C; istration. If Nigerians were divided by an invisible line in owing to its own internal contradictions and loss of moral the past, President Buhari came and built a towering wall authority. The kettle cannot call the pot black. separating them according to religion and ethnicity.

Therefore, citizens have taken their destiny into their The occasional bouts of ethnic exchanges on social own hands. Social media offers all aggregates of the media are implicitly because of the provincial bent of the citizenry a platform to vent, to criticise, and to offer Buhari administration â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which accented our differences. suggestions on governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies and actions. It is When a government does not treat all citizens equally, it is the only effective opposition platform. It has become an only setting up a furnace of disharmony. apparatus for calling out governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incompetence and To silence social media is simple. It only takes Leaderholding it to account. ship. Deliver good governance to the people and watch the As a matter of fact, the campaign by the government dissenters become praise singers, and hate speech becomes to regulate social media comes from a place of personal love letters. It only takes leadership. insecurity. To most Nigerians who have expressed their views on the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s convulsion over this utility, r'SFESJDL /XBCVGP JT B XSJUFS BOE KPVSOBMJTU including me, the reason for the rabid pursuit of censorship is: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;So, the favourites of the government can steal without questions. So, they can harass Nigerians without the consequence of an outrage. To escape citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; T H E SAT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R judgment on their failures. Just so they can get away EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE with anything.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; DEPUTY EDITOR FESTUS AKANBI MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO Nigerians, who are patrons of this important utility, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE say they do not want it regulated by the government; so, CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI the administration will be acting against the wish of the EDITOR NATIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN people it purports to represent if it does otherwise. This MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE will further indict the government of dictatorship.

Citizens do not trust the government to act in their interest. The government has not given them a reason to.

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D They are not categorically railing against the censorship EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;underworld contrivancesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; of social media but GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, against the government wielding power as the expurgaISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI tor of this device. Every citizen apparatus appropriated DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE by the government has always been abused, corrupted DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI and deployed in violation of rights and liberties.

SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH Really, the government should not hold the console ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO to social media. Regulating the social networks should CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI be the business of the fabricators. And already, they DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO are doing that. On Facebook, you cannot post violent HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA photos or videos, and hate speech is censored. There TO SEND EMAIL: ďŹ rst name.surname@thisdaylive.com are variegated means of reporting fake news and hate speech on this platform and others as well. We have

What Next After EndSARS Protest?

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any analysts have perused and pointed out the pros and cons of the nationwide #EndSARS protests. At this juncture, it is pertinent to enlighten and guide the Nigerian youths in the subsequent line of political action or quest for good governance.

The political debate which has been centred on â&#x20AC;&#x153;youthocracyâ&#x20AC;? in preparation for the 2023 general elections is a step in the wrong direction. Until the Nigerians begin to choose political leaders on ideological affiliations, any attempt to remediate the rot in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political system would tantamount to an exercise in futility.

The rot in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political terrain is systemic.

Age barrier is inconsequential in tackling this decay. The Nigerian youths must immediately proffer or reorganize under an ideological political platform. And the political party should embark on public sensitization and welfarist blueprints unequivocally parallel to the agenda of the current political establishment which has been masquerading under different political platforms.

The Nigerian youths must sustain and apply the militant and indefatigable spirit in display during the #EndSARS protests in combating other obnoxious policy, institutionalized corruption and administrative perfunctoriness embedded in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political system. The youths should immediately rise and denounce the fresh hike in electricity tariff, further increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) and the prolonged ASUU strike. The focus on 2023 elections solely would spell irreparable doom for the nation.

There are no justifications for armed robbery, killings and vandalism under any guise during protests. If these acts are condoned, many innocent individuals would bear the brunt. Likewise, the taxpayers money would be appropriated to fix public facilities under destruction. Rather, the Nigerians should constitutionally and intellectually engage the government on bad governance and state - sponsored extrajudicial killings. rBinzak Azeez, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife

Buy Some More Crayons

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â&#x20AC;&#x2122;m tired of seeing all those maps colored in using red and blue only. Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for someone to give the children involved some new crayon colors to use. Then there might be less dummy spits, lies, threats and name calling and they can learn to share.

Lead by example but make sure it is a good example. r%FOOJT 'JU[HFSBME Melbourne, Australia

14

Ë&#x153; Ëž NOVEMBER 7, 2020

INTERVIEW Farida Waziri

Drug Abuse Played a Role in EndSARS Damages Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), retired Assistant Inspector General of police (AIG), Farida Waziri, believes federal and state governments probing the recent EndSARS crisis must not overlook the inďŹ&#x201A;uence of drug abuse and political interests in the hijack of the genuine agitation by hoodlums who unleashed mayhem in parts of the country. She also opened up on her lifestyle and charity ventures during an interview in Abuja with select journalists, including Tolulope Ibukunoluwa

H

ow do you feel about the recent EndSARS protest that claimed lives in parts of the country?

One fine morning, we woke up and were confronted by the EndSARS protesters. I observed on my television and it was peaceful and they conducted themselves well.

To me, it was ok. You are entitled to that as citizens of this country, if you have any grievances, you should speak out to government.And provided it is peaceful, it was ok. So, it went on. I think they gave some conditions, what you call the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;five pointsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to Mr President. I was happy also that Mr President quickly acceded to them.And I saw the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, he came toAbuja and presented it, I watched on the television and Mr President conceded.

What shocked me was the turn of events where hoodlums suddenly surfaced and hijacked the process. It was very, very sad. The destruction in Lagos was very painful - the destruction of police stations, those cars, the buses and so many other things.

And it got me wondering; what is this all about?

What is behind all of this?And there was looting and the saddest part was the killing of policemen. Some people sent it to me and I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even look at it because I felt that the police, especially the members of the rank and file, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deserve this. They too are at the receiving end. These are the people that are at roadblocks 24/7. Come rain, come sunshine, they are at the filling stations, they are the ones you call when there is problem, they are the ones you call to quell riots, they are the ones who get killed almost Waziri every day, leaving their poor children untrained and all that. So, to say that you are killing the police when in another breath, you say you want the enhancement of the police, improvement of their welfare and all that and you turn around to destroy the little that they have, you turn around to kill them in cold blood, it was one of the saddest days.

You retired as an AIG in the police, what was SARS like in your time?

SARS was not so prominent in those days.

Why? I will tell you, what we have then wasAlagbon Close. You might be too young to know aboutAlagbon Close. But if you tell a man that you are invited toAlagbon Close, he would almost collapse. There was professionalism, and they were the FBI of Nigeria at that time.

So, there was a little bit of SARS then.Again, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that these crimes were not to this level. There was no much of robbery, there were few cases, there were few assassinations, and there were no kidnappings and rapes. The society had not gone haywire in criminal tendencies like what we have now. I was Commissioner of Police, Administration, ofAlagbon. So, we had SARS inAdeniji-Adele, they were not on the roads, they were not stopping and searching, they were not asking questions and they were not dealing with members of the public like that. They would sit down in unmarked cars and maybe with their walkie-talkie. The communication gadget was very effective.

So, at what point did the force bring them out?

I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know. To this extent really, I am just trying to also know about it because at that time, it was mobile police. Do you remember the time of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Adewusiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kill and Go?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The mobile policemen! They nicknamed themAdewusiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kill and Go; that was the mobile. They were highly rated, they were powerful and they could contest with the NigerianArmy. So, those vans, riot vans, water cannons, the police bought them. The police had them and I think later on, they returned them to the military. So, the mobile police, they have a training school in Gwoza. That was then. SARS was just at the background.

What would you think was responsible for the misbehaviour attributed to some of the operatives?

In any one country, you are dealing with human beings.And human beings are made up of the good, the bad and the ugly, the one they call the bad eggs.And the bad eggs can then impugn on the integrity of others, innocent people unfortunately. I think that is what happened. Probably, there were few bad eggs that rubbed badly on the people and others.And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that no science can tell what a human being would eventually turn into. So, that is what happened and the relationship with members of the public broke down. You say the police is your friend, but at the end, you are at the receiving

with the First Lady and wife of the Vice President last year on this critical assignment but we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear of them again. That is an initiative that must not be allowed wasted or put in the cooler.

end.And nobody wants that. The Nigerian people would want their police to be like the British Bobby. They are just there, their hands behind their back, they are working, patrolling, if you ask them the road, they will lead you, they are polite, they are not carrying guns, they have batter. They want a situation like that. So, it is very unfortunate.

You must have followed the narrative of how the genuine protest was hijacked by hoodlums who vandalized and looted many public and private properties, why did you think that happened?

I am very careful to analyse that kind of situation. But I would want the government to thoroughly investigate that hijack.

Something went wrong. You see, something went seriously wrong because the venom that was unleashed on private property was too much. Something went wrong, maybe there were some people behind it, but I am not in a position to say.As a lawyer, I speak about facts and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to speculate or carry rumours. It is very dangerous. But something obviously went wrong.

But what could have been their motivation because they went to NPA and other national assets?

That is why I am saying something is wrong. What is the correlation between NPAand hoodlums? So, if you say some people took advantage, you know this is a country where people always have an axe to grind. The politicians, I am afraid to say our politicians have let us down a great deal. When they want power, they go all out.

When they get the power, their traditional homes in the village, you will see big, bigAlsatian dogs, keep off! You come to where they are, it is guards,Alsatian dogs, keep off.And they used these guys. They used them and then they discard them. Those politicians that are not grassroots democratic politicians, but they are bad losers, they must be relevant.

If you look at Nigeria now, it is not so much business, it is politics.

People want to be relevant all the time.Agovernor does eight years, if you are lucky, you see dividends of democracy and the next four years, he is building war chest. He has to contest to come to the Senate. He gets to the Senate, he is quarrelling with the Senate President because he wants what they call lucrative committees. It is continuous and there is never a time to say that we are for the masses.And another thing we must not take our eyes away from is the impact of drug abuse on the hoodlums who hijacked the legitimate protest by the youths. Tell me, someone who went to remove the signboard of Jalingo or Ekiti state House ofAssembly or even the toilet seat in someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house. What did they need all those for? They are not food and so canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t solve their hunger problem. Certainly, a lot of these hoodlums must have acted that way after abuse of drugs and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I think President Buhari needs to do all he can urgently to empower the Gen. Marwa led PresidentialAdvisory Committee for the Elimination of DrugAbuse, PACEDA. They were everywhere

So, it is about greed and personal interest?

It is greed. Vested interest, personal interest!And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we have to be careful with the idea of state police. Community police is a better option. There is nothing to be politically correct about on this because our politicians are desperadoes who engage in do or die politics; they will end up pocketing the police commissioner and before you know it, there might be war between stateAand state B. We are good with community police but our country is not yet mature for state police. We can do a lot better on our security architecture with the right leadership. President Buhari is committing so much to this and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we have the level of peace we are enjoying at the moment despite some pockets of challenges in some parts of the country. Remember when Gen. Buba Marwa was the military administrator of Lagos, I was in Lagos then and there were security challenges and he personally coordinated operation sweep which metamorphosed into todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rapid Response Squad and dismantled all the robbery networks across the state. That was how security was restored in Lagos then.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how it should be.

How should government now respond to the youthsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; demands?

Government has to be careful. Government has to be careful with them until we know what actually happened, who hijacked them.

There is something going on about the Lekki thing. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t watch people in uniform allegedly military shooting at people. But I saw the bullets flying in the sky, and I know that when you are called to quell riots, to disperse innocent people who are not armed, you carry dummy bullets. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t carry bullets that can kill. So, I suspect that probably they called them and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see them shooting at the people. I saw them in the sky because you can see the lightening in the sky. So, until government knows what happened, we can draw conclusions yet. But each case, according to law, must be treated according to its own merit. That is, those who wilfully damaged property of innocent people must be charged to court and those who killed should also be charged to court for murder. That is if they knew what they were doing, if they have the intent. Did they intend to kill the police? Did they plan to kill or were they on drugs or were they not in their senses? So, you will even need psychiatric examination and all that.Another thing is not to throw the baby with the bath water away. When you group them in detention, COVID-19 is there.

We should not forget that. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want all of them to contract COVID-19. The best thing is to take them to court, charge them quickly and send them to prison. Those you want to release on lack of sufficient evidence, you release; those you want to release on other grounds, you release; and so on and so forth.

What would you say are the lessons for the country?

The lesson is that you make people feel important. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a minister, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a senator, and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be in any public office. But as long as you are a Nigerian, you should be made to feel that you belong in this country; and your life matters and the security of your children matter and that if they cry out, government should listen to them. Those who have to go to school, let them go to school. Those who want business, government should create conducive atmosphere for them to survive. Government canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t create jobs for everybody. But look, the money they are giving such as N-Power, Tradermoni, Marketmoni, Farmermoni, N-Tech and N-Agro, they say it is better to give you the rod to fish for yourself than to give you fish to eat and the next day, you come back.

Read full interview online - www.thisdaylive.com

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž NOVEMBER 7, 2020

PERSPECTIVE The Fifth Columnist and Senator Mao Ohuabunwa Stanley Nkwazema

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bia state has produced some outstanding members of the National Assembly whose contribution, to their constituencies, state and nation cannot be overlooked for mediocrity and sheer mediocrity. The state indeed has not been so lucky when viewed against the background if good governance transparency and infrastructural development are the main parameters for measuring success However, measuring successes of legislators are data driven and can be easily tracked; number of bills sponsored and passed, co-sponsored, number of motions, quality of debates by the National Assembly members as it is in every responsibility. Above all direct impact to the legislatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s constituency and socio-economic wellbeing is put into consideration despite the contribution of the lawmakers at the national level: Performance appraisal is basically the periodic measurement of an employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s productivity to the company or organization against the backdrop of his skills, key milestones and growth or lack thereof. The goal of performance appraisal is to address the following: To maintain records in order to determine compensation packages, wage structure, salaries raises, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of employees to place right men on the right job. It is driven by data- quantitative or qualitative, however successful performance appraisal focuses mainly on quantitative data because of its empirical nature. Political leaders are employees of the citizenry and can be subjected to the same periodic reviews of their performance.

Interestingly, since the dawn of democracy in 1999, it has been a sour taste for the people of Abia State who daily yearn for a government that can appreciate the fact that there is no rocket science in meeting the basic needs of electorates. Indeed, since the military returned to the barracks May 29, 1999, Abia cannot be grouped amongst the states who have been opportune to have governors who are not selfish, careless to the basic needs of the people.

It has been insensitivity of the highest order when viewed against the background that those elected as Governors chose to develop their immediate constituencies more and neglect the basic needs and commercially viable areas.

For the people of Abia, Aba the Enyimba city that used to be the bastion of commerce and production could have seen the better of days if those elected as did not choose their towns against a city that ordinarily could have been a high revenue earner

For Ohuabunwa , the Arochukwu born businessman, Senator for Abia North Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly having served in the 4th and 5th National Assembly as member representing Arochukwu/ OhaďŹ a constituency under the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic Party between 1999 and 2007, his inclusive style of leadership is not in doubt.

Most importantly, Ohuabunwa raised the motion on the reconstruction of ArochukwuOhaďŹ a Road (Passed). The road contract has now been awarded by the federal Government

Senator Mao Ohuabunwa and place the state among the high earners outside oil. The state of Aba is so deplorable that it looks like the people have been forgotten, that one with roots in Aba feels the place may not get back to those old days any longer. Between those that has been in charge of the affairs of the state, it has been recurring decimal of bad Governance from the first Executive Governor who interestingly could rightly be tagged an Aba boy to the present Governor who is from the same Senatorial zone and doing his second term in office, it is worrisome to note that he may not have much to offer, although may want to disagree.

Even with the oil revenue accruing to the state, it has been stories of missed opportunities and callous executives, who chose to take care of themselves rather than the people they govern. They care less and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give a damn how the people feel. Where they attempted to do something, it was substandard and one feels that the state capital looks more like a Local Government headquarters as if other states who receive far less from the FAAC and generate little or nothing internally are not in Nigeria.

For the legislators at the national level, and the Senate in particular, only three including Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, who started from the House of representatives up to the Senate before he was rigged out of a second term, late Senator Uche Chukwumerije, and to an extent General Ike Nwachukwu who served for just one term and Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Minority Leader who is easily regarded as one of the strongest voices and has never disappointed. Except some former members of the House of Representatives and few current members, others chose to put up mediocre performances.

The Bills and Motions of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa which could be verified from the national Assembly records and gazette, includes but not limited to National Centre for Cancer and Treatment (Est,etc) Bill 2015. (SB. 10) (Passed into law).

Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology Act Cap N116 LFN 2004(Repeal and Re-enactment Bill 2015 4# TFDPOE SFBEJOH r /BUJPOBM "HSJDVMUVSBM Land Development Authority Act Cap N4 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2004, (SB. 12) (second reading) r /JHFSJBO *OTUJUVUF PG .BOBHFNFOU "DU "NFOENFOU #JMM 4# 4# TFDPOE SFBEJOH r 1SFTJEFOUJBM 5SBOTJUJPO #JMM 4#

TFDPOE SFBEJOH r $PNNFSDJBM "HSJDVMUVSF $SFEJU Scheme (Est, Etc) Bill 2015 (SB.20) (Passed into law) r /BUJPOBM $PVODJM GPS 3FTFBSDI BOE %FWFMPQNFOU #JMM 4# NFSHFE r /JHFSJBO 4FDVSJUZ and Civil Defence Act No. 6 2007 (Amendment ) #JMM 4# TFDPOE SFBEJOH r 'FEFSBM &OUSFpreneurship Centres (Establishment, etc) Bill 2015 4# TFDPOE SFBEJOH r .FEJDBM BOE %FOUBM

1SBDUJUJPOFST "DU $BQ . -'/ "NFOENFOU

#JMM 4# TFDPOE SFBEJOH r $POTUJUVUJPO PG the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Third Alteration) "DU 1FOEJOH r "O "DU UP "NFOE UIF $PEF PG Conduct Bureau Tribunal Act, Cap C15, LFN, 2004 (etc) (Merged) /2 2. MOTIONS: (NOS 14) It was worrisome though to note that despite the worthy performances of Ohuabunwa who stands out with worthy achievements, some hirelings and miscreants decided to go overboard in desperate bid to wreak havoc on the Atani Arochukwu home of the Ohuabunwaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s few weeks back in the guise of the protests that rocked major parts of the country.

For Ohuabunwa , the Arochukwu born businessman, Senator for Abia North Senatorial District in UIF UI /BUJPOBM "TTFNCMZ IBWJOH TFSWFE JO UIF UI and 5th National Assembly as member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia constituency under the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic Party between 1999 and 2007, his inclusive style of leadership is not in doubt.

Most importantly, Ohuabunwa raised the motion on the reconstruction of Arochukwu-Ohafia Road (Passed). The road contract has now been awarded by the federal Government.

It was however embarrassing that despite the outstanding performance of Senator Ohuabunwa some, who have chosen the part of destruction, decided to go junk and circulate fake, damaging and dangerous publication with intent to smear and assassinate the character of Distinguished Senator Moa Ohuabunwa for no cogent reason. Honestly and as a matter of concern, it is uncertain to adduce the intent behind this deliberate attempt, and the persons behind such petty act of perilous, dastardly and wicked tantrums towards a reputable personality as Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, albeit, the political gangsterism, brigandry, to wit; intent to defame and score cheap political goals.

The road to infamy by those trying to smear the image of Senator Ohuabunwa was a dangerous one, or how could one explain how one could post dangerous videos, pictures and others of several mansions, choice automobiles belonging to another man from Delta state and quickly tag it the country home of the Ohuabunwas who are known to be modest and family oriented to a fault.

According to the President of Forum for Abia Enlightened Youths (FABEY), Comrade Jeremiah Okoronkwo-chukwu and the Secretary, Solomon Onwudibe (Secretary General, FABEY) â&#x20AC;&#x153;For avoidance of doubt, Senator Ohuabunwa is a known personality around Nigeria and in the political terrain, and we state unequivocally that he had at no point in his political and/or individual career been indicted or accused of any illegality whatsoever. Therefore, this gullible attempt to smear his name will be resisted, challenged and fought to a standstill. To put the record straight, the house and the cars does not belong to Senator Ohuabunwa as alleged in the fake news video.

As a matter of concern, it is uncertain at this point to aduce the intent behind this deliberate attempt, and the persons behind such petty act of perilous, dastardly and wicked tantrums towards a reputable personality as Senator Mao Ohuabunwa.â&#x20AC;?

Indeed, but for the timely intervention of security agents and concerned citizens , the family home of the Ohuabunwas would have been razed and property looted in Atani Arochukwu after several youths embarked on the move to bring down the place without any means of verifying or ascertaining the fact that the video in fact has nothing to do with the Ohuabunwas neither does any of the choice automobiles belong to them. It would have resulted into communal war between the Ohafias and Igberes versus Arochukwu people who lay in wait when news of the youths trooping to Atani got to them.

The entire rubbish was planned to coincide with the End SARs protest where houses belonging to Senators Folarin from Oyo and Bassey Henshaw from Cross River were looted and burnt to ashes.

The plan by the youths and their sponsors from neighbouring local governments and towns was to burn down the place and pretend that the COVID 19 palliatives meant for the electorates were stored by Senator Ohuabunwa who was rigged out in the 2019 elections and since returned to his private business.

Many who know Senator Ohuabunwa including his brothers and sisters wonder why he has remained in politics despite the fact that he is now poorer than when he was living a private life , having made his mark in the old Gongola State, now Adamawa and Taraba states, Borno and several parts of the North east where he was a major dealer in medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.

16

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ Í¿Ë&#x153; 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Temi Otedola is Star Attraction as Citation Premieres in Lagos Laolu Akins In Music, Talent is Useful, but not Enough pg. 19

King of Boys II is Ready pg. 22

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

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SHOWBIZFLAIR

Temi Otedola is Star Attraction as Citation Premieres in Lagos Temi, daughter of billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola was the cynosure of all eyes when Kunle Afolayanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest movie, Citation premiered in Lagos last weekend. She played the lead role of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Moremi Oluwaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the flick. Ferdinand Ekechukwu captures the glitz of the premiere

Temi speaking during the premier of Citation in Lagos

I

t was the premier of Kunle Afolayanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Citation in Lagos last Saturday and Temi Otedola deservedly got a standing ovation for her acting prowess. She played the lead role of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Moremi Oluwaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and many are still struggling to believe it was Temiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first time in a movie. The pretty young lady played the lead female character alongside other A-list actors of diverse nationalities.

The premiere of Citation was a constellation of stars interspaced with an array of personalities from across sectors. They converged on Terra Kulture, an arts and culture hub in Lagos for the exclusive debut of the flick. It was a packed room of guests with mixed reactions to different scenes from the movie, and words canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t express how priceless these reactions were.

Starting with the red-carpet moment and great conversations, the screening began with the opening by Afolayan who welcomed everyone and appreciated the effort of the cast, crew and the partners involved in Citation.

He also emphasised on the inten-

tions of the movie which is to encourage people to â&#x20AC;&#x153;sorosokeâ&#x20AC;? (speak up) against sexual based crimes. Afolayan added: The Citation, apart from its thematic premise, will attempt to market Cape Verde to Nigerians and the rest of the world while also establishing film and cultural affinity between the two countries.

Cape Verdeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Culture and Creative Industries Minister, AbrĂŁao Vicente, said the collaboration would enhance a good relationship between Cape Verde and Nollywood.

The screening ended with an ovation as Afolayan came on stage for the curtain call, inviting Dere Awosika, the chairman of Access Bank, alongside him to share her reasons for being a partner in the movieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production. Stunning everyone present, the director and filmmaker placed a zoom call through to Jimmy Jean-Louis and Adjetey Anang, who were unable to attend the premiere.

In attendance at the premier was the cast of Citation, including Ibukun Awosika, Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN); Temi Otedola, Ini Edo, Gabriel Afolayan, Wole Olowomojuore, Seun Kuti, Toyin Ogundeji, alongside others partnered for the

movie - Ford Foundation, Access â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Initiative, Natnudos, Canon, Flyboku, GAC Motors, Arik Air and Ajike Foundation.

Temi tweeted after the premier: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Citation Premiere!!! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so beyond grateful that me and the Citation family finally get to share what we created with the world.

Thank you to @kunleafo and everyone who made this dream a reality #CitationTheMovie coming to Netflix this Friday.

Temi, the last of Femi Otedolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children, is a fashion and travel blogger. She owns JTO Fashion, a multimedia platform from which she expresses her fashion, beauty, art, and travel exploits. Temi, like her two older sisters, Tolani and DJ Cuppy, who have blooming careers in entertainment, also has the backing of her billionaire dad.

Citation tells the story of a 21-yearold female student on a Nigerian campus forced to find a way to deal with an awkward situation of sexual harassment from a male lecturer, Prof. Lucien Ndâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;yara (Jimmy-Jean Louis). Written by Afolayanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longstanding business partner, Tunde Babalola, Moremi Oluwa, the fun-

loving 21-year-old student eventually drags Ndâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;yara before the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Senate. Subsequent events that unfold eventually pit her world against that of the respected academic, baring the realities that frequently play out in many male-dominated educational environments.

