TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER 2020

Jimoh Ibrahim: How AMCON Misled Court The chief promoter of Global Fleet Oil & Gas Limited and NICON Investment Limited, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, yesterday alleged that the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) obtained by deceit the interim court order of injunction it got last week

in respect of some properties, majority of which did not belong to him.

Ibrahim in a statement he sent to THISDAY said: "One question begging for answer in this case is how the corporation secured a second interim injunction

when the first one obtained by the same institution has been discharged."

He said on October 2, Justice Oguntoyinbo J. of the Federal High Court, Lagos in a matter brought by AMCON against NICON Investment and others held: "In view of the facts

and a consideration of the fuller facts contained in the affidavit before the court, this honourable court is minded to stay proceeding in this suit pending the outcome of the suit before the state High Court.

“I believe that is just

the best thing to do in the circumstances. Accordingly, the lone issue formulated for determination by the court is hereby resolved against the plaintiff (AMCON) in favour of the defendants (NICON Continued on page 9

Jimoh

Nami: FIRS Generates N4.178 trillion in 10 Months... Page 6 Tuesday 24 November, 2020 Vol 25. No 9360. Price: N250

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PDP Senators to Oppose Yakubu's Confirmation as INEC Chair... Page 9

UK Parliamentarians Propose Sanctions against Violators of Protesters’ Rights Denounce fine on ARISE NEWS Channel, AIT, Channels TV broadcast stations FG writes CNN, demands retraction of Lekki shooting broadcast Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos, Adedayo Akinwale and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The United Kingdom parliamentarians yesterday recommended sanctions against government officials and security agents who abused the rights of #EndSARS demonstrators last month.

The UK lawmakers, while

considering a petition signed by 220, 000 signatories in the aftermath of the alleged shooting of protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20, expressed lack of confidence in Nigeria's handling of the incident and vowed to launch an independent investigation to unravel the circumstances Continued on page 8

Analysts Back FG’s Forecast of Quick Exit from Recession

W’Bank predicts drop in nation’s per capita income to 40-year-low James Emejo in Abuja and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos Analysts yesterday described the federal government's projection that the economy, which slipped into a recession in the third quarter of 2020, will recover latest by the first quarter of 2021 as realistic.

The analysts, in separate interviews with THISDAY, supported the position of the federal government that the recession, fuelled by COVID-19, will be short-lived.

They were reacting to the federal government's assurance Continued on page 8

DISSECTING THE ECONOMY...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) delivers his opening remarks virtually at the 26th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja...yesterday

NEF Accuses Buhari of Neglecting North’s Security, Economy...Page 6

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Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

FG Seeks Private Sector’s Partnership to Fund Tertiary Education Appeals to ASUU to accept its offer, end strike

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Funmi Ogundare in Lagos The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has said the federal government is currently exploring private sector partnership to fund tertiary education.

According to him, such a venture is borne out of the current reality that the federal government cannot sustain the funding of the institutions alone.

He also faulted the recommendations by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on how to fund the universities, describing them as not implementable.

Ngige, while featuring on ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers on Sunday evening, said in keeping with economic realities, the federal government has decided to search for alternative sources of funding from the private sector in order to meet the requirements of public tertiary education system.

Ngige, who spoke against the background of the lingering dispute between the ASUU and the federal government over the provision of revitalisation funds for federal universities, said that a NEEDS assessment committee had been formed to recommend to government ways of sourcing funds from the private sector.

"The federal government alone cannot sustain the tertiary education or even the education system in Nigeria. Do not also forget that education is in the concurrent list. So, we agreed with ASUU to put up a NEEDS assessment committee, which they are members. That committee has come up with suggestions on possible sources of funding for the universities but when they were presented to government, they were found not to be implementable," he said.

Ngige said one of the recommended sources of funding universities, as recommended by ASUU, was the Value Added Tax (VAT) but explained that 85 per cent of the revenue goes to the states, leaving only 15 per cent for the federal government.

The minister said ASUU also suggested stamp duty proceeds should be used to fund the universities, adding that the proposal isn't feasible as only the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) can collect stamp duty.

"So, these two funding sources suggested by ASUU could not be pushed through by the ministry. So, the NEEDS committee is now working on another validation of other sources, targeting the private sector," he said.

He also urged ASUU to accept the federal government’s offer and call off its eight-

month industrial action.

Ngige said since the federal government had met almost all the demands made by the union, there was no point in the union sustaining the strike.

The minister urged ASUU to hasten consultations with its members in order to return to the negotiation table before Friday. “I feel that even this offer is one of the best they have ever gotten since I started conciliation with them. I do not see why they should not accept it. Everything they asked for has been granted.

I don’t think they should say the offer is not good. “But I told them before they left that asking the nation and the students to wait from Friday to Friday is unfair, they should come back to us by Tuesday. They have done that before when we negotiated with the Senate president. The offer was made on a Thursday and they came back to us on a Tuesday. “So, that’s what I expect them to do this time around.

If they do so, the nation will appreciate them and regard them as patriotic citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

I expect them to get back to me much earlier than Friday,� the minister said.

Ngige blamed the nation's economic downturn for the inability of the federal government to meet its part of the renegotiated agreement with ASUU. Ngige justified the federal government's move to renegotiate the agreement with ASUU, saying that by "the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) collective bargaining principle, an agreement is negotiated based on the capacity to pay."

The minister said the government is genuinely concerned about the funding of the university system and that's why it mandated the NEEDS committee to recommend how to stem proliferation of universities in the country so as to maintain quality and global standards.

On the accusation by ASUU that he is rather becoming a conspirator rather than conciliator, Ngige said he is more patriotic and nationalistic than even the ASUU president and his members.

"I have three biological children in public schools and those 15 I put on scholarship are also here in the country. So I am a very big stakeholder in the tertiary public education sector.

"So, when ASUU says that politicians have taken their children abroad and they don't care, Chris Ngige cares because my children are here in public tertiary schools system even though two of them have dual American - Nigerian citizenship and can afford to study in America. So, ASUU cannot accuse me of not being nationalistic enough. So, let

ASUU president not call me a conspirator because I am more patriotic and nationalistic than even himself and his members," he said.

Ngige also gave more insight into the proposals made to ASUU at their last meeting.

He explained that part of the proposals made to ASUU is that the federal government is ready to provide N40 billion for payment of earned allowances to all university workers and N25 billion as revitalisation fund to improve infrastructure.

Ngige said the federal government also asked ASUU

as an alternative to accepting the provision of N35 billion as earned allowances and so as to jack up money for revitalisation fund to N30 billion.

The minister also spoke about the proposals put forward by the government to resolve the controversy over salary payment platform for the university lecturers.

He said that the government has agreed to pay striking lecturers the withheld salaries for February to June.

He, however, added that problem arose over how the payment will be done since the affected lecturers are not

registered on IPPIS. Ngige said the government agreed to seek approval for a waiver from higher authority to enable the lecturers to be paid using the same method that was applied when the president ordered payment of University workers' salary earlier this year On the stage of evaluation of the ASUU's alternative payment platform, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), Ngige said the software is still undergoing integrity test at the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

"I am not a scientist; I am not a guru, I will only rely on what experts in Nigeria Information and Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) tell me and the same way they will write to ASUU, the Federal Ministry of Education and the Accountant General of the Federation. We have an AGF who does not speak with the media and a minister of finance that is very busy with managing the country's economy and talking to our creditors and bilateral partners.

So, as a conciliator, it is me that will say what the situation is with government, " Ngige stated.

VISIT TO THE MINISTER...

L-R: Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, and Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, during a Nasarawa State delegation’s visit to the minister in Abuja...yesterday

Court Remands Ndume over Maina’s Absence from Trial Demands senator fulfills N500m bail bond obligation

Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, yesterday ordered the remand of Senator Ali Ndume at the Kuje Correctional Centre following his inability to produce a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, in court to answer to corruption charges.

Ndume, who represents Borno South and is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Army, stood surety for Maina in his alleged corruption trial initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Maina is standing trial for alleged money laundering charges to the tune of N2 billion.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N500 million and a surety in like sum, who must in addition attend sitting

at every time the matter is called and also ensure that Maina unfailingly appears in court for his trial.

The surety in addition, must be a serving senator who owns property worth N500 million in Abuja.

However, Maina has since September failed to appear in court for trial, forcing the court to revoke his bail and ordered his arrest.

The court also last week adjourned till yesterday for the surety to give reasons why he should not be remanded to forfeit the bail bond he signed guaranteeing Maina's presence in court throughout the trial.

However, at yesterday's proceedings, Ndume was yet to file a formal application to show cause why he should not forfeit the bail bond of N500 million deposed to on May 5 to stand as surety for Maina.

He informed the court that he still does not know Maina's whereabouts.

At last week proceedings, EFCC's lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, had asked the court to make an order for the lawmaker to forfeit the bail bond since it has become obvious that Maina had jumped bail.

In a short ruling, Justice Abang ordered that Ndume be remanded at the correctional centre, pending the time he is able to produce Maina in court or forfeit the bail bond of N500 million.

The court also empowered the federal government to sell Ndume's property at Asokoro so as to recover the N500 million bail bond.

The judge added that Ndume shall be released from the correctional centre if he pays the N500 million to the federal government or if the prosecutor is able to dispose off the property and payment made to the federal government.

The trial in absentia of Maina

has been fixed for today.

Ndume had earlier told the court that he could no longer find the defendant whom he had made a legal commitment to always produce in court for his trial.

The judge, following Maina’s repeated requests, had twice varied the bail conditions, reducing the bail sum from the original N1 billion to N500 million with only one surety as opposed to two originally requested by the court.

Ndume, who represents Borno South where Maina hails from, later agreed to serve as the defendant’s surety.

In line with terms and conditions of the bail, which the judge gave in January 2020, Ndume gave a legal commitment to accompany the defendant to court every trial date and provided the court with the title documents of his property worth N500 million in a choice area of Abuja as a guarantee.

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Nami: FIRS Generates N4.178 trillion in 10 Months Hopes to overshoot N5.76 trillion target for 2020

Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has said that it generated N4.178 trillion as at October this year, against its target of N4.230 trillion (approximately 99 per cent) of the service projected revenue.

It added that taxes now account for 70 per cent of the nation’s revenue.

With a target of N5.76 trillion to achieve in a year, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mr. Mohammed Nami, is hopeful that the service will overshoot its target in spite of the global economic challenges, which is also affecting Nigeria.

Nami told journalists in Abuja that in keeping with the global trend, FIRS has deployed technology in the collection of government revenue, saying the new technology has connected all business premises in the country to a central server, from where all

their transactions are being monitored based on the globally accepted standards.

Nami noted that this technology has become obligatory for the agency in order to keep up with worldwide trends in revenue collection and reduce the outflows in the system.

While decrying the refusal of some Nigerians to pay taxes, Nami added that those who want to benefit from the commonwealth must also contribute to the wealth of the federation.

He explained that the agency is collaborating with critical stakeholders on strategic policy formulation to increase taxes collection.

Admitting that tax evasion is a serious crime anywhere in the world, including Nigeria, Nami said in a bid to track all tax evaders in the country, the agency is also employing a national intelligence gathering system.

The intelligence-gathering system is Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based lunched by FIRS early this year and is being implemented in close partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other anticorruption agencies as well

as financial institutions to tackle economy-based crimes, including other financial crimes.

This move, he said, would assist FIRS to thwart tax evasion by collecting data that will expose defaulters and bring them to book.

He said the employment of technology in curbing

tax evaders paid off recently when the agency investigated tax agency in Lagos, which collected billions of naira indirect taxes and refused to remit it to FIRS. He attributed the successes that have been recorded in the agency partly to the capacity building for its staff

members and motivational strategy employed in raising the morale of the workers.

Nami urged the media to help educate Nigerians and corporate organisations on the need to pay taxes, stressing it will help the government to address the nation's infrastructure deficit.

NEF Accuses Buhari of Neglecting North’s Security, Economy Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari does not care about the security and the economy of the people of the North.

The forum in a statement issued yesterday by its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, decried the slow pace of the work on the Abuja-Kaduna-ZariaKano highway.

It added that the consequent deterioration of the highway had made it the most dangerous highway in the nation and the most attractive to kidnappers who have resurfaced recently to compound routine losses of lives and billions in economic losses.

It stated: "Northern Elders Forum received information from those with responsibility for the reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway that work on this vital artery in the North will not be completed for the next five years.

"The Forum is deeply shocked by this information.

Although it is consistent with a registered record of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to matters affecting people of the North, it is nonetheless irrefutable evidence that this administration does not

care about the people of the North, their economy or their security.

"The only thing that mattered to him were our votes. This administration has just sentenced Northerners to another five years to live with many threats to life and economy on this important highway."

The forum noted that this project involving 375 kilometers of the most strategic highway in the North, and about the only link between the North and South was awarded in 2017 and work commenced in 2018.

The Forum said it had advised Nigerians, particularly fellow Northerners not to trust Buhari with another mandate in 2019 because evidence garnered from his first term was strong over his indifference to, and even disdain to northern communities.

The Forum noted that the president would leave a very valuable legacy for Northerners, adding that the legacy would remind them of the importance of electing good leaders who have solid records of competence, empathy and respect for the needs of citizens.

It, therefore, called on all citizens to raise their voices against this decision to continue to leave people who use this vital highway at the mercy of criminals and huge losses in lives and assets.

SEEKING APPROVAL TO SPEND...

Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, during the presentation of 2021 Appropriation Bill to Oyo State House of Assembly in Ibadan...yesterday

FG to Ban Fish Importation in Two Years James Emejo in Abuja The federal government has announced plans to end fish importation in the next two years as it asked fish importers to consider producing fish locally.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Sabo Nanono, said yesterday in Abuja at the 35th Annual Conference of the Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON), that the federal government has also initiated and is implementing programmes, especially in the agriculture sector to diversify the economy.

Nanono noted that an estimated over 12 million Nigerians are actively engaged in primary and fish production, adding that contribution of fisheries to the national Gross Domestic Products is about 4.5 per cent. “Let me inform you that the vision of Mr. President is to grow Nigeria’s agriculture sector to achieve a hungerfree nation, through

agriculture that drives income growth, accelerate the achievement of food and nutritional security, generate employment and transform Nigeria into a leading player in the group of food and fish markets, and to create wealth for millions,� he said.

He said it is in this regard that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is pursuing a holistic approach to the development of the fisheries subsector through the diversification programme along the value chain process. “In line with the theme of this conference, the ministry has developed various programmes to increase domestic food/fish production and the main target is the empowerment of the youth and other groups especially the women,� he stated, adding: “All these programmes are tailored towards wealth and jobs creation, arrest and prevention of youth restiveness.� The minister

said currently, the total demand for fish is 3.6 million tonnes annually while Nigeria is producing 1.1 million tonnes, leaving a deficit of about 2.5 million tonnes to be supplemented by importation.

He said as part of the measures of the ministry to reduce this importation and generate employment, the government has directed all fish importers to go into backward integration for local consumption and export to international market.

He said in this regard, several companies have complied with the policy and that the ministry is optimistic that in the next two years, Nigeria will have no business with the importation of fish.

The minister, who was represented by the Director of Federal Department of Fisheries, Mr. Imeh Umoh, described fisheries as one of the value chains in the ministry, stressing that it is the driving force for wealth and jobs creation,

contribution to food and nutrition security, poverty reduction as well as the creation of numerous investments for the teeming Nigerians, “especially during the economic recession which is occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.�

Nanono added that the contributions of the fisheries and aquaculture sub-sector to the Nigerian economy and the ongoing economic recovery programme of the current regime are significant in terms of employment, income generation, poverty alleviation, foreign exchange earnings and provision of raw materials.

President of FISON, Mr. Adegoke Agbabiaka, stated that in order to achieve self-sufficiency in food fish production, the government in the last decade had made a paradigm shift under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda and is now considering agriculture, including fisheries and aquaculture, as a business.

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PAGE EIGHT UK PARLIAMENTARIANS PROPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST VIOLATORS OF PROTESTERS’ RIGHTS of the alleged shooting.

The parliamentarians passed the resolutions the same day the federal government wrote to the United States-based global television station, Cable News Network (CNN), over last Wednesday's airing of a report on the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20.

During its plenary yesterday, which THISDAY monitored via a live feed on the parliament live.tv, the parliamentarians condemned the alleged attack on unarmed persons at Lekki Tollgate by the Nigerian Army, pointing out that the proposed sanctions should not be mere rhetoric but must be carried out sooner than later.

The lawmakers said: “No action can replace the lives that have been lost, but that doesn't mean we cannot take actions. “We know that these individuals come here and use our banks, so we are in a unique position to do something.�

In the petition started by one Silas Ojo, a Nigerian, the petitioners charged the UK government to impose sanctions on individuals in the Nigerian government and police officers involved in human rights abuses.

The debate was opened by MP Theresa Villiers, a member of the Petitions Committee, opening the floor for other MPs from all parties to make their contributions.

The parliament did not just debate the #EndSARS protest and its violent aftermath; they also briefly touched on the Oyigbo killings in Rivers State and perceived persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Expressing concern about what happened in Nigeria, the parliamentarians condemned the shooting of unarmed protesters, the subsequent crackdown on #EndSARS promoters and the sanction on three Nigerian television stations.

Demanding accountability for those responsible for such brutality and loss of lives during and after the protests, they called for independent investigations into the violations

by Nigerian police, security and military forces.

They noted that it would have been better if they had confidence in the system of investigations in Nigeria, adding that with the ongoing failures of government in dealing with #EndSARS, many do not have faith in that process.

Setting a distinction between the looters and hoodlums from the actual peaceful protesters, they condemned the actions of the government that followed the protest, including the recent action by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who tagged the CNN investigation into the Lekki Tollgate shooting as fake.

On the now disbanded SARS, the parliamentarians said although the Nigerian government had claimed it ended SARS, corruption and brutality continued, adding that the UK government committed some money from the ÂŁ10 million that went to Nigeria to training SARS, which still went ahead to become immoral.

They accused the Nigerian government of taking part in the attempted cover-up of the alleged Lekki Tollgate shooting and charged the government to stop freezing accounts of protesters.

Demanding that the government protects the right of Nigerians to protest, they also demanded accountability from the Nigerian government.

Intermittently referring to the shooting by the Nigerian Army at Lekki Tollgate as “massacre,� they insisted that the protesters were peaceful.

One of the MPs that stood out in his contribution was Coventry North West MP, Taiwo Owatemi, and a Nigerian, who queried if Nigeria was a dictatorship.

Backing the sanctions against individuals in government and justice for victims, he queried why “armed military officers discharged live ammunition at peaceful protesters, injuring and killing them. Who exactly ordered the military to shoot live ammunition in a civilian territory? Why were bank accounts of individuals who partook in the protest frozen?�

Also speaking, MP Teresa Pearce said: “I have been contacted by dozens of people who want to see action to ensure that human rights are upheld in Nigeria. It is not enough to just put out a statement of condemnation.�

MP Stephen Doughty, representing Cardiff South and Penarth, he repeatedly condemned the attack on unarmed protesters.

MP Kate Osamor representing Edmonton, another Nigerian, said the UK should not be a safe haven for government officials who deny their own citizens the same freedom they come to enjoy in the UK. MP Lyn Brown stated: “My plea is that we stand with the young people of Nigeria who are demanding change far beyond the closure of SARS.�

FG Writes CNN, Demands Retraction of Lekki Shooting Broadcast The federal government has written to the United Statesbased global television station, Cable News Network (CNN), over last Wednesday's airing of a report on the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20.

The federal government, in a letter addressed to the CNN Vice President on Communications, Mr. Jonathan Hawkins, and signed by Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, faulted the report titled: 'How a Bloody Night of Bullets

Quashed a Young Protest Movement,' and demanded a retraction.

The letter, dated November 23, 2020, described the report as blatantly irresponsible and a poor piece of journalistic work by a reputable international news organisation.

The letter was in furtherance of the government's earlier excoriation of CNN for broadcasting the report, which prompted Mohammed at a news conference last Thursday in Abuja to call for sanctions against the CNN. However, a few hours after Nigeria threatened sanction over the CNN report, the global television station defended the integrity of the report, saying it stands by the investigation.

In the letter, Mohammed noted that the airing of the protest was not the first time that CNN was carrying an inaccurate or hoax story about Nigeria.

He also protested that the report did not just fall short of journalistic standards, but reinforced the disinformation being peddled around on the issue.

He described as inexcusable and indefensible, CNN’s failure to live up to the principles of journalism on balance and fairness by rushing to air the story without presenting the government's side.

The federal government also said it was a breach of journalistic standard for the global news network in its investigation to rely on unverified footage, sourced from the social media while it had no reporter on the ground at the Lekki Tollgate on the night of the incident.

It complained: “In airing its 'investigative' report, CNN conveniently forgot that on October 23, 2020, it emphatically tweeted, from its verified Twitter handle, that the military killed 38 people when it opened fire on peaceful protesters on Tuesday, October

20, 2020. “Almost a month later, the same CNN - after a supposedly exhaustive investigation - is now reporting only one death from what the world was made to believe was a massacre. Is CNN not embarrassed by this sharp climb down? Has CNN owned up to this and apologised for its faux pas? “It is also interesting that while CNN obtained footage showing when the vehicles carrying soldiers left their barracks and arrived at the Lekki Toll Gate, it could not obtain any footage showing the bodies of those supposedly killed in the 'massacre.' “After all, forensic ballistic experts will most likely testify that firing military-grade weapons into a crowd will not leave anyone needing a microscope to look for blood or bodies at the scene.�

The federal government demanded an immediate retraction from CNN, asking for an exhaustive investigation into its 'investigative' report on the Lekki Tollgate incident to determine, among others, its authenticity and if it met the basic standards of journalism in addition to the selective use of unverified social media videos to manipulate public opinion.

The federal government added that it was baffled

by CNN’s insistence on the reliability of the sources of its story, describing it as a face-saving measure by a news network caught in the blinding glare of 'fake news and disinformation' headlamps.

It also punched a hole in the evidence of DJ Switch, one of the eyewitnesses that CNN relied on to develop its investigative reporting.

He said DJ Switch’s story on the Lekki shooting had changed several times.

According to FG’s letter: “From claiming she counted 78 bodies of protesters who were supposedly killed by soldiers on the night of the

Lekki Toll Gate incident, she has twice, at least, changed the casualty figure from 78 to 15 and then to seven, without a shred of evidence. CNN cannot pretend not to know that for anyone to act as a witness, his or her credibility must be unimpeachable. DJ Switch's credibility does not meet that threshold. “In one of social media videos of DJ Switch that was used by CNN (see attached link 1), the lady (DJ Switch) claimed she and some unnamed persons carried dead bodies and dropped them at the feet of the soldiers. She also claimed she spoke to their commander before the soldiers threw the bodies into the vans. Curiously, for someone who was streaming live on Instagram during the Lekki Tollgate incident, there was not a single video or picture of the dead bodies. Not even Godson (Uyi), another CNN star witness whose video was also used by the network, or any of the hundreds of protesters, all armed with smartphones, at the scene recorded a video or shot a picture of dead bodies being carried away by soldiers.�

The federal government faulted CNN for failing to acknowledge that six soldiers and 37 policemen were killed during the #EndSARS crisis, which also left 196 policemen injured, and the monumental destruction of government and private property across the country, saying the network instead, was fixated on a massacre that never happened.

It threatened that while it is up to CNN to accede or not to its request for a retraction of the report, it reserves the right to take any action within its laws to prevent CNN from aggravating the #EndSARS crisis with "unprofessional, irresponsible, one-sided, inciting and sensational reporting that is capable of pitching Nigerians against themselves and setting the country on fire."

Anybody would see that the economy has been pretty much on autopilot. It was caused by the international oil price movement. “However, the economy was recovering before COVID-19.

By the end of next quarter or at most by Q2, we would be back to the growth path. The protest contributed as well. “If businesses continue as they are today, we would definitely coast out of the recession.�

Also, Head of Research at United Capital, Mr. Wale Olusi, agreed that the recession will not be prolonged.

He said: “If you look at the trend, in Q2, we contracted by six per cent and in Q3 that negative has reduced to 3.6 per cent, which is almost 40 to 45 per cent improvement in terms of the rate of growth. “If that trend continues, and now that the economy has been opened and in Q4, oil prices are showing some signs of improvement because of the vaccine that has been discovered and there is going to be December activity by Q4. “What I suspect is that negative would probably reduce to one per cent or slightly below zero per cent by Q4. And if you are able to sustain that trend

by Q1, you are most likely to see the negative growth turn to positive although very soft at maybe 0.5 or 0.8 per cent positive growth by Q1.�

Senior Economist/Head,

Research & Strategy, Greenwich Merchant Bank, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo, predicted that the GDP will return to a growth path

by Q1.

Ebo said: “It would be a major miracle to escape a negative growth rate in Q4 and we are already in November with no major policy that would take us out to that positive region within one month. “But based on what we have

ANALYSTS BACK FG’S FORECAST OF QUICK EXIT FROM RECESSION yesterday that the technical recession induced by the COVID-19 pandemic will be temporary as the economy remained on the path of recovery despite the 3.62 per cent contraction in the third quarter of the year.