The movie was shot in Nigeria, Senegal and Cape Verde and features tested thespians like Haitian-born Hollywood actor, Jimmy Jean Louis, Sadiq Daba and Gabriel Afolayan with a cameo by Dr. Mrs Ibukun Awosika, the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.

Citation debuted on Netflix, a US streaming platform, last Friday. The platform announced the deal in September, alongside three new classic films from the African continent that will join the growing slate of Nigerian content on the streaming platform and shown to 193 million members in 190 countries around the world.

Femi Otedola said: #CitationTheMovie. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so proud of my baby daughter @temiotedola starring as Moremi Oluwa in the new Netflix Original movie â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Citationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;!!! The movie is about Sexual Harassment and is surely the best African movie of all time!! Watch it now on Netflix.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

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SHOWBIZFLAIR Laolu Akins

In Music, Talent is Useful, but not Enough Legendary music producer, Olaoluwa Akintobi popularly known as Laolu Akins, has worked with great artistes such as Shina Peters, Onyeka Onwenu, Adewale Ayuba, Mike Okri and late Christy Essien-Igbokwe. He was the producer of Shina Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aceâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shinamaniaâ&#x20AC;? albums. He also produced Ayubaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bubbleâ&#x20AC;? album, as well as being the supervising producer of the maiden recording of P-Squareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where were you last night?â&#x20AC;? Akins, who is also a drummer, talks to Festus Akanbi on current trends in the Nigerian music industry

N

igerian music industry is changing like every other. Do you think old generation musicians are still relevant in the emerging dispensation crying for a generational change?

It is a natural phenomenon for things to change in life generally, and it should not be different for the music industry.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind of change or changes that occur thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important, is it for good or otherwise? As for the relevance of older artistes, any industry that jettisons its history would have nothing to learn from or make references; therefore, growth will be an illusion. So, I believe the older generation is still relevant even if only for guidance and counseling. But we can and are doing much more by being the backbone of the industry.

cookie at the time. They were simply not interested but will rather sell us theirs.

Also, technological advancements have opened the space for better and wider opportunities so our music has more listening ears now more than ever and the attention of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music industry has been drawn to us and all that is good.

But the not so healthy part is that we are not ready, structurally, to take advantage of these positive developments. We are still vulnerable in the hands of the wellestablished industries outside our shores, who are happy to collaborate and still take advantage of our weak structures and lack of cohesion and understanding of the workings of the global music business. Added to that is the quality of music we are making.

Content wise, we should be doing better, copying and repetitive styles is the order of the themes. Everyone seems to believe that unless they do dance music, fill up the lines with street and vulgar language, it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sell. What then happens is that the interest is beginning to shift back to older music and artistes which have now been labelled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Legacy Soundsâ&#x20AC;?. I think we need to be more creative and daring with our creativity. There is so much room for success now that the entire world is keen to hear our stuff.

Your consistence in the Nigerian music industry is a conďŹ rmation of your position. What will you describe as your staying power?

Well, I believe the grace of God has been at play because I have had great opportunities to entrench myself through exposure, learning and continuous work in every aspect of the industry. I have been a performer on stage with small medium and big and renowned artistes all around the world. I have worked on production sessions behind other artistes and have been in charge of small and big productions myself both on stage and studio. I have continued to take advantage of any and every opportunity to expand my knowledge by learning tricks both in terms of old and new technology and I am not lazy. I also love and enjoy what I do and have tried to embrace every generational development in our industry without discriminating against anything or anyone.

What is the nature of the relationship you had with those music stars you produced? Names like Sir Shina Peters, Onyeka Onwenu, Adewale Ayuba and Salawa Abeni come to mind here?

Very cordial and harmonious. I have been very lucky with the artistes that passed through me or vice versa and we have enjoyed great relationships. Not that we have not disagreed on issues, whether in the course of work or otherwise, but we have allowed the spirit of understanding, giving and taking to rule while focusing on what we are engaged in and the results we looked to achieve. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been great mutual respect and cooperation and each part has played their respective roles accordingly.

How were you able to manage stars like Christy Essien and the Lijadu sisters?

With all sense of responsibility and sincerity, our roles are different but related and our goals often the same i.e. to achieve success in what brought us together. No airs, each party understood the roles required of and recognised our individual responsibilities and line of controls and decision making. With those in place, it was easier to be focused on joint results and not occupied with undue and unnecessary

What was your experience like during the tour of Europe and America

by SALT? It was exciting, and was the beginning of my real exposure to the world and the key that opened the door to where God has placed me today, both as a person and as a music industry professional. It opened my eyes, my ears and my mind to significant possibilities some of which was responsible for my decision to dig deeper into the industry. It was actually a turning point for me.

Is concert culture dying in the Nigeria music scene?

Not really, the various problems we have created by ourselves as a nation are holding us down from expanding the scope of live music and audience participation.

Problems of insecurity, brought about by bad governance, lack of confidence and fear of losses by investors, economic instability and lack of proper entertainment structures to front the push for a virile concert culture. It was not bad until COVID-19 made matters worse and now the #EndSars imbroglio. My prayer is that all these negatives get turned around for the better and we can rebuild.

Laolu Akins

diversions.

You were a proliďŹ c drummer. Do you think there is any major role for drummers in these days of technology?

Definitely, the drummer has remained and will continue to be the foundation of any ensemble of musicians. Talking from experience, a lost drummer will lead the entire orchestra, band or quartet astray, which is why even today in modern technological developments, rhythm instruments are paramount in the digital domain, and software developments come with onboard rhythm instrument of all

shades and forms for a variety of usage when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re composing or producing music. Drums are a major instrument and drummers will never take the back seat in music.

Will you say anything has changed in the Nigerian music industry?

Many things have definitely, some good and some not good. Today the Nigerian musician can access the entire world without leaving Nigeria and sell his music while hitherto we depended on international records companies to give our music exposure which was a tough

What is your advice for upcoming musicians and producers?

My advice is that every serious musician or producer is to first make a firm decision and be sure he/she is ready for the music business plunge, then open their ears, eyes and mind so they can hear, see and be able to identify opportunities when they appear, be ready to make the sacrifices necessary to learn, to give and take and then develop himself/herself to be able to face and over challenges when they occur.

The industry is full of challenges, talent is useful but not enough. Hard work, sincerity, humility fairness, sense of appreciation and compassion will help.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR IkStarr

Not All Artistes are School Dropouts Bennie Ike Opene, stage name IkStarr (pronounced Iyke Star) is a producer, singer, and performer based in the United Kingdom. The artiste, whose second album AFROASMR is out on all music platforms, talks to Ferdinand Ekechukwu about his experience and the new body of work

H

owwouldyoudescribe your type of music?

IkStarrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music is oftenmelodic.ItsAfrobeat influencedwithanedgy urbanesque songwriting aesthetic that also emphasises my love forAfrobeat, High-Life and Hip-hop music. It is music that respects women, empowers men and lifts the mood of the listener.

How early did you develop interest in music and how far would you say you have gone?

My interest started from the womb.You see, my great great-grandmother was Omu Okwei the Okwei of Osomari. She lived from 1872â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1943. She was a Nigerian queen merchant from Osomari, Delta State and from all accounts, was a very musical and artistic woman, in addition to being a trendsetter for women liberation at the time.

So my interest in music, politics and creativity is almost genetic and inherent. Growing up, my dad had a phenomenal record collection. I listened to every kind of music under the sun, from Tupac to Led Zeppelin, to Fela Kuti, to Mongolian throat singing. I would say though that my major influences are Afrocentric. In terms of how far I have gone, I would say Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m only beginning. Seeing a crowd of Europeans singing along, word for word to a song you wrote in pidgin and seeing your work cut across race, creed and gender is a worthy accomplishment for any artiste.

How were you able to gain acceptance from such diverse audience?

For me, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the energy in the music, youknow,thevibe.Peoplewanttofeelsomething; something real preferably. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I focus on.

Peoplerecogniseanddemandquality.Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;swhat I concentrate on in my music and creative output.

Most times, musicians sing for their loved ones, including girlfriends. Do you do the same?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;maveryprivatepersonwhokeepshispersonal life and show business completely separated.

But my past experiences and loved ones heavily influence the narrative of my music. I think women for instance get tough time being often expected to live up to a false ideal of beauty, so I respect the feminine in my music. I promote women being comfortable in their own skin and being natural.

What challenges will you say musicians are facing today?

Maintaining artistic integrity is the biggest challenge. Without artistic integrity you have no legacyasacreative.Themoremundanechallenges may include improving your craft and financing your campaigns.

How have you been coping since the covid-19 pandemic lockdown?

Like I said in an earlier interview, Covid-19 has forced us to look inwards and come up with fresh ideas and monetization models for our creative output. Yes, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken money from the pocket of many artistes, due to lack of shows and events, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll bounce back with greater ideas and content once the tide turns.

What are you working on at the moment any exciting project coming up?

We are working on new music, a feature film and a reality show format. My second album AFROASMR is out now on all platforms. So if you love great music support it. We are also looking at releasing new music videos to support the album.

The music video for the lead single Willemina is also currently enjoying airplay. As a creative Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m interested in investing back into Africa. So in addition to the music we are launching something really big to the Nigerian market early next year.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the album all about and what inspired it?

The 11-tracks album is a labour of love for the fans. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calledAFROASMR, which meansAFRO Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. This is a fancy way of referring to the goose bumps and feeling of euphoria you get when you listen to the African vibe and flavour of the album. Big words indeed to describe an album, but not all artistes are necessarily high school dropouts. Some of us attended Ivy League universities. There is no need to dumb down the culture.

Did you think you would make an impact with your new song?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll let the fans and history decide but we put in a lot of TLC towards the new album and the lead singles Willemina and Zombies are serious standouts. The whole album is a masterpiece in my biased opinion. I hope the fans enjoy this really matured, fun, summery, flamboyant take on the Afrobeat genre.

Bennie Ike Opene

Which artiste would you say inďŹ&#x201A;uenced your career?

There are a plethora but just to name a few, I would say Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Mozart, Wizkid, Davido, Micheal Jackson, Ludovico and a host of others too numerous to mention here.

Aside from music, what other things do you do?

Well outside being creative, I have two excellent university degrees, I love to travel. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m also a foodie. Politics and Philanthropy are also equally importanttomeandIdowhatIcanfromapractical

perspective to give back. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m even planning a 20,000 feet tandem jump from an airplane for charity later in the year.

What kind of emotion does your musical expression evoke in the fans?

I am a big lover of Nigeria,Africa and by extension the whole of humanity. I am a romantic and a humanist in that regard and believe in the perfect potential of good in people.

Hopefully, my work, whether in music, film, politics or otherwise contributes to this expression of goodwill.

Talents from Jamika Entertainment The management of Jamika Entertainment is gushing over how its music label is impacting on the Nigerian music industry, as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steadily discovering new talents locally and internationally.

The company says the rise and influence of the label is gradually being felt in the industry with other labels like G-Worldwide, working with their artistes.

It noted that the growth and influence of Nigeria music in Africa and the world are taking a gradual trend but in a seismic wave across the music spectra for over the past decade. In a recent chat with the Chief Executive Officer of Jamika Entertainment, also known as Jamika Force, Mr. Jerry Ihensekhien, he stated that the Nigeria local music content had now become an international export, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of

the music companies exporting these world-beaters is Jamika Entertainment.â&#x20AC;?

Ihensekhien said the music recording label and entertainment management company, which was founded in 2013, has also supported talented young acts like Sultan a.k.a Afroboy, Koredianx, Nexa, Star Nazzy, Yung Lord and Gabson J, along with award-winning band Church of Men. According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sAfrobeats,Afropop and Afro-Hip-hop have been potentially and deservedly recognised in the much-acclaimed music industry of the United States, having superstars like Drake and Beyonce churning out tunes influenced

by Nigerian producers, genres, and artistes.â&#x20AC;?

While disclosing that fate led him into founding the company, the Jamika Force CEO said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was

supposed to help my brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend to put a band together and manage them, but I later found out that I needed to have a management company. So I decided to just start it up as a music label to support some young talented kids in my neighbourhood.â&#x20AC;?

On the inspiration behind the name, Jamika Entertainment, he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I was at boarding school at the Federal Government College Warri, Delta State, as students, we sometimes had rap battles among us. The Warri students were always saying I rapped like a Jamaican, but they kept pronouncing the word as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jamikaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and that was how it stuck. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So when the time came for me to choose a name for my label, I reminisced my first steps in music, and I just picked the nickname I was

given- Jamika. Jamika Entertainment, also known as the Jamika Force, has grown since it started to support music producers.

It has also opened a music studio in the Abule Egba area of Lagos to help young rising acts and started up a music audition to find new talent, which led to the signing of Koredianx in 2020.â&#x20AC;?

Also, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Head of Operations, Mr. Stanley Ihensekhien, added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jamika Force is looking to be at the top of the Nigeria entertainment industry in the next three years, and we look forward to carrying on influencing the international stage with Nigeria music irrespective of the stiff competition. We have got the best young talents, and like our motto states, Nil Satis Nisi Optimum i.e. only the best is good enough!â&#x20AC;?

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

21

SHOWBIZFLAIR Gbenga Adeyinka

I Wish 2020 will End Tomorrow Ace comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, would love to see 2020 end in a jiffy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;2020 is a complete nightmare. Players including myself lost a lot of money planning shows that had to be cancelled,â&#x20AC;? remarks Adeyinka, while reviewing 2020 and his career with Festus Akanbi

H

ow will you assess the Nigerian entertainment industry in 2020?

The year started off well for us but from the month of March when the COVID lockdown started, it became a complete nightmare. This, in my estimation, is the worst year ever. Everything grinded to a halt. Players including myself lost a lot of money planning shows that had to be cancelled. Sponsors pulled the plug on a lot of events due to no fault of theirs. People became creative online but it just wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the same. Then came the protests and the nightmare started all over again. It is just year I personally wish will end tomorrow.

At what point in your life did you opt to be a stand-up comedian?

It was immediately after my Youth Service programme. I had come back to Lagos from Benue, gotten married, I was raising a young family and the bug just kept pulling me. I had worked in a construction firm as well as an advertising agency but people who knew me on campus as a comic and compere kept calling me to do events for them. It got to a point I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t juggle anymore. I just dumped my 9 to 5 and took my destiny in my hands.

Nigeria is experiencing a generational shift. Where do you belong, Sorosoke or Gbenudake? What are the implications of this development?

My age makes me a gbenudake but my orientation and beliefs position me as a sorosoke. These are very interesting times and I commend the youth for the tenacity of purpose and vision.

The world is changing and we cannot afford to continue to do things the same way and expect different results. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to allow the youths have a bigger say in how they want to be governed Unlike in the past, youths nowadays heap insults at their parents and elders especially on the social media. What is your opinion on this?

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one part that I disagree with. We can engage without being insulting. I believe it is just exuberance that will fizzle out with time. I hope I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get dragged online for this answer.

Do you have any reservations over the proposed social media bill? Wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it affect people like you who use jokes to criticize the government?

Very large reservation. It is totally unacceptable. Nobody has a right to gag anybody. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fundamental right.

What motivated you to become Baba oniburedi? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m talking about your diversiďŹ cation to bread making I am a fan of multiple stream of incomes, I have published a magazine, I do television and radio.

I have promoted concerts events and much more

so, starting the bread business was me activating my entrepreneurial skill and diversifying. On the back of this is the fact that I will be creating employment and creating economic value. I am also a firm believer that there is always space for entrepreneurship in foods, schools and the service industry

To what extent has fame opened doors for you in life?

Greatly. It has opened a lot of doors for me. It has taken me to places I never thought I would get to in my life. It has also allowed me to activate my entrepreneurial skills and helped me find fulfilment.

Why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we see more of you in acting these days? Should we take it to mean that acting isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t proďŹ table? We see female actresses ďŹ&#x201A;aunting their sudden wealth on the social media, what happened to their male counterparts?

Acting is a labour of love. I respect actors and actresses for the sacrifices that they put in day in and day out to make sure their fans get quality entertainment. The pay however is not as much as what an MC will make. When an MC can do a job for N1 million in two to three hours, the same amount is paid to an actor to shoot for two to three weeks. So a lot of comedians will rather do a quickie and move on. Regarding the Nollywood actresses flaunting their wealth, do not be fooled. A lot of them are into private business to sustain their careers as professional actors. I see a lot of them doing contracts, fashion business, interiors etc. We should however get set to see more flaunting on social media though things are changing for good as those who are venturing into producing their own movies for the cinemas are making a kill.

I am however open to very good opportunities as I miss acting.

Why are entertainers like you going into businesses?

The average entertainer is an entrepreneur; so, going into business is just an extension of his other talents.

Gbenga Adeyinka

Have you done any joke that landed you in trouble before?

Yes but the person the joke was about was not even offended. The hangers on however felt they needed to protect oga who told them off when he heard they were forming â&#x20AC;&#x153;Voltronâ&#x20AC;? on his behalf.

When are you going to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unveilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; your wife to the public? We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know anything about her?

My wife is not a project to be unveiled. She is not an entertainer. She works in the Judiciary

When an MC can do a job for N1 million in two to three hours, the same amount is paid to an actor to shoot for two to three weeks. So a lot of comedians will rather do a quickie and move on

and as such, she is much more introverted than I am but I guess when she retires and decides to become an entertainer, we shall do the full reveal.

Which of the vices are you into? Some believe a man cannot do without at least one of them.Alcohol, cigarette and women?

I know people who do neither but as for me not cigarette, not women and not too much alcohol as even the Bible says a little wine make the heart merry. So, I drink responsibly and merrily.

Can you recall your ďŹ rst day on stage?

Yes, it was way back in secondary form three but professionally, it was an event I did for medical students in Unilag when I had just registered my company Laughter Incorporated Tell us about your upbringing?

I grew up basically with my grandmother and as well as my aunt and uncle at different times. It was a middle-class upbringing. For me, I was a community project, because everybody in my family helped bring me up and this gave me the opportunity to learn about diversity at a very young age.

I was sent to some of the best schools in Nigeria from Government College, Eric Moore, Lagos to, International School Ibadan and then to the University of Lagos. My grandmother and guardians always impressed on me the values of hard work, perseverance, Christianly upbringing and education.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

King of Boys II is Ready Kemi Adetiba completes filming of King of Boys II, urges movie buffs to watch out, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

D

irector extraordinaire Kemi Adetiba is thankful having completed filming of her much anticipated movie, King of Boys II. Adetiba announced on her Twitter and Instagram page last Tuesday that shooting has finally wrapped up. Now fans are assured that King of Boys II is closer than ever. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And this time, we mean KOB is finally Wrapped!!!! God is Good,â&#x20AC;? she posted one her page, and this comes after she had announced that they had crossed the 800th slate and still had more hours to go. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the 30th of October, I shot one of the most insane scene sequences of my career as a director/writer/producer,â&#x20AC;? she continued on her Instagram, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;After battling the most insane traffic, we shot all through the evening/night at a sketchy part of Lagos, in a damp, dark, mosquito infested, accident prone warehouse, and wrapped at 7:40am.â&#x20AC;?

For ace director, Adetiba, King of Boys II will come with a bag full of surprises.

However, the filmmaker is still expected to clarify if the movie will be a prequel or sequel to the first franchise.

Two years after King of Boys I hit the screens for the first time, the effect of the thriller still lingers. One of the highest grossing movies of 2018, King of Boys I follows the gripping tale of Alhaja Eniola Salami (played by Sola Sobowale), a businesswoman and philanthropist with a promising political future. She is drawn into a struggle for power which in turn threatens everything around her as a result of her growing political ambitions. To come out of this, she is caught up in a game of trust, not knowing whom really to look up to, and this leads to her ruthlessness.

Adetiba, a popular music video director turned the table in 2018 and registered her name on the lips and minds of many movie lovers when she hit the movie screens with King of Boys 1 that got people talking. The blockbuster movie earned recognitions from within and outside the country and many had thought she was done but the director, who was the brain behind many award winning music videos said there was more to her.

On her social media accounts weeks back, the filmmaker confirmed that King of Boys II was coming and revealed new additions to the sterling cast, announcing that actors, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), Bimbo Manuel, Efa Iwara, and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett would be part of the new movie. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also the news of veteran singer and media personality, Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy, on set of King of Boys II, while a release date for the movie is yet to

Kemi Adetiba

be confirmed.

King of Boys II had left tongues wagging after the release of the second official teaser in September to the admiration of several fans and movie buffs. The teaser, which was released via Adetibaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Instagram page on

Wednesday September 16, shows a family set to go to bed as a father puts his son through a scary evening tales.

The four-minute-long teaser supposedly tells the story of Makanaki, one of the major characters of the original title, King of Boys,

which made its Netflix debut on November 2. Makanaki, played by Reminisce is one of the dreaded characters in the story plot. His return in the forthcoming King of Boys II was premeditated by fans and confirmed by the filmmaker with the teaser.

MultiChoice Talent Factoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s True Crime Masterclass The MultiChoice Talent Factory has announced its first partnership with the thematic TV channel CBS Justice, owned by AMC Networks International UK and ViacomCBS. They will be offering four true crime masterclasses to MTF students and industry professionals in Nigeria and the African continent through the MTF online portal.

The true crime genre is hugely popular and the masterclasses will cover aspects of developing series with critically acclaimed facilitators. The four masterclasses scheduled to last for one hour each will hold online on Tuesday, 17th and 24th November as well as Tuesday, 1st and 8th December at 12:00 pm and will subsequently be made available via the MTF portal.

Facilitated by David Howard and Rik Hall of UK-based production company Monster Films, participants will gain first-hand insights across a range of topics, from developing and pitching ideas, to filming, working with talent, on-set best practices, approaches to post-production, sales and marketing.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A key focus for us is to ensure that MTF offers a diverse set of masterclasses covering the depth and breadth of filmmaking. This means finding partners who are specialists in genre filmmaking and have in-depth knowledge of the nuances that come with producing different genres. True crime stories make for gripping entertainment and we are very excited to be partnering with CBS Justice to offer this series of masterclasses to industry creatives across the country and beyond,â&#x20AC;? said John Ugbe, CEO MultiChoice Nigeria.

The true crime masterclasses are the latest in a diverse range of masterclasses and workshops offered by the MTF Academy and tie in with its philosophy of upskilling and training industry professionals in the telling of authentic African stories. â&#x20AC;&#x153;True crime is an extremely popular and expanding genre,â&#x20AC;? said Louise Cottrell, Senior Vice President, Affiliate Partnerships at AMC Networks International - UK. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re delighted that David and Rik from Monster Films, who

produced a number of our original productions, have agreed to share their first-hand expertise and industry knowledge in these four masterclasses, tailor-made for both students and those already working in the creative industries who have an authentic, fresh idea for developing a gripping true crime series.â&#x20AC;?

After spending twenty years producing and directing factual programmes for a variety of broadcasters, David Howard and Rik Hall formed Monster Films in 2015 with one goal in mind: to combine their wealth of industry experience with the collaborative, inclusive ethos of a television start-up. The result is an independent production company that fosters creativity, thrives on originality, and builds on pre-existing relationships with some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest broadcast and media groups to bring the most diverse stories to the widest possible audience.

As one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading producers of serial and feature documentaries, Monster Films boasts an extensive catalogue of multi-

award-winning programmes such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Making a Monsterâ&#x20AC;?, Dark Son, Interview with a Murderer and Kidnapped by My Father for various broadcasters in the UK. Their series â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Real Prime Suspectâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Voice of a Serial Killer,â&#x20AC;? commissioned by CBS Reality UK, aired on CBS Justice (DStv 170) across Africa in 2020 and one of their latest productions, season 2 of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coastal Killersâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Murder by the Seaâ&#x20AC;? in the UK), will air on the channel in early 2021.

CBS Justice is currently available to DStv Premium and Compact Plus customers on channel 170. It investigates some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most compelling true crime cases and features a curated selection of original and acquired content. This includes expertled original productions including â&#x20AC;&#x153;New Scotland Yard Files,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donal MacIntyreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Murder Files,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Secrets of a Psychopathâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evidence of Evil,â&#x20AC;? and acquisitions â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cold Justice,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Murder for My Manâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Homicideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Elite.â&#x20AC;?

23

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Tosin Clegg 07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

Ademola MoreKlue

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a Beautiful Blend of 2 Worlds Ademola Ajibola, popularly known as Ademola MoreKlue, is the founder of MoreKlue All Youths African Awards (MAYAAwards Africa). He is also the co-founder of Oduduwa Movies and Music Awards (OMAMA) and the Head of Content at PlayHauz TV, the movie and content production and marketing arm of the MBC Limited. Ajibola talks to Tosin Clegg about his journey into media and entertainment, kicking off his awards, challenges, success stories, other projects and more Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a beautiful blend of two worlds hildhood for me was good and bad. I lived the rich kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life and equally the poor kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a beautiful blend of both worlds. I schooled in Osogbo andIbadanandendedupwith a degree in Economics from Osun State University. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the first son of my parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; three children.

happy and make life easy for the vulnerable and poor. We have tried our best to get to work since we kickstarted and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud of how far weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come. We have turned the MAYAFoundation to ATAMovement now and we keep on with a sole goal of, pro bono publico (for the public good).

My political agenda is to make life better. I personally donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy the idea of complaining all the time about bad governance. We need to come forward with our ideas and strengths to make a better society. For me, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m done complaining and want to start acting. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided to run in 2023 for a legislative office and I hope and pray and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m working towards it to liberate our people.

The A.T.AMovement is the vehicle we are using to bring our dreams to reality.

C

My childhood dream I have always wanted to be a banker or professional at something. The childhood dream was to be a rich banker or scientist, but along the line I changed my pattern and here we are today, as a media personality. I used to see my dad and mum in suits and corporate attires. I felt thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the world ended. However, while I was in secondary school, I chose sciences over all, as I was very good in physics and chemistry, but along the line, I developed love for movies, music and media. So, I still went on to university to study Economics, as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always wanted and I kept chasing my dreams in the entertainment and media world.

Baptism of ďŹ re My first baptism of fire was in 2006 when I had my first show. It failed and a boss of mine, David Ajiboye, gave me a platform in Nigerian Tribune newspapers to publish my interviews.

From there, I moved to other aspects of media and started developing contents and materials. I picked interest in scriptwriting, as WaleAdenuga Productions was our Thursday and Saturday â&#x20AC;&#x153;stay at homeâ&#x20AC;? champion with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Superstoryâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Papa Ajascoâ&#x20AC;? series respectively. At a time the platform was asking writers to send in short stories and scripts. My first show in 2006 failed woefully, and then in 2010, as a final year student, I had a bigger show with superstar acts in Osun State. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where it picked up. Today, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done over 30 events and gigs across Nigeria and have gone on to do several media assignments in West African countries.

About MAYA Awards MAYAAwards was out designed to celebrate hardwork and excellence in young people. While in University, I had a show in December, 2010 which was MoreKlue Entertainment Awards Night. So, after I graduated and chilled for a while, I restarted the award on a national scale as Moreklue All Youth Awards, in 2014. From then, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gone on to push and today, we have spread into nine African countries, the USA, the UAE and the UK, and we are still pushing to enter into more nations and continents.

Book of Moreklue stories My Book of Moreklue stories is just an expository on the life Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lived for three decades.

There are many misconceptions about me and my activities, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve carefully addressed all of that in this new book. I write a lot and I felt itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high time I spoke about all thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happened to me in a full note. The book as I opined, is to be a hustlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide. There are too many lessons to learn and too many experiences to share. I strongly believe everyone should read it. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d release the book in 2021 by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grace.

Ademola Ad l Ajib Ajibola l

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve crashed, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve risen The challenges are enormous and quite tasking.

We have won, and we have failed. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve crashed, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve risen. So many friends have become enemies, while many enemies have become friends. While some people think some people win my awards because they are friends, some will think some people won because they paid. Too much vexations by people who will rather assume someone like this should win, yet wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even vote for the same someone. MAYAAwards has changed my level and it has caused me endless sleeplessness. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just happy that God has helped me to consistently move the brand from an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ibadan brandâ&#x20AC;? to a â&#x20AC;&#x153;continental brandâ&#x20AC;? and we hope weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get to be an â&#x20AC;&#x153;international brandâ&#x20AC;? soon. I

have five Commissioners of Youths, in Nigeria as personal friends and that goes to tell me always that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a true youth that represents the interest of millions of youths in Nigeria. We have for six years sustained the platform without sponsorship from any brand.

I want to touch lives There is poverty in the land and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been there.

I grew up in Oke-Ado, a hood in Ibadan that is for the lowest class of the society. We could count the number of rich men in the area then. So, as I was growing, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always promised myself to make life better for all the people I meet on the way to the top. I want to touch lives; I want to see kids through school. I want to make widows

My other projects I have a fashion house, TT Curtz, where we make men look like kings. My native attires are made by my company. We have Kokoka Footies, a footwear label and also Playhauz Studios, an online TV house. I produce movies and I also consult on PR and event services for people and brands. Also, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m unveiling my new businesses and having a small party to celebrate it. We would have done a mega show but COVID-19 told us no, so next year, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d return with bigger events. We only pray sponsorships come.

I know God didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make me out of sand for nothing and I strongly believe he will keep supporting, financing and advancing me. Where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m headed, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know, but I know as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in His almighty hands, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be stranded nor useless. My ideology is simple.

I want to make life better than I met it and treat people right. I mess up and have my flaws too, but I want to keep my people as my people always. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think life is to be held or handled seriously as we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it out alive. I live every moment by taking lots of pictures and making lots of videos so that when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m no longer here, people will smile as they remember me.

The world has evolved and we should evolve too if we really want to move ahead as a country and as a people.

Falz Leads Star-studded Cast in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Quamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Following its partnership with Netflix, Inkblot Productions is hard at work completing its next film, Quamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sMoney.

The action comedy is a sequel to Inkblotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2018 hit New Money and will debut in cinemas nationwide on December 11th2020.

Quamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Money reveals the exploits of security-guard-turned-multimillionaire â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Quam Omoleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a role originated by Folarin â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Falzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Falana, for which he won an AMVCA award. Falz returns for this new adventure as both lead actor and executive producer, alongside Inkblotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-time collaborator and Nollywood powerhouse, FilmOne Entertainment.

Written by Chinaza Onuzo and directed by Kayode Kasum, the visionary director of Sugar Rush, Fate of Alakada and Kambili, the film features the best of Nollywood, including Nse Ikpe-Etim, Williams Uchemba, Toni Tones, Michelle Dede, KabiriFubara and Buchi Ojieh.

Jemima Osunde and Blossom Chukwujekwu reprise their roles from New Money.

Chinaza Onuzo, founder of Inkblot Productions, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zulu, Damola and I are excited to partner again with Kene, Moses and our dear friends at FilmOne, alongside Falz and the entire House 21 team. Falz is an outstanding talent and

we are pleased that he joined us on this project for his first starring role. Kayode is one of Nollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exciting directors - his commitment was amazing to behold. We are grateful to the wonderful cast and so thrilled with the film - we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait for everyone to see it.â&#x20AC;?

Moses Babatope, CEO of FilmOne, added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is our eighth magical project with Inkblot and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very happy to collaborate with Falz and House 21. Falz is a revelation in this film and his performance will delight audiences. This is our fourth time working with the talented Kayode - he did an amazing job.â&#x20AC;?

Folarin â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Falzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Falana said:â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m excited

to bring â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Quamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; back to life for this new adventure. I loved the amazing chemistry with Kayode and my fellow actors on set, and I hope the audience enjoys the final result of the love and dedication we put into making this movie. This is the first of many film projects to come from House 21.â&#x20AC;?

Quamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Money follows the adventures of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Quam Omoleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, played by Falz, as he navigates the world with his newfound wealth. A coproduction

by Inkblot Productions, FilmOne Entertainment and House 21, the film will be in cinemas nationwide from December 11th 2020.

24

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 7, 2020

POLITY

Making Ogun the Food Basket of the Nation Tunde Otegbeye

A

t the inception of the current administration in Ogun State, 16 months ago, the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, made agriculture one of his cardinal programmes towards ameliorating the living conditions of the people. To him, apart from the administration’s pet dream of making Ogun, the food basket of the nation, agriculture could still serve as a mainstay of the employment generating sector for the teeming jobless youths and also, generate revenues into the coffers of the state government.

Agriculture and food security as one of the developmental pillars have received major boosts.

Ogun state occupies a land mass that is well over 16,000 square kilometres, most of which are arable. From the abundance of the endowed natural resource, there is no doubt that the immense potentials of the favourable climate and fertile soil for agriculture have not been fully harnessed.

Reminiscent of his inaugural speech on May 29, 2019, Abiodun leaves no one in doubt about his commitment and resolve to ensure the ‘good-old-days’ agricultural revolution’s glory of the state is restored.

“The target of this administration is to produce enough food to attain self-sufficiency in food security in the shortterm, and over the long-term produce enough to cater for other states and for export.

“To achieve this, government will implement a framework that will ease acquisition of land for agricultural processes, facilitates linkages between farmers and the industries, encourage local processing to enhance valuechain and thus, reward investment, and organise farmers into groups and establish an off-taker system to encourage more production and guarantee price stability.

“Other facilities, include facilitation of access to intervention funds to provide the much-needed capitals and encouragement of our youths to take advantage of the incentives in agriculture and become agro-entrepreneurs.

“Furthermore, our farm settlements that used to be the mainstay of the economy of the Western region under Chief Obafemi Awolowo will be revived and new ones will be established that will have the full compliments of modernday living conditions and thus, be attractive to our youths.

Rural roads leading to our farm settlements and rural areas in general will continue to receive priority to facilitate the movement of farm produce to markets”, the governor stated.

In fulfilment of this promise, the attendant responses to the gestures by potential investors in agro-business have been encouraging.

However, the administration is closely working with the federal government, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other local and multi-lateral development agencies, and research institutions to provide a holistic value-chain approach to the development of agricultural sector in the state, while facilitating the much-needed intervention funds available for use by the farmers.

While hitting the ground running, the government introduced and launched the “Anchor Borrowers’ Programme,” which signalled the commencement of an agricultural revolution in the state. The programme is a tripartite agreement between the state, as facilitator, the Central Bank

With this savoury development, the state government is exploiting and also leveraging on the advantages inherent in growing cassava, rice and maize as value-chain. Thus, the scheme is designed to link off-takers of agricultural produce with producers, so that farmers would know that there is demand for their produce at agreed and bene!cial rates in order to improve production so as to guarantee abundant produce in the country

Governor Abiodun

of Nigeria (CBN) as financier; and the beneficiaries.

The ultimate goal is to turn the state into an agricultural hub, capable of feeding itself and other states in the country. Also, it is another avenue to boost the nation’s self-sufficiency in food production in line with the federal government’s gesture on food security to save foreign exchange earnings being spent annually on importation of food items that could be produced locally. To a large extent, the scheme is intended to help in creating employment opportunities for farmers, women and the unemployed youths in the state.

At the take-off of the scheme, 2,000 beneficiaries were selected and given certificates of acceptance and leasehold.

With this savoury development, the state government is exploiting and also leveraging on the advantages inherent in growing cassava, rice and maize as value-chain. Thus, the scheme is designed to link off-takers of agricultural produce with producers, so that farmers would know that there is demand for their produce at agreed and beneficial rates in order to improve production so as to guarantee abundant produce in the country.

Having provided the needed inputs, it is pertinent to note that under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), in March 2020, 2,947 farmers were credited with N500 million by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while another set of 900 farmers received N180 million in April, thus, leaving a sum of N20 million as balance for other 103 farmers.

The ABP’s 2020 planting season is culminating in the distribution of inputs which was as a result of the partnership with the CBN and the National Cassava Growers Association (NCGA). And this is essential to make use of 12,800 square kilometres of arable lands to provide jobs and also to ensure food security by supporting youths and farmers. The state government has further provided funds and fertiliser inputs and fields to 3,500 farmers drawn from across all the 20 local governments, out of the total 60,000 registrations so far recorded for nine commodities, which include, rice, maize, poultry, fishery, cattle, piggery, cotton, oil palm and cassava. These young farmers were linked with 60 bundles of improved cassava stems each, four bags of fertilisers each and 11 litres of herbicides.

Besides, the government had cleared additional 2,500 hectares of land in 16 locations across all agricultural zones for 2,500 youths already registered and they have benefited from the N350 million credit grants, with inputs from the CBN. Apart from the registration of 70,000 farmers, with consequent enrolment of 40,000 small holder farmers with the Anchor/Agro-Processors, the government has ensured the linkage of 5,000 farmers to credit facility and land, while well over 1,300 rice farmers had also been brought onboard.

The sites of these agricultural programmes include Asa,

Ewekoro, Obafemi town, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere (Abeokuta), Odeda Farm Institute, Apojola, all in Ogun Central; Mamu, Awa, Oru, Ojowo (Ijebu-Igbo), Ikenne Diary Farm, Alamure Atoba, Segan village, Akaka Remo, Omu Gbawojo, in Ogun East; and other sites in Imeko, Afon Farm Estate, Idose (Imeko), Aiyetoro and Itoro, among others in Ogun West. Meanwhile, it is a new dawn to usher in abundant supply of farm produce to cater for the ever-growing populace through the recent aggressive commencement of the utilisation of farm resources at the Farm Settlements/Farm Estates for youths targeted Agricultural Projects to precede planned resuscitation of Farm Settlements/Farm Estates.

Also, approval for the release of 10,000 hectares of land at Iwoye-Ketu, in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of the state for cotton value chain to enhance the ABP for cotton growing farmers is another milestone to encourage local production and subsequently, export the raw materials to earn foreign exchange.

Through its transparency and prudent management, the Ministry of Agriculture under the leadership of Dr Adeola Odedina, the Commissioner for Agriculture, has generated a total sum of N50.2 million into the coffers of the state government.

However, other non-ABP’s farmers have continued to benefit from other agricultural programmes, such as the Ogun State Broiler Project, Rice Intervention in Mokoloki/ Ofada (Ogun Central,) Eggua in Yewa North LGA, and other locations.

Furthermore, the government had linked the Third Batch of the young cassava production farmers. In the new scheme, a total of 1,065 farmers have benefited from a credit facility of N234, 590,745 only from the joint CBN/Wema Bank/Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA). Each beneficiary received a sum of N220,273 only for the creation of additional 1,065 jobs and food security in the state. They would be linked to inputs, herbicides, agro-chemicals and improved planting materials and guaranteed markets. The additional 1,065, it was gathered, brings to a total of 4,462 jobs created under the Cassava Value-Chain Intervention in the programme for the year 2020. This giant stride underscores the continued commitment and resolve of the government to link the farmers to credit, land, inputs, technology and assured markets, which are all parts of the Ogun State Agricultural Agenda of Industrialisation, food security and job creation.

Similarly, in another milestone, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has undertaken to establish the largest Agro-Processing Zone in the state in a bid to further boost the agricultural revolution.

From the 70,000 youths that are currently engaged in crops and livestock production, well over 3,000 farmers have indicated interest in taking advantage inherent in the dairy sub-sector. And these farmers are parts of the 9,000 workforce trained by Friesland Campina WEMCO, a leading milk producer.

Much as it appreciates the importance of poultry to the healthcare sector, the state government hasn’t shirked in its responsibilities to ensure that the people are taking hygienic poultry meats. To this end, the government, in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BoI) and Amobyn Nigeria Limited, the largest producer of a day-old chicks and second largest producer of frozen chicken in the country, have empowered 54 youths as pilots to produce 108,000 broiler chickens in two batches of 54,000 each, equivalent of about 2.16MT broiler meats. The pilot beneficiaries who are in their third cycle make an average profit of N130,000 per cycle. These 54 youths would be supported as commercial broiler producers next year, 2021, while additional beneficiaries would be enrolled in all the 20 local government areas.

Notwithstanding, the era of cutlass and hoe as farming implements of the old past for cultivation has paved the way for mechanisation as a model to encourage potential farmers, especially unemployed young graduates. Land clearing, preparation, planting and herbicides application are all mechanised methods of farmland cultivation.

Apart from the 200 hectares of farmland acquired for the prospective beneficiaries of the ABP, additional 10 hectares demonstration farmland located at Ikenne Farm Settlement, in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state have come on stream to further boost food production, industrialisation and employment. This farmland is technology-based demonstration farm that would serve as a training ground for the Third Batch of the ABP’s Cassava beneficiaries and youths who want to venture into the programme. With the aid of the technology, the cassava farmers would be guided and exposed to training to get good yields, so that they can repay their loans, while the government would make available new agricultural opportunities and supports, apart from the provision of land, training and market for the output.

There is no doubt that, with the expertise to be used in the demonstration farm, 40 tons of cassava tubers are expected per hectare after harvest.

Otegbeye wrote from Ilaro,Yewa South LGA, Ogun State.

25

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž OVEMBER 7, 2020

POLITY

Tr i b u t e t o J i d e A fo n j a Uloma Jide-Afonja

weetheart, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been twenty-four years gone, a really long time since I wrote you, and writing you always makes me feel better. I miss you Jideâ&#x20AC;Śevery day, but your anniversary, 7th November, is usually very difficult for me. I wish there was a cemetery where I can visit, but all I have are memories of you and that epitaph at Itoikin, beside the swamp river where your plane crashed. It hurts that I cannot take flowers to your grave, sit and talk sometimes. The other day our daughter, Mayowa, attended a Yanni Live Concert in Canada and during her one on one engagement with Yanni, she informed him that she attended the concert in memory of you - her dad, because you loved his music so much and used it to woo me.

She shared her story with everyone at the concert and left many teary. Yanni told her he felt privileged to know her story. Imagine how I was when she called me to tell me about the experience.

I was broken. We cried together and the only person I reached out to that day was Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, your mentor, who introduced you to Yanniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music. I felt he would be the only one to understand the significance of that experience Mayowa had. Do you know I no longer listen to Yanniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music; I used to but it does not make me feel good anymore. I always tear up because of you.

Sweetheart, I think about you every day. Your death has taught me to care and love better. Mummy (your mum) is always there supporting and encouraging me when I share my frustrations, joy and pains with her. She is never tired of praying for us. Truly it has not been easy, definitely not. Life has been a struggle, a big struggle. But I would not have survived it thus far without family, friends, my job and most especially, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sweetheart, there are many new things since you passed on. I really wish you were alive today Jideâ&#x20AC;Ś You would have enjoyed the new discoveries in music, engineering, aircrafts etc. I bet Lagbajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music would have been history to you with the new crop of musicians and dance styles.

So much has happened. I wonder what you would have done with the COVID-19 situation and your career as a pilot. The other day I spoke to Capt. Fola Akinkuotu and Lai Are. Lai recounted how both of you came to my village for the traditional marriage wedding, and you both joked about the risk of being used for sacrifice having come all the way from Yoruba land to ask for my hand in marriage in Acha Isuikwuato LGA, Abia state. We had a good laugh about it.

Do you remember how Daddy Onikoko, Justice Kolawale had

Jide Afonja

runny stomach after the traditional wedding in my village on our way back to Abeokuta? And how Daddy (your dad) warned me not to serve them Ibo pounded yam which he said bounces off walls? He specifically requested for very soft pounded yam not mixed with garri. According to him, Ibos prefer eating hard swallow. I had to drum it into my mumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ears not to mix the pounded yam with garri. Beautiful memories. Sweetheart, we did not get to finish our love story, we were just beginning and you left as our journey together was starting. All I hold on to are the timeless memories of our love story.

Dear Jide, each time I see our son who is a young adult now, I see you. He mirrors your mannerism. Your memory is everywhere. Loving and heart breaking. Mayowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toes are like yours, and she looks so much like her Grandma (your mum). Her nose, Afonja nose, and her skin, very sensitive like Yemisiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, but sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got my hair - very full and dense. I lost the Minolta camera you got me, but I still take many photos. I use my phone now to capture beautiful memories just like you encouraged me to.

Do you remember our letters to each other during my NYSC days in Port Harcourt? ADC desk staff at Hotel Presidential got tired of me dropping of and picking up letters dailyâ&#x20AC;Śour daily diary to each other talking about silly things like what we ate, cooked and how we miss each other every day. Your love for me was indeed pure and deep. We were both very young, led by

love and deep care for each other. I know a lot better now. Life is indeed very short and I have learnt not to take it for granted.

The love we had will forever remain in my heart; a love story born out of genuine fondness for each other. Sweetheart, I still have a phobia for flying but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot better; Aunty Charity, Uncle Don and Mummy Shiloh really tried to talk me out of it so it is better controlled. I must confess I feel awkward sometimes about the distance of life that has grown between us, the life experiences you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have and time that has passed. We would have nurtured our children together and not just me making decisions alone.

Indeed, it would have been beautiful to watch our children grow together. I have worked from the start to accept the reality facing me and though acceptance has been my mantra, it is still difficult when lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pressures get to me. I am only human and work in progress. I celebrate you every day, Jide. I enjoy talking about you to our children, the love we shared and our fights.

Recently I was on a FaceTime call with Mayowa and we talked about you for almost two hours. I recounted the story of all the scrumptious meals you cooked for me, especially the sweet and sour sauce, shredded beef sauce with basmati rice and fried plantain. You really spoilt me.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that they no longer make your favourite beer Satzenbrau. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know why they stopped. Oh do you know that Capt Steve Akinsete, Njide and Emeka attended the last Memorial Mass I had for you in Abuja. You know Njide is always protective of me . She hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed ohh. . .

During my last visit to Daddy and Mummy Ibadan in Abeokuta, Daddy gave me an updated copy of his book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In His Handsâ&#x20AC;?. He mentioned you in his book. Sweetheart, I am sorry you are gone because you loved life so much. I am sorry you were not here when I gave birth to Mayowa, and you did not watch this beautiful daughter of yours grow up into a confident young adult.

I am sorry you did not see our son, Jide jnr. grow up. I am sorry you did not have the opportunity to teach him about life and guide and nurture him. I am sorry you missed out on all the milestone events in our childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. I am sorry your life ended so tragically. I am sorry. Thank you for choosing me to be your wife and mother of your children. I will never regret choosing you.

I will continue to hold on to Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words. For I know He will neither leave me nor forsake me. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Uloma Jide-Afonja is wife to FO Babajide Afolabi Afonja, Co-Pilot of the ADC Airlines plane that crashed in Lagos on November 7, 1996

L-R: Profesor Dupe Akintobi; Pastor (Mrs.) Lola Bakare; Pastor Dele Bakare; Deaconess Funmi Adigun and Pastor (Mrs.) Yemisi Bamgbose, at the funeral service/thanksgiving of their mother, late Mrs. Grace Omowumi Akomolede, held at St. Paul Anglican Church, Erijiyan Ekiti, Ekiti State... recently

L-R: Dele Okeya and wife, Deaconess Abimbola

L-R: Pastor (Mrs.) Lola Bakare and Pastor Dele Bakare

L-R: Barister Kola Akomolede and wife, Ibukun

D

26

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 7, 2020

POLITY Sighs of Relief as TetFund Board Tours Universities The Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam-led Board of Trustees of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Tetfund, is currently on a tour of Nigerian universities and higher institutions of learning in a pioneering move that promises to engineer a paradigm shift in Tetfund’s interventions. Olaoluwakitan Babatunde, who has been monitoring developments, gives a highlight of the tour so far

A

s an intervention agency, Tetfund was established to provide supplementary support to all level of public tertiary institutions through the provision or maintenance of essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning, institutional material and equipment; research and publications; academic staff training and development; and any other need, which the Board of Trustees deems as critical for the improvement and maintenance of standards in the higher educational institutions.

At the heart of Tetfund is the 11-man Board of Trustees, which is charged with numerous key responsibilities, among them are the monitoring and evaluation of the execution of projects, issuance of guidelines to all beneficiaries on the use of monies received from the Fund, and general regulation of the administration, application and disbursement of monies from the Fund under the TetfundAct 2011.

It was against this backdrop that the appointment ofAlhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as the Chairman of Tetfund Board in May 2020 was widely acclaimed across party lines as sound judgment on the part of President Muhammadu Buhari. In a piece he entitled “Kashim Imam: L-R: Member, Board of Trustees (BoT), Tertiary Education Fund (Tetdund), Chief Uchenna Ufearoh; Chairman, Tetfund BoT, Alh. Prometheus Unbound”, public analyst, Taiwo Kashim Ibrahim-Imam; Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’allah; Executive Secretary, Tetfund, Prof. SuOlujimi, summed it this way: “With Kashim Imam, leiman Bogoro; and Member, Tetfund BoT, Dr. Fiepre Clever Aprebo, during an interactive session with management/students and one thing is sure: President Buhari has made a good monitoring of Tetfund funded projects at University of Abuja choice, the tertiary educational sub-sector will never be the same, for there is no limit to what the imaginative and erudite committee set up by Tetfund in 2019, interaction with the Vice mind of this Prometheus can do”.

Chancellors, deans, and students in various universities showed Sighs of Relief It is, therefore, not surprising that Imam and members of his that although Tetfund invested a lot of money in these universities However, faces of management and students lit up once the board have already hit the road, on a duty tour of over 50 universiover the years, value for money was yet to be adequately felt due Chairman of Tetfund Board,Alhaji Imam, began to respond to their ties in 18 states to interact with management and students of the to poor execution by the beneficiary institutions, while in some observations and also reel out the agency’s plans towards raising institutions as well as monitor and evaluate, first hand, Tetfundinstances, equipment approved for the universities were a far cry the university to a premier ivory tower befitting the nation’s capital. sponsored projects. from the required number.