But despite the federal government’s assurance, the World Bank projected that Nigeria’s per capita income could fall this year to its lowest level in 40 years.

President Muhammadu Buhari also said as part of efforts to cushion the headwinds occasioned by the COVID-19-induced recession, the federal government has made provisions in the Finance Bill 2021 to exempt low-income earners from paying income tax.

He justified the federal government's move to reduce import duty on vehicles, stressing that this will reduce the cost of transportation.

In her opening remarks at the ongoing 26th Nigerian Economic Summit (#NES26) in Abuja, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said the economy remained on the path of recovery, adding that the third quarter 2020 performance has shown that the government’s response to the pandemic has positive outcomes when compared with the 6.10 per cent contraction in the preceding quarter.

The minister projected that the country will exit recession

by the first quarter of 2021.

She committed the federal government to implement the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) launched to boost economic recovery amidst the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said 18 economic activities recorded positive growth in Q3 compared to 13 activities in the preceding quarter, further boosting expectations for a quicker recovery.

The minister said the Buhari administration is aware of current economic challenges faced by Nigerians and is working to reverse the trend and return the economy on the path of sustainable growth.

Ahmed said Nigeria was not the only country whose economy contracted as the recession followed a pattern among world economies, which also suffered the same fate.

Ahmed explained that the economy was improving before the pandemic aggravated its crisis, adding that the Q3 GDP results out-classed other key economies, including South Africa's, which witnessed deeper contraction.

She said though it took the country about five months to exit 2016 recession, the current downturn may last only a month.

She said: “Let me remind us that before the impact of COVID-19, the Nigerian economy was experiencing

sustained growth, which had been improving quarter-byquarter until the second quarter of 2020, when the impact of the COVID-19 was felt,� she said.

Ahmed stated that other countries also in recession, including the United Kingdom and the United States recorded much deeper contraction than that of Nigeria. “Nigeria is not alone in this, but I will say that Nigeria has outperformed all of these economies in terms of the record of negative growth,� she said.

According to her, South Africa, which recorded a decline of -50 per cent compared to Nigeria’s -6.1 per cent in Q2, will also record a deeper negative growth in Q3.

Ahmed said: “While the economy has entered into recession in the third quarter, the trend of the growth suggests that this will be a short-lived recession, and indeed by the fourth or, at worst, the first quarter of 2021, the country will exit recession. “Our expectation of a quick exit, which will be historically fast, is anchored on the several complementary fiscal, real sector and monetary interventions that have been proactively introduced by the government to forestall a far worse decline of the economy and alleviate the negative consequences of the pandemic.�

The minister added that the government has taken hard

decisions at a difficult time, in the interest of the public, and urged Nigerians to encourage policy makers to do more.

She, however, said collaboration was key to returning the economy on the path of recovery. “Since the inception of NESG 25 years ago, it has become one of the largest annual gatherings dedicated to finding solutions to the challenges facing the Nigerian economy. “It has helped to shape government policies, reforms and sector transformation.

Despite the recession, Nigeria has out-performed many economies in terms of economic growth. “Some economic activities also demonstrated strong resilience. They include production, telecommunications, financial institutions, food and beverage manufacturing, construction services, public administration, and courier services,� she stated.

Analysts Back FG's Projection on Economic Recovery Reacting to the federal government's forecast, an economist and associate professor at the Lagos Business School, Dr. Bongo Adi, said: “I think the recession was not because of anything they did or anything they failed to do.

Continued on page 9

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TUESDAY, ÍşÍźËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

NEWS

PDP Senators to Oppose Yakubu’s Confirmation as INEC Chair Vows to block social media bill

Deji Elumoye in Abuja The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate is set to block confirmation of the nomination of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for fresh five-year tenure by President Muhammadu Buhari, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

This is coming just as the National Assembly resumes plenary today after a five-week break during which Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) defended their 2021

budget estimates before the committees of the federal parliament.

Sources told THISDAY yesterday that the PDP senators met at the weekend and took far-reaching decisions, including opposing Yakubu's nomination.

Buhari had earlier this month forwarded the name of Yakubu to the Senate for confirmation, and President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, is expected to read the letter today at the resumed plenary of the Senate.

A senator told THISDAY that the PDP caucus resolved to lobby their colleagues towards ensuring that the Senate doesn't

ratify Yakubu's nomination.

The lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity told THISDAY that the minority caucus based its rejection of Yakubu's candidacy on his reported inconsistencies in his first term.

He mentioned, in particular, the 2019 general election, allegedly marred by irregularities leading to INEC saying they had no server only for it to use the server during the Edo/Ondo guber polls this year.

He said: "You could see that under Yakubu's watch as INEC chairman, there were glaring inconsistencies. At a point,

the commission will say one thing, at another point, deny it. An example was during the 2019 general poll in the country when INEC said the server would not be used for the elections only for it to turn round this year and use the same server for Edo and Ondo governorship elections. So, for us in PDP we can't trust Yakubu with future polls in the country because we believe he can't guarantee free and fair polls and on this basis we will oppose his re-nomination by the president."

THISDAY also gathered that the minority caucus also resolved to resist a bill

currently before the National Assembly to gag the social media, whenever it is tabled for discussion at plenary.

Other decisions taken by the PDP senators ahead of the resumption of Senate plenary today include giving necessary legislative support for the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill and Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as well as constitutional reform.

"We will support the timely passage of the PIB and the Electoral Amendment Bill because they are for the betterment of the citizenry as well as the society.

"The PDP caucus is also in

support of the review of the 1999 Constitution and will support our colleagues in APC and YPP towards ensuring that the revised constitution is ready by June 2021," the source added.

The Senate had on October 20 suspended its plenary and adjourned till today to enable its committees to consider the 2021 budget estimates of the federal government.

Lawan had said the break would enable ministers and heads of parastatals to appear before the Senate committees to defend the allocations for the various MDAs in the 2021 Appropriation Bill.

company, Global Fleet Oil and Gas Limited, making a total deposit of over ÂŁ250 million 10 years ago and running at a five per cent interest rate, so who is owing who? My NICON investment admitted borrowing N26 billion to which ÂŁ137 million was used to secure the bank's said loan. “Can AMCON sustain the interim order in the face of the apparent facts because there is no returnable date in the court file? “Again, AMCON did not sign any undertaking for a temporary injunction in the events facts were misrepresented to the court

as required by the rules of Federal High court.�

He noted that surprisingly, the lawyer on the record before Justice Oguntoyinbo was Yusufu Ali as counsel to AMCON, asking: “So when was the change of counsel done with the motion on notice with the interim injunction?�

He said the new counsel to AMCON, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, was the lawyer to Union Bank who opposed AMCON joining the case at the Lagos High Court!

He promised to take up the AMCON lawyer’s activities with the legal practitioners’

disciplinary committee “but not on the pages of newspapers.�

According to Ibrahim, Union Bank and AMCON cannot be pursuing the same matter simultaneously in two different courts.

He said he did not own the majority of the property attached by the interim order granted to AMCON, explaining that this shows the level of misrepresentation. “The coming week will be interesting as judiciary integrity is on trial,� Ibrahim said, explaining: “AMCON cannot buy a loan that is collateralised with cash.�

the NESG, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, said Nigeria is missing out on the $19 trillion invested in negative-yielding assets globally because the country’s investment climate is seen as “unwelcoming, unsafe, and unpredictable�.

Ighodalo stated that for a country in desperate need of development momentum and capital, the events of last month, including the #EndSARS protests, the debilitating riots, and all of the issues that emerged, were bad for morale, confidence, and business.

Ighodalo said though the pandemic had slowed progress on many fronts, this should not be an excuse not to pursue economic recovery growth.

the country’s national income by its population.

Chaudhuri, who spoke during a panel session, noted that the country was still recovering from the last oil price shock of 2014-2016 before the COVID-19 crisis hit the economy. “The fact of the matter is that recovery was there but it was slow; it was only gathering pace,� he said.

Chaudhuri stated that between 2015 and 2019, a total of 15 million young Nigerians became of working age but only about four million really found the kinds of jobs and opportunities they aspired for. “Crisis like this is often what it takes to bring a nation together to have that consensus within the political, business, government, military, civil society to say, ‘We have to do something that departs from business as usual." “And for Nigeria, this is a critical juncture. With the contraction in GDP that could happen this year, Nigeria’s per capita income could be around what it was in 1980 – four decades ago,� he added.

World Bank data showed that Nigeria’s per capita income, which stood at $2,229.9 in 2019, was around $847.40 in 1980.

It hit a record high of $3,222.69 in 2014 but slumped to $1,968.56 in 2017. “This is absolutely a critical juncture and I am very hopeful that given what the government has done, that this crisis will also provide an opportunity for that national consensus,�

Chaudhuri stated.

JIMOH IBRAHIM: HOW AMCON MISLED COURT INVESTMENT), and relief 2 is granted as prayed.

"In effect, the proceedings in this suit are hereby stayed pending final determination of suit no: LD/1074/2010 before Hon. Justice Oyefeso of Lagos High Court."

Owing to the foregoing, he wondered how AMCON secured another interim injunction when the same court had stayed the said matter. “Did AMCON's lawyer inform the court of the Justice Oguntoyinbo order?� he questioned.

According to him, in the High Court of Lagos before

Justice Oyefeso, Union Bank, in its statement of defence filed in court, had admitted that he (Ibrahim) had a deposit of over a ÂŁ137 million.

He said the bank had prayed the court as follows: "An order for the sale of the funds standing to the credit of the pound sterling fixed deposit account maintained by the 1st defendant to the counterclaimant; the proceed of which shall be applied in liquidation or part liquidation of the judgment sum as may be awarded against 1st and 2nd defendant counterclaim.�

Jimoh explained: “The amount is also contained

in the statement of account issued to Ibrahim and published in THISDAY Newspaper. Vol. 13 No. 5692.

The said pound starling is three times higher than the amount borrowed by my companies. “When Justice Oguntoyinbo J ruled on October 2nd, 2019, that the proceedings in this suit are hereby stayed pending the final determination of case no: LD/1074/2010 before Hon. Justice Oyefeso of Lagos High Court, was the said court, not functus officio? “Union Bank also acknowledges another deposit of ÂŁ125m from my second

ANALYSTS BACK FG’S FORECAST OF QUICK EXIT FROM RECESSION seen so far, which is almost two-third of the quarter, I feel that we can’t escape the negative growth rate, but it may be mild. But if we are hoping for a positive growth rate, it should be in the first quarter of 2021 because there are some policies that need to be put in place. “The trade policy, FX liquidity is still a major challenge for most people to import, in the manufacturing space there is really no major policy that is helping bring down the cost of doing business. I feel that it sounds optimistic, but we expect Nigeria to move to positive growth rate by Q1.�

Finance Bill Exempts Minimum Wage Earners from Income Tax, Says Buhari In his speech at the economic summit, Buhari said his administration through the Finance Bill 2021, proposed to exempt minimum wage earners from the Personal Income Tax (PIT) to further cushion the impact of inflation on Nigerians.

He said: “We are proposing in the new Finance Act that those who earn minimum wage should be exempted from paying income tax. “These provisions, which complement the tax breaks given to small businesses last year, will not only further stimulate the economy but are also a fulfilment of promises made to take steps to help reduce the cost of transportation

and the impact of inflation on ordinary Nigerians.�

Expanding on the role of the private sector in building a resilient economy, Buhari, represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who joined the summit via video conferencing, said the private sector has a key role to play in government's efforts to build a more resilient and competitive economy as expressed in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

He said: “Private companies in design, construction, logistics and finance are very much engaged in our infrastructural projects in power and rail as well as road and bridges and the installation of broadband infrastructure, which is an essential requirement if Nigeria is to participate actively and benefit from the 4th Industrial Revolution.

"It is clear that we must diversify the economy away from dependence on crude oil exports, speed up human capital development and improve on infrastructure. Above all, our economy must be made more resilient to exogenous shocks.

It is important for the private sector to play a key role as we work together to identify national priorities and try to influence our future national trajectory.�

The president also gave insights to the collaboration between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Investment Authority (NSIA) and other stakeholders in the creation of an Infrastructure Company

(Infraco) Fund to address some of the nation’s critical infrastructure needs.

According to him, partnerships remain essential to attract the resources for building a solid national infrastructural base.

He said the government is working actively with the CBN, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and state governments under the auspices of the National Economic Council to design and put in place a N15 trillion Infraco Fund, which will be independently managed.

On revamping the economy, Buhari said: “Our national journey to economic prosperity is a long one, so we must all certainly work together. As we saw, partnerships were essential when we were faced with the serious challenge of combatting COVID-19. “We saw the key role that partnerships played in our national effort to combat the COVID-19 crisis. While the federal and state governments worked together to manage the health response and ensure the establishment of isolation centres and availability of test kits, personal protective equipment, and medicines, the private sector also played an active role as individual entities, and also worked together in groups like the Coalition Against COVID-19.�

The president also justified the federal government's move to reduce import duty on vehicles, saying that it will "reduce the cost of transportation by reducing the cost of vehicles."

He said in the wake of the recent subsidy removal and an increase in fuel price as well as the pass-through effects on food prices, transportation costs would have to be reduced to bring some reliefs to Nigerians.

Citing the need to cushion the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration had proposed additional tax incentives in 2020 Finance Bill, including reduction of import duty and levies on transportation vehicles, tractors among others from 35 per cent to 10 per cent.

But some local investors have criticised the move, describing it as a deviation from the objectives of the auto industry roadmap, adding that it could discourage foreign investors because of the seeming policy somersault.

The president, however, said that the cut on vehicles import duty would energise other sectors of the economy that were depressed on an account of high transportation.

According to him, the federal government's decision should not be seen as going against the country's auto industry policy because even with the proposed slash, there is still relatively 40 per cent levy on cars.

Buhari explained that the automotive policy is directed at localising production of vehicles.

He said the annual demand for vehicles was about 720,000 vehicles per year while actual local production by the assembly plants currently stood at about 14,000 vehicles a year.

The Chairman of the Board of

W’Bank Projects Drop in Nigeria’s Per Capita Income to 40-year-low However, despite the federal government’s optimism, the World Bank has said Nigeria’s per capita income could fall to its lowest level in 40 years this year.

The Country Director for Nigeria, Mr. Shubham Chaudhuri, said at the NESG conference that the decline in crude oil prices had impacted government finances, the balance of payments and remittances from Nigerians living abroad.

Per capita income is a measure of the amount of money earned per person in a nation or geographic region.

It is calculated by dividing

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TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24,2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

ACF Berates Buhari over Insecurity in North John Shiklam in Kaduna The pan-northern socio-political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday berated President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the rising insecurity in the North.

The ACF, in a statement titled: “ACF condemns endless killings in the North’ issued by its spokesman, Mr. Emmanuel Yawe, urged the President to live up to his oath of office.

ACF expressed anger over the spate of insecurity in the North.

They pointedly directed the anger at the President over the sundry attacks by bandits.

The forum also knocked the Police Affairs Minister, Mr. Muhammad Dingyadi, for saying that the activities of bandits had been checked in the North.

It also condemned the abduction of the nine ABU students and the subsequent payment of ransom by the parents.

He said, “We feel there is no need to call on President Buhari to live up to his oath of office. He knows more than anybody else

the implications of swearing on the Quran and refusing to honour your oath to the Almighty.

“We are only for the umpteenth time conveying the anger and frustrations of many northerners to him so that he will do the needful and speedily too. It is getting too late.

“In October 2020, the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, under the leadership of Chief Audu Ogbe held its first National Working Committee and National Executive Committee meetings in two days in Kaduna.

“At both meetings, all states and local government representatives expressed concern over the levels of insecurity in the local areas they represent all over the North at the ACF. “The Communique the forum issued at the end of the October meeting where we strongly and pointedly called on President Buhari to give attention to the growing insecurity in the north and the whole of Nigeria reflects the desperate and exact feelings of the whole North.

“Sadly since our meeting in October in Kaduna, the security

situation is getting worse. There have been serial killings of more people in the North by the bandits whom the Minister of police claimed falsely have been defeated.

“Even as the Minister was claiming falsely, whether in ignorance or deliberate, victory over bandits, 12 Police

superintendents on official duty from Zamfara to Kano were overpowered by superior tactics and force while driving in a convoy and abducted with a heavy ransom demand on each policeman’s family.

“Apart from that the bandits mounted four road blocks on

Kaduna- Abuja road which the police have claimed severally that they have liberated from bandits.

“News reports by the media speak of many dead and several others taken away by bandits for ransom. Nine students of French at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria on educational tour were taken

away and a whooping ransom of N270m placed on their heads.

Three escaped with gunshot wounds.

“The police are now claiming they have been rescued. Given the level of distrust in security forces, we are cannot vouch for what happened.

#EndSARS: IG Promotes 82,779 Junior Police Officers 16 fallen officers get posthumous promotion Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja In a bid to boost the morale of personnel in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests, the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, yesterday approved the promotion of 82,779 junior police officers to their next ranks.

Police authorities have battled low morale of personnel since the massive destruction of police facilities across the country and the death of 37 policemen.

There has been a loud absence of policemen on the highways and most states impacted by the protests, which were hijacked by hoodlums.

The IG has severally appealed to personnel to return to their duty posts.

The order was partially adhered to especially in states where police stations were destroyed.

The breakdown shows that 56,779 sergeants were promoted to the rank of inspector while 17,569 were promoted from corporal to the rank of sergeant even as 8,431 constables were moved up to the rank of corporal.

The IG said the promotion exercise was part of the ongoing

efforts at boosting the morale of personnel and repositioning the force for greater efficiency.

A statement issued by Force Headquarters said those promoted also include 86 junior officers negatively impacted by the #EndSARS riots.

It said 16 got special posthumous promotion while 70 others injured during the violence arising from the protests were equally specially promoted.

The statement signed by Force PRO and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Frank Mba, said the IG while congratulating the officers, charged them to see their promotion as a mark of additional responsibility and a call to rededicate themselves to their professional calling.

He enjoined them to continue to carry out their duties diligently and in conformity with best practices and respect for the rights of the citizen.

The IG noted that the promotion albeit, posthumously, of the officers who were killed by hoodlums, who hijacked the #EndSARS protest is a symbolic gesture in recognition of the ultimate price they paid in the service of the nation.

Govt College Ughelli Old Boys Honour Clark The Lagos State branch of the Government College Ughelli Old Boys Association (GCUOBA), will tomorrow (Wednesday) hold an Evening of Tributes in honour of one of their own and a beloved poet, Prof. John Pepper Clark.

The event, which will take place at Harbour Point in Victoria Island, Lagos, will be marked by eulogies, readings, rhapsodies and remembrances.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the President of the association, Mr. Sam Omatseye,

inviting the public and the media, tributes from family members, fellow writers, critics, classmates and friends will enliven the evening.

The statement added that the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka’s tributes as well as school mates like Vanguard publisher, Mr. Sam-Amuka Pemu and the Publisher of THISDAY Newspapers, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, are part of the highlights expected.

PROMOTING JUSTICE DELIVERY…

L-R: Deputy Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Christopher Ochor; Speaker, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori; Governor Ifeanyi Okowa; state Chief Judge, Justice Marshal Umukoro; and Acting President, Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Patience Onuwa Elumeze, shortly after the swearing-in of the acting President, Customary Court of Appeal at the Government House, Asaba...yesterday

Gunmen Abduct Agriculture Minister’s Brother in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano Kano State Police Command has confirmed that gunmen stormed the family house of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Sabo Nanono and abducted his brother, Mr. Babawuro Tofai.

The gunmen yesterday morning stormed the family house of the minister and abducted his brother.

The family house is situated in a remote village of Gabasawa Local Government Area of the state.

An aide to the minister, who confirmed the abduction, said

the gunmen attacked the house around 1am yesterday.

It was also gathered that before abducting Tofai, a young boy in the house was also beaten and he sustained a fracture in the course of the attack.

The abductors were yet to contact the family of the minister.

Kano State Police spokesman, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa told THISDAY yesterday that the police are investigating the matter.

...Invade ABU, Kidnap Member of Staff John Shiklam in Kaduna A member of staff of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has been abducted by gunmen.

The incident, according to a statement by the university’s Director, Public Affairs Directorate, Malam Auwalu Umar, took place at about 12:50 am yesterday.

According to Umar, the kidnappers invaded the residence of a staff member of the University on Sardauna Crescent, Area BZ, Main Campus, Samaru, Zaria.

He said bandits “went away the staff along with his wife and daughter” adding that “the University Security Division quickly informed the operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team

that advanced to the scene following the distress call.”

According to the statement, “there was an exchange of fire between the kidnappers and the mobile police operatives.

“When it was clear that they would be overpowered, the kidnappers ran into the bush along with the victims.

“As the police went after them up to Kasuwar Da’a village bordering the

university, the kidnappers then released the wife and the daughter and went away with the husband.

“Some empty shells were recovered from the scene.

The Inspector General of Police and other security agencies, as well as all relevant government establishments have been duly informed of the unfortunate incident.

Again, Herdsmen Destroy Falae’s Farm James Sowole in Akure A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae yesterday raised the alarm over the alleged invasion of his farm by some Fulani herdsmen who allegedly destroyed harvested crops worth millions of naira.

The elder statesman said the attack had been happening for the past few weeks, stating that he had reported to the police and the state chairman of Miyetti Allah but there was no change.

He said some policemen were sent to the farm, and they drove the bandits away, adding however, that on the following day after the police had left, the herdsmen returned to the farm, stole some crops, and destroyed the ones they could not take away.

In a letter addressed to the Commander of the state security outfit, Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, the former Minister for Finance urged the security outfit to save his farm from the incessant invasion by the herdsmen.

The letter was titled ‘Attacks on my farm by Fulani herdsmen’.

The letter read, “In the last few weeks, Fulani herdsmen came into my maize farm twice to eat up and trample large sessions of the farm.

I reported the incidents to Alhaji Bello, Chairman Meiyetti Allah for Ondo State; nothing has happened.

“In the last few days, they have gone to attack my citrus farm by stealing harvested oranges and destroying what they could not carry away. The police on security duty on the farm were sent to drive

them away. But they have been coming back every night to attack my workers in our camp, breaking their door and carting away all their belongings!

“Please let Amotekun save us and our livelihood. They kidnapped me on 21st September 2015; they should not be allowed to do it again.”

When contacted the Amotekun Commander, Adeleye, confirmed the receipt of the Falae’s letter, saying “We are working on it.”

FCT Police Launch Manhunt for Kidnappers of Reverend Father The FCT Police Command yesterday launched an operation to rescue the Catholic Reverend Father kidnapped last Sunday in Yangoji village along Kwali Council axis.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Ciroma, has ordered a manhunt to track and apprehend the suspects.

The command urged members of the public to

remain calm, while it intensified effort to liberate the victim unhurt.

While urging residents to be security conscious and promptly report all

suspicious movements, the command reiterated its unflinching commitment to the protection of lives and property in the Federal Capital Territory.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

COVID-19: Suspend Christmas, New Year Travels, PTF Advises Nigerians Says travellers fail to show up for mandatory post-arrival test Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 yesterday advised Nigerians to suspend their Christmas and New Year travels to limit the risk of contracting the virus.

The chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, at a press briefing by the task force in Abuja, said such trips should be put on hold to reduce transmission risks.

Mustapha has also lamented that many passengers who arrived

in the country failed to show up for the mandatory post-arrival seven-day PCR test even after the government has paid between N220 million and N270 million to private laboratories.

He said large social gatherings should also be avoided because there is a bigger risk of COVID-19 transmission.

“Ahead of the upsurge in travels for the Christmas and New Year festivities, we urge strongly that for this year, such trips should be put on hold firmly because of the risks involved.

“The transmission rate has

simply become astronomical,” he said.

He noted that new clusters of cases can also emerge in places that have so far been unaffected as people gather for festivities.

“There will always be many more festive seasons to celebrate,” he said.

Mustapha expressed fear over the developments at home and in some countries around the world.

He said developments in the United States of America and in Europe remain major sources of concern to the PTF.

Senate Raises the Alarm over Looming Disaster in Aviation Sector Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate yesterday painted a gloomy picture of the aviation sector as it raised the alarm over imminent air disaster in the country as a result of the inability of airline operators to put their aircraft in proper shape.

It, therefore, implored the federal government to quickly intervene with N50 billion bailout to the airline companies as against the paltry N4 billion currently being offered.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Smart Adeyemi, who gave the sorry state of the aviation industry at a news briefing, said airline operators in the country are broke and badly in need of bailouts to prevent them from cutting corners.

According to him, the aviation sector is very critical to the economy of any nation and is highly capital intensive, which make governments across the world to give bailouts to operators from time to time.

He cited example of Senegal that recently gave $74million bailout to the sector in the country; Rwanda $150million, and United States of America $58billion.

“A critical look at the aviation industry in Africa, Senagal for instance, which is no competition for the Nigerian aviation industry in terms of number of airline operators, released the sum of $74 million as bailout funds for their airline operators. Rwanda also released $150 million for its airline operators.

2023: APC Tickets Open to All, Says PGF DG The Director-General of the Progressives Governor Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman, yesterday insisted that the party’s ticket will be open for all members to compete for in 2023.

He explained that politics was all about contestation as such, foreclosures which had defined Nigerian politics in the past, was effectively dead.

Lukman told journalists in Abuja that the level playing arrangement being nurtured by the party will throw up the best candidates for various elective positions in the country by 2023.

He dismissed speculations making the rounds that the party had agreed on a zoning arrangement.

The APC Chieftain maintained that neither the party nor the President Muhammadu Buhari has decided where the party’s ticket would be going.

Lukeman said, “The level playing field in APC has been well conceived, nurtured, and now gaining more traction by the day.

“For instance, everybody could see that the place is open whether you call it with reference to 2023 or reference to any election, it’s about the fact that the spirit of political contest in the party is now very high. It means that if you want to negotiate, as a good negotiator if you want to canvass, as a good canvasser for a specific interest, the party is up to you.

“The pertinent point to make here is that nobody can say President Buhari has decided or there is a decision on the party, this is where it would go.

“That is why in the whole speculation out there in the public, you’ll see that there are so many names that are being put in the public space which means that in 2023 there would be a contest in APC. “And if you’re a politician, what are you looking for, is it not contest? So, you go to where you know that if you play your card very well, there is a 50-50 chance that you can get what you want, when you want it and where you want it.

NCDC: 138 NYSC Members Test Positive to COVID-19 A total of 138 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have tested positive to COVID-19, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said yesterday.

Disclosing this during the briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, the NCDC DirectorGeneral, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the safe reopening of the NYSC orientation camps across the country was successful.

He stated that none of those who tested positive was allowed into the camps.

According to him, “a total of 34,785 corps members and members of the camp communities have been tested so

far in the last weeks of which only 138 was found positive, which is 0.4 per cent prevalence and 1 in 200 people.”

Ihekweazu said those who

tested positive were either managed at home or in a treatment centre depending on if they had symptoms and what state they were in.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

COMMENT

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

WHEN A KIND GESTURE TURNS AWRY

The death of Ifeanyi Okereke, an Abuja newspaper vendor, is unfortunate, writes Olamide Phillips

I

t was indeed a sad day. A trigger-happy security aide attached to the convoy of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila caused havoc and soured a friendship built for over a decade. The newspaper vendor, Ifeanyi Okereke, was among the vendors close to the National Assembly Complex who had bonded with the congressman for years.

Gbajabiamila strips himself of all airs and thinks less of his privileged position to banter with the newspaper vendors who had been his friends before he became first among equals in the green chamber. They often exchanged banters and had liberty interacting with him until last week when the tragedy struck.

The avoidable unfortunate incident is yet another sad reminder of how reckless and overzealous security operatives could be whilst discharging their duty. The security operatives’ recklessness recently got unbearable and young Nigerians had to occupy major cities across the country to demand for EndSARS, #EndPoliceBrutality and #PoliceReforms.

This unfortunate event should push the frontiers of the scope of work of the legislature to not just enact or amend act to reform the police but also other security outfits. Contrary to the earlier assumption, the culpable officer is not an officer in the Nigeria Police Force but an operative of the Department of Security Service (DSS).

In sane society, anyone who bears a firearm is thoroughly scrutinized and undergoes a series of tests to ascertain his psychological and mental state. All arm-bearing security outfits in the country need overhauling to forestall future needless loss of lives of innocent citizens.

Gbajabiamila in his characteristic forthright style came out to tell the world what happened. He didn’t colour the sad event and spoke the truth on how one of his esteemed friends was accidentally killed by one of the security details attached to him. He was sad and sorrowful that a happy moment turned into a moment of anguish. In a statement he personally signed, Gbajabiamila admitted that, “A horrible incident has taken place‌ “My value for human life and my respect for all people irrespective of socioeconomic status –is what endeared me to these vendors and these are the reasons why I stop my convoy quite often to connect with them. For one of them to have been shot by my security detail is horrific and I cannot begin to imagine the grief and loss Ifeanyi’s family must feel on this sad day. No family should have to go through this. “I am personally distraught about this incident and my deepest sympathies go to the victim, his family and Abuja vendors’’.

To ensure that justice is served , Gbajabiamila handed over the DSS officer, Abdullahi Hassan, who shot dead the newspaper vendor, to the secret police for further actions. The trigger-happy operative has since been suspended from the convoy of the

ALL ARM-BEARING SECURITY OUTFITS IN THE COUNTRY NEED OVERHAULING TO FORESTALL FUTURE NEEDLESS LOSS OF LIVES OF INNOCENT CITIZENS

speaker.

In confirmation of Gbajabiamila’s position, the DSS spokesman, Peter Afunnaya in a statement issued on Friday confirmed that the officer was in detention. “The Service hereby confirms that the suspect is one of its personnel deployed to the Speaker’s Convoy as a security detail,� the statement partly read. “As part of its disciplinary procedures in the instance, he has been taken into detention. In addition, the Service has opened a detailed investigation into the matter. And as already stated by the Speaker that he has been suspended from his Convoy, the Service has further withdrawn him from the assignment�, Afunnaya said in the statement.

Gbajabiamila on Saturday was at the residence of late Okereke at Kwata village,Madalla-Suleja, Niger State where he condoled with the family and pledged to cater for the needs of the deceased’s wife and other members of his immediate family.

On the children left behind by Okereke, Gbajabiamila said, “Those children have now become my children. I have made commitments to the family to train them until they become adults. I have instructed the lawyers in my office to immediately set up a trust fund for them until adulthood. The incident has touched me in no small measure and in ways difficult for anyone to understand. I am a man of peace and not violence.� The speaker also promised to get justice for the late newspaper vendor. Gbajabiamila went further to meet with colleagues of late Okereke under the auspices of the Abuja Newspapers Distributors Association (ANDA) and the Newspapers Vendors Association, Abuja (NVAA). He assured them that their departed colleague won’t die in vain. “The arc of the moral universe is long but it always bends towards justice�, the speaker assured.

This Tuesday when the House resumes for plenary, Gbajabiamila disclosed that the House will honour late Okereke.

With heavy heart, the speaker said, “Let me address you not as the Speaker but as Femi Gbajabiamila, a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who has been caught unawares in the middle of this unfortunate incident. “Many of you that have been following me from the beginning know that championing the cause of the masses has been my life work as a legislator. I have been a champion of the common man and therefore the irony of this is not lost on me and many of us. However, I will continue to do this as long as I live. “I feel your pain. Your pain is my pain. My pain pales into insignificance when compared to what you or the family may be feeling at this time.

May his soul rest in peace.�

Phillips wrote from Abuja

IN DEFENCE OF MAHMOOD YAKUBU argues that the INEC Chairman has earned his name as an achiever

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igeria is becoming notorious for always attempting to destroy some of her best brains in different fields of human endeavours, and it is the reason why some men of good conscience often run away from public service for fear of hurting their hard-earned reputation. For lack of continuity in some of our institutions, we have suffered some setbacks. In other climes, you hear Senators and Congressmen spending 30 and 40 years as lawmakers, yet the people would still continue to vote for them to exploit the experience garnered over the years. The recent deliberately orchestrated attacks on Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, are to say the least, most unfortunate. The one that caught my attention was the flippant allegation that the INEC Chairman expended about N3b to railroad his second term nomination by Mr. President. How reckless! In the business of journalism, especially on an issue as weighty as an allegation of financial impropriety, the ethical thing to do was to seek the response of the INEC Chairman or his spokesman, for the sake of balance and fair-hearing.

This idea of concocting hearsays, generating smoke without fire, using insider account that never exists, just to flesh up skeletons in order to give the INEC Chairman a bad name, smacks of junk journalism. As a thoroughbred professional, University Lecturer, intellectually fecund mind with a rich knack for research, Professor Yakubu has gradually etched his name in gold, in the improvements he has brought to bear in the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in the country. He is neither acquisitive nor conquistadorial, as can be attested to by those who know him closely.

He is also never wasteful in the management of funds yearly allocated to the electoral body.

When he resumed duty on 9th November, 2015, he inherited 17 mobile policemen as security aides in his convoy, previously used by his predecessor. He immediately cut that figure down to two mobile policemen, who provided personal security services to him despite the tempestuous nature of elections in Nigeria. He was neither afraid nor frightened by the fact that elections come with threats to

life. His philosophy of life is anchored on the fact that God alone has the power to give and take life, no matter the evil machinations of men.

As a stickler for rule of law, despite being nominated for a second term, he still decided to hand over the banton to AVM Ahmed Muazu, one of the National Commissioners who is to act as Chairman, while awaiting the Senate clearance of his second term nomination. Were Mahmood to be a desperate job seeker, like some Nigerians are wont to do, he would not have handed over since his confirmation would be just a matter of days, all things being equal. Just like he noted in his interim hand-over speech, the electoral body is a product of the constitution, hence the need to follow the law without sentiments. No sooner he handed over than spin doctors went to work, to raise frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations of fraud, to put spanners in the works and ensure that Mahmood’s fabric is publicly stained. Even though these orchestrated spins are connected to the scramble for 2023, the idea of dragging the chairman’s name into the discourse is to incredulously hurt the credibility of the chairman’s topnotch profile. The whole idea is to rubbish him with frivolous allegations without giving him a fair-hearing, generate enough smoke, provoke a protest by propping up those deregistered briefcase political parties, and even go a step further to institute a court action over nothing.

It should be noted that Mahmood Yakubu’s nomination or appointment is not a fresh one, having earlier fulfilled the conditions and requirements precedent to his appointment ab initio. It will amount to repetition to go through the earlier process he has fulfilled in 2015. This current nomination is a continuation of his earlier process which the Senate will need to confirm or ratify to grant him that continuity. Secondly, it is in the interest of Nigeria democracy to have Mahmood and some other National Commissioners continue for the sake of tapping into their experiences. By 2022, almost 34 Resident Electoral Commissioners would be exiting from INEC due to expiration of tenure. Five National Commissioners have already exited. In 2021, additional six national commissioners would also be exiting. That

will make for fresh new appointments to fill the vacancies. The responsibility of conducting credible, free and fair election is better guaranteed if experienced hands are made to conduct the exercise. It is the reason for the improved election of Attahiru Jega-led INEC in 2015, because of lessons learnt from the 2011 elections that were fraught with too many credibility problems. INEC cannot afford to go into the 2023 election with almost entirely new appointees, reason why the continuity of Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure becomes apposite.

It will also serve the interest of credible election for other national commissioners who have not served the mandatory two terms to be re-appointed to help strengthen the electoral process.

For those who may not know, Professor Yakubu served as the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), during which he introduced a lot of innovations to strengthen infrastructural development of tertiary institutions across the country, enrich their curricula content, and encourage research-based approach to widening the scope of university education in the country. Till date, his record of achievements remains unbeaten during his five years stint at TETFUND. He transformed it from a funding agency for all levels of education in Nigeria to focus more on tertiary education in line with the original idea of ASUU whose struggle led to the establishment of the agency in the first place.

He also worked with the National Assembly to amend the law to exit basic and secondary education, as standalone agencies. Mahmood brought transparency in the management of the agency by introducing for the first time, the annual stakeholders meeting at which funds allocated to benefitting institutions by the Board of Trustees in line with the enabling law were made public. Aside from that, he started the Academic Staff Training & Development programme through which thousands of lecturers of public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education were sponsored for postgraduate studies within and outside Nigeria.

During his tenure, he introduced the sponsorship of academic staff for conferences in Nigeria and abroad which broadened

their horizons. In 2008, barely a year into his appointment, he initiated the National Research Fund domiciled at TETFund to sponsor academics for research and innovation on a competitive basis, as well as commenced the National Book Development Fund to enable academics in public institutions to publish scholarly books out of their dissertations and/ or research works.

As an academic with a profound understanding of the workings in the universities, he supported the revitalisation of professional journals by making available seed grant to over 100 professional associations in addition to procuring copies of these journals for distribution to libraries of public tertiary institutions. Much on the physical infrastructure on the campuses of Nigerian public tertiary institutions are from TETFund intervention. As a way to ensure judicious use of the funds, he initiated the Special High Impact intervention in which considerable amount of funds were allocated to institutions on the equality of geopolitical zones. For example, the tallest building--10-storey--in Yaba is built on the campus of Yabatech through this intervention to alleviate the acute problem of space on the campus. In the area of learning resources, much of what is available in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria is from TETFund intervention, whose operational foundation he laid.

It is part of these experiences and innovations he has brought to bear on INEC to strengthen and enrich the electoral processes through staff training, human capital development, improving the conduct of credible elections, and ensuring a more workable card reader system during voting. Under his leadership, he has stabilised the operations of INEC by making it more digitally compliant to best practices the world over. The Edo and Ondo elections are good references. Those who are presently trying to give Yakubu a bad name in order to hang him should know that his trajectory and upward swing has been a product of character, distinction, intellectuality, diligence and capacity to impact meaningfully in any given assignment.

Abubakar wrote from Ilorin, Kwara State

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

EDITORIAL

TERM LIMITS AND AFRICAN LEADERS There is an urgent need to strengthen institutions of state across the continent

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very presidential system of government always prescribes a term limit. In the United States from where it originates, the maximum is two-terms of four years for any president. But this provision has been undermined in some African countries with curious constitutional amendments that are usually undertaken to serve the selfish interest of the incumbent. From 1990 to date, no fewer than 30 African leaders have tried to extend their regimes by tweaking constitutional term limits. From Togo to Senegal to Burkina Faso to Congo Republic to Rwanda and now Cote d’Ivoire, BESIDES LACK OF GOOD attempt at selfGOVERNANCE ACROSS perpetuation is now the fad.

THE CONTINENT, THERE While regional IS A CRYING NEED TO bodies such as STRENGTHEN OUR the Economic INSTITUTIONS Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) are facing growing pressures against such aberration, member states remain strongly opposed to any intervention on what is considered the ‘internal affairs’ of the countries involved. Yet these ‘constitutional coups’ are a way to cement presidential power — and they confer on those who engage in the practice an appearance of legality. After all, they can always claim that it is the ‘choice’ of the people.

What is worrying is that these constitutional changes are usually enforced with human rights abuses. For instance, in Congo, demonstrations followed President Joseph Kabila’s attempt to modify the electoral laws and to stay in power beyond the two terms outlined in the country’s constitution. In the crackdown that followed, no fewer than 27 protesters were killed. After the protests, the Congolese parliament eventually removed the controversial article that would have allowed President Kabila to remain in power beyond the pre-

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scribed term. Meanwhile, Kabila had assumed the presidency in 2001 at the age of 29 after his father was assassinated. After the constitution was amended to allow presidential candidates under age 35, he was reelected in 2006, and again in 2011. In 2016 crisis broke out. At the end, Kabila reluctantly chose not to drag his country into another war. But others are not that perceptive.

In 2015, President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi won re-election to a third term, despite a constitutional two-term limit. Protesters clashed with government forces, while opposition candidates boycotted the election.

Nkurunziza claimed the country’s legislature had elected him to his first term as president, making him eligible to run for two additional terms. In many other countries, such legal counter-measures are underway. An example is Cote d’Ivoire where the constitutional court cleared the path for President Alassane Ouattara to seek a contentious third term, despite protests in several cities.

The main concern now is that in Cote d’Ivoire history may repeat itself. Against the background of a whispering campaign that he might tinker with the constitution, President Ouatarra announced in March this year that he would not seek to extend his tenure. But in July, he changed his mind and eventually contested the manipulated 31st October 2020 presidential election which he won. It is instructive that no fewer than 3,000 people were killed in the 2010 violence that brought Quatarra to power because his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo played the same sit-tight game.

Thus, besides lack of good governance across the continent, there is a crying need to strengthen our institutions. Institutions of state are weak and easily manipulated. What Cote d’Ivoire deserves is not the subterfuge of tinkering with the tenure of the incumbent but rather serious governance anchored on meeting the aspirations of the people. That is what is also expected of other African countries.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to speciďŹ c publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

WOMEN REPRESENTATION: THE KAMALA HARRIS EXAMPLE

“W

e did it. We did it, Joe’, the new Vice-President-elect of the United States of America, Kamala Harris was captured in a viral video saying to the President-elect, Joe Biden over a telephone conversation, just moments after reaching the mandatory 270 electoral votes mark.

It was the evening they officially won the United States presidential election.

Her brown skin blended with her green tracksuit; black sunglasses reflected the sun, and her smile grew wider and wider as she spoke.

Every gender advocate and supporter of women representation could barely contain the excitement of having the very first female Vice President of the United States.

The 56-year old former United States of American Senator has a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. A woman; a Black woman was going to be America’s Vice President – the highest position to be held by a woman in the United States. At last, here was a United States leader who was a microcosm of the gender representation that has always been craved for.

As a matter of fact, political analysts

have argued that the moment it was obvious that Joe Biden’s running mate was a woman, and not just any woman, but one who has actively made her imprint on politics, the Democrats’ support across United States and some part of the world erupted and spread like the good news of their emergence. This indeed made people rooted for both of them even more.

From then on, it became a personal journey. The gush of excitement amidst hysteria was laced with huge optimism as results of the US elections trickled-in. Alas, history was made!

The presence of women in leadership positions mostly brought criticisms about their looks, marital life, and previous challenges amongst other things that had nothing to do with their competence, character or capacity. However, having watched Harris at Senate hearings; the way she challenges ideas and cross-examines them, gave important consolation, there was no doubt about capability. Thus, there is optimism that she would bring that energy to her position as Vice President.

It is uncommon to see female leaders around the world. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the President of Argentina,

and Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, are some of the few female leaders in the world, and they have continuously demonstrated phenomenal leadership in their various countries.

However, the only female leader Africans have had is Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the President of Liberia.

In Nigeria, only six women have emerged as Deputy Governors, since 1999.

Currently, only Enugu, Kaduna and Rivers States have female Deputy Governors.

Statistics show that there is only 6.7% female representation in elective and appointive positions at the national level.

We have always been a country that looks up to the United States; now we hope that Nigeria emulates the United States. It is 2020, 21 years since our uninterrupted democracy, and the only female governor Nigeria ever had, served for three months.

Dame Virginia Etiaba was sworn-in as the Governor of Anambra State after the impeachment of Peter Obi, by the state legislature for alleged gross misconduct.

However, she transferred her powers back to Obi three months later when an appeal court nullified the impeachment. This is no doubt the closest a female has come to an executive echelon.

Sadly, the patriarchal nature of African societies scarcely makes women aspire to leadership roles. However, the world is evolving rapidly, and civil society organisations like Yiaga Africa, TechHerNG, amongst others, are focusing on changing that mind-set. This is why the emergence of Kamala Harris as Vice President is very instrumental at this point. It took America 232 years since their independence, and 100 years since women got the rights to vote, to have a female vice president. Let us hope it does not take Nigeria, and any other countries that long.

One would say that typically, Harris went for the subordinate position, but it’s a start. It is America, and we needed to start somewhere. While it is 2020, and the idea of a ‘first Black’ or ‘first female’ anything is a bit disappointing, you will agree that it is fantastic that Kamala Harris is both.

Any Black female can now look at her and derive inspiration of leadership. In Kamala Harris’ own words, ‘‘While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,’’ and we hope so.

Chinemerem Onuorah is a Community Organiser and Communication Assistant at Yiaga Africa

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TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 •T H I S D AY

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020

POLITICS

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

New Pressure Group Challenges Tinubu’s Control in Lagos Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that a new pressure group, Lagos4Lagos has emerged with the sole aim of returning decision making organs to Lagosians, away from the perceived control of the National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu

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n the colonial history of Nigeria, Lagos State played a special role as a British colony. Then a colony centered in the Port of Lagos in what is now Southern Nigeria, Lagos was an envy of the colonialists and a treasure throve to the natives. The colony and the protectorate were to be incorporated into the Southern Nigeria in February 1906, and Lagos became the capital of the Protectorate of Nigeria in January 1914.

Since then, Lagos has undergone series of political evolution that have largely impacted and imparted on its leadership structure and configuration. At every turn of its political epoch, Lagos state has continued to be the cynosure of all eyes in the contest for political power and relevance.

Being strategically and competitively endowed both in geographic location and national preeminence, the contest for power ownership and the question of building formidable structure has become a major issue amongst political actors and gladiators since recorded history.

While the former Lagos British Colony was defended and protected by the West African Frontier Force of old as agents of the colonial British, however the modern history of the state is replete with stories of political hegemons who have continued to define and direct the political compass of the state of aquatic splendour.

Specifically, since the emergence of the current democratic dispensation, Lagos state has remained firmly in the political grip of the National leader of All Progressives Congress, (APC) Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, better known as Jargaban Borgu.

The subsequent formation of anti-military movements and the co-ordinated opposition to the continued military rule in the country then did not happen without the significant intervention of Tinubu. These and several other attributes of the APC National leader, a political avatar have combined to earn him respect amongst peers and generations after him.

The discontent coming on the heels of his perceived presidential ambition in 2023 and his perceived penchant for politics of imposition, has fuelled a widespread agitation from all quarters to alter the existing power structure and hegemonic control of the state which is believed to reside in Tinubu. To achieve the objective of a paradigm shift in the political configuration and power holding system in the state, a new frontier appears to have finally emerged.

The group is known as Lagos-4-Lagos Movement. Membership of the political movement consists of well-educated young men and women, many of whom have made their mark in their various trade and professions.

They also include the youth, the elderly, male and female cutting across all demographics.

Unveiling the movement last week, the facilitator, Mr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor said the main goal of the group is to restore decision making power back to Lagosians and in the process birth a Lagos that will work for and benefit all and not just a priviledged handful as has been the practice.

He said, “Our goal is to restore decision making power to Lagosians and birth a Lagos that will work for, and benefit All in Lagos and not just a priviledged handful as has been the practice”.

Speaking further, Adediran, Chairman and Group CEO of Core Media Group revealed that many Lagosians had become weary of the alleged politics of imposition in the state and would want an end to what he described as an ugly trend in 2023.

The group said that since 1999, one man had continued to dictate who governs the state many years after he left office.

Adediran pointedly said that Tinubu, a former governor of the state and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had

Adediran

single-handedly determined who governed the state, since he left office in 2007.

“It is time for Lagos to work for Lagosians, hence the mantra, ‘Lagos4Lagos’. For many years, Lagos has only worked for a few individuals,” he said. The group explained that everyone resident in Lagos State was entitled to a good life irrespective of state of origin. It alleged that many indigenes and residents of the state have not enjoyed the goodies that the state has in abundance and that only a few entrenched interests have enjoyed and continued to enjoy.

“If you want to succeed, you have got to need a new strategy. That’s why we have decided to start on time to engage with relevant agencies, individuals and influencers and seek their collaboration towards this mission. Let us stop this new normal of one individual determining what happens on the political arena of a state.

It is no longer fashionable for people to think that with a hefty war chest you can bulldoze your way into power without the people’s mandate,” the convener said.

Making allusion to what transpired in the last 2019 general election, he said: “In Kwara State, the people rose up to end a culture of political entrenchment. We saw that some people had excess money to perpetuate themselves in power; the masses rose up and took the state back. We want to defeat the entrenched interest in Lagos. After many years of research; we have come to provide a solution to the challenge.”

He noted that winning election starts from engaging people at the grassroots not on twitter, facebook or television channel. “We have discovered that for many years those who have won elections have done so on one man’s structure. So, ours is a project that we aim to use to defeat them. If you look at the election result from 1999, the voting number has continued to dwindle. You see that people are dropping off. People are no longer interested in voting. Registered number of voters has continued to shrink,” Adediran noted.

According to him, “We are interested in taking back our state. In the last governorship election in Lagos, there are over two million registered APC members, over six million registered voters, but Babajide Sanwo-Olu won with only 739, 000 votes. It shows you that even members of the party are losing interest. So, we want to reawaken people’s interest in voting process.

We are targeting everybody whether indigene or otherwise using the Team Jandor platform.

“We are reaching out to core indigenes through the Ipinle Eko platform and also reaching out to the elite group in Lagos through the Eko United platform.

Over the years, we have discovered that members of the elite group in Lagos State do not vote. We want to sensitise them to take their future in their own hands by deciding who governs them. They should not allow thugs, area boys or the downtrodden who collect sugar, a few cups of rice and other handouts

The group is known as Lagos-4-Lagos Movement.

Membership of the political movement consists of welleducated young men and women, many of whom have made their mark in their various trade and professions.

They also include the youth, the elderly, male and female cutting across all demographics. Unveiling the movement last week, the facilitator, Mr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor said the main goal of the group is to restore decision making power back to Lagosians and in the process birth a Lagos that will work for and benefit all and not just a priviledged handful as has been the practice. He said, Our goal is to restore decision making power to Lagosians and birth a Lagos that will work for, and benefit All in Lagos and not just a priviledged handful as has been the practice

to mortgage their future.

That is why we have come up with Lagos4Lagos mantra that speaks for everybody.

We have structure in all the wards in Lagos State.” He also claimed that, “Since 1999, we have only had one governor in Lagos. Every other person has been a tenant.

This individual even decides who becomes an Oba in my village. Ours is a political movement that wants to change the course of things in the state. It is not about party. It is about making Lagos work for everybody.