He said: “Tetfund has designated the University ofAbuja as To underscore the importance of the mission, the Executive “Take engineering, for instance, a department has 300 students a Centre of Excellence. We have 12 Centres of Excellence spread Secretary of Tetfund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro and relevant members and Tetfund will bring (approve) three equipment. Imagine the across the country and we are investing N1 billion in each of them. of Tetfund management such as the directors of Physical Infraratio. So, at the end of the day, these students won’t get the value But we have also in consultation with the Vice Chancellors decided structure, Finance and Investment, Monitoring and Evaluation, because of their number to the equipment. that each of the universities will focus on one critical area. ForAbuja, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), are on the trip.

“Also, Computer Science Department lost accreditation this year. it is Governance and Leadership.

The computer units we have are just about 30. We usually have to “For the year 2020, I am happy to inform you that by the time we Raison d’être go borrowing because we have about 700 students”. are done this year, we are looking at spending a total of N10 billion Underscoring the essence of the tour at the University ofAbuja, He however expressed happiness that Tetfund was beginning to on critical infrastructure in the University ofAbuja. the Board’s first port of call, Imam said going forward, beneficiary improve both in needs assessment and monitoring of the execution “Tetfund, in consultation with the University ofAbuja will be institutions would be more closely monitored to ensure that they of projects by institutions. investing in laying the necessary infrastructure that will facilitate deliver quality and value for monies received from the agency to “We are glad they are changing because even the needs assesse-learning on this campus. Towards this, already as I speak, 20km execute projects. ment they set up last year has never been done before. It is now that of fibre optics are being laid across the University. Today, I will also He said: “Alot of money has been disbursed by Tetfund since its they are waking up to say okay, let us go and see what value have inspect the site where we are going to build a brand new and stateinception to better the 226 universities, polytechnics, and colleges been added with the money given”, he said. of-the-art ICT Centre. We want a place where students can learn in a of education, covered by the agency. Tetfund’s interventions in the Describing Tetfund as “the oxygen we breath in the University” 21st century environment”, he said to the applause of his audience. past three years and next year, put together, is in the region of N1 the University Librarian, Professor Roseline Echezona, said Imam added that part of the money voted for the University of trillion. “without Tetfund, nothing will happen because without Tetfund, Abuja would go into the construction of a new senate building, and “Tetfund has invested $360 million in Science, Engineering, and there would have been no university library; without Tetfund, there a 1,000 capacity international conference centre, while the agency Technology equipment for 73 universities in the past six years. will be no university”. would collaborate with the University to develop a 2,000-bed space “However, it wouldn’t do for us to just be throwing money She, however, lamented the paucity of Tetfund’s allocations to accommodation for the students. about. We want the money that we are spending to impact most the nation’s universities. positively on academia, on the faculties, on the students, on learnIn his submissions, the University Registrar, Mr. Yahaya MohamTime for private sector mentality ing, on research. med, commended the new Tetfund Board and Executive Secretary He, however, explained that Tetfund was not in a position to “So, our visit here, which will also take us to other institutions for bringing a “clear change at Tetfund”, noting that “for three days provide for all the school’s needs, adding that students would pay across Nigeria, is two-folds. Number one, we want to inspect, we now, Tetfund has moved their office to University ofAbuja”. tokens for data and accommodation facilities: “The problem with want to see, and we want to hear from you. Has Tetfund impacted?

He sought Tetfund’s interventions in the areas of 2,000 capacity most public projects in this country is that at the end of the day, such This is very important. Have we invested in critical infrastructure? auditorium to, among others, reduce by half the number weeks projects are orphaned. We have to promote the culture of taking What is the effect of our investments in research? Has the money we spent on examinations. He equally pressed for multipurpose ownership. I am a private sector person. I have the mentality and disbursed to the institutions for various projects been well utilised? laboratory for the Faculty of Science. values of a private sector person.All the universities must be driven Are we getting value for money?

Mr. Mohammed said that as the only national university since with the mentality of the private sector. Our universities must be “There is one very critical element that is the most important it had no catchment areas, but expected to admit students and conscious in generating funds to address critical sectors because today, namely e-learning. Once upon a time, it was a luxury. But employ staff equally from all states of the federation and the FCT, Tetfund cannot provide for all your needs”. today, it has become very essential, especially in the context of CoUNIABUJAlacked the facilities to accommodate the pressure.

Stressing the need for closer project monitoring, Imam said that vid-19. We all know that the presence of the Silicon Valley accounts “Right now, if we are having practical, you see our students Tetfund was not a project-executing agency, noting that although for the State of California’s place as the 6th largest economy in the perching on the windows, standing at the corridors. It will help if it provides funds, about 75 per cent of project execution falls on the world? What is the strength of your ICT infrastructure? we have a bigger, well-equipped multipurpose laboratory that can university management.

“The second component is, what more should we do? There is accommodate a reasonable number of students”, he added.

“It is a sad thing that a few years after completing projects we a paradigm shift at Tetfund today because we will not sit down in While the academics advocated for sponsorship of Tetfund gave the schools money for, such projects are already falling apart. the office to determine what your needs are. We must consult you scholars to be paid in dollars to ease the challenges they face in There is something fundamentally wrong; and going forward, I in person, both management and students, as we are doing today. foreign lands over naira depreciation, the University Bursar, Malpersonally will not accept it and the Board will not accept it either.

What are the critical needs of the University ofAbuja? What areas lam RufaiAhmed, also said that release of funds to staff attending “In fact, if any project fails after completion, the contractor should should Tetfund focus on? We want to be guided by you going international conferences just a week or few days to the event and must be held liable. Importantly, if projects are being poorly forward”. made it impossible for such university staff to make use of such implemented, both Tetfund and the university should identify The management of UNIABUJA, led by the Vice Chancellor, opportunities. it, not after the completion, but during construction. I want to see Prof.Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, and the students led by the Other areas of critical assistance sought include reliable source of results. I don’t mind repeating myself by reemphasising that we President of the Student Union Government, Comrade Olaloja power, university health facility, and accommodation for students. want value for money”, he stated.

Habib, took turns to air their feedbacks.

According to the SUG President, it takes a healthy man to attend The Board thereafter proceeded to inspect both ongoing and The Director ofAcademic Planning, Professor Mohammed lectures. He said only 20 per cent of the university’s students were completed projects sponsored by Tetfund. It also inspected the Damagun, narrated that as a member of a nationwide monitoring accommodated on campus, thus endangering the students. equipment it funded.

3

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

NEWS

EARLY TITLE RACE

07.11.2020

PAGE. 29

Noni Madueke

Spoilsed for Choice

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER NOVEMBER 7, 2020

28

GLOBAL SOCCER

Noni Madueke

Spoiled for Choice

With the bulk of Super Eagles players made up of Europe-born Nigerians in what the country’s football administration described as‘VIP Scouting’, another English-born may be joining the senior national team if the federation could have its way.The Nigeria Football Federation is hoping to prise away Noni Madueka-an English player of Nigerian descent-despite that the18-year-old had starred for England at the age-grade category, but the former Tottenham player is still at crossroads as to where his international future lies

T

he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is planning another ‘coup’ against England as the federation is looking to prise former Tottenham wonderkid, Noni Madueke away from the England set-up after he rose to stardom by snubbing Manchester United and excelling at PSV Eindhoven.

The former Spurs forward has emerged as the latest youngster to star abroad.

He has scored four times and set up four goals in just 11 appearances for PSV Eindhoven.

Madueke has represented England at youth level, in both the U-16s and the U-19s.

The 18-year-old is the latest target for Nigeria in their attempts to convince dual nationality English players to switch allegiances.

Madueke has played for England from U-16 up to U-19 level and has emerged as the latest British youngster to star abroad.

But he is also eligible for Nigeria through his parents and they want to tempt Madueke by handing the teenager a senior international call up.

Madueke left Spurs to join PSV in June 2018 - rejecting Manchester United in the process and impressed for their youth sides before making his senior debut last season.

This year looks set to be Madueke’s breakout campaign after his stunning start in the Eredivisie and Europe.

The 18-year-old has scored four times and set up four more goals in just 11 appearances for PSV. Though only three of those appearances have been starts and he displayed his potential once again with a two-goal performance off the bench in PSV’s 4-0 win over Den Haag last Sunday.

Nigeria’s interest however represents a dilemma for Madueke. While his form in Holland could earn him a promotion up the England youth ranks, perhaps to Aidy Boothroyd’s U-21s, Africa’s second-highest ranked nation want him for their first team ow.

Nigeria’s readiness to fast-track talent has proved a successful approach and helped them persuade former England youngsters including Ola Aina, Alex Iwobi and Victor Moses among many others to change who they represent at international level.

Madueke had previously explained that he snubbed United, while Chelsea and Celtic were also interested because German Bundesliga star, Jadon Sancho has proven that English youngsters are now often better off abroad when seeking a breakthrough.

“Sancho has opened the eyes to other talents,” he said. “A year after him, I went from Spurs to PSV. The plan that I had in mind then is now working out the way I intended it.

“In England, it is very difficult as a young talent to get into the first team, especially at the bigger clubs. The squads are very large and there is little room for youngsters. They often stay in reserve teams for a long time or are loaned out.

“There is little flow or chance to break through. That is completely different in the Netherlands.”

According to the Daily Mail, the PSV Eindhoven talent is in the middle of a tug of war between Nigeria and England.

His form has not gone unnoticed in Nigeria and NFF officials are hoping to convince the forward to choose an international future with them.

Madueke was born in England and has represented them at various youth levels. However, Nigeria hopes to lure Madueke by offering him a call-up to the full national team, while he is not yet in the running for a full England call-up.

Tottenham Hotspur have seen the likes of Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Japhet Tanganga become first-team players having been in the youth ranks, but some players have had to move on.

Not everybody can become a star like Kane, and may well feel that leaving Tottenham’s youth ranks for first-team football elsewhere is their route to prominence.

One such case came in 2018, as Madueke decided to leave Tottenham

for a shock move to PSV Eindhoven, picking a move to the Netherlands over a long-term stay at Spurs.

The speedy attacker can playoutwide, as a number 10 or up top, and looked to be a major miss for Tottenham when he chose to move on.

Now,Madueke,whoisstilljust18 is playing forPSV’sfirstteam,andhehasenjoyedablistering start to the season over in the Eredivisie.

Insixleagueappearancesthisseason,Madueke alreadyhastwogoalsandthreeassiststohisname, makinghimselfastarfor the Dutch giants.

Coach Roger Schmidt appears to have taken a shine to Madueke, and is giv i n g t h e t e e n a g e r p l e n t y o f playing time despite having a

host of other attacking talents a t h i s disposal.

Spurs fans may now fear that Madueke will become the new Sancho, in terms of him being a speedy English wide man who heads off to Europe in search of playing time before becoming a sensation.

Things could yet get even worse for Tottenham as there are reports back in January that Arsenal want to bring Madueke back to North London.

Seeing Madueke shine in the Netherlands is bad enough, but if he ends up coming back to England – especially with a London rival then Spurs will be left cursing his decision to leave back in 2018.

29

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 7, 2020

GLOBAL SOCCER

City, Liverpool in Early Title Race Title favourites, Manchester City and Liverpool will go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow in an encounter that will go a long way in determining where the Premier League title tilts.The Reds are currently leading the log with 16 points, five more than the Citizens, with Pep Guardiolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side having a game at hand and closing the gap will be top on their agenda. It is expected to be a thrilling encounter with both sides coming out of successful matches in the European Champions League a clean sheet, and at Goodison Park in the league alone they have not kept the opposition at bay since their goalless draw with Liverpool in June - one of only two home league clean sheets in 2020.

There is still plenty of cause for optimism amongst Everton fans, though, and despite that home defensive record, they are one of only two teams alongside local rivals Liverpool yet to be beaten on their own patch this term.

Indeed, Evertonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hopes may be regarded as more realistic than those of Manchester United right now as the Toffees look to build a nine-point lead over todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visitors.

Premiership Table Head to Head 01/01/20 Arsenal 2-0 Man Utd 20/02/07 Man City 4 - 0 Liverpool 19/10/11 Liverpool 3 - 1 Man City 19/03/01 Man City 2 - 1 Liverpool 18/07/10 Liverpool 0 - 0 Man City 18/14/01 Liverpool 4 - 3 Man City 17/09/09 Man City 5 - 0 Liverpool 17/09/03 Man City 1 - 1 Liverpool 16 /31/12 Liverpool 1 - 0 Man City 16/ 02/03 Liverpool 3 - 0 Man City 15/21/11 Man City 1 - 4 Liverpool 15/01/03 Liverpool 2 - 1 Man City 14/25/08 Man City 3 - 1 Liverpool 14/13/04 Liverpool 3 - 2 Man City 13/26/12 Man City 2 - 1 Liverpool Manchester City defender Aymeric Larporte and Liverpool striker, Mohammed Salah battling for possession

It is the clash of the Premier Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two strongest sides and despite being so early in this season, this game could be key in the outcome of this season. Although City havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t looked great and have had a poor start to the season, a win over Liverpool and a win from their game-in-hand will see them leapfrog the champions and potentially to the top of the league.

The absence of Van Dijk and the return of Gabriel Jesus couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have come at worse time for Klopp, but the experienced manager will instil a calm mentality across the Liverpool dressing room and the Reds will be up for this one.

Manchester City striker Jesus has claimed his side â&#x20AC;&#x153;have to winâ&#x20AC;? against Liverpool at the weekend if they want to win the Premier League title and insists theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to play well to earn three points.

The two clubs have been clear of the rest in the Premier League during the last few years, with Jurgen Kloppâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Liverpool the team to win the title last season in emphatic style.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola will be desperate for his team to be back in the mix for the league crown again this season and they are currently five points behind leaders Liverpool, albeit theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played a game less.

The Citizens welcome the Reds to the Etihad Stadium tomorrow for the Premier League showdown and Brazilian Jesus has been discussing the fixture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course, we talk about a Premier League game like Sunday against Liverpool against first in the league, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good because we have to play good and win the game. If we want to win the Premier League again, we have to win this kind of game,â&#x20AC;? he told his clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official website.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so early on in the season, but it already feels like a pivotal match this weekend before the international break and a win for either team will send out a real statement in the title race.

Man City are the team that are expected

to be closest to challenging the Merseyside club this season, albeit the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham will hope they are also in the mix.

Guardiolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to let Liverpool pull too far away from them like they did last season and they are the ones under more pressure for this huge contest in Manchester.

Meanwhile, Everton welcome Manchester United to Goodison Park today with both sides seeking a return to winning ways after back-to-back defeats.

The Toffees have seen their bright start to the campaign tail off in recent weeks, while Man United are languishing in 15th place following their joint-worst start to a campaign since 1986-87.

There were two elements of Manchester Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2020-21 season so far which offered hope to counteract the gloomy reality of their league position and form at Old Trafford - their Champions League results and their remarkable record on the road.

However, both of those were shattered on Wednesday night as they found themselves on the wrong end of Istanbul Basaksehirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ever Champions League win.

The defensive disorganisation which led to the type of goal which would infuriate even a Sunday league manager did nothing to quieten the increasing criticism of a supposed lack of leadership at Old Trafford - criticism which grew in volume following last weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

That result not only left Man United with only one point from a possible 12 at home this term, it also left them with only seven points overall - their joint-lowest tally after six games of a Premier League season, level with David Moyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solitary campaign at the helm.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position has inevitably come under scrutiny as a result, and the onus is undoubtedly on the manager to get to the bottom of how Man United can look so impressive in wins over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, but then so poor in defeats to the likes of

Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir.

If the Red Devilsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; away form dries up then it may only be a matter of time before Solskjaer is sent packing; the midweek defeat ended the longest away winning run in their history - 10 matches and was their first defeat on the road in 19 games stretching all the way back to January.

The disparity between home and away form is one of the curious inconsistencies which continues to frustrate Man United fans - they have the worst defensive record at home this season and only Burnley have picked up fewer points on their own turf, yet away from home they have won two from two this term and six in a row stretching back to 2019-20.

Indeed, another victory at Goodison would equal the club record of seven successive Premier League away wins, set in 1992-93, yet even that may not paper over the cracks following the back-to-back defeats.

United have failed to even score in their last two top-flight outings, and with a defensive record which is also among the worst in the division that is a recipe for more defeats in the weeks to come.

Everton will certainly present stiff opposition, although the Toffees are in danger of seeing their fine early-season work come undone unless they return to winning ways soon.

After beginning the campaign with eight successive wins across all competitions, Everton are now winless in their last three, taking a controversial point from the Merseyside derby against Liverpool before back-to-back defeats away to Southampton and Newcastle United respectively.

Another loss this weekend would see them beaten three times on the bounce in the Premier League for the first time this calendar year, and it is not a fate which has befallen manager Carlo Ancelotti since November 2006.

Evertonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defensive record will also be a growing concern after eight games without

Southampton Liverpool Leicester Tottenham Everton Wolves Chelsea Aston Villa Arsenal Man City Newcastle Leeds Crystal Palace West Ham Man Utd Brighton Fulham West Brom Burnley SheďŹ&#x20AC; Utd

8 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 6 8 7 7 7 6 8 7 7 7 7

4 2 8 9 4 0 7 6 2 1 -3 0 -3 3 -4 -3 -7 -10 -9 -7

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PREMIER LEAGUE TODAY

Everton v Man Utd Crystal Palace v Leeds Utd Chelsea v Sheffield Utd West Ham v Fulham

12:30 15:00 17:30 20:00

SUNDAY

West Brom Leicester Man City Arsenal

v Tottenham v Wolvers v Liverpool v Aston Villa

12:00 14:00 16:30 19:15

v v v v

Eibar Real Betis Osasuna CĂĄdiz

13:00 15:15 17:30 20:00

v v v v v

Villarreal Granada AlavĂŠs Bilbao Madrid

13:00 15:15 17:30 17:30 20:00

La Liga TODAY

Huesca Barcelona Sevilla AtlĂŠtico SUNDAY

Getafe Sociedad Levante Valladolid Valencia MONDAY

Villarreal v Valladolid 20:00

Serie A TODAY

Cagliari Benevento Parma

v Sampdoria v Spezia v Fiorentina

14:00 17:00 19:45

v v v v v v

11:30 14:00 14:00 14:00 17:00 19:45

SUNDAY

Lazio Atalanta Genoa Torino Bologna AC Milan

Juventus Inter Roma Crotone Napoli Verona

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 7, 2020,

GLOBAL SOCCER

Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Tigress team

Joshua

England Move to Provisionally Cap-tie German-born Nigerian, Musiala The English FootballAssociation have made a move to provisionally cap-tie Chelsea Academy product Jamal Musiala following his first team breakthrough at Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

England U21 boss Aidy Boothroydhasannouncedhisroster for this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UEFAU21 EURO qualifiers home double-header against Andorra and Albania with Musiala earning a well-deserved maiden call-up to the squad.

In the current season, Musiala has been included in every single

matchday squad announced by Bayern Munich head coach HansDieter Flick - 12 in total and was handed minutes in eight games.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany but spent most of his childhood in England, the attacking midfielder is eligible to represent Nigeria through his father.

He has played non-binding games, all of them friendlies, for Germany U16s as well as England U15, U16 and U17 national teams but has no tangible connection to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth teams though he is a potential recruit as Super

Eagles manager Gernot Rohr has close ties with the playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s club Bayern Munich.

An appearance againstAndorra orAlbania will provisionally cap-tie Musiala, meaning he has to request for a change of association if he decides to play for Nigeria or Germany in future.

The 17-year-old is joined in the England U21 squad by Crystal Palace winger, Eberechi Eze, who is being wooed by the Nigerian Federation.

Afrobasket Qualifiers

Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Tigers Coach Releases 20-man Provisional List

Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Tigers new coach, Mike Brown has released a 20 man provisional list for the 2021Afrobasket qualifiers slated for Kigali, Rwanda between November 27 and 29th,.

Brown, who will officially start his voyage with Nigeria submitted a list featuring seven players who featured at the 2019 FIBA World Cup where Nigeria qualified for the Olympics in Tokyo.

Captain, Ike Diogu will lead the legion which includes 29 year old Stan Okoye (Gran Canaria), Ben Uzoh, Ike Iroegbu, Talib Zanna,

Ekpe Udoh and Michael Eric.

2015 NBA winner with Golden State Warriors, Festus Ezeli will be on the flight to Rwanda for a chance to represent Nigeria for the first time ever alongside a member of the 2015 Afrobasket winning team, Mike Gbinije.

After missing the final 12 man team to the world cup, France based Ike Nwamu will make another return to the team alongside Tonye Jekiri, Christopher Obekpa, Braxton Ogbueze, Mike Efevberha, Obinna Emegano who at some

point featured during the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2019 qualifiers series.

Chima Moneke who has averaged 12.3pts and 5.8rebs in four games for OrlĂŠan in the French league has also been called up for the first time alongside Zaid Christopher HearstOkpalannaka who plies his trade in the second tier of the French league.

Other new faces who will hope to earn their first cap include Real Betis powerforward, Obi Enechionyia alongside Ogbunu John and Rasheed Sulaimon who play for Casademont Zaragoza

Again, El Haddadi Refused Switch from Spain to Morocco The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld a decision by Fifa to refuse Munir El Haddadi permission to play for Morocco.

The Morocco Football Federation (FRMF) had applied to Fifa for permission for Sevillaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s El Haddadi to swap national allegiances from Spain, who he had played for in the past.

The FRMF had been hoping to take advantage of a recent Fifa rule change that allows players under 21 to change national teams even if they had played up to three

competitive games.

In September, Fifa decided that as El Haddadi had played for the Spanish under-21 side after his 21st birthday he did not meet the criteria to switch to Morocco.

CAS has now upheld that decision, without elaborating on its reasons, and so ending El Haddadiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chances of playing for the Atlas Lions.

The former Barcelona player had trained with Morocco during the last international break before being told he was not cleared to play for them.

El Haddadi had tried to make the

change before the rule change but was first prevented from doing so as he had made a brief substitute appearance for Spain in European Championship qualifier.

Under the old Fifa regulations, that appearance prevented him from playing for Morocco - a decision that was also upheld

by CAS. As El Haddadi was 19 for his lone appearance for Spain, the path had seemed clear for a switch under the regulation change that had been proposed by FRMF.

DStv Premium Golf Day Debuts Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier pay television platform, DStv, will host the maiden DStv Premium Golf Day at the Ikeja Golf Club, Lagos, on November 14.

This was announced in Lagos yesterday by the organisers, Flykite Productions.

The event format, according to the organisers, is stroke play.

The organisers also disclosed that the first prize at the event will be a business class ticket to Dubai for a weekend stay at a five-star hotel.

The second prize is a business class ticket to Rwanda for a weekend stay at five-star hotel, while the third prize

is a weekend stay at a five-star hotel in Lagos. The prize for the longest drive at the event is a 55-inch television set.

Martin Mabutho, Chief Costumer Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, said the sponsorship of DStv Premium Golf Day was a demonstration of commitment to the sport, which was enjoyed

by DStv Premium subscribers and brought to them via a dedicated channel that broadcasts some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important golf tournaments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is an exciting opportunity for us because we understand that golf tournaments are some of the most important games for our DStv

Premium subscribers, hence this sponsorship. To further demonstrate our commitment to this game, we have a specially dedicated channelHome of Golf, which has PGA Tour, European Tour, Ryder Cup, etc. on DStv Channel 213 for our Premium subscribers. So, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excited to be a part of this, with Ikeja Golf Club and are hopeful that this will further consolidate our relationship with our Premium subscribers and those that play and enjoy the game,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Golfers seeking to participate at the event are expected to contact Ikeja Golf Club for registration.

Joshua Targeted for Major Fight in China As far back as 2016 when Anthony Joshua first became world heavyweight champion there were talks about how he could unlock the door to a Chinese audience, a largely unrealised potential market where boxing is a developing industry Always key to the idea of Joshua going truly global was a local rival he could face in the ring to pique the regional interest - Chinese heavyweight Zhang Zhilei fit the bill except his rise has been slow and frustrating.

Suddenly â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Big Bangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Zhang has a chance to grasp genuine momentum - he is now solely promoted by Eddie Hearnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Matchroom and set to end a year-long absence from the ring. In the background the wheels are turning to use Zhang to attract the vast viewership in China so if his ability is real, then now is the time to prove it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Joshuaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a global figure,â&#x20AC;? Matchroom chairman Barry Hearn said in 2016. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to give him a global platform. I was in Shanghai and we were talking. As soon as you show people pictures of Joshua knocking someone out, they get excited.â&#x20AC;? The stars were aligning because China had their own contender in Zhang who Hearn was aware of: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a heavyweight who is almost 7ft tall and we could do it with a pay-per-view audience of tens of millions of Chinese people watching it.â&#x20AC;?

Any conversation about Zhang, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist and now an undefeated maverick whose potential is still unfulfilled, surrounds the idea that he could generate business opportunities in China.

His Olympic success and 21-fight winning streak suggest some talent, at least, but the true value of Zhang appears to be in his potential to be a Joshua-type figure in the country with the largest population on Earth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hundreds of millions of people in China are waiting to see a heavyweight world championship fight happen,â&#x20AC;? Zhang exclusively tells Sky Sports. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope that when Chinese people talk about boxing, they talk about that fight.