The way it has been going on for years, Lagos has not been working for everybody.

As long as you live and pay your tax here, the state must work for you.” When asked if he would not drop the project in the event that promises of settlement are made, the convener said, “Except you have that Executive power, you will not be able to do what is good and just for our people which is our driving force.

If you see anybody supporting a bad system, it means such a person is benefitting from it.

“I want to tell you that we have been to reach every nook and cranny of the state, and the acceptance level has been very high. Many people are not happy about what is going on in the state. No dynasty, however will last forever. There is always a terminal point.” On whether he has the money to prosecute the project when the time comes, he said: “Talking about war chest, this is the thing they have been using to scare us away. They will say you don’t have money; they will kill you, etc.

But we are determined this time around to stand on our feet.” On how to raise money, either crowd-funding or other means, he said that would be determined as the days draw nearer. And that as people continue to have trust and belief in what they are doing, they could gladly make financial contribution when the need arises.

Adediran explained that “What we are doing now is already seen as an affront on our leaders. For us who believe we want to do the right thing, only a court of competent jurisdiction can stop us. What we are doing is not at all to fight anybody, but they see it as an affront. But we want to return to the past when we used to elect our own. We are trying to challenge the narrative. Anytime we want to have an election, a few months to that election, they will unveil a candidate who does not know anywhere. But we have already travelled and traversed the state to see things for ourselves- the challenges of the people; how they live, the terrain, etc. We are not just looking for power, just to occupy office. We know what we want to do with it.”

Dismissing the allegation that he is a mole in the state APC planted by some politicians not resident in Lagos, he said although it was true that he had mentioned the project to some of them close to him, there was no input whatever into what he is doing from anybody in terms of finance. He said he mentioned it to them because of his personal relationship with such individuals, emphasising that none of the individuals can dissuade him from going ahead with what he believes in. “I can tell you for free that their kobo is not on this project,” he said.

Asked if he hoped to get nomination from the APC seeing what happened to Ambode in the last governorship primary of the party in the state, he said, “Do you think if our party remains the way it is now till 2023, that they would give me governorship ticket; every other thing the leader may give, not governorship.

I know what is happening in the party today, but I know that many things will still happen before the election. So, it is naive for me to be frightened and stop my idea.”

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020

POLITICS

For Ezekwesili, It’s Time Fix Nigeria’s Broken Political Process Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that former Vice President of the World Bank and 2019 Presidential candidate, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili seeks to inspire better citizens engagement in the political process with her novel initiative known as #FixPolitics

Ezekwesili

Jega

Bakare

Soludo

A

by citizens,” Ezekwesili said.

She also said, “The research found that Nigeria is ridden with politicians without competing ideas of how to solve the problems of citizens, who lack a culture of public service and subordinate the common good to their personal and narrow interests.

“The constitutional, legal, institutional and regulatory environment is compromised by the political class to more frequently act without independence, fairness and adherence to the rule of law. The political space is thus completely monopolised by the supply side of governance, that is the political class, thereby causing political, economic and social stagnation for the nation and people.

“Currently in our politics, voters generally lack the level of influence necessary to compel the right political processes and good outcomes that serve the good of all in society.

“The bright prospect is that evidence from the #FixPolitics research shows that citizens are the only angle of the triangle that can act and propel systemic change by collectively and decisively acting for their common good.”

To alter the status quo, Ezekwesili said only the electorate “have the incentive to correct the abnormality in a political system.”

She added, “It is the collective effort of citizens that can change the quality of political class and compel the kind of constitutional and electoral changes required to achieve good governance.”

Delivering a keynote address, former President Felipe Calderon of Mexico

said there was an enormous gap between the interests of the citizens and that of the politicians, which he saw as a major problem to a democratic setting.

“To fix politics in Nigeria, the citizens and the politicians must work together and represent the same in practical life,” he said.

Calderon further said that “citizens must change their perception of politics and political participation rather than holding to a view that politics is for corrupt and dishonest people.”

According to him, corrupt people are quite the opposite of what politics stands. “To fix politics is what happens when the people participate and take responsibility to provide political participation with ethical sense and ethical parameters,” Calderon added.

In a goodwill message, former President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda, said politics should be seen as an inclusive love affair and if institutionally implemented, “Africa will witness a great change in its democratic system.”

While dissecting the dynamics of democracy, three intergenerational panels with discussants like Prof.

Atahiru Jega, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Aisha Yesufu, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Jude Abaga (also known as M.I Abaga), Cynthia Mbamalu, Yemi Adamolekun, Samson Itodo, among others, agreed that there was an emerging consensus to fix politics in Nigeria as the status quo was untenable and unsustainable.

Speakers like Dr. Hakeem BabaAhmed, Ayo Sogunro, Ndi Kato, Adewunmi Emoruwa, and Dr. Usman

Bugaje highlighted that “there is a need for young people and women to fully engage in partisan politics, create platforms for political engagement, use politics as a tool for framing a shared vision based on a new dominant value orientation of public service, connect the elite with the grassroots and mobilise the Nigerian public to mount pressure on the legislature for the right constitutional and electoral changes.”

Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Fakhrriyah Hashim and Adamolekun spoke at the first panel session titled, “Is there an Emerging Consensus to Fix Politics?” Dr. Jibo Ibrahim moderated the discussion.

Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed was joined

by Aboyeji and Mbamalu to discuss “Emerging a New Value-based Political Class.” Dr. Amina Salihu served as the moderator.

Jega, Itodo and Ayo Sogunro took the podium as discussants on “Mobilising a Citizens-led Constitutional, Political and Electoral Reforms,” while Idayat Hassan was the moderator.

The event also featured a documentary on “The Journey to #FixPolitics” as well as another panel session on “Emerging an Empowered and Engaged Electorate,” which was rationalised by Ndi Kato, Adewunmi Emoruwa, and Dr. Usman Bugaje. Chioma Agwuegbo moderated the session.

Ezekwesili in a statement by her spokesperson, Ozioma Ubabukoh, said the mission of the group was to elevate the office of the citizen to its rightful place in Nigeria and develop a political class of servant leaders.

“The Work Study Group aims at using the public launch of #FixPolitics to inform Nigerians about the research outcomes and stimulate public conversations and unleash ideas that will help emerge an empowered and engaged electorate, produce a new value-based political class and mobilise a compelling public campaign for constitutional, political, and electoral reforms,” Ezekwesili said.

“The overarching objective of the public launch event is to provide opportunity for a ‘Call-to-Action’ to a wider audience of citizens to join the Work Study Group members of #FixPolitics in crystallising the most effective collection action programme that can transform Nigeria’s politics.

“Such launch of activities that will over the years and decades consciously and systematically mobilise citizens across multiple divides of the Nigerian society to take responsibility and collectively course-correct their struggling democracy is the ultimate mission of #FixPolitics.”

quest to understand the interconnection between politics and economic performance in a democratic society motivated Richard von Weizacker fellowship and research study at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili has said.

She stated this at the public launch of #FixPolitics, where she presented findings from her fellowship research on how to fix politics in Nigeria and Africa more broadly.

Ezekwesili invited 124 Nigerians from diverse fields of endeavour and geopolitical zones to collaborate on designing the research findings over the last one year as a Work Study Group. The group is the co-leadership organ responsible for an integrated citizens-led actions to fix the broken political system.

She pointed out that politics in Nigeria was not fulfilling the core requirement of a democratic system, which was to provide good governance for the common wellbeing of citizens.

“My research findings primarily reinforce that the poor state of affairs in Nigeria is the consequence of the quality of politics at play.

Politics is at the heart of everything any society can or will become. The essential process of democracy is not complete without politics,” the 2019 Nigerian Presidential candidate said.

In her study, she established primarily that in a democratic system, “there are three triangular pillars which determine the kind of outcomes that politics will produce for the people.

Explaining the concept, the former World Bank Vice President said, “On the right angle or demand side of the triangle is the electorate; on the left or supply side is the politicians, political class and parties; and at the top is the regulatory - constitutional, legal, electoral and institutional context within which the politics happen.”

According to her, these tripod pillars create an interconnecting network of actions that determine the outcomes of every political system.

“Every pillar or angle of the triangle must function effectively and concurrently with the other two to enable the right quality of politics that will deliver strong economic performance for a people.

“In evaluating the outcome of politics in Nigeria and Africa, my study established that the quality of the electorate, quality of political class and quality and lack of independence and capacity of political institutions constitute a structural and systemic problem for democracy and must therefore be fixed

The bright prospect is that evidence from the #FixPolitics research shows that citizens are the only angle of the triangle that can act and propel systemic change by collectively and decisively acting for their common good.

To alter the status quo, Ezekwesili said only the electorate “have the incentive to correct the abnormality in a political system. She added, “It is the collective effort of citizens that can change the quality of political class and compel the kind of constitutional and electoral changes required to achieve good governance

20

T H I S D AY ˾ NOVEMBER 24, 2020

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 08038901925

Collaborative Support for SMEs in Nigeria In a bid to encourage entrepreneurial growth in Nigeria, especially for women and youths, TBWA Concept, a strategic and creative communication outfit, is collaborating with Ford Foundation to train 10,000 SMEs, writes Mary Nnah

T

hat Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the bedrock of any society is undeniable as they play a major role in most economies, particularly in developing countries.

In fact, SMEs account for the majority of businesses, play the backbone of major developed economies, as well as important contributors to employment, economic and export growth.

This can best be attributed to the entrepreneurial drive of the SMEs. Keying into this entrepreneurial drive, TBWA Concept, a strategic and creative communication outfit, recently partnered Ford Foundation to train 10,000 SMEs. According to the Chief Executive Officer /Managing Director of TBWA Concept, Kelechi Nwosu, their target to reach SMEs would be carried out through the SMEs Shop.

Describing TBWA Concept, he said it is an international team that is part of the Omnicom group, adding that they “are a network of agencies that believe in what we call “disruption” and we have supported brands all over the world in very many countries.

In Nigeria, we became part of TBWA about 20 years ago and we have been working here with very many bands. We have got a huge history of supporting brands with strategic and creative outputs”.

don’t understand the fundamental and core of it - the 4Ps and 7P. Those elements are critical for any business to thrive.

“Leadership and management strategy is important for a business.

These are the kinds of things that even the banks look out for because these are the things that will make your business to be successful.

“Digitalisation; now with COVID-19 and the fact that we would no longer do business the way we used to do, a lot of things have changed. People can actually fulfil and provide their businesses almost remotely. If we are not able to do that, it means we would not have business continuity.

“So if you are producers, you have to be able to produce and take to your consumers without physically seeing them. So you get to learn about digital commerce and all that. Those are the gabs we are trying to fill and those gabs are real.”

SMEs Shop Speaking on the SMEs Shop which they are organising in conjunction with Ford Foundation, Nwosu said: “SMEs Shop is our construct at TBWA Concept to intervene in the SMEs world. We recognise that these SMEs Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of TBWA Concept, Kelechi Nwosu are the engine of economic growth, “For the 50, we have sent out as everybody says but the real truth some of the resources and intellectuals is that we are all SMEs, most of the given that they believe in development questionnaires and based on the companies in Nigeria are still SMEs and support, especially of women responses on the questionnaires, we and young people, to be sure that would shortlist and then talk to those by definition and character. who believe in growth because we “I mean if we do not have more they are growing. need people who are ambitious and than 45 people working with us, we want to grow. And have problems Understanding the Concept are really a SME. So, we do know During the forthcoming training, that we can look into.” that 95-96 per cent of the companies in Nigeria are in the real sense of they are targeting about 10,000 Effects of COVID-19 on SMEs SMEs and for us to achieve growth as SMEs and on this, Nwosu said they With the COVID-19 pandemic, most in real growth, the SMEs in Nigeria came up with this programme by understanding the needs based on SMEs almost went on their knees need to fire up.

“So the SMEs Shop is an opportunity the current situation of a lot of SMEs, as they could barely stay afloat. for us to launch a unit that we sup- adding that they did a little bit of Addressing this challenge, Nwosu port and grow the SMEs sector in the survey and research and “then we said: “First there have been reduced country. And under that platform, have built a capacity enhancement demands because people don’t even we have supported a few brands and programme in modules; there is have enough money to even buy. The we have also had a few initiatives. one that is talking about access to second is that they reduced supply In fact, three years ago, we had an funds, there is one that talks about because the producers, manufactures marketing and branding, there is one and makers do not have the opportuniinitiative in Aba. “It was quite successful in bringing that talks about digitalisation and ties to make because there is nobody knowledge and awareness to Aba and then business remodelling – we have who is demanding.

“At some point, we had a lockdown also in supporting a few brands. This four buckets with different experts and couldn’t even move. So it remains year in February, we had a convening talking to them.

“They are going to be put online that most businesses have suffered. in Nnewi, which was about how to get people to collaborate with Nnewi for free for SMEs. We are targeting They have either not been able to to grow Nnewi into an industrial hub about 10,000 all over the country and produce their stuff or even the ones focusing on the automotive industry. the idea is that as we also go, we they have produced nobody has “Now, this initiative that we are have set a questionnaire to recruit 50 bought. There is therefore the need working on, which we call, “Stay of these SMEs based on criteria with for people to do a re-evaluation of Safe Economy Programme”, is in their various problems. And 40 of situation and think about how they conjunction with Ford Foundation who these 50 will be women. That is the want to come out of it, especially now has been more gracious to support brief we agreed with Ford Foundation that things are beginning to open up a most of our initiatives. They sup- and we would do live consultations little bit more. So COVID-19 has been particularly bad on us economically. ported in Aba, Nnewi and now they for those 50 SMEs; free as well.

“There were even a couple of ecoare supporting this recent initiative nomic cracks before even COVID-19 Qualification to grow and help SMEs to overcome On what qualifies one to be a for most people, therefore, if you look some of the problems they have had during pre-COVID, post- COVID and partaker of any of these modules, at the gab areas that we are trying afterwards so as to return safely to he said: “The 10,000 is for anyone to fulfil, access to fund – funding businesses and have business recovery who runs a SME and is ambitious. It is not everything, but people also and continuity for them as well as is free and the videos will be there. have to know how to get access to We are even talking to market clusters these funds and we would be talking be competitive.”

On the role Ford Foundation is in Nnewi, Aba, Kano and Kaduna in about that in the videos. Think of playing, he said they not not only addition to the online market that brand marketing; a lot of us have abused the word branding. They provide the funds, but also provide we are going to do.

Expectations For each training, there are expectations for the participants and this one is not different. Nwosu opined that they expect that it would help people mitigate negative economic effects of COVID-19.

“The small businesses have had a tough time. They have a bit of resilience and they’ve got a bit of recovery. It will also change their behaviours. The way we were doing businesses in pre-COVID era, I don’t think we can continue doing business that way. So people need to change their behaviour therefore they would create a recovery programme for themselves, job opportunities for axillary and partner industries and hopefully, there should be a catalyst somewhere for these businesses to begin to grow post the pandemic. “ It would also support women. The thinking is that more women SMEs leaders go through a rougher path when you’ve got a downturn than the men. It may not be institutional but there is a literature to suggest that there might be disadvantages in even things like access to funds in running businesses when it comes to women and we need more women actually to run businesses.”

Platforms On the platforms to connect with the target audience, he noted that there is a link and it is being hosted by www.smeshop which has already opened since November 11, adding that “it’s online and a website that people can get on to and all they need to do is to register and be part of it”.

Advice On what advice to give to SMEs, he said everyone needs to work with the understanding of what works or does not work for him or her and then utilise it. “When you expand the 4Ps of marketing, one of the Ps stands for partnership and partnerships are critical especially in our lives now – in our environment and context.

“You don’t need to be everything nor the one who understands everything because nobody ever does. You need to have an advisory board that consists of people who can advise you; have a mentor. That's a sort of partnership and collaboration. Know where you are weak and get people to support you.

That is what partnership is about,” he added.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 • T H I S D AY

21

22

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 • T H I S D AY

LAWYER

A

WEEKLY PULLOUT

24.11.2020

Femi Falana, SAN

‘The Ship of the Nigerian State, is Sinking’

2/DASHBOARD

24.11.2020

LAWYER

A

WEEKLY PULLOUT

24.11.2020

E F R I C ’ N PAGE 4

Femi Falana, SAN

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‘The Ship of the Nigerian State, is Sinking’ QUOTABLES ‘There is a moral, social and ethical reconstruction, to be undertaken as well. We must rebuild trust between the Government and the governed, the vast majority of whom are young persons; trust between the law enforcement agents and the communities that they are meant to serve.’

- Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, Professor of Law, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria 'We need to understand what the National Assembly, the Legislature, means to Nigerians..... In a budget of over N13 trillion, National Assembly will have its budget of N125-128 billion. What percentage is that? It’s less than 1%. So, where is the remaining 99%?-....." - Senator Ahmed Lawan, President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria

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/3

24.11.2020

#ENDSARS: Of Truth and Believability #ENDSARS Update Permit me to comment on the update of the Lekki Tollgate incident of October 20, 2020 - ‘Black Tuesday’. I had mentioned previously, that unless we called in foreigners to employ technology to get to the root of what actually occurred by means of satellites etc, we would remain in the realm of speculation, allegations and denials; and would probably not be able to depend on the Nigerian authorities to tell us what transpired on that fateful evening, as they are famous for being economical with the truth, and for cover ups - and that goes for most administrations that have ruled Nigeria, not just this present one. After all, till today, we do not know who murdered late Dele Giwa, Chief M.K.O. Abiola GCFR, Bola Ige, SAN, and Funso Williams, nor do we know when President Umaru Yar’Adua passed on.

Changing Narratives After the initial denials about it not being soldiers of the Nigerian Army, but fake soldiers at the scene of the Lekki Tollgate incident on Black Tuesday, Amnesty International (AI) gave a vivid account of how the Army moved from their Barracks, Bonny Camp, through Ozumba Mbadiwe to the Tollgate - thereby, refuting that claim - and AI was promptly denounced by Government spokespeople; we then moved to who invited the Nigerian Army to the scene; then to Mr Governor being responsible for calling for the Army's assistance, but not asking them to open fire on innocent flag carrying, anthem singing Protesters; then to the Army claiming in the media and even at the Lagos State Panel of Inquiry, that the soldiers fired only blanks and not live bullets; then to no one dying on Black Tuesday, to only one person dying from shock or trauma (I’m not sure), then to two people dying.

It is therefore, curious, that though the authorities only admitted that two persons died, the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, Honourable Justice M.A. Dada, put out a public announcement in the newspaper, asking that anyone whose family members were missing between October 19th and 27th should contact the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, for an identification exercise of the deceased. Black Tuesday occurred on October 20th, and if no one died that day or prior to that day, surely the call should have commenced from October 21st (Looting Wednesday) onwards, when the violence is said to have erupted (undisputed).

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigerian Army, FGN & Ors v CNN However, the CNN independent investigation seems to have disproved the Army’s statement, as its investigation revealed that real live bullets were fired at the Lekki Tollgate on Black Tuesday.

Spent bullet casings from the scene were analysed, and the origin of the said bullets were traced to Serbia, where the Nigerian Army purchased ammunition regularly between 2005 and 2016!

Even if the Government is telling the truth that blanks were fired, we can conclude from the CNN Report, that live bullets were also fired.

And now, the Army has conveniently released yet another snippet of information in a statement dated 22/11/20, (following CNN’s Report), admitting that they went to the Tollgate with blank and live bullets, but still claiming that only blanks were fired into the air, not at the Protesters, with no evidence to debunk CNN’s report in respect of live ammunition!

As Lawyers, we are aware of the ‘burden of proof’, which was superbly and succinctly defined

by Amina Adamu Augie JCA (as she then was) in Sterling Bank Plc v Falola 2015 5 N.W.L.R. Part 1453 Page 405 at 429 thus: "Burden of proof is the duty to offer evidence in proof of a party’s assertions or counter-assertions".

In this particular sense, the burden of proof is not static, as it shifts from one party to the other, that is, when one party discharges the burden of proof on an issue, it behooves on the other to disprove those facts with his or her own evidence. See the Supreme Court case of Sokwo v Kpongbo 2008 7 N.W.L.R. Part 1086 Page 342. Also see Sections 135-137 of the Evidence Act 2011 (EA) on the burden of proof, on whom it lies, and how it shifts.

It is also trite that, he who alleges must prove.

My point? The Nigerian Army and Alhaji Lai Mohammed have failed to discharge their own burden of proof. So far, they have failed to adduce any evidence to support their claims; such claims must be backed by evidence, and not just word of mouth. The burden of proof shifts back to the Army and Lai Mohammed to disprove CNN’s evidence, by proving their own facts - CNN having discharged its evidential burden. This is how it works in law! Calling CNN irresponsible and threatening them with sanctions, as we say in legal parlance, goes to no issue, not unless the name calling is backed with solid evidence that neutralises CNN’s evidence.

Again, the fact that the Government and the Army have changed their story several times, not only affects their believability and veracity as witnesses, but is prima facie evidence of dishonesty and makes their testimony somewhat unreliable.

See Section 210 of the EA; also see Ikono v State 1973 5 S.C. 231 per Udo Udoma JSC (as he then was) about Judges not attaching any weight to the evidence of a witness whose veracity is in doubt. Lai Mohammed did say in his 2015 Screening on the floor of the Senate, that his grandchild had asked him why people referred to him as ‘Liar Mohammed'. At the time, the Senators found him hilarious, but isn’t there a saying about many a truth being told in jest?!

While CNN is not infallible, it is known to be a television news station of repute, not one that is particularly known for deliberately broadcasting false information. But, even if CNN were known as pathological liars (which they most certainly are not), Nigeria should dispute their investigation and denounce them as liars, with superior evidence.

How extremely sad it is, for a Government whose primary purpose is the security and welfare of its people, and the protection of their lives and property, to be accused of unleashing violence on its own children who were unarmed. If this allegation is proven to be true, will it not be ironical that the #ENDSARS protest, the purpose of which was to decry SARS/Police brutality, especially against our Youths, was responded to by Government with Army brutality on the same Youths, who did nothing wrong, but exercise their rights guaranteed

by Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) (the Constitution)?

And for those who claim that there was a massacre on Black Tuesday, be it CNN or anyone else, that remains in the realm of speculation, until it is proven to be true with solid evidence.

A massacre is defined as “an indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of many people”. No one has been able to irrefutably adduce evidence that a massacre occurred; and while it is possible that more than two people died during the incident, the actual number of deaths has not been ascertained.

The plots thickens! The bottom line is that, there must be accountability, and those found culpable, punished for their crimes. The world watched the #ENDSARS protests, and if we had a Government

in place who the world felt would serve the ends of justice in this matter, I don’t think outsiders would be interested in investigating anything or going ICC, ICJ or wherever. However, the constantly changing narratives of Government, are absolutely suspicious and uninspiring.

Issues in Judicial Independence Judicial Remuneration A couple of years ago when I attended the Beginning of Legal Year Events in Lagos, I noticed a retired High Court Judge whom I am acquainted with, at the event. His outfit looked old and faded, his shoes, worn out; and I immediately felt a lot of pity for him. After serving the Judiciary faithfully for so many years, why was he looking so wretched? Last week, I confessed to you all that I have become a ‘cry baby' over Nigeria's matters - so, revealing once again, that I was moved to tears as I watched the retired Judge in his 'Eleran suit' (Meat Seller's suit), should be no surprise.

I have always maintained that Baron de Montesquieu's doctrine of Separation of Powers where the three arms of government - the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary are co-equal and act as checks and balances against each other (Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Constitution), does not exist in Nigeria, at least, not as its originator designed it to be. On the contrary, I have shared my humble opinion a few times, that in Nigeria, the Executive comes first in hierarchy, then the Legislature, and then the Judiciary, a distant third! Some believe that my assertion is arguable, because these days, since Politicians are now professional litigants, with all aspirants and candidates going to court to determine who will run for election or who has won the election, the Courts/Judiciary have become more powerful than the electorate, because at the end of the day, the Judiciary gets to decide who occupies positions in these cases, making it just as powerful as the other organs of Government, if not more.

And one of the most popular examples that has been cited in recent times as support for this assertion, is the Supreme Court case of Senator Hope Uzodinma & Anor v Rt. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha & 2 Ors SC. 1462/2019 Judgement delivered on 14th January, 2020, where by virtue of the Apex Court's decision, the Appellant who was declared by INEC to have come fourth in the Imo State Gubernatorial election, was declared to be the winner of the election, and thereafter, became the Governor of the State to the chagrin of many.

Be that as it may, in terms of remuneration and status, the Judiciary continues to take the third position, year in, year out. That our Judges/Justices who have not received a salary increase since 2007/2008, are possibly the hardest working in the world under the harshest conditions, is a fact.

That being a Legislator in Nigeria is almost like being in a holiday camp, compared to being a judicial officer in Nigeria. Yet, the budget of the National Assembly exceeds that of the Judiciary, while members of the National Assembly are obviously better paid.

Have you been to the Federal High Court, Lagos?

The court rooms are like match boxes! - tiny, so much so that the Judges, Lawyers, court clerks, and litigants are practically sitting on top of one another, especially on Monday (call over day). While Legislators can afford the luxury of implementing social-distancing protocols in their ‘comfy’, spacious air conditioned chambers, court rooms at the Federal High Court, Lagos are the perfect venue to contract the Covid-19, because of size, overcrowding, and lack of adequate ventilation.

I have another friend who is a Judge outside Lagos; their own courts get flooded every rainy season, and they usually have to evacuate their court rooms. One day, I telephoned him, and as usual, our conversation was lengthy. He then kindly offered to send me N10,000 credit, to top up my phone. I was so amused. If I tell you the reason for my amusement, you will know which State I’m talking about! Suffice it to say, I

“THE BURDEN OF PROOF SHIFTS BACK TO THE ARMY AND LAI MOHAMMED TO DISPROVE CNN’S EVIDENCE, BY PROVING THEIR OWN FACTS - CNN HAVING DISCHARGED ITS EVIDENTIAL BURDEN. THIS IS HOW IT WORKS IN LAW! CALLING CNN IRRESPONSIBLE AND THREATENING THEM WITH SANCTIONS, AS WE SAY IN LEGAL PARLANCE, GOES TO NO ISSUE......”

told him not to bother, because I knew that the N10,000 was a sacrifice for him, and in reality, I should probably be the one topping up his phone!

Surely, the call to be a judicial officer, cannot be a call to suffering and poverty?! Yet another Judge I know was telling me that it is a struggle for her to maintain her one child, and she didn’t know how her brother Judges who had several children, were coping with the expenses. Sad. Reforms for the Judiciary: Teasers The issue of reforms for the Judiciary is a serious one, which we shall focus on extensively in the near future, and hopefully, proffer solutions. I would like my learned colleagues, to consider this very important issue, and make your contributions.

In the meantime, here are some teasers - Judges/ Justices should definitely receive a salary increase now - FACT; since they are not allowed to engage in any other business during their period of service, and are more or less past employment age when they retire, should Government not provide good accommodation for them on their retirement and a decent pension package? So far, it looks like only Lagos and Rivers State are taking steps in this regard, and augmenting their Judge’s salaries and packages with allowances, vehicles, houses for retirement and the like. Should newly appointed Judges receive the same salaries as those who have been on the Bench for 10 or 20 years? Or should the salaries be graduated, depending on the number of years (like the UK)? Should jurisdictions like Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja which have busier dockets than other States, be on the same salary structure as those with less work to do?

Should salaries of judicial officers not be reviewed every few years? Should more Judges/Justices be appointed in the busier jurisdictions, and even appellate courts where their dockets are full of political appeals which are time bound, therefore, resulting in other matters suffering serious delays and adjournments, sometimes to more than a year ahead before they can be heard? Should the retirement age of all judicial officers be the same?

How do we return the system of appointment of Judges, to one based on merit? How do we make the Judiciary truly independent? And, how do we restore the glory of the Judiciary, to make it truly the co-equal third arm of Government, that it was created to be?

4/LAW REPORT

Effect of Failure to Record Interpreter of the Charge’s Name Facts The Appellant, a certain Lekan Olatayo and one Fatai Ademola, lived together in a single-room apartment at Oke Abesu, Osogbo. A girlfriend of Fatai Ademola, by the name Bilikisu Adeyemi, subsequently joined the trio and was living with them in the one-bedroom apartment. On 31st May, 2005, at about 1 a.m. after the said Fatai Ademola had sexual intercourse with the girlfriend and slept off, the Appellant and the other house-mate – Lekan Olatayo, forcefully raped Bilikisu. In order to muffle her cries while she was being raped, they used a loaf of bread to block her mouth. This resulted in suffocation of Bilikisu, and ultimately, her death.

The Appellant and the said Lekan Olatayo, were therefore, arraigned before the High Court of Osun State of Nigeria on a-two count Charge of conspiracy to commit murder and murder of Bilikisu Adeyemi, contrary to Sections 324 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34 Volume 11, Laws of Osun State, 2003.

In proof of the case at the trial court, the Prosecution called three witnesses and tendered evidence, including the statements of the Appellant and the other accused person (which were confessional in nature). The accused persons objected to the admissibility of the statements, on the ground that they were not voluntarily made. The objection informed the trial-within-trial conducted by the trial court, after which the court admitted the statements in evidence.

At the end of the trial, the court discharged the accused persons on the first count. On the second count however, they were each sentenced to death by hanging by the neck. The appeal filed by the Appellant to the Court of Appeal was not successful; hence, the further appeal to the Supreme Court.

Honourable Paul Adamu Galinje, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 13th day of March, 2020 Before Their Lordships

Olabode Rhodes-Vivour Chima Centus Nweze Amina Adamu Augie Ejembi Eko Paul Adamu Galinje Justices, Supreme Court SC.514/2015 Between Suraju Olanrewaju …

…

…

Appellant

…

Respondent

And

Issue for Determination Whether the trial and conviction of the Appellant at the trial court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal, was not a nullity.

Arguments Counsel argued on behalf of the Appellant, that the Appellant was not properly arraigned before the trial court; and as such, the trial which led to his conviction was a nullity. Counsel submitted that, though the trial court disclosed in its record that the Charge was read and explained to the Appellant in the language he understands, the name of the interpreter was not so stated. He contended therefore, that the provision of Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Law of Osun State was not complied with – KAJUBO v THE STATE (1988) 1 NWLR (Pt. 73) 721. Counsel submitted further that, aside from the date of arraignment, when the trial Judge noted in the record of proceedings that an interpreter was provided (though the name was not specified), the subsequent proceedings did not disclose in the record that an interpreter was provided. He concluded that the failure to provide an interpreter from the beginning to the end of the trial, vitiated the trial conducted thereby. He relied on the decision in AKPIRI EWE v THE STATE (1992) 7 SCNJ 15 at 19 and the provisions of Section 36(6) (a) and (e) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

Court’s Judgement and Rationale Deciding the appeal, the learned Justices held that an arraignment is not a matter of mere technicality; it is an important initial step in the trial of a person on a criminal charge.

The State

…

…

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Paul Adamu Galinje, JSC)

“WHILE THE STEPS AND PROCEDURE AT TRIAL DURING ARRAIGNMENT, IS FOR THE TRIAL COURT TO RECORD WHO READ AND EXPLAINED THE CHARGE TO THE ACCUSED PERSON, FAILURE OR OMISSION TO REFLECT THEM IS NOT FATAL TO THE PROCEEDINGS SO AS TO RENDER IT A NULLITY, ONCE ARRAIGNMENT WAS CARRIED OUT IN A MANNER WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY REGULAR”

Where there is no proper arraignment, any subsequent trial is a nullity, notwithstanding the cogency or strength of the evidence adduced by the Prosecution – KALU v THE STATE (1998) 13 NWLR (Pt. 294) 385.

By Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Law of Osun State, for a proper arraignment of an accused person before a trial court, the following three elements must be satisfied: (i) The accused person shall be placed before the court unfettered, unless the court shall see a cause to otherwise order; (ii) The Charge or Information shall be read and explained to him in the language he understands to the satisfaction of the court, by the Registrar or other officer of the court; and (iii) The accused shall then be called upon to plead instantly thereto, unless an objection in respect of the writ of service of a copy of the information, is successfully taken.

In this case, the Supplementary Record of Appeal shows that the Appellant was in court, and was fully represented by counsel on 13th November, 2007 when he was arraigned in court; the Charge was read and explained to him in English language and interpreted in Yoruba language, before he was asked to plead thereto. While the steps and procedure at trial during arraignment, is for the trial court to record who read and explained the Charge to the accused person, failure or omission to reflect them is not fatal to the proceedings so as to render it a nullity, once arraignment was carried out in a manner which is substantially regular – OLABODE v STATE (2019) 11 NWLR (Pt. 1157) 279. This is more so, as counsel for the Appellant did not raise an objection to the absence of an interpreter, or posit that failure to provide an interpreter deprived the Appellant of an opportunity to follow the proceedings at the trial.

Where an interpreter is provided at the arraignment of the accused person and the record does not show that an interpreter was provided at subsequent proceedings, there is presumption of regularity that an interpreter was provided at subsequent proceedings, unless the accused person is able to prove otherwise – FRN v MUHAMMED (2014) 3 SCN 53 at 86. The presumption of law, in line with Section 169 of the Evidence Act, 2004, is that the Appellant waived the services of an interpreter, and that he was not prejudiced by the failure to provide an interpreter. The Appellant failed to displace the presumption of regularity of the proceedings, which is the subject of appeal. As such, the Apex Court will not interfere with the concurrent findings of facts by the trial court and the Court of Appeal.

Thus, the sole issue posed for determination was resolved against the Appellant; the conviction and sentence passed on the Appellant was thereby, further affirmed.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation Prince Abioye A. Oloyode Asanike for the Appellant.

Dapo Adeniji, (Ag. Attorney-General, Osun State) with Adekipakinikan Tijani for the Respondent.

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

24.11.2020

NEWS/5

Experts Suggest Policy Shift, Human Capital Development, to Cushion Effect of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Growing Population â&#x20AC;Śas Ă&#x2020;LEX holds its 14th Annual Lecture ([SHUWV IURP YDULRXV Ă&#x20AC;HOGV KDYH VWDWHG WKDW WKHUH KDV WR EH GHOLEHUDWH SROLF\ VKLIWV DV ZHOO DV KXPDQ FDSLWDO GHYHORSPHQW WR FXVKLRQ WKH HIIHFW RI WKH FRXQWU\¡V UDSLG JURZLQJ SRSXODWLRQ 6SHDNLQJ GXULQJ WKH Â?/(; WK DQQXDO OHFWXUH 0RKDPHG <DK\D 5HVLGHQW 5HSUHVHQWDWLYH WR 1LJHULD IRU WKH 8QLWHG 1DWLRQV 'HYHORSPHQW 3URJUDPPH 81'3

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J-K Gadzama LLP Set to Host its 12th Annual Public Lecture With the theme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rebuilding the Nation Post the Covid-19 Outbreak: The Judicial, Economic and Political Perspectivesâ&#x20AC;?, the law firm of J-K Gadzama LLP will hold its annual lecture this year virtually today, from 3-6pm via the Zoom platform.

Expected dignitaries at the event include; 1] Hon. Justice I.T. Mohammed, CFR Chief Justice of Nigeria; as Chairman of the Lecture.

2] Dr. Mahdi Shehu Chairman, Dialogue

Chief J-K Gadzama, SAN

Group; as Keynote Speaker.

The discussants at the

event include; A] Nella Andem-Rabana, SAN, Principal Partner of Lexglobal Partners.

B] Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, Professor of Law at the University of Jos. C] Dr. Sam Amadi, Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

D] Akinlabi Akingbabe, Partner/Head of Chambers, J-K Gadzama LLP. To moderate the event is Madu Joe-Kyari Gadzama Junior, Partner, J-K Gadzama LLP.

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Resident Representative to Nigeria for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mohamed Yahya

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Isreal Ogundipe, Celestial Church Televangelist, Sentenced to One Year in Prison Peter Taiwo An Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos has sentenced a popular Televangelist, and the head of Genesis Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ, Alagbado, Lagos, one Isreal Ogundipe, to one year imprisonment, after being found guilty of unlawfully converting a woman's property and stealing.

Justice Olabisi Akinlade found the Prophet guilty of two counts of stealing and unlawful conversion of property not delivered, and sentenced him to a year in prison on each count, to run concurrently.

However, the court did not find the Prophet guilty of five other counts of stealing,

Isreal Ogundipe

inducing delivery of money by false pretences, giving false information to a public officer and forgery.

The trial Judge ordered that he should pay the Complainant, a London-based Architect, Mrs.

Oladele Williams-Oni, the sum of N11million which he illegally obtained from her.

"Both sentences are to run concurrently, and the Defendant is to make restitution to the Complainant, the sum of N2.5million in respect of count two (stealing) and N8.5million in respect of count 4 (unlawful conversion of property not delivered)", the trial Judge said.

Following the judgement, Mrs. Rotimi Odutola, the lead prosecuting counsel for Lagos State, thanked the court for its well considered judgement.

Ogundipe, who had been on trial since 2011, was charged with seven counts of obtaining by stealing, inducing delivery of money by false pretences, unlawful conversion of property and forgery.

PHOTO NEWS

LAUNCH OF LAGOS COASTAL PLASTIC SEARCH L-R: Dr Alero Roberts, Vice President, Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Mrs Ekua Akinsanya, Proprietress, Greenwood House School, Onikepo Braithwaite, Editor, This Day Lawyer, His Royal Majesty, Ă&#x2019;ba AbdulWasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, Abisogun II, the Oniru of Iruland, Mrs Olutoyin Ojora Saraki, Founder/President, Wellbeing Foundation and Supporting Partner of the Lagos Coastal Plastic Search, and High Chiefs of Iruland, during a visit to the Ă&#x2019;baâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Palace after the Launch of the Coastal Plastic Search last Friday

6/

24.11.2020

Lai Mohammed's Hatred for Media Freedom This article by Emmanuel Onwubiko examines what the writer believes to be unnecessary attacks by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and this administration, on the constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of expression and of the press, especially in relation to the Minister’s latest comments on the CNN Investigation and Report on the Lekki Tollgate incident of October 20, 2020 concerning the #ENDSARS Protesters and the Nigerian Army it is the freedom to hold opinions, receive ideas and information, and impart ideas and information without interference. Social media is used in reference to the means of expression, other than the main stream media.

Background

T

he Minister of Information and Culture, the Kwara State- born hitherto relatively unknown Lawyer, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has in the last five years of his stint in the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, done nothing but to work in cohorts with anti-democratic forces and reactionary elements embedded in the National Assembly, to design and introduce proposed legislations targeting the whittling down of the increasingly expanding frontiers of media freedoms, which is the global trend.

His latest dance of shame, is his attacks against the United States of America's based Cable News Network (CNN) and his angst which represents the mind of President Muhammadu Buhari, is all about the effrontery and courage displayed by the international media giant to authenticate the widely held claims that indeed, peaceful protesters in Lekki Tollgate Lagos, on October 20th were shot at by a group of soldiers.

Recall that around October 19th or so, the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan (both accused of being Yes-men to the President), visited Aso Rock to meet with the head of the Executive Arm of GovernmentPresident Muhammadu Buhari. They said they met behind closed doors, over the circumstances surrounding the nationwide peaceful protests against Police’s excessive deployment of force and the deployment of extrajudicial killings of civilians, as policing tactics. As they rose from that meeting, the Senate President spoke to the media and asked protesters to leave the streets, since, according to him, their grievances have been heard by the President. He sounded a note of warning, that the Government would not allow the protests to go on longer than necessary. 24 hours after that speech by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, peaceful protesters at Lekki Tollgate Lagos on October 20th, were reportedly attacked by soldiers who wanted to flush them out of the streets barely a few hours after the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu had announced a State-wide curfew.

Controversy That incident has however, become very controversial going by arguments and counter-arguments, with a lot of contradictory statements and claims emanating from different government officials and the military. The Officials try to hide the fact that, the peaceful protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20th, were purportedly shot at by soldiers. However, some of those who were eye witnesses, including some actors and entertainers such as DJ SWITCH who broadcasted the said military attacks live to the world, maintained that indeed, the protesters were attacked by soldiers.

This, and many other claims were investigated by the United States of America's based CNN, using the latest technology to unravel the facts that indeed, soldiers shot at peaceful protesters. This bold finding of the CNN did not go down well with the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who staged a press conference few days back to castigate the CNN over their reports and to threaten to blacklist or sanction the television station that operates from the USA, meaning that it is not within the jurisdiction of the National Broadcasting Commission of Nigeria. This is a dance of shame on the part of Lai Mohammed, because as a public official paid by taxpayers, it is absolutely intolerable that he would be seen taking sides against the public good. Besides, what he has demonstrated by threatening the CNN, is that there are facts that the Government has about why the peaceful protesters were attacked by both armed hoodlums all over the country, and by the military at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20th, which the public are not aware of. Could it be that the attacks were State-sponsored terrorism? If not,

Freedom of Expression in Nigeria Section 39 of the CFRN entrenches the right to freedom of expression, in the following words:

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed

why is the Federal Government so angry with the United States television network, which ought to be commended for helping us out to unravel what actually happened on that day which the Lagos State Governor is spending millions of taxpayers money to set up a judicial panel?

Lai Mohammed’s Coordinated Attacks Against the Media This latest outing of Lai Mohammed, is just one in the series of coordinated attacks against media freedoms and freedom of expression. It looks like both the National Assembly and the Federal Executive Council are made up of anti-democratic forces, who are very uncomfortable with media freedoms. They should be tutored on what constitutes constitutional democracy. Constitutional democracy cannot work, without freedom of expression and/or media freedom.

This is because freedom of expression is one of the fundamental rights provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)(CFRN).

By virtue of same and other international instruments,

“IT LOOKS LIKE BOTH THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ARE MADE UP OF ANTI-DEMOCRATIC FORCES, WHO ARE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH MEDIA FREEDOMS.....

CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY CANNOT WORK, WITHOUT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND/OR MEDIA FREEDOM”

(1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.

2. Without prejudice to the generality of subsection 1 of this section, every person shall be entitled and operate any medium for the dissemination of information ideas and opinions.

Provided that no person, other than the Government of the Federation or of a State or person or body authorised by the president on the fulfilment of conditions laid down by an Act of the National Assembly, shall own, establish or operate a television or wireless broadcasting a station for the any purpose whatsoever.

Similar provisions are found in Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, Article19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

It does not appear a mere coincidence that Section 39 of the CFRN which provides for freedom of expression, comes immediately after Section 38 which provides for right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Next to thought, is expression.

The basis for this right therefore, cannot be over- emphasised in a democratic society.

It is one of the essential foundations of a democratic society, and the basic condition precedent of its progress and development, as held by the European Court on Human Rights in Handyside Case.

The Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, underscored this fact in the following words: "I think the debate that is ongoing now in society, is good for people to talk and have a debate. It is good for people to engage with others, and to hear their opinions and the ideas that drive those opinions. Whatever terms or words used should not be a cause of alarm, but, rather, to draw attention to the issues at hand we know that in some cases, some people try to stimulate interests, we read even in the media, sensational headlines because they want to draw attention to an issue, and it's important that people interrogate the issues. Fixation on a word or phrase would lead us nowhere, and it does not address the foundation or the root causes of the problem which the people are trying to raise in present present-day Nigeria. That should be the focus - that should be the most important thing. I think because people are kind of tired, people are fed up, they want to see improvements in their lives, in their communities, you find that everyone is looking for one way or the other to be heard. For me the best reaction would have been what exactly is happening: what exactly do we need to show that there is light at the end of the tunnel? And we can bring people who are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs to the table, so that we can engage and discuss. I think that is needed a lot more now, to engage, discuss and deliberate, to hear the people's concerns and problems. Trying to stifle free speech, is not going to get that necessary discussion that we need to have among people who have different views on the current state of affairs in the country."(Culled from Punch Newspapers, September 8, 2019).

Restriction of Freedom of Speech The Supreme Court per Ayoola JSC, in the case of Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal v Okonkwo (2001) 85 LRCN 908 declared that the courts cont'd on page 7

24.11.2020

/7

Lai Mohammed's Hatred for Media Freedom cont'd from page 6

are the institution society has agreed to invest with the responsibility of balancing conflicting interests, in a way as to ensure the fullness of liberty without destroying the existence and stability of society itself. Therein lies the wisdom and need for qualification of all rights, including this one most essential right.

The primary restrictions on the right to freedom of speech are provided in Sections 39(3) and 45(1) of the CFRN. Section 39(3) provides thus: "Nothing in this section shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society(a)For the purpose preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, maintaining the authority and independence of courts or regulating telephony, wireless broadcasting, television or the exhibition of cinematograph films; or (b) imposing restrictions upon persons holding office under the Government of the Federation or a State, members of the armed forces of the Federation or members of the Nigeria Police Force or other Government security services or agencies established by law.

"Section 45(1) CFRN reinforces the foregoing by stating that: "Nothing in sections 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 of this Constitution shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society - (a) In the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or (b) For the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of the other persons.”

In the case of Gozie Okeke v The State (2003) 15 NWLR (Pt.842) 25, the Supreme Court held that the word "reasonable" in its ordinary meaning means moderate, tolerable and not excessive. In this regard, there are extant laws in Nigeria which seek to prevent abuse of free speech. Section 24(1) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 makes it a criminal offence to send a message or other matter by means of computer systems of network that is grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, or causes any such message or matter to be sent or he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, injury, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another or causes such message to be sent.

Also Section 24(2) of the Act criminalises transmitting or causing the transmission of any communication through a computer system or network to bully, threaten or harass another person, where such communication places another person in fear of death, violence or bodily harm or to another person.

In the same vein, there is the tort of defamation under a victim of abuse of freedom of speech can seek redress besides the criminal offences of defamation and injurious falsehood under the Criminal Code and Penal Code. Section 391 of the Penal Code Law makes it a defamation to speak or represent by mechanical means or by signs or visible representation, or publish any imputation concerning another intending to or knowing or having reason to believe that it will harm the reputation of the person. While a false statement of fact under similar circumstances, is injurious falsehood under Section 393 of the Penal Code Law. There are similar provisions in Sections 373, 374and 375 of the Criminal Code Laws of the Southern States. Besides, there are various provisions in the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission Act dealing with violations which have become known as "hate speech" with varying degrees of sanctions.

The Problem of Over Regulation and Limiting Access to Social Media To require more than the existing laws have provided, would portray the Government in a bad light and pitch it against the people, and any such further regulation will only take Nigeria centuries back in civilisation, with attendant consequences of gross and flagrant abuse like in the colonial era, or the immediate aftermath of military dictatorship which had such over-regulation like the laws on sedition by which a lot of persons were frequently charged and convicted, for what ordinarily would be fair comment by citizens of democratic society. A lot of these cases are high profile cases with potential to cause political tension, affect the peace and stability of the entire country which the proponents of the of social media regulation claim to want to prevent. This would further deepen the already entrenched distrust between the people and Government. This way, the Government loses its right and benefit of feedback from the people.

As much restriction or qualification of the right to freedom of expression is desirable and also constitutional, the operating words for any such restriction or qualification, is that it should be "reasonably justifiable in a democratic society". And although the question of what is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society is a matter of fact

Chief Executive Officer, HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko

depending on the circumstance of each case, it means that restriction of the right should not be arbitrary or targeted at silencing opposition, or a tool of getting back at public criticism or negative perception of governance or government policies or the running of the affairs of the State which social media is perceived to be achieving, but wholly about democratic ideals and practices. These were the underlying bases for which the law of sedition was introduced into our society basically to protect the so-called sovereign and her colonial government, and it does appear history is about to repeat itself.

Thus, a discourse on the regularisation and over- regularisation of the right to freedom of expression or debate on preventing "hate speech", cannot be complete without a consideration of the law of sedition which, though has been held to be inconsistent with the Constitution, still exists.

There is legal definition of sedition, but Section 50(2) of the Criminal Code defines a "seditious intention" as an intention: “ to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the person of Her Majesty, her heirs or successors, or the person of the Governor-General or the Governor of a Region or the Government or Constitution of the United Kingdom, or of Nigeria, or of any Region thereof, as by law established or against the administration of justice in Nigeria; or to excite her Majesty's subjects or inhabitants of Nigeria to attempt to procure the alternation, otherwise, than by lawful means, of any other matter in Nigeria as by law established; or to raise discontent or disaffection amongst Her Majesty's subjects or inhabitants of Nigeria; or to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of the population in Nigeria”.

This law led to more turmoil than peace as evident in

“THIS 9TH ASSEMBLY WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE SET OF PERSONS THAT STRANGULATED CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY, SHOULD THEY PROCEED TO PASS THESE SET OF DRACONIAN BILLS”

many trials. In D.P.P. v Chike Obi, the Defendant was convicted for sedition for the publication like a typical social media tantrum: "Down with the Enemies of the People, the Exploiters of the Weak and Oppressors of the Poor etc. directed at the Federal Government of Nigeria.

In James Ogidi v Commissioner of Police (1960), a published telegram which accused the Customary Courts of a Division of being used to oppress the supporters of an opposition political party were held to be seditious. In R v Agwuna (1949) 12 W.A.C.A 456, the Defendant, Chief Osita Agwuna, was convicted of sedition for his lecture titled, ‘A call for Revolution’ in which he referred to the British colonial masters as a common enemy, adding that they had a plan to continue their domination of Africa till the duration of the third world war and that “we must forget our so-called differences and direct our energy towards the common foe, or else we remain like this for another fifty years”.

The law wizard, Chief FRA Williams, SAN, in the Chike Obi case, postulated that "Any law, which punishes a person for making a statement which brings a Government into discredit or ridicule, or creates disaffection against the government irrespective of whether the statement is true or false... is not a law which is reasonably justifiable in a democracy".