It will break the record if the fight can be made.â&#x20AC;?

There is tangible excitement in the US-based camp surrounding Zhang after he signed an exclusive deal to be promoted by Matchroom.

The heavyweightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-time advisor Terry Lane believes there is finally the infrastructure around Zhang that can unlock his promise outside of the ring. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Professional boxing in China is still in its infancy, it is still emerging,â&#x20AC;? Lane tells Sky Sports. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But there are indications that it is growing, although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not as big as NBA, tennis or golf. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To make it explode, we want a big heavyweight fight involving Zhilei hosted in China. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is a very talented, top heavyweight who is in the mix. We want to use this to build the boxing industry in China. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have a TV audience of 200 million people which is considered only a moderate success! Boxing does appear every week on their government-controlled sports channel. The business model and the culture are different but the interest is building. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chinese immigrants in the US or the UK will identify with his story, too. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have big plans. His next couple of fights will be in the US but Matchroom share our vision of a major, major fight in Beijing or Shanghai. That is the goal for everybody. â&#x20AC;&#x153;China wants to be the best at everything so they would want a mega-fight with a top heavyweight like Joshua or Tyson Fury. That is the aim for us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re closer to it than we were a few months ago.â&#x20AC;?

An added layer of intrigue is that Joshua and Zhang have already shared a ring. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t there in 2012 or things would have been different,â&#x20AC;? sighs Zhangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trainer Shaun George. Joshua floored Zhang and defeated him en route to capturing an Olympic gold medal at the London Games. Zhang, the reigning silver medallist from four years earlier, had his Olympic dream ended by Joshuaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fists and wants revenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Absolutely yes,â&#x20AC;? Zhang tells Sky Sports. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I said it on multiple occasions, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s make it happen as soon as possible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I went in the ring with the wrong mentality knowing that he was from the host country, that I had to knock him out to win. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I fought the whole fight looking for the big shot and over-exposed myself. Ever since then I have been working on adjusting my mind before the fight and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy that a lot has been done over the years.â&#x20AC;?

His trainer George adds: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know Zhilei wants that fight. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d do it in the USA, the UK or in China. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zhilei had a silver medal from the previous Olympics and was going for gold but Joshua stopped him. Zhilei is very competitive and wants that back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Strategy? I am a strategist so you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see Zhilei do the same thing over and over. We make adjustments.â&#x20AC;?

New York-based George was a recently retired boxer when he was introduced to the Chinese amateur team and he became their trainer for the 2016 Olympics, a group that needed nurturing and eventually won just one bronze medal.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 7, 2020

31

GLOBAL SOCCER

Prince Adegoke Eagles Future Golie?

Dennis

Since US â&#x20AC;&#x2122;94, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have never been blessed with a young crop of players as it presently boasts of. In spite of the array of stars at its disposal, one area is still a cause for concern- the goalkeeping department. However, with the rising in stature of Chelsea 17-year-old Prince Adegoke, who just signed a new contract at Stamford Bridge, the problem at the goalpost may not last long

N

Nigerian youngster Prince Adegoke has penned a new deal with Chelsea.

This comes only a few months after the 17-year-old signed a scholarship with the English giants. Having turned 17 on Tuesday, Adegoke has now seen a clause in his contract activated.

The official announcement was expected to take place on Tuesday. However, owing to the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s European commitments, it was pushed to Thursday.

Chelsea have struggled with the goalkeeping position, Adegoke will now put pen to paper on a deal that lasts for two years and eight months. There is also an option to increase the contract in July 2021, based on his performances for the club.

Born in England, Adegoke originally signed for the club as a 13-year-old. A goalkeeper, he has been a part of the fulltime school programme at the academy.

A tall player, the 17-year-old has a big presence on the pitch. He featured on the bench in the FA Youth Cup last season and has been involved with the U-18s occasionally.

A talented keeper, he joins the ranks of the talented youth coming through the ranks at Chelsea.

While he is some way away from making it to the first-team, he is on the right track in terms of growth.

The young Nigerian goalkeeper enjoyed a major breakthrough earlier in May in his bid to make his debut for Chelsea U-18s after making their 16-man squad for their final game of the season against Arsenal.

With Chelsea winning the national title after beating Manchester United 3-0, manager Jody Morris brought a very youthful team to the Cobham Training Centre and named Adekoge among his five substitutes.

However, the young goalkeeper was one of the two Chelsea players that remained on the bench for the entirety of the game.

Prince Adegoke was snapped up by Chelsea in April 2016 after he was spotted playing for the U-12 team of Kent County Division 1 West club Club Langley FC. Earlier this year, the Londoners announced the new intake some of whom have been at the club for more than eight years while others are players signed from abroad.

Jim Fraser Chelseaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistant head of youth development described the player

as talented and versatile.

He also described Prince Adegoke who signed for the locally as U-13 as â&#x20AC;&#x153;A very tall and big presence on the pitch, he featured on the bench in the FA Youth Cup last season and has been involved with the Under-18s on a number of occasions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prince has been part of the full-time school programme at the Academy.â&#x20AC;?

Adegoke is on the radar of several Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wonderers.

If Chelsea decide to let Adegoke leave, he will not be short of potential suitors. Arsenal, Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers are all keen on the Nigerian goalkeeper.

Adegoke will have a decision to make if Chelsea allow him to move on at the end of the season. Joining Arsenal would be the local option while Bournemouth and Wolves moves would mean relocating.

Adegoke is supposedly highly-rated by Chelsea. He will be hoping to continue his development at Chelsea if he is made an academy scholar in 2020/21.

If not, there are other options as he takes his next career step. Arsenal have James Hillson but he might move up to the U-23s next season. So Adegoke would be competing with youngsters Arthur Okonkwo and Tom Smith.

Bournemouth have already shown that there is a path to the first-team for goalkeepers with Mark Travers and Aaron Ramsdale getting senior game time.

Wolves are building a strong academy so this would also be an exciting project.

Meanwhile, Adegoke and Nigeria-eligible goalkeeper Kelechi Chibueze will be competing to be Chelsea U-18s first-choice goalkeeper for the 2020-2021 campaign and will be observed at close quarters by manager Ed Brand when pre-season preparations begin in the coming weeks.

While Chibueze has represented England at U-15 and U-16 level, Adegoke, who was The Blues U-16s number 1 last term, was invited to train with the Nigeria U-17 squad in 2019.

The Golden Eaglets inviteeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scholarship deal will be automatically upgraded to a professional contract when he turns 17 in November 2020.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR

THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR

THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN

MANAGING DIRECTOR

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ 7, 2020

NOVEMBER ͵˜ ͰͮͰͮ ˾ THISDAY,THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

AUTO WORLD

Bennett Oghifo 07052343083 Email:bennett.oghifo@thisdaylive.com

TIPS OF THE WEEK How to Maintain a Happy and Healthy Radiator Owning a vehicle comes with the responsibility of taking care of it long after you drive off the dealership lot. This means investing time and money into caring for your car, regularly changing the oil, rotating the tires, and replenishing fluids.

Keeping up with your vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preventative maintenance schedule is smarter and more affordable than waiting until more costly repairs are needed down the road.

One aspect of preventative maintenance you may not know much about it radiator upkeep. There are certain steps you can take to help maintain a properly functioning radiator. Understanding more about the radiator itself and a few basic tips can save you time, money and a big headache in the future.

All-new Porsche Taycan electriďŹ es Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Burj Khalifa

Electrifying Show as Porsche Taycan Launches on Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Burj Khalifa

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orsche Middle East and Africa FZE officially kicked off its launch for the all-new Taycan with a special animation on the facade of the Burj Khalifa, the largest single display surface in the world.

A visually exciting light show, covering the total area of 33,000 square metres, portrayed the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important milestones from the Lohner-Porsche revealed in 1900 to the cutting-edge Taycan. With its 828 metres, the iconic tower is the largest building in the world and provided a unique setting to announce the long awaited arrival of Porscheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first fully electric vehicle, according to a statement by the automaker.

Dr. Manfred Braeunl, Chief Executive Officer at Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE, stated: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Electricity has been running through Porscheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s veins from day one and the brand is a pioneer in shaping the mobility of tomorrow with innovative products setting the benchmark for the industry.

The all-new Taycan is a culmination of over 70 years of experience building sports cars, merged with incredible new driving technologies. But first and foremost, it is a true Porsche offering pure

emotion and extraordinary driving pleasure. The upcoming months will be hugely exciting for us and our business partners, as we launch the car across the region.â&#x20AC;?

Markus Peter, Marketing Director at Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE, added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a very special moment watching the more than 1 million LED lights turning the facade into one big screen to celebrate the start of the Taycan introduction in our region. We are convinced that the new Porsche Taycan will inspire everyone in the same way as the first electric sports car with the Porsche soul.â&#x20AC;?

Whilst the Taycan is the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first fully electric model, Porsche has been at the forefront of electromobility for a long time. Today, plug-in hybrids present some of the most powerful flagship models in the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range, such as the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid or the new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

With the launch of the new Taycan, Porsche presents its first ever fully electric model, setting another important milestone for the successful future of the company.

In the coming weeks and months, Porscheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regional office with base in Dubai will support its importers with the rollout of the first three Taycan

models comprising the 4S, Turbo and Turbo S. Officially declared as the most innovative car in the world, thanks to 27 new developments of which 13 are global firsts, the Taycan generates up to 761 PS. The fastest model in the range, the Turbo S, accelerates from 0-100 km/h in just 2.8 sec â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the same as the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, a purebred, twoseater sports car.

According to WLTP tests, all three derivatives feature a generous driving range. When equipped with the Performance battery Plus, the Taycan 4S leads with a capacity of up to 463 km.

The Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts. This is a significant advantage when high-power charging access is available, allowing exceptionally short charging times. All owners can comfortably charge their vehicles with an 11kW AC charger at home, at work on a fast industrial charger, or at any public charging point while running errands.

The start of the launch phase follows a successful period of business for Porscheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regional office in Dubai. With a healthy five per cent growth yearon-year, the organization recently announced its best third quarter results since 2015.

Hyundai Electric Concept Car Wins 2020 Design Award

H

yundai Motor Company has been awarded the 2020 Car Design Award in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Concept Carsâ&#x20AC;? category for its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prophecyâ&#x20AC;? concept EV, which debuted earlier this year.

The Car Design Awards, presented annually in Turin, Italy since 1984, is one of the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most coveted prize ceremonies. It aims to celebrate and mark turning points in the future of transportation design. An international jury made up of representatives and some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prestigious automotive magazines guarantees its competence and authoritativeness.

Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appropriately named concept EV came in first in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Conceptâ&#x20AC;? category of the 2020 Car Design Awards. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prophecyâ&#x20AC;? is notable for the way it combines Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sensuous Sportiness design identity with Optimistic Futurism, which aims to forge a new form of emotional connection between humans and automobiles.

Organised by Auto&Design magazine, the Car Design Awards were first established in 1984 and are presented annually in Turin, Italy. Due to the current situation, the awards were held digitally for the first time this year. The awards are assigned by an international jury made up of representatives of some of the most prestigious automotive publications in the world.

In awarding Hyundai with the prize, the jury praised â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prophecyâ&#x20AC;? for its aerodynamic, natural shapeinspiredbystreamlinedsedansofthe1920sand 1930s, which is combined with a series of technical innovations: â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nauticalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inspiration came in the form of such details as the heat-extracting, propeller-style wheels. Rather than mimic a conventionally powered car, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Prophecyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has no grille between its pixel

Hyundai Prophecy concept headlamps, and the pixel design repeats with tail lamps that give the rear a sports car-like flourish. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been a real pleasure working on this project, and we are delighted to win this prestigious Car DesignAward for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Prophecyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. When we develop our concept cars, we look everywhere for inspiration, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fashion or mobility industry,â&#x20AC;? said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Prophecyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, we tried to create a really positive optimism for the

future based on very simplistic single curve forms that are memorable of eras of aerodynamic and streamlined cars but projected into the future.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prophecyâ&#x20AC;? applies Sensuous Sportiness in ways never before seen in Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fleet. This design identityismostevidentinthevoluptuoussidesection, which is like that of a perfectly-weathered stone. It is cut by a clean and simple One Curve streamline, which extends from the front to rear with minimalist restraint.Thisunderlinesthetimelessnessofitsdesign.

Understanding the Role of the Radiator The radiator is the key component in your engineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cooling system. The cooling system keeps your engine from overheating, which prevents internal components from melting, melding together, and causing your car to malfunction.

It is no exaggeration to say that your cooling system is a component that prevents total engine failure.

The radiatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crucial role within the cooling system is regulating the temperature of the engine. It keeps the car from overheating on simple drives, as well as keeping it functional on very cold nights.

Basic Tips for Radiator Maintenance You do not want to see your radiator fall into disrepair, of course, but what can you do to stop it from doing so?

Some tips to consider: Keep the coolant, or radiator fluid, filled at all times. You should always administer coolant with a 50/50 water mix, or purchase an already watered-down version from your local auto supply store. Keep the radiator cap on tight; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designed to keep the entire coolant chamber pressurized.

Has your radiator cleaned out a couple of times each year? To save some time and also make it easier to remember, you can have this service performed whenever you take your vehicle in for a tire rotation or oil change.

Have your radiator flushed and filled on an annual basis. This is another service you can have done by your local trusted technician.

How Often Should You Flush Your Radiator?

The frequency of when radiator flushes should be performed varies by vehicle.

Most cars typically require this service annually. In some cases, for those who drive their cars pretty heavily throughout the year and rack up a lot of miles, additional flushes may be necessary. This is something that your auto technician can help advise when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at the shop.

Flushes are required to rid your radiator of particle buildup and prevent clogging. If recommended flushes are not performed, this buildup can spill throughout the entire cooling system. The results can be degradation and wearing down of the cooling system while preventing it from functioning properly.

The bottom line is that, for any vehicle owner, radiator upkeep should be a priorityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not too sure about, you can always. (Source: meinekeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;)

Texting and Driving

When you look at your phone to read or send a text while driving, you take your eyes off the road for an average of nearly five seconds. While that may seem like the blink of an eye, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equivalent to travelling the length of a football field with your eyes closed if you are driving at 88.51 KPH.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

35

AUTO WORLD

All-new Yaris Cross Delivers on Style, Performance

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oyota has launched its allnew Yaris Cross that builds on a rich SUV heritage to deliver a stylish compact package designed to meet the lifestyle needs of active urban dwellers.

As Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first entry in the light SUV market, theYaris Cross does not compromise when it comes to style or city-suitability and still delivers all the safety, versatility, functionality and capability of a larger SUV, according to the automaker.

The Yaris Cross - the second member in the all-newYaris family - offers a game-changing presence with its class-leading safety features, hybrid drivetrain, advanced electric AWD system and a premium, flexible interior.

Toyota Australia Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said the new Yaris Cross provides the perfect blend of small-car style and SUV functionality and capability. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Toyota was a pioneer in the small SUV market when we launched the original RAV4 in 1994. RAV4 is now the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-selling SUV and we expect the all-new Yaris Cross is set to make as big an impact on the light SUV market in years to come,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Hanley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Set to appeal to metro-living, country exploring, active urban dwellers, it delivers all the style, advanced technology, safety

and a very fuel-efficient hybrid drivetrain demanded for the weekly commute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Complementing that is a highly versatile and premium interior, AWD availability for when the tarmac runs out, dynamic driving characteristics and comfortable raised ride height, making it the ideal small SUV, wherever your journey takes you,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The Yaris Cross is available in nine variants with a choice of new petrol or hybrid powertrains, 2WD (front) or electric AWD, and three grades - entry-level GX, mid-range GXL and top-of-the-range Urban.

First-in-class Hybrid, and new petrol powertrains Under the bonnet is a choice of two new 1.5-litre petrol and hybrid powertrains it shares with the all-new Yaris hatch.

The hybrid system for 2WD versions combines a 67kW/120Nm, 1.5-litre threecylinder, Atkinson Cycle petrol engine with a pair of motor generators that produces a maximum combined output of 85kW. Driving the front wheels through a smooth and efficient continuously variable transmission (CVT), it seamlessly shifts between petrol and electric power to deliver the optimum balance of performance and supremely good fuel economy with a combined cycle fuel consumption of just 3.8l/100km1. CO2 emissions are a correspondingly low 86g/km2.

All-new Yaris Cross

Mercedes-BenzTests First ElectricTruck, eActros in Belgium

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ercedes-Benz Trucks has stated that it is continuing with practical trials of the battery-powered Mercedes-Benz eActros.

For the first time a Belgian logistics company, Van Mieghem Logistics, has started operating the all-electric eActros.

The family-owned company, which specialises in both international transport and national distribution services, is testing the eActros on daily distribution journeys of up to 200 km in the vicinity of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters in Saintes, Belgium, according to a statement by the automaker.

The Mercedes-Benz eActros will be initially used for delivering pharmaceutical goods to hospitals and nursing homes. Additional tasks are planned to follow soon. The 25-ton truck with a range of around 200 kilometres is equipped with a Schmitz Cargobull refrigerated swap body, which is also electrically operated and therefore emission-free. The batteries of the truck are charged overnight at the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warehouse.

The CEO at Mercedes-Benz Trucks Belgium and Luxembourg, Peter Brock, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The eActros has seen intensive customer tests in

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Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands since 2018. We are proud to now have the first all-electric eActros in Belgium to be tested with Van Mieghem Logistics, an esteemed logistics company in the country.â&#x20AC;?

Laurent Van Mieghem, member of the management at Van Mieghem Logistics said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The protection of natural resources is an integral element of our corporate activities. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we already invested in solar panels on top of our new warehouse and are also investigating the installation of wind turbines on our company premises, which would be ideal for harvesting our own energy to power electric trucks and logistics warehouses in future. Our interest in CNG or LNG powered trucks has always been very moderate, as they still use fossil fuels. An all-electric truck however has always been on our minds and as a logistics company with a 90% Mercedes-Benz fleet, it was only obvious that we were very eager to participate in the Mercedes-Benz eActros tests. This is for our company the way to go to realize a CO2-neutral transport solution that meets our corporate values of sustainability and puts us in the driver seat when it comes to modern and environment-friendly technology.â&#x20AC;?

Battery-powered Mercedes-Benz eActros

The Danger of Naked Roads

he NAKED ROAD is not a new piece. It was first published in 2014 at the promptings of a presentation made by a World Bank Consultant who described some of our roads as naked. The second publication was in 2018 if my memory is correct. I am again using the same material as a precursor to other materials I plan to run as we gradually wind down 2020 with the expected end of year rush and increased motorization as well as avoidable road traffic crashes and deaths.

Three crash events of the last couple of weeks are the reasons for the reuse of this material. The first is the crash which occurred in Enugu State where about seventeen school children were killed.

The second is the road traffic crash which occurred at Ayangba in Kogi State where sixteen deaths were recorded. The third is the crash in Ebonyi State where five children were killed by a water truck driver who was incidentally lynched by angry youths. The last are events in Niger State.

However, since the Federal Road Safety Corps has released a press statement on the Ayangba and Enugu Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; incidences with respect to the location of markets, I have chosen to use events in Niger State which is one of the Commands under my watch to drive home my point. I do hope that the fresh information provided will guide us as we travel during the last weeks of 2020.

SAFE DRIVING with Jonas Agwu amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa Assistant Corps Marshal Zonal Commanding Officer Federal Road Safety Corps.

Niger State has been my biggest worry as the Zonal Commanding Officer. In the last three months, we have had to contend with daily traffic gridlocks caused by the road condition along BidaLapai-Lambata, Bida-Mokwa, Tegina-Mokwa and Lambata -Suleja. Although some of these roads are under construction, there are eroded road shoulders, potholes, undulating surfaces as well as markets and schools on the highway which like I said earlier is a topic for another day.

Within this period, there have been crashes, deaths and injuries but my focus today is on three specific crashes. The first crash occurred along the Bida-Lapai road on 20 October,2020 involving nine vehicles comprising five articulated vehicles, two tankers, one bus and one motorcycle. The crash was caused by wrongful overtaking, break failure and loss of control leading to six deaths and three injuries.

The second crash occurred on 26 october,2020 involving two vehicles; one articulated vehicle and one canter which claimed thirteen lives and twenty injuries. This crash occurred along the Bida-Mokwa road at a T-junction caused by speed violation and loss of control. The last and third crash also occurred on 26 October, 2020 along Lambata-Suleja involving two vehicles; a canter and a Toyota corolla. It was caused by wrongful overtaking and loss of control.

Two deaths were recorded with six injured These crashes brought memories of a mail I received from a reader who once questioned the timing for the Corps speed limiting device enforcement because of what he described as the state of our roads and the absence of the appropriate road furniture. The memory of his mail and the description of some of our roads as naked by the World Bank consultant were some of reasons for using the piece some years back.

During the discussion on the state of Nigerian roads, the Consultant made a statement that caught my attention. According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our roads are nakedâ&#x20AC;?. This tag was embellished by another speaker who noted that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one builds a house and moves in without furnishing. A road is not a road without the appropriate furnitureâ&#x20AC;?, the second speaker summed up disregarding ongoing efforts of Government to give the roads a facelift.

The second pillar of the UN Decade of Action spells out the need to improve the safety of road networks for the benefit of all road users, especially

the most vulnerable: pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.

Despite the current efforts of Nigerian government, what do you think of road signage on some Nigerian roads? Inadequate? Bastardized by hawkers and villagers? But do you know that a good number of Nigerians who drive are ignorant of road signs?

What do you think about transportation safety generally? Well, let us first reflect on Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assessment of safety and transportation in Nigeria.

According to them, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;safety of public transportation is poor while urban road conditions/maintenance is equally poor. They equally maintain that rural road conditions/maintenance are also poor.

Furthermore, they observe that availability of roadside assistance is poor too while roads are in generally poor condition, causing damage to vehicles and contributing to hazardous traffic conditions.

It is against this backdrop and the need to buy into the Corpsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; strategies for safer roads that this piece is focusing on road signage. It is common for us to lament over the state of our roads and the inadequacy of road furniture. Strictly speaking, how many of us truly comply with the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;inadequateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; signs that we have? As a Christian, the Bible says that he that is faithful in little will be faithful in much.

I wish I have the Islamic version of this to guide my Muslim readers. Meanwhile, what I expect is that we first comply with what Government has provided before asking Government to do more which I believe is the current thrust as demonstrated by the recent approval of N87.5billion Naira for road projects.

36

Ë&#x153; Ëž NOVEMBER 7, 2020

MEDIAGAFFES

EXPRESSION

BY

EBERE WABARA

Restoreâ&#x20AC;ŚTo, Not â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

O

VERHEARD: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am going for night vigil at one of the churches in my neighbourr hood.â&#x20AC;? Get it right with the assistance of my copious reference books: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;vigilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a noun that is countable and uncountable, depending on context. First explanation: A period of time, especially during the night, when you stay awake to pray, remain with someone who is ill, or watch for danger. An example: Eva and Paul kept a constant vigil by their daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hospital bedside. Second meaning: A silent political protest in which people wait outside a building, especially during the night: silent/candle-lit vigil. Another elucidation: Two thousand demonstrators held a candle-lit vigil outside the embassy. Take note of the emphasis in both explanations: especially during the nightâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that is the crux of my intervention. So, simply say: I am going for a vigil in the church or hospital or elsewhere (as the situation demands). Do you understand? â&#x20AC;&#x153;6 killed, 3 injured in multiple accident (accidents) in Nigerâ&#x20AC;? (News around the City, October 21). What is really going on, gentlemen of the Press? â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śtake certain critical steps urgently to restore, (sic) hope, confidence and trust in (to) constituted authority as well as usher in an atmosphere of unity among Nigerians.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;In most of the incidents, lives and properties (life and property) were lost.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is uncountable except in technical applications.

Because of the plurality involved in the fatalistic development, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;livesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; were lost all right. Since â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is involved, the fixed expression becomes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;life and propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which contextually indicates existential and infrastructural pluralism. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the eyes and reckoning of every Imo citizens, there has only been two administrations in the state.â&#x20AC;? Every Imo citizen or all Imo

citizensâ&#x20AC;Śand this: there have (not has) only been two administrations in the state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;NPA commends FG over (for) port reformsâ&#x20AC;? (THISDAY, September 27) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aviation industry has witnessed some changes since the administration of late Musa Umar Yarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;duaâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? (THISDAY, October 27) The administration of the lateâ&#x20AC;Ś. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After four years of solid performance on the saddleâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? Let Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will be done: in the saddle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some states have seized the opportunity to make wavesâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? It is only in America and Nigeria that opportunities are seized. In New (Formal/Standard) English environments, you either use or take opportunities. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Seizeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inseparably involves the use of some measure of force or deployment of violence.