The unconstitutionality of the law of sedition finally came to the fore in the celebrated case of Arthur Nwankwo v The State (1985) 6 NCRL 228 in which the Appellant was charged with sedition for publishing and distributing a book entitled, ‘How Jim Nwobodo Rules Anambra State’. The court examined the case in the light of Sections 36 and 41 of the 1979 Constitution, which gave all Nigerian citizens the right to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, except as stipulated by the Constitution itself. The Court of Appeal concluded that the law of sedition as Contained in Section 51 of the Criminal Code, derogated from the constitutional provisions on freedom of speech guaranteed under the 1979 Constitution; more so, when the publication could not lead to public disorder envisaged under Section 41(2) of the Constitution. The Court made very far reaching pronouncements that, to date, continue to guide modern and present view of whether there is need for more regulation or restriction of the right to freedom of speech, especially in the light of the advent and outburst of social media.

The Court held thus: "... While Chike Obi v D.P.P, (Supra), Wallace Johnson v the King (1940) AC 231, were birds of their respective periods, it is my view that Sections 50(2), 51 and 52 which cover them are inconsistent with the provisions of Sections 36 and 41 of the 1979 Constitution, and are by implication repealed from the first day of October, 1979.

There is no ban in the Constitution... against publication of truth, except in the provision and security necessities embodied in those sections.

If a publication is false news with intent to cause fear and alarm in public, there is Section 59 of Criminal Code to cover it. If a person feels defamed, there is the civil remedy of suing for libel or slander. There are also provisions in Chapter XXXIIl of the Criminal Code Law as to criminal defamation - see Section 374 thereof. By looking at the Constitution in the light of existing law so as to accommodate and save the provision of existing inconsistent law, defeats the purpose of Section 274(3) of the Constitution. If the existing law is inconsistent with the Constitution, the existing law is null and void to the extent of that inconsistency".

Conclusion It is a firm view that society thrives on robust plurality of ideas and opinions, and the availability of information.

Freedom of speech offers that platform for the exchange of those ideas, and should not be unnecessarily clogged in the name or form of laws that seek to guard against hate speech and the like.

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) hereby asks the National Assembly and Lai Mohammed to suspend ad infinitum the current attempts at introducing obnoxious legislations to curb access to social media, create a Commission against the so-called hate speech, and the attempt at muzzling press freedoms.

Democracy thrives on free speech.

This 9th Assembly will go down in history as the set of persons that strangulated constitutional democracy, should they proceed to pass these set of draconian bills.

All right thinking citizens of Nigeria must wake up, and oppose these choreographed attacks against media freedoms and freedom of expression by Lai Mohammed and the National Assembly.

Emmanuel Onwubiko, Chief Executive Officer, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA); former Federal Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria

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24.11.2020

‘The Ship of the Nigerian The new consciousness raised by the #ENDSARS protest has left in its wake, a new set of challenges, victims and heroes. One obvious victim, is Truth. This was further driven home when the International Television News Station, Cable News Network (CNN) came out with a damning documentary of what they believe transpired at the Lekki Tollgate, and the adverse consequences. One of Nigeria’s foremost Human Rights Lawyers, Femi Falana, SAN, in an interview with Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi, gave his perspective of what led to #ENDSARS, the initial denial that soldiers weren’t present at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020, Nigeria’s embarrassing threat to sanction CNN, and why he thinks the ship of the Nigerian State is not only wobbling, but sinking

Y

ou have been a Human Rights Activist for decades, and been a part of numerous protests over the years, especially during the military era. Was the recent #ENDSARS protest by the Nigerian Youths just another usual protest, and if not, what set it apart from those of the past? What is your opinion of Government's reaction to the protest? Do you think the Panels of Inquiry will yield any positive results?

Frankly speaking, it was an unusual protest in many respects. First, all strikes and mass protests were led by the labour unions in recent years. The Federal Government had succeeded in aborting the September 28 planned strike, by the nation's central labour unions. So, while rejoicing over the Pyrrhic victory, the Federal Government dismissed all citizens who were aggrieved over the fuel hike and increase in electricity tariffs.

Second, there was the feeling in official circles, that Nigerians had been cowed and conquered. Third, not a few Nigerians had called the youths a ‘yahoo yahoo’ generation. In fact, President Buhari once characterised them as a lazy generation. Some public officers even arrogantly said that, Nigerians could never stage a successful mass protest or revolution. Fourth, the youths had been completely written off as agents of change. Fifth, the #ENDSARS campaign had commenced in 2017, without any tangible results. Hence, no one expected any nationwide #ENDSARS protests in 2020. But, out of the blues, the protest took the nation by surprise due to the failure of the intelligence agencies to gauge the mood of the nation. Hence, the Government, thought that it would fizzle out and therefore, adopted a rather lackadaisical approach towards the resolution of the demands of the #ENDSARS protesters. What marked out the protest, was that it was carried out without any recognised leadership. Being a leaderless revolution, it was difficult to negotiate with the representatives of the group. What also marked out the #ENDSARS protest was the level of organisational capacity, the level of organisational coordination, and the level of determination of the participants

Femi Falana, SAN

“WHAT ALSO MARKED OUT THE #ENDSARS PROTEST WAS THE LEVEL OF ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY, THE LEVEL OF ORGANISATIONAL COORDINATION, AND THE LEVEL OF DETERMINATION OF THE PARTICIPANTS TO ACHIEVE THEIR CHOSEN OBJECTIVES”

to achieve their chosen objectives. The youths wanted an accountability mechanism to expose police brutality in the country. The revelation of horrendous brutalisation of victims of police brutality, has justified setting up of the panels of inquiry. The exposure of brutality, is the first stage of the process. The second stage is the implementation of the recommendations of the judicial panels, including payment of reparation to victims, and prosecution of indicted murder suspects and other torturers.

For the first time, Nigerian youths came out massively to protest nationwide against the unprecedented violations of human rights by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police. As one who has for many years defended the rights of victims of Police brutality, what are your takeaways from the historic event which ended on a rather sad note in which lives were lost? Would you say the protest achieved any meaningful purpose?

As I did say, the #ENDSARS campaign commenced in 2017. At the material time,

a Presidential Panel was set up to probe police brutality. The campaign did not succeed, as the Government refused to release the report of the Panel. But, the Government has begun to implement the decisions of the Presidential Panel, which had been dumped. During the youth revolt, violence was introduced by sponsored thugs who attacked the protesters in Lagos and Abuja, with apparent connivance of security forces.

Since the thugs were treated like sacred cows as they were not arrested and prosecuted, other thugs took control of the situation and embarked on looting and burning of public and private properties. The thugs then became hoodlums, in the lexicon of the ruling class.

It is hoped that, the Nigerian people will demand for the ban on the use of thugs by the political class. Before the protests, Nigerian youths were not organised to defend the rights of the people. The patriotism of the #ENDSARS campaigners, has proved that the youths can play a vital role in the struggle for a new society. But, in concrete, the gains of #ENDSARS protests, include the abolition of SARS and replacement with SWAT; investigation of police brutality by judicial commissions of inquiry; At the Federal level, the National Human Rights Commission has instituted a Committee to investigate allegations of human rights abuse. The Federal Government has announced plans to implement the report of the recommendations of the 2018 Presidential Panel for the dismissal of 37 Police officers, trial of 24, and investigation of 22 others.

The Central Bank has earmarked the sum of N75 billion, as soft loans for the youths from 2021-2023. President Buhari has directed the Salaries and Wages Commission to embark on an upward review the emoluments of Police personnel.

I had thought that the Federal Government, would follow up on such gains. But, to show that it has not been defeated, the neo-colonial State is fighting back by seizing the passports and freezing the accounts of the leaders of the protesters. Having sufficiently drawn attention to Police brutality, the youths should ensure that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, African Charter on Human and

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State, is Sinking’ “IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS THREATENED TO SANCTION THE CNN. CAN YOU BELIEVE THE JOKE?”

People's Rights Act, Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Police Act, Gun Shot Act, Legal Aid Act and National Human Rights Commission Act, are respected at all times.

Do you know what really transpired at the Lekki Tollgate on that fateful Tuesday, October 20, 2020? The accounts which we are hearing from bodies like Amnesty International, are totally different from that of Government and the Nigerian Army.

Where does the truth lie? Do you think Government is trying to change the narrative? How do you think we can establish the true facts of what actually occurred? Would it require external assistance deploying the use of sophisticated technology?

The killing of protesters at Abuja, Benin, Lagos and Ogbomosho, preceded the Lekki Gate incident. But, Lekki has become a metaphor for the brutal killing of protesters, because of the involvement of soldiers. The whole world was flabbergasted, when the authorities of the Nigerian Army denied the presence of soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate. That is what President Donald Trump would call, fake news. Then the Army turned round and admitted that soldiers were at the Lekki Tollgate, but that they did not fire at the protesters.

While not preempting the ongoing probe, it has been officially confirmed that two people were killed, while scores were treated for gunshot injuries.

Some had bullets removed from their bodies. One of the victims, has had his right leg amputated. Since the life of every Nigerian matters, the Nigerian Bar Association decided to probe the killings in Oyigbo in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The investigators were chased out of the town. I am aware that the Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) has instituted a Panel of Inquiry, headed by Mr. Chino Obiagwu, SAN to investigate all the killings in the country, and has commenced work.

The local media houses, are probing the killings. CNN has just published its own account of the Lekki Tollgate illings. It is interesting to note that, the Federal Government has threatened to sanction the CNN. Can you believe the joke? Initially, the Government claimed that the riots claimed 55 lives. The figure has now increased to 100. But, there are others who insist that the figure of casualties is much higher than the official account.

We don't need to import experts to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the brutal killing of protesters, hoodlums and security personnel.

At the end of the day, the truth will emerge.

You were recently petitioned against to the International Criminal Court (ICC), over what some see as frivolous allegations against you. As a foremost human rights activist and

Femi Falana, SAN

the only Nigerian Lawyer who has handled so many cases at the ICC, how does it make you feel? Who and what would you say is behind the petition which has drawn so much attention in the media?

On May 22, 2003, the Police violently disrupted the political rally of the defunct All Nigerian People's Party in Kano and teargassed General Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo and other leaders of the party. A couple of days later, Dr. Okadigbo gave up the ghost on account of the smoke of teargas inhaled by him, since he was asthmatic. On the instructions of the ANPP and 10 other political leaders, I challenged the constitutional validity of Police permit for political rallies in Nigeria. In her considered judgement, the Honourable Justice Chikere declared Police permit illegal and unconstitutional. The Court of Appeal affirmed the judgement.

In 2014, I also challenged the ban on peaceful protests in the Federal Capital Territory by the ‘Bring Back Our Girls Campaigners’. The Honourable Justice Aladetoyinbo, set aside the illegal ban. Based on the campaign of the human rights community, the National Assembly amended the law to compel Police to provide adequate security during protests. The purpose is to prevent lumpen elements, from hijacking protests. Since President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo publicly conceded that the peaceful protest by the #ENDSARS campaigners was in order, I called on the Government to direct the Police to provide them with adequate security. On July 25 this year, the Federal High Court presided over

by Justice Aikawa, ruled that apart from the North East region, soldiers

cannot be involved in internal security without compliance with Section 217 of the Constitution. These are the reasons why it is said in the frivolous petition to the International ICC, that I was supporting protests before and during the #ENDSARS protests. I know that the Federal Government is not happy with me, for seeking to protect the fundamental rights of the #ENDSARS campaigners. As soon as an interim order was made restraining the soldiers from subjecting civilians to the security check on all roads in Nigeria, the authorities encouraged some people to demonstrate against me in Abuja.

Another reason why I have been targeted for cheap blackmail by the Federal Government, is that I have consistently stood against the extrajudicial killing of Nigerians by security forces. On behalf of the human rights community, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN and I visited Odi in Bayelsa after the military invasion which had led to the killing of hundreds of people, and the burning of the town. That was in 1999. In 2009, my colleague and I, challenged the military invasion of Gbaramotu in Delta State. In December 2015, the Nigerian Army engaged in the barbaric killing of 347 Nigerian citizens, whose bodies were buried in a mass grave in Zaria. A London based human rights group, petitioned the Special Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

The Socio-Economic and Rights Accountability Project, SERAP, had also petitioned the office of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in respect of the Lekki Tollgate killing. The ICC announced that it was looking into the case of the #ENDSARS

protesters. The United Nations Secretary General, publicly supported the peaceful protests in Nigeria. After the killings, the United Nations dispatched a Deputy Secretary General to Abuja who condemned the attack on peaceful protesters. For reasons best known to the Government, I am being held responsible for the externalisation of the #ENDSARS protests. So, the petition was designed to divert attention from the investigation of the actual killers of scores of protesters in Lekki, and other places. We need to review the post-Lekki killing of hoodlums and looters and IPOB members in Rivers State, as well as the counter-attack and killing of Police and military personnel.

There has been this raging controversy over the severance allowances, salaries and emoluments of past Governors, especially those who are now serving as Ministers and Senators. On which side of the divide are you? Do they deserve these humongous salaries for life, as presently obtaining in several States?

The payment of double salaries to ex-Governors has exposed the hypocrisy of the Federal Government, which claims so loudly, to be fighting corruption. At the very least, all former APC Governors ought to have distanced themselves cont'd on page 10

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‘The Ship of the Nigerian State, is Sinking’ cont'd from page 9

from the odious policy. Payment of double salaries is discriminatory and unjust, in any democratic society. The Federal High Court has ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation to recover the illegal double payments made to ex-Governors who double as Senators. But, the Lagos State Government that started the illegality, has decided to repeal the scandalous pension for former Governors. The Kwara State Government, has also decided to abolish it. Last year, the Zamfara and Imo State Governments, had abolished the obnoxious pension laws. Our duty is to continue the campaign, so that all the pension laws are abolished in all States of the Federation.

The economy is in shambles. Security has collapsed. Even ransom is paid to by the Government to secure the release of public officers, including security personnel kidnapped by criminal elements.

It does appear that the ship of the Nigerian State, is wobbling.

The economy is in dire straits, civil rights are threatened, and now, the pump price of petroleum which is a vital item in the economy, has been increased. This, is in addition to the over 300% increase in electricity tariffs. Many look up to Human Rights Activists like you, to take up the Government in this worsening state of affairs in the nation. What are your plans?

It is not just wobbling. The ship is collapsing, sinking. Another recession, is going to be declared very soon.

Representatives of the Labour unions are negotiating with the Government, with a view to resolving the crisis arising from the rash of increases. But, while the talks are ongoing, the prices are jumping to the roof following the total dollarisation of the economy by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Unfortunately, the talks are not addressing the cause of the economic crisis, which is rooted in the implementation of neo-liberal economic policies by the Government.

I have repeatedly made the point that, peripheral capitalism cannot lead Nigeria out of the woods.

A Government that is committed to the promotion of a self-reliant economy for the promotion of prosperity, has to mobilise the masses to embark on production and industrialisation. But, mind you, human rights activists are not politicians. Their primary duty is to defend and promote human rights.

Essentially, political and economic issues are outside the terrain of human rights struggle. However, the progressive extraction of the human rights community, is compelled to team up with the trade unions to fight economic policies that are considered inimical to the interests of workers and other oppressed people.

I am aware that, groups are organising to fight for the protection of their economic interests. I can assure you that, the ASCAB is in the forefront of such mobilisation.

You are Omoyele Sowore’s Lawyer, who after a turbulent brush with agents of the Government over his ‘#Revolution Now’ campaign was

Femi Falana, SAN and his children at the Occupy Nigeria Protest at Ojota in 2012, Falz (Folarin) (left), Foladeke (in white) and Folakemi Falana granted bail on stringent terms. He recently cried out, alleging that he fears for his life, especially after the #ENDSARS protests. What is the state of his case? Is there any substance to his allegations, or reason for him to fear for his life? What has become of Sheik El-Zakzaky and his wife?

Mr. Omoyele Sowore has been having a running battle with the Government, over his radical approach to journalism.

The Government had thought that the charge of treasonable felony, would silence him completely. But, that has not worked. He is restricted to Abuja, because of the pending criminal case.

The Government was unable to add terrorism to the charge, while the charges of money laundering and cyber stalking have been withdrawn. The delay in the trial was initially caused by the Government before the lockdown,

“IT IS NOT JUST WOBBLING. THE SHIP IS COLLAPSING, SINKING. ANOTHER RECESSION, IS GOING TO BE DECLARED VERY SOON.....THE BUHARI ADMINISTRATION HAS SYSTEMATICALLY, TERMINATED THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION.....

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED ABYSMALLY, IN ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF INSECURITY”

arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

Sowore is ready for the trial. He is anxious to have the case concluded. I want to believe that the trial will continue on December 8, 2020. I am aware that he has taken some precautionary measures, to keep himself safe. It is however, unfortunate that our country has been made unsafe once again, by the enemies of democracy.

After pleading not guilty to the charges, the trial court has dispensed with the presence of Sheikh Ibraheem Elzakzaky and his wife in court, on health grounds.

At long last, the trial commenced last week in the Kaduna State High Court.

The Prosecution has called six witnesses, who were cross-examined by the defence team. Further hearing has been adjourned to January 25 and 26, 2021.

Five and a half years into the Buhari Administration, how would you rate it, vis-a-vis its three pronged campaign promises of fighting corruption, insecurity and revamping the economy? What of its record in upholding the rule of law?

Without autonomy, the anti-graft agencies cannot function effectively. None of the anti-graft bodies is independent of the executive. The Presidential Panel on Recovery of Public Property, has been disbanded. The EFCC is being defanged.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal, claims to operate under the Presidency. A few cases are prosecuted on behalf of the Code of Conduct Bureau by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation. So, the Buhari administration has systematically, terminated the fight against corruption.

The North East zone is battling with terrorism. The North West, is confronting the menace of banditry. The remaining geopolitical zones, are being overrun by kidnappers and armed robbers.

The Federal Government has failed abysmally, in addressing the challenge of insecurity.

Last year, the Federal Government constituted a team of Advisers on the economy. But, no advice can arrest the promotion of poverty by the anti-people's economic policies dictated by imperialism.

We are being told that, the Government is broke. ASCAB said that, given the political will, the Federal Government could recover N94 trillion, either diverted or withheld from the Federation Account.

The Government has not been able to challenge our claim. We hope that the Government will listen to ASCAB, as Nigeria slides into the worst recession since 1987.

The question of upholding the rule of law does not arise, as the Federal Government has repeatedly maintained that, it has to give way to national security. Hence, court orders are routinely disregarded, while the Constitution and other laws are observed in breach by top government officials, to the detriment of political stability and national security.

Your son, Falz the Bad Guy, chose to follow your footsteps in human rights - fighting societal ills, but in a different way, through music. He is also a Lawyer, and many expected he would follow suit under your tutelage, learning the ropes of litigation. Are you and his Mother happy with his choices?

My wife and I had wanted Folarin to practice law, because it was crystal clear that he was going to be a good Lawyer. But, he decided to call it quits with legal practice, after about three years. I understand his decision to opt for music, but my wife did not quite agree with me. But, I am happy that she has no regrets whatsoever, over the young man's decision.

Folarin decided suo motu, to study law. He has also chosen his own way of life. It is however, unfair to accuse me of using him to embarrass the Federal Government. In January 2012, he took part in the Occupy Nigeria protests at Ojota in Lagos. He was then, less than 22 years old. Since then, he has developed politically. The Buhari regime banned his "This is Nigeria". It is therefore, fruitless, to subject him to any form of harassment over his involvement in the #ENDSARS protest.

Thank you, Learned Silk.

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24.11.2020

Advance Fee Fraud and Counsel’s Fees: Any Correlation?

S

legal practitioners (including): “a. the maximum charges which may be made in respect of any transaction or activity of a description specified in the order; “b. The ascertainment of the charges appropriate for any transaction or activity by reference to such considerations as may be specified; “c. The taking by practitioners of security for the payment of their charges and the allowance of interest with respect to the security; and “d. agreements between practitioners and clients with respect to charges.”

In addition to these provisions Sections 16, 17 & 18 of the Act (called “the remuneration provisions” in Section 19 of the Act), contain other provisions which impinge on counsel’s fees and lay out the modalities for their recovery. The Act defines “charges” as “any charges (whether by way of fees, disbursements, expenses or otherwise) in respect of anything done by a legal practitioner, in his capacity as a legal practitioner”.

hort answer: none – beyond, that is, the fact that, some of their enabling statutes, in my view, are ultra vires the legislature which enacted them, namely the National Assembly – at least in terms of their geographical spread or scope.

What do I mean? I will shortly explain. But, first, the mandatory background…

The Constitution It is a constitutional truism that legislative power in a Federation is shared between the component federating units, i.e., the Federal, State and Local Governments, respectively. This is the same with Nigeria, under the 1999 Constitution - indeed, for the past 40-odd years (i.e., since the 1979 Constitution). The implication is that any legislature which purports to act outside the scope of its powers - as delimited in the 2nd and 4th Schedules to the Constitution - would have acted in vain, as the outcome would be ultra vires, invalid, null and void.

The Advance Fee Fraud Act 2006 Consisting of 22 Sections, this law broadly seeks to criminalise: -Obtaining property by false pretences with a fraudulent intent (Sections 1 and 2); -Printing, making and issuing any currency note (except the Central Bank of Nigeria) - Section 2(c); -Knowingly permitting premises to be used to commit offences under the Act (Section 3); -Inviting or inducing a person to visit Nigeria for a purpose connected with the commission of an offence under the Act (Section 4); -Conducting or attempting to conduct a financial transaction involving the proceeds of unlawful activity either with the intention of promoting such activity or to conceal/disguise the nature, location, source, ownership or control of the proceeds of such activity (Section 7(i)); -Transporting or attempting to transport monetary instruments or funds to or from Nigeria either with intent to promote an unlawful activity as defined under the Act, or to conceal, disguise, etc., the ownership or control of the proceeds of such unlawful activity or to avoid a lawful transaction (Section 7(4)).

Others are: -(Owners of electronic communication service or remote computing service) who fail to obtain from their customers the latters’ names and addresses; as well as (those customers) who fail to provide or who provide false information or conceal/disguise the information required (Section 12); -Failure by internal or telephone service providers (cafes) to register with the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or furnish the Commission with returns on the use of his service or facilities or to facilitate access to data/information by employees of the Commission with intent to conceal or disguise the nature of his activities/ use of his services or facilities (Section 13).

Analysis I believe that, of the foregoing operative provisions of the AFF Act, the main clause therein, i.e. Section 1, is – paradoxically - inapplicable or unenforceable outside the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The reason is simply the constitutional fact that, beyond Abuja, the National Assembly lacks the requisite vires to enact those provisions.

The Assembly’s power to legislate for Abuja is provided for by Section 299 of the Constitution, while that of State Houses of Assembly is contained in Section 4(7) of the Constitution.

In this regard, virtually every State in the Federation has a law, in more or less the same terms as those of Section 1 of the AFF Act (identical provisions in the Criminal Code gave rise to the eponymous ‘419’, i.e., the offence of obtaining by false pretences). Suffice it to say that, the National Assembly does not have the capacity to enact a general criminal law applicable across the country – unless, of course, to the extent to which it is specifically empowered under the Constitution: DOHERTY v BALEWA (1961)

2 NSCC 248 @ 252; BODE GEORGE v FRN. The status of this law came to the fore, by the conviction, last week, of a serving Deputy Director of the Federal Character Commission, Alhaji Ahmad Balarabe, by the High Court of Zamfara State, for obtaining the sum of N7million by false pretences, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Act. He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

However, beyond the foregoing, another anomaly in the AFF Act, in my view, is the duplication of the provisions of Section 2(c) thereof, in Section 20(4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.

Both sets of provisions penalise any person (other than the CBN, of course) who prints, makes or issues any currency note or coin which is legal tender in Nigeria.

The punishments for their contravention, however, vary: whilst the AFFA prescribes imprisonment for between 5 and 15 years, the CBN Act, simply says that it shall be “not less than 5 years”. The latter is applicable, however, by virtue of the strict interpretation required of penal provisions. See OHUKA v THE STATE (1988) 2 S.C. pt. II, PG. 139.

Counsel’s Fees Another contemporary anomaly in our laws, in my view, is the on-going regulation by the National Assembly of the fees which counsel may charge for their services. This is codified in Section 15 of the Legal Practitioners Act, Cap. L.11, LFN 2004, which provides, inter alia, thus: “There shall be a committee, to be called the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Committee, which shall have power to make orders regulating generally the charges of

“.....THE AFF ACT....OUGHT TO BE SCRAPPED, THAT IS, IN TERMS OF THEIR ENFORCEMENT IN THE 36 STATES. IT IS ONLY APPLICABLE IN ITS ENTIRETY, IN ABUJA"

Are these Provisions Valid?

This is the million Naira (albeit, controversial) question.

It is prompted by my belief that, notwithstanding the undoubted constitutional capacity of the National Assembly to regulate professional occupations generally (including, of course, the legal profession – vide Item 49 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution), however, other provisions of the self-same Constitution limit the scope of that power. In other words, it is not a carte blanche or an open cheque.

In this regard, I believe that the obvious intent and purpose of the said remuneration provisions of the LPA (to control fees charged by counsel) places them squarely within the purview of Item 62(e) of the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution, which limit the exercise of such power by the National Assembly to only “essential goods and commodities” as designated by the Assembly. To the best of my knowledge, counsel’s fees have not been designated as “essential” by the National Assembly. Needless to say, by virtue of the expressio unius est exclusio alterius rule of interpretation, the prices (or the cost) of legal services are, therefore, excluded from the constitutional power of the National Assembly to control prices.

It follows that the provisions of Section 15, et. seq., of the LPA are ultra vires the National Assembly invalid, null and void. I dare say that the provisions of Item 68 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution (“the ancillary or incidental powers” clause) do not make a difference to this view, as they only come into play where there is no contrary provision limiting the express powers of the Assembly which they might have accentuated. If such a provision exists – as I believe, it does in the form of Item 62(e) – the ancillary/supplemental powers conferred

by Item 68 will give way, as the tail cannot wag the dog.

Beyond the foregoing, however, I believe that another reason why the National Assembly is incompetent to regulate the fees chargeable by counsel, is the fact that such a power is an incident of trade and commerce, which is outside the scope of the authority donated by the Constitution to the Assembly vide the self-same Item 62 of the Exclusive Legislative List thereof. I will explain. In ABERUAGBA v ATT-GEN. OF OGUN STATE (1985) 1 NWLR pt.

3 pg. 395, the Supreme Court held that the trade and commerce power of the National Assembly is limited to the sub-items of Item 61 of the 1979 Constitution – which are exactly the same as those of Item 62 of the 1999 Constitution. Counsel’s fees are not included therein.

Conclusion Much work needs to be done, to ‘clean’ our aforesaid laws. The existing anomalies therein simply give cause for concern. With specific regard to the AFF Act, I believe that – short of duplicating the provisions of existing Federal statutes which contain specific provisions which the National Assembly is undoubtedly empowered to make – the entire Act ought to be scrapped, that is, in terms of their enforcement in the 36 States. It is only applicable in its entirety, in Abuja.

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24.11.2020

The American Electoral College v Nigeria’s Presidential Elections (Part 1) Introduction

A

n election is a formal group decision-making process, by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated, since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is also used in many other private and business organisations, from village unions, clubs, to voluntary associations and corporations. The present universal use of elections as a tool for selecting representatives in modern representative democracies, is in contrast with the practice in the democratic archetype ancient Athens, where elections were not used. They considered elections an oligarchic institution.

Most political offices were therefore, filled, using “sortition”, also known as “allotment”. By this method, office holders were chosen by lot, not by election.

Elections in Nigeria In Nigeria, elections are conducted periodically into various political offices, across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory. The Independent National Elections Commission (INEC) is the Commission set up under the Constitution to conduct and supervise elections in Nigeria for the offices of the President, Vice-President, members of the Senate and House of Representatives, Governors, Deputy-Governors, and members of the States Houses of Assembly. States conduct local government elections, using the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). In conducting free, fair, credible and transparent elections in Nigeria, INEC is supposed to always ensure that the accreditation, voting, counting, collation, and result declaration stages are appropriately conducted, following its guidelines and regulations.

Elections: United States v Nigeria An election for President of the United States takes place every four years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In other U.S. elections, candidates are elected directly by popular vote. But, the President and Vice President are not elected directly by citizens. Instead, they’re chosen by “electors” through a process called the “Electoral College”.

The process of using electors, is derived from the Constitution.

It was a compromise between a “popular vote” by citizens, and a “vote in Congress”.

Before the general election in America, most candidates for President go through a series of State Primaries and Caucuses.

Though primaries and caucuses are run differently, they both serve the same purpose. They enable the States to choose the major political parties’ nominees, for the general election.

Elections in the United States are held for government officials at the Federal, State, and Local levels. At the federal level, the nation's Head of State, the President, is elected indirectly by the people of each State, through a system called the Electoral College. Today, these electors almost always vote with the popular vote of their State. All members of the Federal Legislature (the Congress), are directly elected by the people of each State. There are many elected offices at State level. Each State has at least, an elective Governor and Legislature. There are also elected offices at the local level (at counties, cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages), as well as for special and school districts, which may transcend county and municipal boundaries. According to a study by political scientist, Jennifer Lawless, there were, as at 2012, 519,682 elected officials in the United States.

While the United States Constitution set parameters for the election of Federal officials, it is State laws, not Federal laws, that regulate most aspects of elections in the U.S., including primaries, the eligibility of voters, the running of each State’s electoral college, as well as the running of State and local elections. All elections, be they Federal, State, and local, are accordingly administered by individual States.

In Nigeria however, it is the Federal Constitution and Electoral Act that guide matters of election. See Sections 65, 66, 78, 105, 107, 131, 137 and 182 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 25-77 of the Electoral Act of 2011. The financing of elections has also long been a matter of great controversy, both in America and Nigeria. This is because private sources make up substantial amounts of campaign funds and contributions, especially in federal elections. Voluntary public funding for candidates willing to accept spending limits was introduced

Biden

Trump

in the United States in 1974, for Presidential primaries and elections.

The US Federal Elections Commission, created in 1975 by an amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act, has the responsibility to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law, such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of U.S. Presidential elections. In Nigeria, Section 91(2-3) of the Electoral Act provides for the amount candidates may spend for election. It provides that Presidential and Governorship candidates can spend a maximum of N1 billion and N200 million respectively, on election campaigns.

Eligibility to Vote in the United States The eligibility of an individual to vote, is set out in the US Constitution and is also regulated at State level. The Constitution states that, suffrage cannot be denied on grounds of race/colour, sex, or age for citizens eighteen years or older.

Beyond these basic qualifications, it is the responsibility of State legislatures to regulate voter eligibility. Some States ban convicted criminals, especially felons, from voting for a fixed period of time, or indefinitely. The number of American adults who are currently or permanently ineligible to vote due to felony convictions, is estimated to be 5.3 million. In Nigeria, under Section 12(1)(b) of the Electoral Act 2011, any person who has attained the age of 18 is eligible to vote.

Voters’ Registration in the United States While the Federal Government has jurisdiction over federal elections, most election laws are decided at the State level.

All U.S. States except North Dakota, require that citizens who wish to vote be registered. Traditionally, voters had to register at State offices to vote, but in the mid-1990s efforts were made by the Federal Government to make registering easier, in an attempt to increase turnout. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 required State Governments that receive certain types of Federal funding, to make the voter registration process easier by providing uniform registration

“THE FINANCING OF ELECTIONS HAS ALSO LONG BEEN A MATTER OF GREAT CONTROVERSY, BOTH IN AMERICA AND NIGERIA"

services through drivers’ licence registration centres, disability centres, schools, libraries, and mail-in registration. Other States allow citizens same-day registration on election day.

In Nigeria, voter registration is carried out by INEC. Section 10(1-6) of the Electoral Act provides that: “1. The Commission shall compile, maintain, and update on a continuous basis, a National Register of Voters, in this Act referred to as the “Register of Voters” which shall include the names of all persons entitled to vote in any Federal, State or Local Government/Area Council Elections.

2. The Commission shall maintain as part of the National Register of Voters, a register of voters for each State of the Federation and for the Federal Capital Territory; 3. The Commission shall maintain as part of the Register of Voters for each State and the Federal Capital Territory, a Register of Voters for each Local Government/Area Council within the State and the Federal Capital Territory.

4. The register shall contain in respect of every person the particulars required in the Form prescribed by the Commission.

5. The registration of voters, updating and revision of the register of voters under this section shall stop not later than 120 days before any election covered by this Act. 6. The registration of voters shall be at the registration centres designated for that purpose by the Commission and notified to the public.”

In many States in America, citizens registering to vote may declare an affiliation with a political party. This declaration of affiliation does not cost money, and does not make the citizen a dues-paying member of a party. A party cannot prevent a voter from declaring his or her affiliation with them, but it can refuse requests for full membership. In some States, only voters affiliated with a party may vote in that party’s primary elections. Declaring a party affiliation is never required.

Some States, including Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, practice non-partisan registration.

In Nigeria, no person intending to register to vote in an election is compelled to first declare his affiliation to any political party. Indeed, many who register, especially the elites and elderly, never vote at all. See Section 9(1) of the Electoral Act, 2011.

Absentee and Mail Voting in the USA Voters unable or unwilling to vote at polling stations on election day, may vote via absentee ballots, depending on State law.

Originally, these ballots were for people who could not go to the polling place on election day. Nowadays, some States allow these ballots to be used for convenience; but State laws still call them absentee ballots. Absentee ballots can be sent and returned by mail, or requested and submitted in person, or dropped off in locked boxes. About half the States and territories allow, “no excuse absentee”. This means no reason is required, to request an absentee ballot. Others require a valid reason, such as infirmity or travel difficulties. Some States allow voters with permanent disabilities, apply for permanent absentee voter status; while some other States allow all citizens to apply for permanent status. This automatically allows them to receive an absentee ballot, for each election. Otherwise, a voter must request an absentee ballot before the election occurs.

In Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington State, all ballots are delivered through the mail. In many other States, there are counties or certain small elections where everyone votes by mail. In Nigeria, there is yet no provision in the Electoral laws to allow for diaspora, absentee or mail voting.

Americans living outside the United States may also register and vote, under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). Almost half the States require these ballots, to be returned by mail. Other States allow mail along with some combination of fax, or email; four States allow a web portal. A significant measure to prevent some types of fraud, has been to require the voter’s signature on the outer envelope, which is compared to one or more signatures on file before taking the ballot out of the envelope and counting it. Not all States have standards, for signature review. There have been concerns that signatures are improperly rejected from young and minority voters at higher rates than others, with limited or no ability of voters to appeal the rejection.

For other types of errors, experts estimate that while there is more fraud with absentee ballots than in-person voting, it has affected only a few local elections. (To be continued).

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “If we don’t vote, we are ignoring history and giving away the future” (Pat Mitchell).

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14

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Nigerian Red Cross Partners Mall D’Oasis to Redevelop Ikoyi Property Fadakemi Ajakaiye The Nigerian Red Cross Society has flagged off the redevelopment of its property, strategically located at Eko Akete Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, in conjunction with its development partner Mall D’Oasis Shopping Centre Limited.

The new property, christened Oasis- Ikoyi, is expected to boost the humanitarian work of this Society that was established under the Nigerian Red Cross Society Act of 1960.

The redevelopment will result in a distinctive mixed used real estate, offering about 3,000sqm and about 100 of short/ extended stay apartments, under management by an international franchise.

The land size is 3545sqm (approx.one acre), and the anticipated budget (build cost) budget is $26m. The transaction structure is 25 years lease agreement structured as a BOT (Build Operate and Transfer).

Key Development Component: 5 floors office space, 7 floors of

extended stay apartments, and one floor retail.

The redevelopment is a demonstration of the International Committee of the Red Cross continued commitment through its Nigeria office to its mandate in the country, according to senior officials present at the flag off ceremony at the Ikoyi site, last week.

The Oasis brand is inspired by the vision to provide a world class environment that supports good quality living across Nigeria. Oasis-Ikoyi is the second

development undertaken by the Oasis brand in its medium term development plans in Nigeria.

The first development, OasisIkeja; another collaborative effort, is a mix of retail, office and hospitality which is poised to open to the public in 2021. The Oasis-Ikeja promises a respite from the energy, sometimes called chaos that is synonymous with Lagos today.

Signaling the commencement of the development, last week, a team from the National Head Quarters of the Nigeria

Red Cross, led by the Society President Elder Bolaji Anani handed over the property to Mall D’Oasis for the commencement of works.

Other senior officials present were: Prince Adeqga Oluyemisi Prince - National Finance and Property Management Adviser; Barr. Muaza M. Dikwa -National Legal Adviser; and Mrs. Chinonye Ubakaeze - Admin and Lagos NHQ Liaison Officer.

It is anticipated that the construction, which will be handled

by Denver Build, will span 24

months. Another consultant to the project is LYT South Africa.

“The Oasis Brand is inspired by the vision to provide a worldclass environment for shopping, leisure, business and entertainment. This vision has guided our various developments in shopping and retails centres, hotels, office complexes and business lounges. With multiple ongoing developments spread across the country, the Oasis brand is poised to leave a signature of excellence, satisfaction and quality,” an official of the company said.

‘Why Investing in Lagos Property Market is An Imperative’ Bennett Oghifo Promoter of PERIWINKLE Residences Limited, a Lagos luxury real estate development, Barr. Chiedu Nweke has advised prospective real estate investors to see the opportunity in investing in the Lagos property market, insisting that “the rental returns on premium real estate investments in Lagos are at least three times higher than having cash in the bank.”

Quoting from an advisory report by a leading advisory company, Nweke asserted that the average rate of interest on a

six-month fixed term deposit at a financial institution is between 2.5% - 3%, compared to rental yields in Lagos of between 7-12%.

According to him, “Rental yields are extraordinarily high in Lagos, compared to most other countries around the world. Now that prices have stabilised in premium locations, the high yields make investing in the Lagos property market an attractive proposition for any global investor”.

While acknowledging that since the beginning of the year, PERIWINKLE Residences

Limited has seen a marked increase in sales and enquiries from various investors, most especially foreign investors, he further stated that “Over the past couple of years, the market has been dominated by end-users, but we are now seeing a return of the investors.

However, unlike before, they are not chasing capital growth; they are focusing on rental yields.

It is a very different market dynamic”.

Nweke pointed out that the positive sentiment is shared by a real estate advisory firm, which predicts good quality;

well-established developments will continue to do well at the expense of newer residential areas. The firm also anticipates the residential market will continue to gain from increasingly available mortgage finance options at competitive rates.

“Investors are coming back to the market, not because they think the price of their property will double in a matter of months, but because they are comfortable with consistent, sustained and globally competitive rental returns,” he stressed.

On buyers’ sentiments, he stated that PERIWINKLE Resi-

dences Limited is experiencing the strongest demand in three years across its range of premium developments at Lekki Phase 1 and Ikoyi; adding that there is a strong flight to quality in both locations, as existing residents seek to upgrade and new buyers aim to take advantage of market conditions which currently offer extraordinary value for money.

“The Lagos, real estate market, has become increasingly fragmented which means there is little benefit in reviewing the market as a whole. We are now seeing demand and prices rising convincingly in premium

locations within Lagos, but these price gains are to some extent, being offset by price declines in some of Lagos less sought after locations”, he said.

PERIWINKLE Residences Limited is an internationally recognised, luxury-focused, highend developer. With a proven track record for delivering some of the most luxurious residential properties across Nigeria, the developer is well capitalised and has the vision and momentum to provide solid investment opportunities for customers across all the markets in which it operates.

Adron Homes Creates Lemon Friday to Give Buyers Christmas Discount Fadakemi Ajakaiye As Christmas approaches, a real estate firm, Adron Homes has given prospective homeowners an opportunity of huge discounts on purchases on their ‘Lemon Friday’ platform that is mirrored on the popular Black Friday sales.

At a press briefing, recently, officials of Adron Homes said this is “the best time to start your journey to becoming a Landlord.

Lemon Friday is the company’s version of black Friday sales which offers deep discounts and is generally termed the best time to buy that land or house.”

The company’s Group Ex-

ecutive Secretary, Mr. Ayodeji Ojo-Omoniyi said, “The discount is in line with the company’s dedication to continuously give customers opportunities to be homeowners through discounts, royalty rewards and friendly payment plans. For this year’s Lemon Friday sale, customers would enjoy up to 40% discount on all estates in Ikorodu, Epe, Atan-ota, Ibeju Lekki, Badagry, Ijebu Ode, Shimawa, Abeokuta, Osun, Abuja, Nasarawa and Keffi respectively. For every purchase you make, you’d be getting a great deal that Adron is best known for.

“Customers can pay as low as N25,000 initial deposit and enjoy up to 36 months payment plan

on all properties. This means you could make payment at your pace and within your budget because at Adron Homes, for every budget; there is a piece of land for you in all our estates.

The Director of Sales and Marketing Mrs. Fiyaso Oloruntoba emphasised that “following the season which we are in; a season of giving, Customers would also be getting lots of mouthwatering gift items like Cows, Bags of Rice, Adron Seasoning Pack, Vegetable Oil, Electronics, Turkey and so much more with every purchase. The company is also extending special offers on some of its premium products like Eko city, saying that subscribers here will get a double door fridge and

a choice of an additional item of either a six burner gas cooker, a

5KVA generator, a front loader automatic washing machine or

a flat screen smart TV upon payment of an initial deposit.

L-R: Group Head, Admin, Mrs. Tola Alonge, Brand Ambassador, Mr. Bolanle Ninolowo; Group Executive Secretary, Mr. Ayodeji Ojo-Omoniyi, and Director Sales and Marketing, Mrs. Fisayo Oloruntoba, at the official unveiling of the company’s Lemon Friday Promo in Lagos… recently

Fashola Orders Immediate Evacuation of Trucks on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Fadakemi Ajakaiye Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has or-

dered the immediate evacuation of trailers on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

He stated this recently at a

Town Hall Meeting at Ogere, Ogun State, after his inspection of the rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion of the Lagos-

Ibrahim Launches Mentorship for Young Entrepreneurs The Chief Executive Officer of Novarick Homes, Noah Ibrahim has announced the launch of a mentorship programme to help young entrepreneurs gain the right leadership skills needed in building successful startups in a challenging business environment.

According to Ibrahim, the mentorship programme is birthed from his profound interest in enhancing the capacity of young entrepreneurs and business owners in understanding and overcoming the numerous challenges faced

with starting and building a successful business in Nigeria.

He also stated that the mentorship opportunity is opened to young professionals that may have lost their jobs from the unpleasant effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, and are considering a full transition into Entrepreneurship.

“We discover new things in life every moment and we would always have something to teach. Knowledge is the most valuable gift I can pass on to the younger generation and I am looking to connect experienced leaders and mentors with

young aspiring entrepreneurs who are willing and ready to learn what it takes to build, scale and manage successful businesses in a challenging economy. I have handpicked great business professionals and successful leaders to act as mentors, together we hope to share our wealth of knowledge, skills, learnings, networks, and connections with the mentees over a period as well as help them address the biggest challenges they face in their organisations or in their transition to entrepreneurship,” Noah stated.

Ibadan Dual carriageway.

He stated that trucks parked along Lagos-Ibadan expressway henceforth may be impounded while the drivers/owners would be sanctioned.

He complained about the abuse of these roads by truck drivers who park indiscriminately and also spill petroleum products and other substances on the road, thereby causing road damages.

He pleaded with all stakeholders and commuters for their cooperation and sacrifice, which is essential for the success of the project.

He stated that the federal government through its financiers; Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund. PIDT, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, is committed

to the smooth delivery of the project in good time.

“The roads on this entire project from Lagos to Ilela are strategic connections for the entire country, and so our, patience and cooperation is highly needed for it success,” he said He enjoined the construction companies employed; Julius Berger and RCC to improve the quality of signage for the safety of commuters. “Providing these signage is a way of showing compassion and ensuring ease of movement to the commuters”, he said.

The host of the Town Hall Meeting, the Governor of Ogun State, Mr. Dapo Abiodun requested that some road projects be handed to the State government to speed up the development process.

He appealed to the contractors on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway project to adopt best practices on traffic management to minimize hardship, and also called for more sensitization of the public to help them understand the project better.

The Director Highways, (Construction and Rehabilitation) Federal Ministry of works and Housing, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi, stated that Lagos-Ibadan Dual Carriageway which was originally completed in 1973 but due to age, excessive axle load and poor maintenance over the years, led to the road deteriorating with some sections characterised with pavement failures, multiple potholes, and eroded shoulders at various locations, which makes the use of the road traumatic.

15

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT

ARCON Urges Bells University to Establish Faculty of Architecture Fadekemi Ajakaiye The Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has advised the management of Bells University of Technology (BUT), Ota, Ogun State to consider establishing a Faculty of Architecture in the institution.

The President of ARCON, Arc. (Sir) Dipo Ajayi stated this when he led the council on a visit to the Vice Chancellor of Bells University, Prof. Jeremiah Ojediran, in Ota, recently.

Ajayi said their visit was to add value to the university, as well as to boost the morale of both the lecturers and students of architecture in the university.

He said, “The council derives the power to register and control the practice of architecture in Nigeria, and it maintains a register of architects and architectural firms respectively in line with the enabling Act.’’ Ajayi, who commended the university for its leadership role, urged them to work towards having a Faculty of Architecture, adding that his council

had approved additional 15 programmes.

He said ARCON came up with these programmes, in fulfillment of its mandate of enhancing the practice of architecture, as well as preparing students of architecture to be employable after their study.

He said if these programmes were adopted in the nation’s universities and polytechnics, then there would be a drastic reduction in capital flight in many disciplines.

He stated that these programmes would also boost entrepreneurship spirit among Nigerian students, adding that the council was prepared to partner with the university in the area of scholarship offers and exchange programmes, saying some countries are in partnership with the council on this.

He said, “It will interest you to note that we just got some scholarship slots, but they are already given out to some universities that showed interest. If Bells University is

interested, we can work that out in subsequent opportunities,” The president, who acknowledged the stride by the Department of Architecture in the university, charged it to brace up by introducing practical courses that can make their products stand out among the crowd.

“Let us put in place practical courses such that your products will be employable and will stand out among others.”

He urged members of staff of the architecture department to make themselves more relevant to the university environment, adding that, architects are influential leaders.

During his interaction with the students, Ajayi, who inspected some of the designs done by the students, charged them to think outside the box and imbibe entrepreneurial spirit. He added that, they should learn how their clients could freely release their wallets to them.

Vice Chancellor Ojerinde, who noted that ARCON was

very important to the university, being a school of technology, said architecture was one of their prime courses.

He assured the council that the university would look into all the proposals and see how it could effectively collaborate with ARCON. “We shall hit the ground running and we would as

much as possible press the right buttons as far as collaboration with your council is concerned.

“And with the list of programmes you have given to us, we would look into them and possibly, strive to be the first university to implement the noble initiative. I can assure you that the Dean and other members of staff of the faculty

will look into this.”

Emeritus Professor James Ighalo, Dean, College of Environmental Sciences, BUT, pleaded with ARCON to assist the university in anyway it could, saying Bells University was open to innovation and gestures that would boost the quality of the school, its members of staff and students.

President, Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, Sir Dipo Ajayi, (in white) with students of architecture, Bells University of Technology (BUT), Ota, Ogun State, during a visit by the council to the university… recently

Salako Wants Professionals to Use Existing Codes for Safe Buildings Fadekemi Ajakaiye Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako has advised professionals in the nation’s building industry to be guided by existing codes to produce safe and sustainable buildings.

He stated this at the 29th Lagos Builders’ Conference and Annual General Meeting organised by the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Institute of Builders, held in Lagos, recently.

Salako, who was the Chairman of the conference, tagged “Safe and Sustainable Building in Lagos State. Implementation Strategy for Lagos Physical Development Law and Regulation,” stated that the Lagos State government was committed to achieving safe buildings and

liveable environment.

“For a building to be fit for human habitation it must observe certain parameters.

Thus, a building comprises many elements: physical, social, technical, economical and psychological. All these have been considered and incorporated in the compilation of the National Building Code. However, while safety of a building may be guaranteed through measures applicable to the individual units, sustainability may not be so achieved because it transcends this. We need to strive to do the right thing and build right,” he said.

He stated that Permanent Secretaries, General Managers and some district officers who initially could not sign some approvals have now been empowered to do so.

Also, the district offices are now increased to 30 while the number of supervising directors has been increased from five to 10.

Salako, who led the Panel discussion, stated that the agencies under his ministry were sensitizing residents on voluntary compliance to planning permits principles, adding that, the Governor had delegated more powers to the agencies to grant approvals.

The State government has also adopted various regulatory measures, and enacted laws enforcing insurance to guard against incessant building collapses and loss of lives and property within the state, he said.

“The Government is currently negotiating with the National Insurance Commission to make

insurance compulsory in the building process. The Lagos Physical Development Law and Regulation is saying when you are constructing you must have an insurance cover,” he said.

He said that the Lagos State Government had made planning permits seamless through technology as well as processes of obtaining titles easier to ensure properties were viable for use as financial instruments in banks.

The Chairman NIOB, Lagos Chapter, BLDR. Sunday Joseph Wusu, stated that the Institute was of the firm view that, if building regulations were strictly and religiously adhered to, both undue building failures and urban slum formation would be reasonably minimised, and subsequently eliminated.

“Our mission as an institute,

is to pave the way for members and all relevant stakeholders in the building industry, to deliver safe and sustainable shelter, and consequently, address the housing deficit of our country, which still stands at about 17 million houses. This can only be achieved through training, retraining, research and development of local materials, and abreast with current trends in global technological practices,” he said “The rate of building collapse in Lagos and across the country is highly unacceptable. Even though to our own defense and pride, these collapse incidences are not usually associated with professional builders, it is still our fiduciary duty to rise to the complex challenge and rid the society of quacks masquerading as professionals. To this end,

we consider it proper to partner with the Lagos State government in strategising to effectively implement the Physical Development Law and Regulation (PDLR) of the state,” he said.

Also at the conference, Construction experts at prescribed the inclusion of Insurance at all stages of building construction as essential for safe sustainable buildings, and liveable cities.