Yet another headline goof from the above edition: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tantalizers fete (fetes) kids on Independence Dayâ&#x20AC;? Tantalizers is just a company. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Post election panel is illegal and diversionn aryâ&#x20AC;? (DAILY TRUST, October 26) Get it right: Post-election panel illegal, diversionary â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is perhaps in this light that the series of consultative meeting....â&#x20AC;? Folk (popular) etymology: the series of consultative meetings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;in this regard, one must doff oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hat for Chief Sylvanus Ogbonna....â&#x20AC;? This way: take off/doff oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hat to (not for). â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the last elections, voters had to choose between three parties essentiallyâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Between three partiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is simply acidulous. Formal expression: among three partiesâ&#x20AC;Ś. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The security-men who arrested Chima were eight in number (what would â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;eightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; have been?) and arrived at about 10 a .m. in the morning.â&#x20AC;? Towards Standard English for readers: at 11.a.m or about 11a.m, if there is an element of uncertainty. To employ the two in one breath is irksome. How does this sound: â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10 a.m. in the morningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;?

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course film-makers should also watch them so that the public can be told the videos are not some Hollywood make-belief.â&#x20AC;? My comment: make-believe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pondering over the nation is the spectra of economic corruption and a descent into (to) chaos and anarchy.â&#x20AC;? Singular: spectrum and plural (spectra). â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is therefore most expedient for exGenerals like Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida to re-examine its (their) role in government and take a honourable bow from politics.â&#x20AC;? A time to quit: an honourable bow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even now, no talk of regional or subregional integration is complete in this continent without an echo from Nigeria.â&#x20AC;? Diplomacy: on the continent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śam convinced that what held the audience spell-bounded and excited was the fact of an Anglophone being able to tell him in their own language.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Instead, people compete and fall over one another for the crumbs and fallouts from the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;high tableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (platform/dais/rostrum) and even defend the indefensible.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Falloutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is uncountt able. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śwe swept them under the carpet pretendd ing that all was well when in actual (what for?) fact we were heading towards apocalypse.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śothers point out the moral ground for such action (an action), given Labourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s antecedents in the past.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Antecedents in the pastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? This is unacceptable for obvious reasons.

One of these days, somebody would write â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;future antecedentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;! Take away â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;in the pastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As at 1985 there are (were) over 36,000 dams in the world with about 18,000 in China alone.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Are you therefore surprise (sic) to find mediocres promoted beyond their highest level of competency.â&#x20AC;? The noun form of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mediocreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (an adjective) is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mediocrityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mediocristâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Statistics of African debt profile shows

(show) that Nigeria owes about 15 per cent of the continentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debt.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;But none of these leaders coming with large (a large) retinue of people (would it have been of animals?) will agree that it is important to back-up (back up) their good wishes with concrete policy (a concrete policy) in the area of debt management for sustainable growth.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Within the 15 years of the four military regimes under review, Nigeria moved twice from one extreme end of the scale to the other in her (its) relation with other nations.â&#x20AC;? Either extreme or endâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;both cannot co-function. â&#x20AC;&#x153;General Babangidaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emergence on the scene brought an initial soothing balm in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foreign relations because of his early release of a transition programme.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Soothing balmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is offensive to good scholarship. What else, apart from soothing, would balm do? â&#x20AC;&#x153;While the Chinese were still protesting the bombing of their embassy in Belgrade, NATO had gone ahead to bomb the Swiss embassy, causing damages (damage) to the Angolan embassy and hit (hitting) a hospital, among others.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;What is laying a siege on (to) public wealth and traumatizing all those who dared to point accusing fingers.â&#x20AC;? Delete â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;accusingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; because of its contextual redundancy. And this: point the finger (stock expression). â&#x20AC;&#x153;How does the separation of powers that are (is) discernible in Government textbooks operate in real life.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just as the banning of books and newspapers give (gives) rise to an illicit trade in themâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Perhaps it may interest you to note that the average take home (a hyphen) pay of a fresh university graduate a month, in any of the Federal ministry (ministries), was slightly above N3,000.â&#x20AC;?

Why Bother About US Presidential Election?

Felix Asogwa

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hy y should I, a Nigerian, g bother so much about American Presidential Election?

The answer is very y simple p and arose from the concern I have for the widespread p unawareness and ignorance g of the weighty issues in the American Presidential Election. In the face of undeniable evidence y of the harm which Biden Presidency portends, a friend said to me the other day, p y â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ok let the will of God be done too. Trump p can win . Biden can win. Whoever wins letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take it that way. y No further comments on that. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have voting g right g in the said election. Dr. Felix enjoy j yy your eveningâ&#x20AC;?. g The issue is however not as simple p as my y friend thought, g moreso when we consider that he was speaking p g under the labour of the misinformation and ethnic/racial prejudices p j being g leveled against g President Trump p by y the media. There are far more serious and life threatening g moral issues involved that have far reaching global consequences. g q It is an issue that bothers on the life and death of innocent children created in the image g and likeness of God. It also bother on obedience to the injunction j of Our Father God to love our neighbour g as ourselves and since the first right g without which no other right g can exist, is the right g to life, it follows that the greatest g act of Charity y would consist in defending the life of the defenseless from conception to death.

Why should the winner of the American Presidential Election matter to me to such a degree that I had to pray that much and spend so much time writing about it? Because it bothers on the termination of the life of an innocent child in the womb in America with the certainty of its spread as a matter of American foreign policy if a certain candidate wins the election. It bothers on the global spread of gay marriage as a matter of American foreign policy if a certain candidate wins. It bothers on the coercion of Christians all over the world especially in the developing countries to embrace gay marriage and legalisation of abortion as a component of American foreign policy. It bothers on the world wide inducement of religious bodies through the enactment of draconian laws to force them to pay for abortions and abortifii cients for workers in their employment.

I have always believed in the inviolability of the human life from conception to death since man is not the creator of life but God. In my 4th year in the medical school I saw through the antics and diabolical manoeuvres of anti life organisations that were trying to get the medical students to distribute abortificients and contraceptive materials to rural women and girls during our rural community health outreach programs. I was then the President of the University of Nigeria Medical Students Association and they tried to induce me with money and other enticement in order to do their bidding of distributing these materials to the women in our target communities. They also tried to get us to distribute not

only abortificients but also public health education materials camm paigning against large families. Of course, I rejected such offers and went even further to educate those involved in such anti-life activities, usually promoted and sponsored by foreign governn ments and organisations. It was the sinister motives of these anti life organisations that were being funded by USAID, UNFPA and some foreign governments and organisations then, before President Trump came to power to clean up the mess, that led me to form an Association of Students for Life on campus dedicated to pro life issues, while I was still a student in the University. I have remained committed to the propagation of the gospel of life since I left the University. Protection of life from conception to death must be the concern of everyone whether Christains, Muslims, Hindus, free-thinkers, atheists, Agnostics and so forth.

The devastating global effect of the victory of the candidate who supports and promotes anti-life policies is very damaging especially in Nigeria where poverty is biting had and has forced men and women to compromise their consciences and believe in God. This is in comparison to the good effect of the victory of the candidate that promotes religious freedom and Pro-life activities all over the world. In order to appreciate the dangers posed by the victory of a candidate that supports abortion and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global spread to less developed countries, it will be good to outline the views of Nigerian abortion lobbyists who were very active during the Obama-Biden administration. One of them is the Campaign Against Unwanted Pregnancy (CAUP). It is a pro-abortion group inspired and funded by the MacArthur foundation - a global pro-abortion Non-Governmental Organisation based in the US. It was awarded $920,000 between 1994 and 2006 by foreign organisations for the promotion of abortion activities and legislation in favour of abortion in Nigeria. Under the umbrella of Coalition Against Unwanted Pregnancy, (organised by CAUP and funded by pro abortion foreign organisations and governn ments) an alliance of pro-abortion health professionals, journalists, lawyers and women rights activists, presented a draft law that would legalise abortion in Nigeria to the National Assembly in 2009 during the Obama-Biden presidency. This regime also saw to the proliferation of anti life and pro-abortion NGOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Nigeria but most have since died out since the exit of the duo of Obama-Biden, which dried up the source of funds and in its place is the thriving of pro-life, pro-family and population friendly groups promoting healthy activities for the good and development of Nigeria. It is interesting to note that USAID which used to be an instrument for the promotion of anti life and pro-abortion activities during the Obama-Biden administration has since become an instrument for the advancement of the good since Trump came to power.

On May 14, 2017, in honour of National Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health week, Trump recognised the importance of providing women access to the best evidence-based health information and care. The foll

lowing day he announced the expansion of the Global Gag Rule, previously called the Mexico City Policy. This policy (established in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, rescinded by President Bill Clinton in 1993, re-established by President George W. Bush in 2001, rescinded by President Barack Obama in 2009, and now reinstated and expanded by Trump) requires that any overseas organisation that receives US aid cannot for abortion, even if they use foreign funds to do so. In 2019, the US rejected part of a UN resolution designed to help women, because it included a statee ment that women should be given the option of a safe abortion.

The US representative Jason Mack told the UN Human Rights Council that President Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration â&#x20AC;&#x153;does not recognise abortion as a method of family planning nor do we support abortion in our reproductive health assistance â&#x20AC;&#x153;. Bishop Alfred Rotich, head of the Kenyan conference of Catholic Bishops at that time, commenting on the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development taking place in Kenya said â&#x20AC;&#x153;we find such a conference not good for us and it has a destroying agenda for life. There will be about 10,000 people here and we know what they are for, they are not pro-life but they are 10,000 abortionists. They are practitioners of what is against life.

Their coming here is to endorse wrong policiesâ&#x20AC;?

Shortly after the American Supreme Court ruled in favour of Little Sisters of the poor in Little Sisters V. Pennsylvania on July 8, Biden said he was â&#x20AC;&#x153;disappointed by the decision and promised to reinstate Obama-era policies requiring the Sisters to provide birth control, sterilization, and abortificients drugs to employees in violation of their religious beliefs and consciences. Shortly after his election as Vice-President, the then Bishop of his home town of Scranton, PA, rebuked Biden for his views on Abortion thus, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will not tolerate any politician who claims to be faithful Catholic who is not genuinely Pro-life. No Catholic politician who supports the culture of death should approach holy communion. I will be truly vigilant on this pointâ&#x20AC;?. In October 2019, Biden was refused communion at a Catholic Church in South Carolina. The Priest dee nied Biden communion in accord with a 2004 diocesan policy that prohibits politicians who have been supportive of legal protection for abortion from receiving the Eucharist. At the time Biden was denied communion, his website stated that one of his priorities as president would be to â&#x20AC;&#x153;work to codify Roe V. Wade into federal lawâ&#x20AC;? and that â&#x20AC;&#x153;his Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate the constitutional right to an abortionâ&#x20AC;?, including law requiring waiting periods, Ultrasound and parental notifications of a minor before abortion. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Dr. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Asogwa g Felix, a medical practitioner, lives in Victoria Island Lagos. 080338064 Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

37

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPA P PER Ëž ÍľË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

FAJ COUNTERPOINT

ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ë? Ă&#x17D;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013; Ë? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;

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or any keen observer of the national politics of the United States of America since the first half of 2020, your fixation with what has, in this elecc tion cycle, turned into a massive cliff-hanger of nail-chomping proportion, is both forgivable and introspective. Contrary to the bullish abrasiveness of President Donald Trump who began claiming that the battleground states had fallen unto his path to 270 electoral college votes just 24 hours after the Tuesday, November 3 election day, the race to the White House has been pretty close. It has switched from red to blue columns as counting (collation here) moved from in-person votes, to absentee ballots and pre-election day votes, which witnessed turn outs in extraorr dinary numbers - to the grim-faced chagrin of Trump.

The POTUS had shouted himself hoarse demonising mail-in votes which Democrats had canvassed massively amongst its adherents in keeping with its protocols to stem the sporadic spread of Coronavirus ravaging all of America. By the way, no one, for those four days of election virus, was apparently worried about Coronavirus, its devastating death and infection rates, as a clearly divided nation battled to appoint or disappoint its executive and legislative pilots.

So, what is the gnawing attraction for any full-blooded, green-passport wielding Nigerian in the bruising internal affairs of the Americans as they battle with their towering challenges of disputed mishandling of coronavirus pandemic, systemic racial inequality, hamstrung public health programme, economic contraction, and sundry other issues? For me especially, and, I suspect, some other Nigerians, watching the antics, dynamics and effulgence of the American two-way presidential campaigns - from the primaries, the multiple debates, the tarnishing spectre of political mudslinging, surrogate bashing of programmes and policies, intractable legislators, colourfully biased and divisive media, and so on...the wonder and glamour of American national politics always stir in every discerning African observer the forlorn hope that such spectacle and reverence for the pursuit of order and tested procedures in public engagement and administration of the electoral process, could be replicated in our continent.

As the colour, tension, punditry, polls of polls, etc, of the election and post-election activities wafted across the world via television networks and international newspapers on the internet, the searing pains of our home-groomed decrepit electoral laws, the rugged, corrupt showcase of our political class in crude deathly intra-party combats... become sharply outlined in sickeningly bold relief. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What ifsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;had it beensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;can it eversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are triggers of anecdotes that naturally flow from the core of our unfortunate circumstances.

We watch in admiration as election officials, state secretaries, state attorney-generals, state supreme court justices, federal appellate

judges, well-groomed reporters and correspondents, and so many individuals tied to the successful and transparent execution of the historic, constitutional and fundamental duty of the simple, yet critical, act of freely electing people who have voluntarily submitt ted themselves to the whim and will of the populace.

The vastness, orderliness, digital application, emotional investt ment, party loyalty, trust in the multiple process (never mind the oddity of a wimping president crying over unsubstantiated voter fraud claim), and sundry complimentary ingredients of American democracy make you wish that many of these concepts, precepts and mindsets can be harnessed, modified and domesticated in ways and forms that sit well with our culture, resources, innovaa tion, beliefs and imaginations.

Despite the wild declamations and litigious threats of Donald Trump, who ever wins the White House knows he has passed through a high-strung crucible erected by the people...and the loser knows, deep in the bowels of his common-sense and legacies, that he has been properly whipped - rightly or wrongly.

The lingering question is this: when do we achieve even a mere semblance of such organisational, administrative and political maturity, structure and execution? In 200 years?

What Makes A Man Out Of You - 3 As much as possible, I made sure I attended, with my wife, the ante-natal sessions at Finnih Medical Centre, tucked inside GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. On many occasions, the doctors would tease me, wondering if I was one of those husbands who faint at the sight of gushing blood. I reasoned that it should take more than the gore of childbirth to make me faint. I have never fainted in all my life, but I had also not at that point witnessed childbirthâ&#x20AC;Śin living crude colour.

But I was determined to be a full-fledged parent alongside my wife; I wanted to be able to tell my children that I have been there for them right from their conception, to their deliveryâ&#x20AC;Śthat I have always been thereâ&#x20AC;Śthat is what I imagine God will tell the adversaryâ&#x20AC;Ś.He is always there for us, in bad and good times.

Remember that at this point in my life, I was not exactly a fantastic husband or father-to-beâ&#x20AC;Ś too many distractions and responsibilities that had conspired to rob my wife of my quality attention and presence. But when it came to activities surrounding my first child, every other thing took the back burner. I really cannot explain my insatiable love and attraction for little childrenâ&#x20AC;Ś perhaps their apparent helplessness and disarming innocenceâ&#x20AC;Ś I really cannot put a finger to itâ&#x20AC;Śbut I just love to carry a baby, cuddle and cradle a cute one to sleep, or coax a smile or laughter out of a grumpy adorable tot.

But, when the day came, I was completely unprepared. We had gone clubbing, and returned fairly early Sunday morning, after she complained of some discomfortâ&#x20AC;Ś. I was busy sleeping

FEMI

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

the â&#x20AC;&#x153;wear and tearâ&#x20AC;? of clubbing off when my wife drove out with her oldest brother on some errand. Apparently, few hours after, on their way back, she started sensing the premature pangs of imminent contractions, and these things women feel when the baby is knocking at the door.

Back at home, she dragged me out of my stupor, announcing gravely that she felt the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; had â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;brokenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;Śit could be the time we had been waiting forâ&#x20AC;Śthe sleep vanished. On getting to the hospital, I reaffirmed my crusading agitation to stand beside my wife all the way, until the actual deliveryâ&#x20AC;Ś Much earlier, Dr. Finnih had wisely counseled me about the implications and all-what-nots of observing a child delivery. When he was sufficiently persuaded that my mind was made up, he sanctioned my â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;observer statusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

When the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;doctor on dutyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inspected her, he announced easily that we could not return home that night; the progress of the baby had gone farther than we imagined. Unfazed, we took two beds; one for the expectant mother, and the second for the expectant father. All we could do at that point was to sit and watch. My â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;watchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was jarred intermittently by the unending moaning and hisses of other women (next door) under the jubilant discomfort of waiting out the pangs of childbirth.

Ire and I chatted the night away, dreaming all sorts of scenariosâ&#x20AC;Ś making all sorts of projections and vowsâ&#x20AC;Śreiteratt ing promises to clean up our acts, and give life a new kick, sfor the sake of the on-coming babyâ&#x20AC;Śuntil we dozed off. Very early the next morning, we were informed that it was time!

The doctor shocked us with the news that the head of the baby was already peeping! What! And we were busy sleeping?

Within twenty minutes, we were rolling her into the labour room.

As they rigged my wife up in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;serious-lookingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; labour room, I observed the calmness of the doctor, and the all-too familiar prancing about of the nurses. I looked careful into their eyesâ&#x20AC;ŚI did not see anything to make me anxious. My mind settled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These people knew the routineâ&#x20AC;Śthey are on top of the situationâ&#x20AC;Śno cause for alarm,â&#x20AC;? I told myself repeatedly.

With that confident self-invigilation, I chose to focus on the positive, and concentrate on the novelty that was opening up â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;before my very eyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

(To continue).

Sanwo-Olu Presents Report to Buhari on Lagos Destruction, Seeks Support Warning against the protests turning into a disaster, Zulum noted that over one million people have been displaced as a result of Boko Haram activities, which were fallouts of the protests against the use of helmet.

The governor said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the issue of #EndSARS, I am calll ing on all Nigerians, especially the youths to be very careful.

The whole Boko Haram saga started as a result of the protests by some youths in Maiduguri against the use of helmet by motorcycle riders. You have seen the situation now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over one million people have been displaced and the

most affected population are the vulnerable, the youth. Some of those that led the EndSARS protests have left Borno State; they are either staying in Abuja or Lagos or abroad. We have to be very careful.â&#x20AC;?

He said the #EndSARS protests did not take the dimension of Lagos State in his state bee cause the youths were advised to examine the situation and recall the past, when the situaa tion was so bad. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now, there is emerging peace in Borno State and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want anybody to disrupt the peace. The youths are with us, we are taking very good

care of them, palliatives are being distributed to them as and when due. We are giving them some financial support and I think the best way every Nigerian should seek for his/ her right is through legitimate means. Otherwise, we are not going anywhere. Peace is very important,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The issues of transparency, good governance are very important. Whatever we are doing in Borno State, we are ensuring that the entire public is well involved. Fortuu nately, Borno State received the palliatives early enough and within two weeks of receiving

them we had distributed to the deserving ones. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let me also use this opportunity to condemn police brutality in other parts of the nation; at the killings at Lekki Tollgate. But, I must also conn demn the excesses of some of our Nigerian youths in taking the laws into their hands by destroying some of our infraa structure in attempt to support the legitimate demands of #EndSARS Protesters,â&#x20AC;?

Our Staff Threatened, All leges Amnesty International Amnesty International yesterday alleged that the lives of his employees were in

danger following its reports of the Lekki shootings of October 20, 2020.

Amnesty, in a statement yesterday, said some faceless groups issued threats to attack its workers and office premises.

It, therefore, called on the Nigerian authorities â&#x20AC;&#x153;to ensure the protection of lives and properties of every person in the country.â&#x20AC;?

The statement read, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amm nesty International draws the attention of the Nigerian authorities and the general public to the intimidation and outright threats of attacks that were issued against its staff,

supporters, and premises by a faceless and unknown group at a press conference held on 4 November 2020. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Similar faceless groups had previously invaded our office and given us ultimatum to leave Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amnesty International is a global human rights movee ment and we are independent of any government. Our mann date is to hold authorities to account for their human right obligations and commitments.

This, we have consistently done since June 1967 when we first started working in and on Nigeria.

TETFUND TOUR...

L-R: Member, Board of Trustees, Tertiary y Education Trust Fund, Tetfund, Dr. Clever Eprebo; p Member, Tetfund BoT, Alh. Mohammed Ciroma; Executive Secretary, y National Universities Commission rep presenting g NUC on Tetfund BoT, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed; Chairman, Tetfund BoT, Alh. Kashim Imam; Ag. g Vice Chancellor, University y of P Port Harcourt, Prof. Stephen p Okodudu; Deputy y Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Regina g Ogali; g and member, Tetfund BoT, Chief Uchenna Ufearoh during the inspection of Tetfund intervention projects by the BoT at the universityâ&#x20AC;Śyesterday

CONVERSING WITH ASUU...

L-R: Jigawa g State Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; Chairman, Nigeria g Governorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Forum/ Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode y Fayemi; y Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong; g and Immediate P President, Academic StaďŹ&#x20AC; Union of Universities (ASUU), Nasir Fagge Past gg Isa, during the governors meeting with ASUU leaders at the NGF Secretariat, Abujaâ&#x20AC;Śyesterday.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍżË&#x153; 2020

38

MARKET PLACE with Omolabake Fasogbon... 08155131874

Cereal, Onga Win CITN Tasks FG to Review Treaties Sunvita Marketing Edge Excellence Awards with Developed Economies The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, CITN, has charged the federal government to review existing treaties with advanced economies to strengthen synergy and economic diplomacy.

President of CITN, Dame Olajumoke Simplice, during the 22nd Annual Tax Conference of the institute, also urged the authority to enter into more treaties with developed economies and release of additional Avoidance of Double Taxation Treaties, in order to make local economy more competitive and attractive.

While speaking on the theme of the conference, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Taxation and Economic Competitiveness: Imperatives for National Develop-

ment,â&#x20AC;? Simplice maintained that the role of taxation in development and sustenance discourse cannot be over emphasised.

She added that the theme for the conference was apt, considering how COVID-19 has dealt with the economy, and that it reflected well on the ongoing recovery efforts.

She said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The theme was borne out of the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire to advance taxation as an essential tool for promoting macroeconomic goals of achieving full employment, income redistribution and competitive environment for businesses, amongst others.â&#x20AC;?

According to the Governor

of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, Nigeria has almost reached its maximum borrowing capacity considering the paltry six per cent tax ratio to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 18 per cent total debt ratio to GDP. As a result of this situation, el- Rufai said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeria needs to start developing tax extraction capacity and create an effective tax system that will influence structural change.â&#x20AC;?

While delivering the lead paper, Group Managing Director of Dangote Industries Limited, Olakunle Alake, stressed that Nigeria needs to improve its economic competitiveness to effectively compete in global

space.

Quoting the 2019 Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) report by the World Economic Forum, Alake said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;While Nigeria may have improved marginally in its overall performance, it has moved downward from 115th in 2018 to 116th position in 2019, due to the pace of faster climbers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Nigeria to take her right place in the committee of nations, she would have to place priority on issues like expanding tax net, ensure transparency in government dealings, place a premium on infrastructure facilities as well as consistent review of her fiscal and monetary policies, amongst others,â&#x20AC;? he said.

2020 has been a turbulent period for most brands and this has also reflected in their performance in their markets. For Promasidor Nigeria, it has been a different and remarkable year of outstanding performance for most of its brands in the different categories despite the challenges. It was indeed a memorable moment to savor as two of Promasidorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brands won the prestigious and highly respected Marketing Edge Excellence awards.

The leading food and dairy manufacturer stole the show and became the cynosure of all eyes when its iconic seasoning brand, Onga and its new â&#x20AC;&#x153;babyâ&#x20AC;?- Sunvita Cereal were recognized by Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading marketing publicationMarketing Edge.

The award ceremony held at

Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;podium international event center, Aromire avenue, Ikeja on the 16th of October 2020 and holds annually to recognize outstanding and deserving brands, brand personalities and players in the integrated marketing communication industry.

At the 2020 edition of the awards, Sunvita Cereal won the award for Outstanding product launch of the year while Onga Seasoning was awarded the Consumer-centric seasoning brand of the year.

In 2004, Promasidor pioneered the powdered seasoning segment through the introduction of Onga powdered seasoning in four variants.

This was a bold step to introduce a different format in an already existing, seasoning cube dominated market.

TFN Launches Incubation Hub Kube Concepts Seals to Support Education Growth Deal with Red Carpet An education-based nongovernment organisation, Teach for Nigeria, TFN, in partnership with NNPC/SNEPCo and its co-venture Partners (Exxon, TUPNI and Nae), has announced the launch of a new project tagged, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Incubation Hubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Incubation Hub was initiated to address education delivery challenges in the country.

According to TFN, the hub was designed to provide support to the alumni of its fellowship programme, as part of efforts to scale their â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be The Changeâ&#x20AC;? projects.

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be The Changeâ&#x20AC;? project is a social impact project implemented

by TFN fellows in their second year, with the goal of addressing challenges of delivering education in their placement schools and communities.

Speaking at the virtual launch of the hub, Chief Executive Officer

of TFN, Folawe Omikunle, stated that the hub provided unique opportunity to alumni community to accelerate growth for their enterprises.

She said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Participants will be equipped with the practical knowledge required to build and sustain their social innovations through a 3-month intensive training, access to post programme support and opportunity to pitch for seed funding for their organisations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This year, 20 north-based initiatives focused on promoting access to education and improving quality of life for children in low communities have been selected as the pioneer cohort of TFNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Incubation Hub. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We truly believe that this brings us a step further towards our vision that one day every Nigerian child will have the opportunity to attain

an excellent education.â&#x20AC;?

In his comment, Social Performance and Social Investment Adviser for SNEPCo, Oluwaseun Samson-Olawale, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Working with Teach For Nigeria to implement the Incubation hub aligns with SNEPcoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal to deepen the gains in the classroom by supporting sustainable and adaptable social impact initiatives focused on fighting educational inequity across Nigeria.â&#x20AC;?

The Incubation Hub is structured around TFNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term theory of change strategy to support alumni to continue to work as social innovators and entrepreneurs, who lead start-up businesses or initiatives that proffer solutions to identified problems within the education sector.

Subsequently, this programme will be implemented annually by Teach for Nigeria to support alumni initiatives across the nation.

to Sponsor Project Leading finance investment company, Kubeconcepts has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Red Carpet on TV Limited as the headline sponsors of its 100 Percent Reality TV Show 2020.

The reality TV show is envisioned to birth a new dawn in the entertainment industry while promoting raw talents in music, dance, comedy and fashion etc, as well as expose talents to global opportunities that will boost their career.

Kubeconcepts, which deals in in forex trading, Investment and training, stated that its support for the project aligned with its corporate social re-

sponsibility goals to support youth development.

The initiative is considered by the organisers as shared opportunity to foster youthsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; development and empowerment towards socio-economic prosperity.

The show is scheduled to premiere online at www.redcarpetontv.com, November 9, while the weekly TV broadcast will commence November 16, to be aired on Dstv, Gotv and Startimes.

Winner of the show will emerge Brand Ambassador of Kubeconcepts for one year in addition to multi-million Naira career promotion deal, brand new car and cash prize.

Mahmood Ahmadu Bags EuroKnowledge Award Chairman of Integrated Online Services, Dr. Mahmood Ahmadu, was among the icons honoured at the prestigious EuroKnowledge Leadership and Humanitarian Award that held at the House of Lords in London, recently.

The award initiative was put together by Euro-Knowledge Limited and supported by Foreign Investment Network, FIN. According to the organisers, the award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate exemplary leaders who have made significant contributions and marks in their individual fields as role models, philanthropists, innovators, community and inspirational leaders.

Other Nigerians on the award list included: Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq; Founder, DJ Cuppy Foundation, Ms. Florence Otedola, better known as DJ Cuppy; Chairman of Channels Television, Mr. John Momoh, former Minister of Trade and Investment, Mrs. Onikepo Akande and Chairman of Africa Prudential Plc., Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi.

While delivering his keynote address, a former Chief Technology Officer and Strategy Executive at IBM, Mark Minevach, urged investors to tap into the limitless potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which is now able to solve global challenges.

In his speech titled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;How Artificial Intelligence is reshaping Healthcareâ&#x20AC;?, Minevach stated that AI is projected to create up to $15 to $18 trillion value, adding that the technology tool must be strongly harnessed as it sets to influence global economy in the next five to 10 years.

While receiving his award, Chairman of Integrated Online Services, Dr. Mahmood Ahmadu, encouraged everyone to cultivate the habit of giving back to the society to improve the world.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is no difference between past, present and future in terms of philanthropy, people should endeavour to do more in this trying period.â&#x20AC;?

Ahmaduâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recognition by EuroKnowledge followed the impact of his philanthropic gestures globally. He graduated from Nasarawa University earning a UK accredited MBA.

His additional qualifications came in the form of numerous managements, including IT and communications industry courses.

He started his career trading in products and services before he founded A2A International Limited in the early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s, thus making him one of the early pioneer traders of GSM in northern Nigeria.

His constant effort to be the best in whatever he does helped him in managing a strong international network between IT and Telecom companies, which further boosted his capability and credibility.

Ahmadu further leveraged his business over the next several years and expanded his venture both locally and internationally.

Subsequently, he made a good reputation with both local and international businesses, which expanded his companies with a presence in over 30 international locations across 10 different time zones.

He is passionate about giving back to the society and preaches same to others. He has, on numerous occasions, raised awareness on the importance of

education and enhanced the quality of education through scholarship programmes, in addition to donations made to various charities and individuals.

This drive led him to build an African multi- business conglomerate, centred on Information Technology which continues to advance the technology infrastructure for governments in many African countries to achieve cost-effective services for both people and governments.

Mahmoud is presently spearheading a global initiative with Brick Eagle Hong Kong for Low income countries with large population in the low income group such as India.

International figures who were also recognised for the prestigious award were: Executive Director, Philanthropy Connections Thailand, Sallo Polak; former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Koroma; former Minister of Trade and Industry, Canada, Mr. Christian Paradis; President-Elect Rotary Club, Hong Kong, Ms. Benedict Lee; former CTO, Morgan Stanley, USA, Mr. Tsvi Gal and Chairman, Comcraft Group Kenya, Dr. Manu Chandaria, OBE. Ahmadu

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž OVEMBER 7, 2020

39

TRIBUTE

A.B.C Orjiako: A Toast to Acumen and Integrity Uche Anichukwu

A

mong Dr. Ambrose Bryant Chukwueloka Orjiakoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kinsmen, the Igbo, it is a common saying that when something bigger than the farm comes up, it is only natural to sell off the yam barn, for a man whose house is on fire doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go after rats. So, it happened that although this silent achiever was born in October 1960, the EndSARS protests and the aftermath werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the right atmosphere to celebrate an extraordinarily humane and peace-loving gentleman. Besides, this is a man, who prefers to lead a quiet life. But a diamond jubilee is a landmark and the story of a man whose life may be the only book many need to read to be inspired to success must be told, somehow.

A chick that will grow into a cockerel begins to show the signs from â&#x20AC;&#x153;birthâ&#x20AC;?. Born to the family of the late Chief Daniel and Lolo Rebecca Orjiako in Calabar, Nigeria, A.B.C Orjiako, as he is fondly called, got secondary education in his hometown, Uli, Anambra State in Eastern Nigeria, where he made Grade 1 in his Senior Secondary School Examination. He headed to University of Calabar where he studied Medicine and Surgery. As an undergraduate, Orjiako was already manifesting his leadership qualities as he served as the African Regional Director of the International Federation of Medical Students and also Chairman, Standing Committee on Education African Medical Students Association.

He emerged as the best graduating medical student in 1985 and headed to the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital for his specialty training in orthopedic surgery and trauma management. He qualified as a Fellow of the West African College of Medicine as well as a Fellow of the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College 10 years later, distinguishing himself as a cerebral medical practitioner for many years.

However, like Alfred Lord Tennysonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ulysses, Dr. Orjiako is a lover of higher challenges. There is always something more to be accomplished, new grounds to break, ever willing, ready, and resolved to try. Thus in 1996, Dr. A.B.C Orjiako launched out of the comforts of his medical practice where he had distinguished himself as a Specialist Orthopedic Surgeon to venture into the world of business, where his training and nature have combined to help him flourish like the biblical tree planted by the rivers of water.

A wise man doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t test the depth of a river with both legs and if you must join a fight where clubs and sticks are the rule, then you must first cover your head very well. Thus, although business runs through his blood, coming from a business family; although he already started getting involved in the oil and gas industry and also set up businesses even as a medical doctor, he nevertheless proceeded to the Harvard Business School to hone his business skills and immerse himself in the principles of modern business.

Today, A.B.C Orjiako has business interests that stretch from the oil and gas sector to other sectors like real estate, construction, shipping/maritime, and pharmaceutical where he is the Chairman, Board of Directors of Neimeth Pharmaceutical International Plc. And he has to his name companies like Abbeycourt, Glencore (based in the UK), Zebbra Energy, Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited, and Abbeycourt Energy. He has been a director of MPI and Etablissements Maurel et Prom, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris.

Meanwhile, Orjiakoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nose for opportunities even from a million miles; his ability to leave the comfort zones of medical palace to venture into the chequered waters of Nigerian business environment, particularly the oil and gas sector; his desire to play in the main bowl and mainstay of the Nigerian economy; and his natural proclivity to business with a human face, have all contributed to his pride of place as top indigenous (I prefer to say homebased) player in the tough turfs that Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil and gas industry is.

Aptitudes of perceptiveness and discernment of the times as well as some strokes of serendipity set great men apart from the ordinary and the mediocre. Dr. A.B.C Orjiakoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intuition and perceptiveness can be likened to that of the three princes in the old Persian fairy tale, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Three Princes of Serendipâ&#x20AC;?. The story is based on historical facts around the time of Persian King, Bahram V, ruler of Sassanid Empire (located in modern day Iran) from 420 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 440AD, but also embellished with folktales.

In the writing, King Giaffer sends his three princes from the kingdom of Serendippo to far removed land, away from the opulence and privileges of royalty to better equip them for leadership. In the course of their odyssey, their uncommon ability to discern, based on the marks and disruptions on their tracks, that a lame camel, blind in one eye, missing a tooth, carrying a pregnant woman, and bearing honey and butter on either sides earlier passed their route, not only saved their lives from false charge of theft, but equally gained them fame,

A.B.C Orjiako fortunes, and position of influence before Emperor Beramo. It is actually from that writing, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Three Princes of Serendipâ&#x20AC;?, that the Earl of Orford, Horace Walpole, coined the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;Serendipityâ&#x20AC;? in a letter he wrote on 28th January 1754.

Like the three princes, A.B.C Orjiako was discerning enough to see the changing structure of the upstream sector from one dominated by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to one where indigenous companies would begin to have greater opportunities due to governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deliberate efforts to ensure that indigenous players have greater say and owing to frictions between the IOCs and host communities. He equally foresaw that the IOCs would increasingly divest from shallow waters to deep waters for reasons of vandalism, oil theft, insecurity, and poor relations with host communities, which made onshore explorations increasingly less profitable.

Also, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which should have been passed before now, will ultimately have the oil majors release more of their holds in the industry.

Thus, once he put his hand to the plough by setting up the Shebah Exploration and Production in 2004, he never looked back. He was indeed discussing an acquisition deal with Shell Petroleum when someone brought him and the highly experienced founder of Platform Petroleum, Austin Avuru, together. The two great minds struck a merger deal in a matter of minutes, co-founding the Seplat Petroleum Development Company PLC in 2009.

Seplat was actually derived from Shebah Exploration and Platform Petroleum. With such solid technical and business management capacities, it was not surprising that Maurel & Prom, one of the topmost oil concerns in France, acquired 45% shares in Seplat. It is equally not surprising that the company has taken the oil sector by storm and blazes the trail of indigenous players. Seplat completed the first ever dual listing on both the London Stock Exchange and the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2014.

With the global demand for all forms of energy in 2040 expected to be a quadruple of what it was in 1990 (according to BP World Energy outlook, 2019); with African population expected to increase by 100 percent in about 30-year time; with Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population anticipated to hit over 300 million in 2050; and with global climate change projected to reach critical proportions in half a century time, Seplat as a key player in the Energy Utilities and Resources value chain, is equally positioned and further positioning to lead Nigeria and indeed Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest for a reliable, safe, efficient, and green energy.

It is apposite to state that even Orjiakoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s training as a doctor has greatly contributed to his huge success in the business world. As a doctor, you are trained to leave no room for errors because you are dealing with human lives. He has brought the qualities of discipline, organisation, empirical decision-making, teamwork and team management, which are key to successful medical practice to bear.

As a great man, A.B.C is neither fazed by challenges nor intoxicated by success. In 2011, Forbes Magazine named Orjiako as one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silent super rich, an apt description for an unassuming gentleman, who lets his accomplishments speak for him.Yet, like Ulysses, he is not close to slowing down, either by advisory or great heights attained.

He still roams with a hungry heart and considers it is so dull to pause, to rust unburnished, and not to shine in use!

He still strikes the sounding furrows, determined to keep striving to ďŹ nd and not to yield

As earlier mentioned in passing, Orjiakoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philanthropic nature has been a catalyst for his growth in the business world. By 1996, he had already founded the Daniel Orjiako Memorial Foundation, DOMF, to immortalise his late father. So far, the Foundation has seen tens of thousands through primary and secondary education, while hundreds have benefited from its university scholarship.

These are in addition to the Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special supports to science education, healthcare as well as provision of micro-credit to rural farmers.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Seplat, where he is the Chairman, has excelled in Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, to the host communities, providing health services, scholarships, and social infrastructure. The goodwill Seplat enjoys among the host communities, who see themselves as owners has helped to protect the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assets and shielded it from the challenges faced by the IOCs. Orjiakoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind dispositions also greatly underscore the Seplatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellence in staff remuneration, welfare, and motivation. Thus everybody is happy and committed to baking the cake.

Orjiako and his businesses have equally soared on the wings of integrity, transparency, and accountability. Little wonder he passed the due diligence test needed to be appointed into the Africa Advisory Group of the prestigious London Stock Exchange, LSE. But it will be sheer daydreaming to think that the path to success is rosy. From the grossly misrepresented Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Shebah bank debt saga to the associated convoluted court cases that appear to be geared more at a smear campaign on Orjiako, Seplat, and his business interests, A.B.C has had his own baptism of fire, betrayals, and crucibles common to great men.

However, as a great man, A.B.C is neither fazed by challenges nor intoxicated by success. In 2011, Forbes Magazine named Orjiako as one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silent super rich, an apt description for an unassuming gentleman, who lets his accomplishments speak for him. Yet, like Ulysses, he is not close to slowing down, either by advisory or great heights attained. He still roams with a hungry heart and considers it is so dull to pause, to rust unburnished, and not to shine in use! He still strikes the sounding furrows, determined to keep striving to find and not to yield.

To Dr. A.B.C Orjiako, husband of a beautiful wife, father of four, philanthropist, devout Christian, Papal Knight of St. Gregory, lowly river that receives tributes of a million mountain streams, I say a happy birthday in arrears. May your days be long. May your coasts get larger, and may your future dwarf your yesterday and today. Congratulations. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Anichukwu writes from Abuja

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾NOVEMBER 7, 2020

NEWSXTRA

Concerned APC Members Warn Bunicommittee against Tenure Elongation Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A group, Concerned Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the Caretaker Committee of the party led by its Chairman and the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, not to attempt to elongate their tenure in office beyond December 2020.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja on behalf of concerned party members, Mr. Ogenyi Okpokwu, also warned the caretaker committee to stop the proposed membership registration.

The leadership of the party had on Thursday officially received materials for the party’s nationwide membership registration, update and revalidation exercise to be conducted across 36 states and the Federal capital Territory (FCT).

Buni, while receiving the consignment at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, said the membership registration, update and revalidation exercise would be conducted across the country’s 119,973 Polling Units and 57, 000 Voting Points.

The move infuriated the concerned APC members who threatened to ap-

proach the courts for interpretation of the party’s constitution especially the composition of the committee which it said was at variance with section 17 (4) of the party’s constitution.

The concerned party members said they stood their ground effortlessly as in making sure that the erstwhile National Working Committee (NWC) led by Mr. Adams Oshiomhole was desolved as the chairman of the party after being viewed to lack capacity to listen to opposing views within the party, internal democracy and listen to advise from members.

The members also said they

were part of the court processes and movement, leading the major protest that led to the sack of Oshiohmole’s NWC. The members said their expectation was for the present Caretaker Committee to resolve the internal crises within the party, conduct Convention and handover to the duly elected NWC of the party after the expiration of the six months mandate given by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

The group noted that as loyal party members, even though the composition of the Caretaker Commit-

L-R: Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu when the police boss visited him at Government House, Owerri... yesterday

Health Workers Kick against National Health Act 2014 Amendment in sections 1 (1) and (2) as well as sabotaging the quality of the output of the National Council on health through a haphazard composition of its Technical Committee set up under section 6 of the enabling Act. He also listed negation of the establishment of the national Tertiary Institutions Standards Committee, defective haphazard recourse for establishment of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the establishment of strategic Committees listed in the Act including National Health Research Ethics Committee, National Health Management Information System.

“The NHAct 2014 provides for the establishment of a National health system which is supposed to define and provide a framework for standards and regulation of health services. Ordinarily, the National Health System should include the FMoH, State Ministries of Health, Parastatals of the Health Ministry at State and Federal levels, LGAs health authorities as well as orthodox, traditional and alternative healthcare

Buni-led committee lied and that the two factions in the state are still very much alive each with its secretariat in operations, likewise in Ekiti Rivers etc.”

The group reminded the committee that NEC resolution did not give them such powers to begin new registration of members because none of them were elected without party membership cards.

Are Governors Buni, Gboyega Oyetola, Muhammed Bello and other members of committee no longer card carrying members of the party that we now want to give them new membership cards?

The group said all elected members in the party submitted party membership cards to INEC during nomination of candidates because the country’s constitution forbids independent candidacy, wondering why the rush to discard party register.

The group noted that it was no longer a secret that some members of the Committee have been bragging about having gotten the nod of the Presidency to extend their mandate till December 2021.

The group therefore demanded that the Committee should begin the process of convening the National Convention in December with immediate effect.

VSF Covid-19 Emergency Taskforce to Kickstart 3rd Phase

PUTTING HEADS TOGETHER...

Health workers under the umbrella of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) have kicked against calls for amendment and review of the National Health Act 2014 (NHACT 2014).

National Chairman of the umbrella body of health workers in the country, Comrade Bio Joy Josiah, said the National Health Act 2014 was designed to achieve quality health practices and universal healthcare but had not impacted on the country’s healthcare delivery because of the inability of the Federal Ministry of Health to develop the desired implementation and enforcement mode.

He said the move for the amendment of the National Health Act 2014 being championed by the Health Reforms Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC) and Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage (LNU) was uncalled for as it was ‘irrational to amend an obviously untested and poorly implemented Act of Parliament.’

“The National Health Act 2014 was structured and designed to be an impactful document which would have achieved all known tenets of good healthcare practices and universal healthcare was intentionally jeopardised from inception by the ineptitude of the Federal Ministry of Health which did not have a sound implementation and enforcement mode,” he said.

According to him, some of the specific areas of the NHAct 2014 which have not been either implemented at all or implemented with gross deficiency, include refusal to establish the National Health system as provided

tee was at variance with section 17 (4) of the party’s constitution which states “nobody can hold Executive Position at the same time with Party Position”, the party’s NEC breached this same constitution with the imposition of Buni-led Caretaker Committee.

The concerned party members, however, expressed shock when they read it in the newspapers that the Caretaker Committee was embarking on new membership registration.

It stated: “This is outright fraud!

How can a party that have existed for over seven years commence a new registration instead of updating the existing register. It is now clear that the intention is to divert N1.5 billion the committee has budgeted for the same exercise without procurement process. The Committee is also planning the dissolution of all Wards, LGA and State Excos and conduct new congresses even though their tenures will not expire till two (2) years’ time, this is must be resisted by all party members.

“As to the Committee’s claims of having finished reconciliation in Ekiti and some other states, the public should know that they have further encouraged crisis in those state chapters than solving problems inherited. A case in point is Zamfara State. Senator Kabir Marafa yesterday exposed the committee’s lies in a statement.” He declared that “the

providers.

“Unfortunately, this National Health System was never formally constituted five years after, so some of the intended value added benefits including promoting a spirit of cooperation and shared responsibility among all providers of health services in the Federation was lost completely.

“This agitation for the amendment must be stopped by all men of goodwill in the interest of our ailing economy and specifically to align our health priorities with global realities and expectations.”

The Chairman further said “It is pertinent to say that a country without a formalised National Health system cannot and will never advance modern tenets in Healthcare delivery. This is a major reason there are no derivable benefits from the implementation mode of NH-2014 Act. “A technical committee which provided for an expanded base of informed technocrats both within and outside the bureaucracy of government was structured to be in existence by virtue of section 6 of the Health Act.

This included representation of all registered Professional Associations in the health sector, but FMoH has never complied with a lawful composition of the Technical Committee of the Council on Health as all the representatives of registered Professional Associations are never invited to the Technical Committee sessions.

“The National Council on Health therefore remains an unproductive template of the old order of bureaucrats at State and Federal levels.

He disclosed that the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTHISC) which was designed to regulate and standardise the operations of the Federal and State Health Institutions has not been allowed to take-off since the inception of the NH-2014 Act over five years ago.

According to him, this had resulted in a lack of uniform benchmark and standards, insisting “We must have the same regulators for all our Federal Health Institutions if peak level will be attained in public interest.”

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The Nigerian Foundation for the Support of the Victims of Terrorism (VSF), Friday said it had finalised plans to begin the 3rd Phase of its Covid-19 Emergency Taskforce Intervention from 16th November 2020.

Chairman, VSF, Gen. TY Danjuma, in a statement made available to Journalists in Abuja by Spokesman of the Taskforce, Alkasim Abdulkadir, has approved a third phase of the intervention given the continuous prevalence of Corona Virus and hardship across the country.

Danjuma, said though the Covid-19 numbers had dropped in the frontline states, but “there are other new frontiers of infection, the food insecurity and the inadequate availability of PPEs for frontline workers and citizens still remained a challenge,” he noted.

He said: “We are grateful that according to information from the Presidential Task Force, Corona infections have greatly reduced, but danger has not been fully averted, and we must remain very vigilant.”

He further stated that after the successful interventions in the North East, South West

and South Eastern regions of the country, the North West and North Central States of Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Benue, Niger and Plateau have been earmarked as the beneficiary states.

Similar, Chairperson of the Task Force, Mrs. Toyosi AkereleOgunsiji, informed that as the first Private Sector led Humanitarian Initiative in the Country, “this third Phase of the VSF COVID-19 Palliative Program gives the VSF a veritable opportunity to consolidate on the impact of our Interventions by giving succour to low income communities of Nigeria.

She further added that the VSF was encouraged by the reopening of businesses and economic activities and seeing the lives of people return to normalcy in spite of the financial hardships, job losses and psychological impact of the pandemic on the lives of citizens.

“The VSF emergency Taskforce on Covid-19 working in close collaboration with the Presidential Task Force will construct boreholes, sanitation and hygiene stations in schools to ameliorate the current spread of the novel Corona Virus in FCT Abuja, Plateau and Nassarawa States and ensure that it eases the safe re-opening of schools.

Alokolaros not Involved in N19bn Railway Contract Scam A law firm, Advocaat Law Practice has debunked and exonerated Mr. and Mrs. Ola Alokolaro from a controversial award or involvement in a railway contract by the Federal Government of Nigeria and dismissed the report as tendentious, false and malicious.

A publication had alleged that, a multi-billion-naira contract to rehabilitate a section of Nigeria’s Eastern Railway Line was awarded

to an unregistered entity in a process that reeked of corruption, regulatory failure, collusion, and defiance of Nigeria’s public procurement rules.

The report which alleged a setup named Eser Contracting and Industry Company Incorporated, promoted by Turkish firm Eser, was awarded the contract to rehabilitate the 463 KM Port Harcourt-Makurdi section of the Eastern Railway line for N19.2 billion in March 2011.

It said, the company had no legal capacity for the work as it has no required certificate of incorporation, a CAC search revealed.

The report further alleged that, investigation showed the setup had possible connections with persons – Adekemi Alokolaro, nee Sijuwade, and her husband, Ola Alokolaro – who share family ties with Adeseyi Sijwuade, then Managing Director of the Nigerian

Railway Corporation.

A statement from the law firm had while repudiating the report explained that the couple were not even involved in any company handling any railway project and therefore should be disregarded.

“The said publication attempts to link the partners of our firm Messrs.

Ola Alokolaro and Kemi Sijuwade to the award and execution of a contract awarded By the Federal

Government of Nigeria to Eser West Africa for the rehabilitation of the Makurdi-Port Harcourt Railway Corridor.

“For the avoidance of doubt, neither our partners nor the entities on which they serve as directors have ever been awarded nor executed any railway contract by and or on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, as alluded to in the said publication.

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

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NEWSXTRA

NNPC Boosts Power Generation by 2,538MW in August Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said yesterday that it supplied 727 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of natural gas for power generation to the country in the month of August, 2020.

According to the national oil company, this was an equiva-

lent of 2,538MW of power which represented an increase of 2.80 per cent from the previous month.

The NNPC in a release by Dr. Kennie Obateru, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, stated that the recently released August 2020 NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR) in-

dicated that natural gas production in August 2020 increased by 0.13 per cent at 236.66 billion cubic feet (BCF) compared to output in July 2020; translating to an average daily production of 7,639.99mmscfd.

For the period August 2019 to August 2020, a total of 3,062.95 BCF of gas was produced, representing an average daily

production of 7,771.13 mmscfd during the period, the NNPC stated.

It stressed that period-todate production from Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) contributed about 69.96 per cent, 20.26 per cent and 9.78 per cent

respectively to the total national gas production.

The August 2020 MFOR indicated a total crude oil and gas export sale of $139.50 million; increasing by 64.84 per cent compared to the previous month.

"Of this number, crude oil export sales contributed $80.27 million (57.54 per cent) of the dollar transactions compared with $55.29 million contribution in the previous month.

"The export gas sales amounted to $59.23 million in the month.

The August 2019 to August 2020 crude oil and gas transactions indicated that crude oil and gas worth $3.71 billion was exported," the corporation noted The 61st edition of the

MFOR indicated an increased trading surplus of N29.60 billion compared to the N20.36 billion surplus in July 2020 which was the third consecutive month of global recovery from the COVID-19 effect.

"The 45 per cent improvement in performance is attributed mainly to the 82 per cent growth in surplus posted by the NPDC due to sustained improvement in global market fundamentals," it disclosed The NNPC group surplus, according to Obateru, was further enhanced by the 109 per cent increase in profit by Duke Oil Incorporated as well as 75 per cent and 22 per cent reduction in deficits for the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC).

El-Rufai: I Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Authorise Printing of Campaign Posters

MERITORIOUS SERVICE...

L-R: Outgoing Commandant Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) Oshodi, Air Vice Marshal Kingsley Lar, his wife Mrs. Mrs

Sheila Lar, sons, Mr. Solomon Lar and Flying OďŹ&#x192;cer Joshua Lar, at his pulling out parade on his retirement in Lagos recently.

Media Rights Agenda Demands Probe of TV Reporterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Death Chuks Okocha Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039; Media Rights Agenda has called for a transparent and independent investigation of the death of a reporter with Gboah TV, an online channel, Mr. Pelumi Onifade, who was reportedly arrested by officers attached to the Lagos State taskforce while covering the EndSARS protest.

A statement by the Communications Officer for Media Rights Agenda, Mr. Idowu Adewale, yesterday challenged the federal government to unravel the circumstances surrounding

the death of the reporter, whose corpse was later found at a mortuary in Ikorodu, Lagos, where his body was deposited.

The 20-year-old reporter was said to be covering the scene of a mob raid on a government facility in the Oko Oba area of Agege Local Government Area for Gboah TV, where he was serving as an intern, when operatives of the taskforce stormed the scene and engaged hoodlums who attempted to loot palliatives at the Ministry of Agriculture store in the abattoir area of the

Mama Oyediran Lived a FulďŹ lled Life, Says Makinde Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, yesterday paid a condolence visit to the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. A.B.O.O Oyediran, over the demise of his wife, Revd. Mrs. Tola Oyediran.

It would be recalled that the governor's mum, Chief (Mrs.) Abigail Makinde, passed on 24 hours before Mrs. Oyediranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death.

Makinde, who was at the Iyaganku home of the Oyedirans, consoled them over the death of Mama Oyediran, the first daughter of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

She was, until her death, the chairman of the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, publishers of the Tribune titles.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor,

Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that Mrs. Oyediran lived an eventful and fulfilled life, praying to God to uphold the family.

"To my friend, Olumide (son of the deceased), we are almost in the same shoe right now. I lost my Mummy 24 hours to Mama's passing as well. So, we are comforting one another.

"Well, Mama lived an eventful life and we pray that Almighty God will uphold the family. "We just celebrated a fulfilled life." In a condolence message signed by the governor, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mama, continue to sleep at the bosom of our Lord and Saviour. We bless the Lord for a life well-spent. Till we meet at the feet of our Lord and Saviour, rest on Mama.â&#x20AC;?

state.

Despite wearing a jacket identifying him as a journalist, he was reportedly arrested and dragged away by men of the taskforce on October 24, 2020. A statement by Gboah TV said the family and the station searched for him for days before they discovered his corpse at the mortuary in Ikorodu.

The late Mr. Onifade was a second year student of the Department of History at the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, was an intern with Gboah TV.

The statement quoted MRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Programme Director, Mr. Ayode Longe as as describing Onifadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death as ironic as he was arrested while covering protests that had engulfed the country as a result of police brutality and extra-judicial killings, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This latest incident must not go un-investigated.

The federal government must make every effort to establish the circumstances of his death, identify his killers and make them to face the wrath of the law.â&#x20AC;?

Woman Cries Out Over Demolition of N200m Property Sylvester Idowu in Warri A Warri based businesswoman, Mrs. Tonia Gbemre has appealed to the Federal and Delta State governments to come to her aide over illegal demolition of her property by the state government officials on alleged prompting of some powerful people and politicians.

Mrs. Gbemre, who wept uncontrollably yesterday while watching her building, including 13 attached shops, being pulled down by officials of Delta State Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Planning alleged that the action of the officials amounted to oppression.

Narrating her ordeal to

newsmen at the site of the demolished building situated at Block 1, Plot 1 at Federal Government Site and Services Layout, also known as New Ugboroke Layout, UgborokeEffurun in Uvwie Local government area, the Businesswoman alleged that the action was carried out contrary to a court order restraining the officials.

She explained that when the information about the intention of the official's decision to demolish her building first got to her, she rushed to the court and obtained an injunction restraining the action but was surprised when she was alerted yesterday about an ongoing demolition of her property.

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has distanced himself from campaign posters that surfaced in Abuja during the week, saying he knows nothing about it.

Speaking with State House Correspondents after a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa Abuja yesterday, the governor said the posters which depicted him as running mate to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi for the 2023 Presidential election, did not originate from him.

The governor said he had also called Amaechi who denied knowledge of those printing and pasting the pictures.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know who is printing those posters, wasting his or her money printing posters. I heard about them. I called Minister, Amaechi, and asked him whether he knew anything about them; he said he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know.â&#x20AC;?

The governor, who said he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t made up his mind about

any future political position said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we need to trace who is doing it and ask that person. I am the governor of Kaduna State; I have job to do. I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t delivered on the promises I made to the people of Kaduna State. Until I do that, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to discuss anything.â&#x20AC;?

He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rule out the possibility of people lobbying him to contest, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am in politics.

People will approach you, but whether they are genuine or not is another matter and whether you are interested or not is another matter,â&#x20AC;? the governor said.

El-Rufai added those who went to court to compel him to contest the election did so to attract attention, insisting that no one can be compelled to do anything against their wish. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just want to be the best governor that I can be and satisfy the aspirations of the people of Kaduna State from now to 2023. After 2023, everything is in the hand of God. It is not in the hand of anyone.â&#x20AC;?

Abuja Disco Announces Board Changes, Taps Makoju, Others Emmanuel Addeh Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039; Investors in the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) have announced changes to the governing board of the Distribution Company (Disco).

This is coming seven years after the power sector privatisation through which the power distributor was acquired from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) by private investors.

At the time, AEDC was acquired by KANN Utility Company Limited, jointly owned by Xerxes Global Limited, a local firm; and CEC Africa Limited (CECA), a pan African utility firm.

A statement by CECA yesterday, said the board of KANN Utility Company Limited had announced the withdrawal of their nominations to the board of AEDC and their replacement with new nominees.

The boards of the successor private-led Discos comprise

seven directors of whom six, including the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer are appointed by the core investor and one is appointed by the federal government through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

However, the statement said by a resolution of the KANN board, the nominations of five directors of AEDC were withdrawn.

CHANGE OF NAME

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 7, 2020

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SPORTS XTRA

Germany Invite Uduokhai for Uefa Nations League Campaign to End Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pursuit

T

he Super Eagles have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of the 2 3 - y e a r- o l d Nigerian de-

scent, Felix Uduokhai has been handed his maiden invitation to the Germany national team for upcoming matches against the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Spain.

Uduokhaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invitation to Joachim Lowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest squad comes as a blow to Nigeria who was aiming to secure his commitment.

The 23-year-old, who was

born to a Nigerian father and a German mother in the European country, has featured across Germany youth level with appearances for the U19, U20 and U21 teams.

Uduokhai has been a strong force in Augsburgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defence this campaign, playing every minute of their Bundesliga matches so far with a goal to his name.

The centre-back joined Heiko Herrlichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side permanently from Wolfsburg this summer after impressing on loan last campaign.

Germany will take on the Czech Republic in a friendly match in Leipzig next Wednesday before resuming their Uefa Nations League campaign against Ukraine and Spain, on November 14 and 17, respectively.

Uduokhai is another talent lost by the West African country after they missed the

chance to lureArsenalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bukayo Saka to Gernot Rohrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team.

Saka made his England debut in an international friendly match against Wales in October where he played for 76 minutes.

Despite these recent disappointments, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is reportedly planning to convince PSV teenage sensation Noni Madueke to dump England and pledge his international allegiance to the three-time African champions.

PSV News | Goal.com Latest PSV news from Goal.com, including transfer updates, rumours, results, scores and player interviews.

Madueke,18, has scored four goals with two assists in seven Eredivisie games this season.

Nadal Books Paris Masters Semi-ďŹ nals Place Special Guest for opening match and Rivers PDP chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawor being introduced to Rivers United players by their captain, Festus Austin; while Rivers Sports Commissioner, Boma Iyaye; Permanent Secretary and Organising Committee chairman, Bashir Badawiy look on.

Ancelotti to Release Iwobi for Eagles after Man Utdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clash Everton coach Carlo Ancelotti had stated that he would release his players for international duties immediately after his sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s English Premier League meeting with Manchester United at Goodison Park.

One of the questions he was asked was if Colombia internationals Yerry Mina and James Rodriguez will be allowed to join their national team in the last FIFAwindow of 2020.

Evertonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alex Iwobi has also been included in the Nigeria squad ahead of

the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Sierra Leone on November 13 and 17 in Benin City and Freetown respectively.

Under the revised FIFArules, European clubs are not obliged to release their players to the federations if it would involve â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a mandatory period of quarantine or self-isolation of at least five days upon arrival at the location of the club which has an obligation to release the player to an association team, or the location where

a representative team match is scheduled to take placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

On Mina and Rodriguez for the international break, Ancelotti told reporters: â&#x20AC;&#x153;All the players that have a call from the national teams are allowed to travel.â&#x20AC;?

If Iwobi is selected tomorrow, it would be the eight time in his professional career he has faced a Manchester United side.

The former Arsenal winger started the Super Eagles last two matches against Algeria and Tunisia.

Mikael Lawal, Living His Boxing Dream Mikael Lawal once lived on the streets in Nigeria but now he is eyeing up glory in the cruiserweight division after winning Ultimate Boxxer.

Lawal has survived living on the streets in Nigeria and being beaten by his father.

But fighting through the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns was still not easy for the ambitious cruiserweight.

Lawal, 25, has been giving a fighting chance in life thanks to a social worker who advised him to give boxing a go when he was a troubled teenager.

The London-based cruiserweight had watched his mother die in Nigeria when he was 13 and came back to the UK with his grandmother.

He then went back to theAfrican country to live with his father but when that relation-

ship turned abusive he decided to leave.

Lawal slept under a bridge and scrapped for food for months until he could track down his sister and reconnect with family.

The British commission returned him to the UK but life wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy as he lived in hostels here and often found trouble.

But he found joy in boxing at 17 and when he turned 18 joined Stonebridge Boxing Club in Wembley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boxing helped me get my confidence back and made me feel like a human being again,â&#x20AC;? said Lawal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a long time I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even feel like a human being.â&#x20AC;? Lawal is 12-0 as a professional and has sparred with stars like former undisputed cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk.

Last year he won the Ultimate Boxxer tournament which helped him with a decent prize pool of around ÂŁ16,000 but after everyone is paid from that there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a lot left over.

And now a dad himself, life in lockdown hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been easy but he returns to the ring on Tuesday night in Stratford in a cruiserweight contest as part of the next Ultimate Boxxer tournament for supermiddleweights. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been out of the ring for a year now,â&#x20AC;? said Lawal, who faces Ossie Jervier next week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was training at home for a bit but then after a while mentally I was starting to get down because I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know when lockdown would end and when could I fight again.

National Sports Festival to Hold December 3-18 The National Council on Sports after a two-day meeting held in Asaba, the Delta State capital approved December 3-18 as the date for the 20th National Sports Festival tagged: â&#x20AC;&#x153;EDO 2020â&#x20AC;?.

According to the programme, the Games Village would be opened from Thursday, December 3, while the opening ceremony is billed for Saturday, December 5.

Competition days for phase 1, comes up between December 6-10, while break and arrivals for 2nd phase is slated for Friday, December 11, and competition

days for phase 11 from December 12-16, The closing ceremony is billed for Thursday, December 17 and the following day is for the closure of Games Village.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Sports, Mr Sunday Dare, who is the Chairman of Council, assured that all the guiding protocols of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid - 19 shall be fully implemented.

All infrastructures have been put in place and confirmed by the National Assembly inspection visit to the state.

The Deputy Governor of Edo state,

Philip Shaibu, who was also present at the meeting, re-echoed the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s readiness of daily testing of Covid-19 rules for all athlete and officials who will attend the competition.

It is indeed heart-warming that the long awaited NSF is holding this year 2020 as jointly approved the National Council on Sports, today in Asaba.

Members present appreciated the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who granted approval for the hosting of the council in Asaba despite the short notice.

Rafael Nadal set up a Paris Masters semi-final against either Alexander Zverev or Stan Wawrinka with a comeback victory over Pablo Carreno Busta on Friday, ending his fellow Spaniardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ATP Tour Finals hopes.

The top seed edged a tight second set before racing through the decider to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Nadal, who claimed his 1,000th career victory earlier this week, is bidding for a first Paris Masters title.

Carreno Busta had to take the trophy on Sunday and win next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event in Sofia to be sure of qualification for the seasonending event in London, but his defeat gives Diego Schwartzman the last spot.

Wike Cup: Lobi Stars Shock Rivers United in Opener A 22nd minute goal from Lobi Starsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ossy Martins proved to be the difference in the opening match of Governor Wike pre-season tournament against hosts, Rivers United.

Martins capitalised on Rivers Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defensive error to score a superb lob into the top right corner that caught Ospina Egbe napping.

Lobi Stars thought they had scored the second goal in the 72nd but was ruled offside by the referee.

Rivers United made multiple changes to salvage at least a point but it proved abortive as Lobi withstood all forays from the home side.

Special Guest for the opening match, Ambassador Desmond Akawor commended the organisers for a job well done.

Akawor, who is also the chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State stressed that Governor Wikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support for sports has become legendary, which also earned him Power of Sports (POS) in Africa.

Rivers Sports Commissioner, Boma Iyaye expressed satisfaction with the level of organisation and fair play from the two teams.

He noted that the Pre-Season tournament is basically to prepare teams ahead of the upcoming season and not a must-win for any of the teams.

He disclosed that Rivers United was ready for continental and NPFL campaigns, pointing out that the team will continue to build on its strength.

Other dignitaries that graced the opening match include Special Adviser to Rivers Governor on Real Madrid Academy, Chris Green; Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Sports, Honour Sirawoo among others.

Covid-19: Italy Coach, Mancini Tests Positive Italy coach Roberto Mancini has tested positive for coronavirus.

The 55-year-old, who managed Manchester City from 2009-13, is asymptomatic and in self-isolation at his home in Rome.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed that Mancini had returned a positive test during â&#x20AC;&#x153;periodic checks of the technical staffâ&#x20AC;?.

Italy have three fixtures in the next two weeks - a home friendly with Estonia on Wednesday and Nations League matches with Poland and Bosnia.

Mancini previously coached Inter Milan to three successive Serie A titles before joining City, where he won the Premier League in 2012 and FA Cup in 2011.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

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Saturday, November 7, 2020

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MISSILE

PDP to FG “At the rate this regime is going, we may soon be borrowing money from Togo. What has the Buhari regime done with all the money it has borrowed since 2015? Nigerians are yet to recover from the news of mortgaging our sovereignty to China for loans” – The opposition Peoples Democratic Party criticising federal government’s proposed N6.17 trillion loans in 2021.

PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

The Instagram Live Session with Governor Nyesom

F

ellow Nigerians, something phenomenal happened last night. By popular demand on my social media platforms, I was asked by my amazing viewers to get the irrepressible Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike and interview him in my unique style. My viewers are my bosses. They dictate who they want, supply questions to ask and they waste no time in telling me their minds on topical issues. I sometimes believe they see me as being omnipresent and omnipotent and I’m often forced to explain that I’m no King Kong and can’t possibly accede to all their complicated requests.

So, it was last week, after my trending session with the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as my viewers once again took to the airwaves, made personal calls and sent DMs. My viewers challenged me to seek Governor Wike out and ask him to explain the killings in Oyingbo (they call it Obingbo) parts of Rivers State. Many of my instructors were angry that Wike was responsible for the “genocide.” I was endlessly bombarded, and they rested so much faith in my ability to interview any soul on planet earth. While this may be an exaggeration, I felt sufficiently fired up to make an attempt. It was to me a challenge that was too exciting to pass over. I also have a thing for the enfant terrible of Rivers State and Nigerian politics. A serial political enigma who never fails to astonish and astound with his remarks and actions. So, I sent a WhatsApp message to the brave and sometimes controversial Governor. To be honest I wasn’t sure about what his reaction to my request would be. I half expected that he would roundly snub me and feel that he was too busy to come on my show, particularly because not many know the power of social media yet. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when he accepted my request without any ado. We fixed the evening of November 6, 2020. Unfortunately, because of certain exigencies, we had to postpone by 24 hours, which gave me more time to research and explore his superlative and colourful personal and political life.

There were many questions requiring urgent answers. It started from the mundane to the sublime. The major questions were as follows.

Does the Governor see him himself as belonging to the Igbo race? If so, why is he attacking his own people? Is it true that he called IPOB members terrorists and even offered a bounty, a bountiful amount of N50 million, on the head of a wanted IPOB member from Rivers State, and that in retaliation, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had also counter-offered by placing a whopping N100 million reward for anyone able to bring him the head of Governor Wike. The story was getting bigger and bigger by the day as salient and pertinent questions rained in on me, and I was excitedly looking forward to another wonderful interview.

My special thanks to all those who made the session possible. The Chief of Staff, Engineer Chukwuemeka Woke; Commissioner of Information, Mr Paulinus Ndirim, the Special Adviser on Social Media, Michael and Special Assistant, Mr Marshal Obuzor. We were able to set up a flawless communications system which led to getting an uninterrupted frank and fruitful conversation with the Governor, who is really any reporter’s delight in terms of the content he naturally provides seemingly effortlessly. You’re always guaranteed several headline news whenever he speaks or does something. In essence, he is always in the

Wike

reckoning.

As usual, during the interview Wike spoke from the heart and did not pull his punches, which he laced with lethal blows whilst simultaneously interjecting with deep humour. One could see that he and Kanu are not the best of acquaintances, not to talk of being friends of any sort. He said he felt insulted by Kanu hoisting a flag on the soil of Rivers State. He stated matter-of-factly that he believed in the indivisibility of Nigeria and he would never indulge the activities of a “proscribed” entity. As far as Wike is concerned, Nigeria is an inviolable entity and anybody

who decides to instigate others and inveigh the Nigerian nation is an enemy of the State and will not be tolerated by the Rivers State Governor and Government.

His voice was practically going up as he was visibly agitated and angry to be called an Igbo Man. He vehemently denied any such notion or association. “I’m not Igbo!”, he thundered.

He said he wouldn’t deny affiliations between Igbo people and some parts of Rivers. He made allusions and references to those from Edo State who bear Yoruba names and yet are not Yoruba in any sense, and said it was unfair to force anyone to subscribe to Biafra when the idea has been vehemently opposed

by Igbo Governors.

He insisted that he could never order the military to kill his own people and that he lacked the power to instruct the security forces who were never on good terms with him anyway. He kept theorising that he is a victim of vicious and vengeful propaganda because some people think he has Presidential or Vice-Presidential ambitions. He stylishly and systematically denied my suggestion that he nursed such ambitions, but was not absolutely convincing. He advised on a book every Nigerian must find and read: “Conscience & History: My Story” by Dr Peter Odili, the former Governor of Rivers State. He spoke so glowingly about a man he called his mentor.

I could feel the deep bond between them.

He knocked some Nigerian journalists as the major reason Nigerian leaders sometimes misbehave because there is no one to hold them in check. He vowed never to negotiate

with “terrorists” and those who may seek to blackmail him. He spoke of his admiration for the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Like many Trump supporters in Nigeria, he based his love on Christianity and the Trump and Republican opposition to gay rights.

He was very proud to talk about his achievements in power. He said he was not boasting but stating the facts. He challenged me and an Ovation team to spend two weeks in Rivers and return to report what we saw. Hate him or love him, Governor Wike is a super confident Leader. He said he’s experienced the vicissitudes of life, undergone several trials and suffered too many tribulations but God has brought him this far.

I asked if the disagreements between him and his old friend and immediate predecessor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, was irreconcilable. He said he is very happy to reunite with the man who once made him his Chief of Staff. He said it would be ungodly for him to continue to bear grudges after God has vindicated him twice as a two term Governor which was the main reason he and his friend quarrelled.

I pray many of our Leaders will take advantage of technology to reach out to a mass audience. It is always good to talk. The lack of dialogue between the leaders and the citizenry has led to a lot of misunderstanding and misconceptions. This was my main takeaway from this scintillating interview with a firebrand, the unrepentant and indefatigable Governor Wike.

Hope America Can Now Retrieve Its Lost Glory

I

t was as if Donald Trump was sent or programmed to bring America down.

During his 2016 Presidential campaign, he had promised to make America great again, but he has done the exact opposite throughout his almost four years in office.

He waltzed or sometimes lurched from one crisis to another, like a virtuoso dancer or a drunken salesman respectively. Probably more of the latter. He hired and fired as if America had suddenly transfigured into one of his Trump Towers or golf courses employees or an involuntary victim of the sadistic delight displayed on his reality show, “The Apprentice”. Everyone, except Trump’s uninformed, ignorant, crude, rude and wantonly cruel and sometimes violent fanatics, wondered how America voluntarily brought this inhumane pestilence on themselves.

The world watched in utter incredulity and endless anxiety how Donald Trump pounced on institutions, destroyed careers, promoted hate, lied shamelessly and unabashedly, attacked age long relationships, and so on.

Both Americans and foreigners alike knew and felt the lashes and flagellation that Trump deigned to make them endure. As America was a great nation, they felt that they had no choice in this matter. However, as Trump weakened and eroded American power and influence, both at home and abroad, people and countries became inured to his antics.

They were able to confront him and to look the monster in the face and stare him down.

For me that was the beginning of the end.

It is a great relief that he is about to go with the winds. To borrow one of the titles

of James Hadley Chase’s novels, Come Easy, Go Easy. Only his fellow white supremacists did not see this coming. All dictators perish into the dustbin of history, ultimately.

I wrote these words last Monday ahead of the American Presidential election. That was how confident I was that Americans would have to rescue their country from the rambunctiously reckless characters and felonious gangsters led

by Trump who had gathered a motley crew of irresponsible people who hung on to his every false words and fake tweets.

Trump epitomised what is the worst in the American system and its concept of concentrating near absolute power in the hands of one man. He misused and abused this power and almost began to feel like he was a demigod. This was a man who decided that whatever he dreamt or fantasised about could be implemented as American policy and nobody dared to stop him. He succeeded in imposing his oftentimes fevered and demented wishes and will on cowed American citizens because of another weakness, not just in the American system, but in human beings and especially politicians generally. This is the cancer of selfishness, self-interest and avarice.

Politicians, senior Republicans, who should know better, realised they were creating a tyrant but nevertheless turned a blind eye and began to speak the Trumpian language because they realised there was a fanatical base that they could tap into to preserve their political status and relevance. It did not occur to them that, by so doing, they were not just reducing the allure and much vaunted power of their illustrious country, but also personally

demeaning and denigrating themselves. To some extent they got their wish as the cataclysmic collapse predicted by pundits for Senators and Representatives alike did not materialise.

Instead the Republicans made inroads into the House and appear set to maintain a wafer-thin majority in the Senate. However, what will it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his own soul? This Biblical injunction appears to be lost on these Republicans who espouse the Christian faith and its tenets and beliefs as the canon and anchor of their Party’s creed.

All hope is not lost for America though.

The vast majority of its citizens have stood tall, firm and resolute and determinedly sent this big bully packing.

Despite the knowledge that it is a homecoming to Trump Towers for him, Trump is still fighting dirty as before. In the throes of political death, he continues with his maniacal tweets of falsehood and spewing hoaxes. He is still pitting Americans against themselves and practically inciting violence. He seems determined not to go down alone because down he will clearly go.

However, sanity seems to be returning to the country and his political allies and colleagues are beginning to distance themselves from him and tone down their language.

This reality show is about to come to an end, and not too soon I say. Sadly, Trump is not about to concede yet and his nunc dimitis cannot be sung for now. The handwriting is clearly on the wall and before too long Americans, indeed the entire world, will soon heave a huge sigh of relief. The Emperor will be immolated, and he will have done so to himself. An abject lesson for us all.

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