Other panelists at the Conference like, Dr Abiodun Tajudeen of the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory; Mrs Abiola Kosegbe, Lagos State Building Control Agency and Mr Olufunmilayo Osifuye, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, all advocated for a wholistic approach to achieving safe buildings and liveable environment.

NIQS Unveils New Brand Identity at Minna AGM Fadekemi Ajakaiye The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has unveiled its new brand identity at the organisation’s 2020 Annual General Meeting held in Minna, Niger State, recently.

President of the Institute, QS Mohammed Abba Tor, unveiled the new brand identity at a special session in Minna dedicated to the organisation’s

rebranding project, according to a statement by the institute.

QS Abba Tor said, “The essence of the rebranding project is to properly situate the Institute within the context of domestic and global changes to ensure it remains relevant to society and discharges its obligations to members in the most effective ways possible.”

Moreover, he decried how the role of the Quantity Surveyor

in the construction industry as the professional construction costs manager and the unique value the role adds to projects is sometimes overlooked.

QS Abba Tor explained that “overlooking the input of the QS has negative impacts ranging from costs inflation to procurement of sub-standard materials and misalignments between assumed projects’ material needs and the actual

requirements.”

The 2020 Annual General Meeting of the NIQS began on Wednesday, November 11,with a workshop with the theme, “Cost Management of Mechanical and Electrical Services in High Rise Buildings” and the induction of 239 new members of the Institute.

During the three-day event the leadership of the Institute paid a courtesy visit on former

Military President Ibrahim Babangida who is the Grand Patron of the The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS).

Speaking at Babangida’s Hilltop residence in Minna, the President of the Institute explained that the NIQS was being repositioned for the benefit of its members and the wider society for the next 50 years.

Informing General Babangida

about the activities of the Institute, QS Abba Tor said, “We are putting things in place to ensure that the next 50 years of the NIQS is anchored on foundations that can be leveraged on by its members to the benefit of the wider society.”

High point of this year’s AGM was the conferment of Honorary Fellowship of the NIQS on the Governor of Niger State, Alhaji (Dr.) Abubakar Sani Bello.

AEAN Joins International 107-Partner Global Network Fadekemi Ajakaiye The Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria, AEAN, a member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) has formalised a bilateral partnership agreement with the Washington D.C, U.S.A-based National Association of Realtors, (NAR).

This is sequel to AEAN

leadership’s quest to create a similar structure as NAR, which the Kunle Adedeji-led association had been working tirelessly on. Following the formal approval of its application by the NAR’s highest authority, the agreement was formalised at its International Delegates/VIP Global Business and Alliances Committee meeting held in Washington D.C recently. The National Secretary of AEAN,

Gbenga Ismail, represented the association at the global meeting.

With this bilateral partnership, both associations agree to promote global best practices and the highest level of code of conduct; and also collaborate, share and exchange knowledge to improve businesses amongst members.

The partnership also introduces AEAN members

to global affiliations of over 100 other broker associations, which implies that its members are now able to transact referral businesses with the majority of these global associations.

While announcing the addition of two new real estate partners - AEAN and the Association of Real Estate Agents of Trinidad and Tobago - to its network of global partner associations, the

NAR says it has increased its global network to 107 partners in 87 countries.

“Adding to an already extensive network of global partners, these new agreements highlight our Engagement Team’s sustained commitment to enhancing NAR’s brand recognition and expanding the business opportunities and support we provide to realtors and consumers around the world,”

said Katie Johnson, NAR’s general counsel and chief member experience officer.

He declared: “We are thrilled to welcome two new international partners to our NAR family, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with both the Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria and the Association of Real Estate Agents of Trinidad and Tobago.”

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T H I S D AY Ëž ͰͲË&#x153; 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

A S

A T

REPO 4.33 3.33

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

3 6 8

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima

Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

N O V E M B E R

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

745.89% 0.59% -0.43%

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

2 0 , 19.02% 55.02%

2 0 2 0 EXCHANGE RATE N379/1US DOLLAR* ĚŠ

Quick Takes NIVEA Partners Ikeja Golf Club

The Ikeja Golf Club has held its monthly medal competition for November. The edition which was sponsored by NIVEA, a global skincare brand, took place on November 6th and 7th, 2020.

The monthly medal tournaments are stroke competitions held every month which are used in grading and re-grading club members.

The event which held at Ikeja Golf Club was a convergence of golfers, caddies, and lovers of the game.

It was an impressive showing as golfers were engaged from the bespoke NIVEA brand theatre that was strategically located between the starting and ďŹ nishing point on the course.The golfersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; engagement continued on the course as golfers were again â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;play-gingeredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with inspiring stimulators.

Captain, Ikeja Golf Club, Mr. Ladi Durojaiye, commended the brand for its partnership and support, stating that the Club hierarchy and management have received positive reactions from members. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were delighted to partner with NIVEA on the November Monthly Medal competition and we look forward to further future support and collaboration. Feedback from our members has been awesomeâ&#x20AC;?. He reiterated that the Club will continue to seek positive partnership with individuals and corporate bodies to enhance golf development in Nigeria.

Group to Organise Expo

SUPPORTING EDUCATION

Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, (LASUBEB), Wahab Alawiye-King; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat; Head Sustainability Wema Bank, Abimbola Agbejule; and Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Olayinka Ogundimu at the launch of LASUBEB Project Zero Initiative sponsored by Wema Bank in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

NEITI: Nigeria to Earn More Oil Revenue in 2020 than Estimated Chineme Okafor in Abuja Nigeria has surpassed the amount of revenue it planned to earn from its amended 2020 budget and could earn more before the year ends, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has stated.

The NEITI stated this in its latest review of monies shared between the three tiers of government â&#x20AC;&#x201C; federal, state and local government â&#x20AC;&#x201C; under the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC); it covered for the third quarter of 2020.

According to the extractive sector transparency advocate, Nigeria by the end of August 2020, had already surpassed the amount of money it had projected

ENERGY in the budget to come from oil and gas sales.

It explained that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;projected oil revenue from the revised budget for 2020 was N1.013 trillion. This means that pro-rated oil revenue from January to August was N675.84 billion. At the end of August, actual oil revenue was N1.105 trillion. This implies that actual oil revenue was 164 per cent of the pro-rated revenue.â&#x20AC;?

The NEITI explained that while the revised budget used a crude oil benchmark price of $28 per barrel, the actual oil price was above $40 per barrel between June and October 2020. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If oil price stays above $40 per barrel for the last two months of 2020, then oil revenue for the

year will exceed the budget projections. This looks likely in light of the recent spike in oil prices as a result of positive news on COVID-19 vaccines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is clear from these figures that oil revenue has performed well above the budget projections,â&#x20AC;? it added.

It, however, stated that even with higher than projected oil revenue, the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total revenue has been below budgeted projections, noting that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;with total budgeted revenue of N5.365 trillion in the revised budget, this implies that the pro-rated revenue up to August from the revised budget was N3.577 trillion. Thus, 71 per cent of the projected revenue was realised.â&#x20AC;?

In the review, it also disclosed that projected non-oil revenue

for the whole year was N1.624 trillion. This it explained gives a pro-rated non-oil revenue from January to August as N1.083 trillion, while actual non- oil revenue of N831.4 billion was recorded within the period. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This implies that actual non-oil revenue performance was 77 per cent of the projected revenue. In order to boost non-oil revenue, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed all ministers to closely monitor the expenditures and revenue generating activities of all Government Owned Enterprises (GOEs) under their supervision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition, the president issued directives requiring GOEs to examine their expenditure and Continued on page 24

Agbakoba Urges FG to Reduce Cost of Governance Nume Ekeghe Senior Partner OAL and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba has reiterated the urgent need for the federal government to embrace fiscal responsibility by reducing its cost of governance.

He also advised the government to sell off some of its assets that have not been generated revenue for the country.

Agbakoba, gave the advice at a forum organised by the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) in Lagos, recently, where he deliberated on the 2021 Appropriation Bill and the economy.

He argued that the federal

ECONOMY government had continuously intervened in businesses it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, saying that by privatising most of its dwindling assets, over N30 trillion could be raised to fund essential infrastructure, thereby reducing governments borrowing to fund its budget.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria explained: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is one of the principles of fiscal responsibility for the government to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;we are shrinking out of business.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Look at the four refineries, they are just there doing nothing when they can be sold. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just as a result of the pressure government is feeling it suddenly have put up Afam power station, Omotosho

power station and it is going to bring about N500 billion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, you can just see if they think deeper, Ajaokuta for instance, government is still borrowing to put money into Ajaokuta, whereas all they need do is to sell it and the number of businesses that government has across Nigeria can fetch it about N20 trillion to N30 trillion. The government is not in the business of doing business.â&#x20AC;?

Furthermore, he said at the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s present debt level which has remained on an upward trajectory, it was pertinent to implement the Oransanye report urgently.

He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The government needs to examine its revenue and if the government is now

spending N80 out of every N100 for loan, that means the government only has N20 for the public service, health education and all of us. Government has to have a massive fiscal expansion intervention in the economy. It has to look for the money, if it looks for it, it will find it if they shrink.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are some government agencies such as the Ministry of Information which has no place in government. The president has three advisers on media, so it has enough hands. So, you can see the waste in the country? So, the government needs to implement the Oransanye report so it can shrink the workforce and when Continued on page 24

The Managing Director, Zenith Exhibitions, Joseph Oru, has disclosed plan to organise its Equipment and Manufacturing West Africa (EMWA) expo alongside China Trade Week Nigeria (CTW).

A statement by the company said EMWA was initially slated to take place this year, but was postponed due to the pandemic.

Therefore the new date is April 27th to 29, 2021, and it will hold in Lagos State Nigeria.

The statement explained that the three-day event would unite the markets across West Africa and connect them through Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings designed to accommodate their ever-changing market challenges and needs.

According to the statement, the organisers said the event would be held in partnership with MIE Group, a Dubai-based multinational events company and organisers of CTW Global.

Oru, who is also the Country Representative of MIE Group, disclosed that the pandemic has disrupted the industry, adding that organisations need to see how they can collaborate to solve industry problems by creating partnerships across the board. â&#x20AC;&#x153;EMWA running alongside CTW Nigeria will give participants the opportunity to connect with international manufacturers in a hybrid model since travelling is not secure yet,â&#x20AC;? he noted.

According to the statement: â&#x20AC;&#x153;MIE Groups was founded in 2000, as the ďŹ rst domestic professional exhibition serving organizer in Dubai, pioneering the channel for Chinese companies to participate in Middle East and Africa exhibitions.

Ghana, AfDB Seal Deal

Ghana, the host country of the African Development Bank Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2021 Annual Meetings (AfDB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the institution, marking an important milestone in preparations for the event.

The 56th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank and the 47th Annual Meeting of the African Development Fund are scheduled to take place from 24 to 28 May 2021, in Ghanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital city, Accra. Ghanaian Finance Minister Kenneth Ofori-Atta, the current chair of the Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boards of Governors, signed the MOU on the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preparedness to host the event at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance oďŹ&#x192;ce in Accra. Prof. Vincent O. Nmehielle, African Development Bank Group Secretary General, signed on behalf of the Bank Group.

The meeting began with a minute of silence in honour of former Ghanaian president Jerry John Rawlings, who died on Thursday 12 November, with both signatories paying their respects.

In remarks following the signing, Minister Ofori-Atta said he had carefully reviewed the MOU and found it satisfactory.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Presidential fertiliser initiative is reckoned by the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association as having created about 50,000 jobs. This programme was designed to domesticate fertiliser production, reduce prices, and create jobsâ&#x20AC;&#x153; MD/CEO, NSIA, Mr. Uche Orji

ger on ing ess hat nts on ed

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BUSINESSWORLD NEITI: NIGERIA TO EARN MORE OIL REVENUE IN 2020 THAN ESTIMATED enforce restrictions on their cost-to-revenue ratios. With the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s directives on boosting non-oil revenue, it is likely that there will be higher receipts from non-oil revenue, which will ultimately boost total revenue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, considering that there are just two months before the end of the year, and that there is a third component of FGN revenue â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Other Revenues â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where actual revenue for January to August was 33 per cent of pro-rated revenue, it seems meeting the total revenue projections for the year may be a struggle,â&#x20AC;? NEITI stated.

With regards to the FAAC disbursements, it explained that the review found that total disbursements in the third quarter of 2020 were N2.054 trillion; comprising N812.22 billion to the federal government, N676.5 billion to state governments and N429.16 billion to local governments.

For deductions, it noted that Lagos state had the highest deduction of N17.35 billion in the quarter, and that while it expects actual oil revenue to continue to outperform projected oil revenue for the fourth quarter of 2020, all tiers of government may struggle to meet the revenue projection in their revised budgets.

AGBAKOBA URGES FG TO REDUCE COST OF GOVERNANCE the workforce is shrunk then the vital statistics can begin to be relevant. The first thing is that there will be money to put into the appropriate sectors.â&#x20AC;?

He further added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem with politics is that it beclouds economic judgment so I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how far our political leaders are focusing on our economy. I see a distraction and that distraction might be very costly. Nigeria is like a cracked building and the problem with fixing a cracked building is that you are not quite sure what to do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the economic side, the problem I have with Nigeria is that the government has not defined its economic ideology and it is very important that you do that. What is Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic ideology, which is part of the question that the artists will have to answer?â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FG Will Complete Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Despite Revenue Shortfallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has restated the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to completing the Lagos-Ibadan expressway project despite the scarce resources as a result of sharp drop in oil price.

The Lagos-Ibadan highway is a trunk A road located in the South-west region of the country and was contracted in two sections (I and II) to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reymond Construction (RCC) Limited respectively.

A statement by Boade Akinola, Director, Press and Public Relations, stated that Fashola spoke at the interactive town hall meeting with stakeholders at Ogere in Ogun state.

Fashola explained that section I of the project was the rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion of Lagos-Ibadan dual carriageway of about 43.6km commencing from old-toll gate at Oregun/Ikosi-Ketu Lagos and terminating at Shagamu interchange in Ogun State.

He stated also that the Section ll which is about 84km starts from Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan and is being handled

by RCC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These highway projects are financed with the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) funded from the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and they are national priority

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents

Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC; (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters

Ă&#x;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2019;Ă? (Money Market) Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x201C;Ă? (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

highway projects,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He the Ogere town hall meeting was the third in a series his ministry has organised in order to address the critical conditions militating against the timely completion of the projects, explaining that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was committed to bridging the road infrastructure gap. Responding to questions from stakeholders at the town hall meeting on the delay in completing the project and other

issues bordering on safety of the road users, he appealed to the contractors to accelerate work to ease traffic flow especially during the forthcoming Christmas season.

He also called on the contractors to build signages and hazard warning signs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You contractors should remember that you do this work for the people and that you must be passionate in doing it by easing the trauma people go through while on the road, â&#x20AC;&#x153; he added.

While calling for the cooperation and patience of the road users, Fashola gave a matching order to truck drivers to move away from the road at the Ogere parking point, explaining that their activities along the highway was constituting a menace to the road itself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Truck parking operation is a business. You must plan your parking space, you cannot run your business at the discomfort of other people.

Park away immediately today because parking on the highway is a violation of highway code,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he stated.

Delivering his welcome address, the Director, Highways Construction and Rehabilitation of the Ministry, Mr. Olufunsho Adebiyi noted that the meeting was to enable the benefitting communities see themselves as co-owners and to partner the federal government in achieving the project.

MEDIA PARLEY

L-R: Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina; Chairman, Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria, Mr. Olu Philips; Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari; and Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Dr Kennie Obateru, at a parley with energy correspondents in Abuja...recently

Seven Local Energy Start-ups Get N26m Support from Shellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All On Chineme Okafor in Abuja Seven local renewable energy start-ups which have demonstrated innovative excellence at a recent ideasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; incubation exercise have been promised $10,000 each (N26.6 million) from Shell-funded impact investing firm, All On, to spend in developing their respective ideas.

The seven start-ups included Jambekcom, Txone, AlterBio Renewables, RenewCykle, Flitech, Hacer Hub and Greenera Technologies. They emerged to

be awarded the financial support from the Clean Technology Incubation and Acceleration Foundation (CTIAF) incubation program sponsored by All On. According to the CTIAF, the firms represent small businesses across Nigeria whose innovative products span a variety of renewable energy services from mobile solar-powered charging systems, battery operated solar generators, waste to gas technologies and patented solar inverter system.

CTIAF explained that the programme was implemented

in partnership with Aba based Clintonel Centre and Start Innovation Hub which is based in Uyo. It further stated that besides known technology innovation centres in Nigeria, the programme sought to identify promising off grid energy start-ups in other emerging centres of technology innovation in the country.

The program, it added has helped the entrepreneurs to up skill significantly and the grant winners are expected to use the $10,000 each to refine

their product concepts, build out prototypes, recruit staff and pilot solutions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are particularly proud of our continued collaboration with All On, this time in supporting the upscaling of young, Nigerian entrepreneurs who are the future of the sector,â&#x20AC;? said Ify Malo, Co-founder and Executive Director at CTIAF. CTIAF further explained that the seven beneficiaries were selected from 13 businesses which went through

the entire incubation process; 107 businesses had applied in May 2020 for the programme and were taken through a variety of courses aimed at developing their knowledge and skillsets in the areas of strategy and planning, product development, regulatory environment, finance and capital raising.

It added that the objective of the CTIAF program was to incubate energy entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and enable them to move from ideation to concept phases of their businesses.

55% of NLNG Train 7 Work to Be Domesticated in Nigeria, Says Attah Ernest Chinwo

art ure the ble on

NEWS

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Tony Attah, has said at least 55 per cent of the scope of work of the Train 7 Project will be domiciled and domesticated in Nigeria.

He said the feat was in demonstration of the improved capacity of Nigerian companies and personnel in the oil and gas

sector of the economy to handle high end technical projects, as a result of the efforts of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and its Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote.

Attah made the revelation in Port Harcourt during a reception by the Junior Chambers International (JCI) in honour of Wabote on his reappointment for a second term of four years by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Managing Director, who showered accolades on the Executive Secretary, noted that it was the commitment and doggedness of Wabote and the NCDMB that ensured the commencement of the Train 7 project, stated that their commitment resulted in signing the project in May 13, 2020 when the entire world was shut down due to the ravages of the Covid- 19 pandemic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Executive Secretary took it personally upon himself to push

for the success and we appreciate that and I must thank you very much for the wonders that you have done to the extent that when the contract was signed, May 13th this year that was right in the middle of the Covid-19 situation when the entire world was at a standstillâ&#x20AC;?, he stated.

He went on to observe; â&#x20AC;&#x153;The world was shut down but the Executive Secretary was determined that Train 7 would not be shut down. He pushed hard

to the extent that contract was signed against all odds when more than 50 per cent of all the other projects were cancelled or postponed across the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To date only one LNG contract has been taken across the world, so you can understand the game changing capacity that the Executive Secretary has caused to happen, for Nigeria, for Nigerians, for Nigerian LNG and most importantly for the Niger Deltaâ&#x20AC;?.

ICPC Names ITF â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;2020 Most Ethical, Integrity Compliant Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has named the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) as the most ethics compliant and integrity agency amongst 352 Federal Government

Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) surveyed by the Commission in 2020.

A statement by the Director of Public Affairs Department of the Fund, Mrs. Suleyol Fred-Chagu, observed that other MDAs that were equally considered to have

displayed high compliance to integrity and ethics according to the Ethics Compliance and Integrity Scorecard (ECIS) of the commission include, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Federal College of Education Kano, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and Raw

Materials, Research and Development Agency amongst others.

According to the ICPC, all agencies that were non responsive to the ethics and compliance scorecard, which measures how MDAs comply with ethical, integrity, statutory,

regulatory and policy standards and requirements in order to diminish corruption risk, improve ethics and integrity benchmark and improve service delivery have been classed as corruption high risk Agencies and have been listed for further inquiries and actions by the Commission.

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Modular Refinery as Game Changer for South-east From the Ibigwe refinery of Waltersmith Petroman expected to be inaugurated this week, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five south eastern states can comfortably oil their once vibrant economies back to commercial reckoning, writes Chineme Okafor

W

altersmithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5,000bpd modular reďŹ nery in Ibigwe, Imo-State promises to be a game changer for the economy of the Southern Eastern part of Nigeria; and will undoubtedly act as a catalyst in accelerating socioeconomic development in the region.

Home to two of West Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest markets - Onitsha and Aba markets - the south-east is reported to be commercially vibrant. It equally has prominent manufacturing outfits in Aba, Nnewi and Onitsha amongst other industrial clusters but lacks key infrastructure to keep these outfits in business. One of such infrastructures it lacks is a stable fuel supply network.

Based on data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the south-east experiences prevalent shortage of refined oil from incessant acts of vandalism on the corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aba-Enugu products pipeline. Whenever these lines are out, NNPCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s petroleum products supply and distribution plans in the region becomes jeopardised leaving machines and businesses of the region equally stranded without oil to run.

Similarly, this results to key petroleum products - petrol, kerosene, diesel, naphtha and heavy fuel oils amongst others staying in short supply and expensively purchased in the region.

For example, in its September 2020 Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) price watch, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated that while the national average price for a litre of petrol was N161.06 in September 2020, consumers in the South East paid an average of N162.11.

But with oil from its refinery, Waltersmith may be heading to help the region plug this systemic supply troubles to keep its businesses and economy running. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our focus on putting a refinery in Ibigwe, South East Nigeria is built on our knowledge about the commercial strength of our area of operation,â&#x20AC;? said Chikezie Nwosu, the Chief Executive Officer of Waltersmith. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To demonstrate that we were right, we already have oversubscription of our products, not spot sales but people who have shown interest to take our products,â&#x20AC;? Nwosu added.

Plugging a regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s need In 2017, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) stated that 75 of the 150 manufacturers it had in its membership list in the region had within five years shut down their respective operations over bad or non-existent infrastructure.

The MAN highlighted the high cost of production and exorbitant fuel costs as a huge challenge to manufacturers in the region.

Similarly, in one of its recent policy briefs, the African Heritage Institution (AfriHeritage), an Enugu-based non-governmental organisation which is focused on economic development, explained that without adequate infrastructure such as energy, the economy of the South East, like others in the country would remain underdeveloped.

AfriHeritage stated that inflation in Nigeria, which is currently high singularly, diminishes the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic growth especially with regards to purchasing power in its markets, and that the absence of key energy infrastructure also means that many factories and shops could be forced to either close down or increase prices. These challenges thus underline the significance of the Ibigwe refinery by Waltersmith to the region.

From its concept paper, which was shared with THISDAY, the refinery was originally conceived as an operational solution for the increasing aboveground risks Waltersmith faced in its upstream operations. This was however developed further with strategic and commercial considerations to the increasing certainty that the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subsidy on refined petroleum products in Nigeria will not be sustainable.

Having obtained the License to Establish from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in June 2015 as well as the Authority to Construct in March 2017, the company then partnered with the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to raise the required financing. According to the concept note, NCDMB has a 30 per cent equity in the plant while the AFC committed a certain percentage as a senior secured credit facility.

By June 2018, Waltersmith signed an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with a consortium of V-fuels and Lambert Electromec to build the first phase of its modular refinery within 24 months and work commenced at its Ibigwe site in October 2018.

The first phase 5,000bd crude oil refinery is reported to have a crude oil storage capacity of 60,000 barrels and will deliver over 271 million

New IATA Guidance Prepares for Global Vaccine Distribution Chinedu Eze The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released guidance to ensure that the air cargo industry is ready to support the large-scale handling, transport and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine.

IATA said its guidance for vaccine, pharmaceutical logistics and distribution provides recommendations for governments and the logistics supply chain in preparation for what would be the largest and most complex global logistics operation ever undertaken.

Reflecting the complexity of the challenge, the Guidance was produced with the support of

a broad range of partners, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) , UK Civil Aviation Authority, World Bank, World Customs Organization (WCO) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

The guidance includes a repository of international standards and guidelines related to the transport of vaccines and will be updated regularly as information is made available to the industry. Accompanying

the guidance, IATA established a joint information-sharing forum for stakeholders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Delivering billions of doses of a vaccine that must be transported and stored in a deep-frozen state to the entire world efficiently will involve hugely complex logistical challenges across the supply chain. While the immediate challenge is the implementation of COVID-19 testing measures to re-open borders without quarantine, we must be prepared for when a vaccine is ready. This guidance material is an important part of those preparations,â&#x20AC;? said IATAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.

liters per annum of refined petroleum products to the South East. These products will include kerosene, diesel, naphtha and heavy fuel oil.

According to the firm, the bulk of the crude oil supply it would need for the first phase will come from its upstream oil businesses, with backup from the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 53 - Ohaji South Seplat/NNPC JV third party facility currently processed at Waltersmith Ibigwe Flow station.

It explained that it equally expects additional supplies from marginal oil fields which are expected to be farmed out by the government soon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This 5,000bd modular refinery is the first phase of a series of developments that will culminate in the delivery of up to 50,000bd refining capacity which will expand the product slate to include PMS, LPG and aviation fuel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This program consists of an expansion of 20,000bpd crude oil refinery and a stand-alone 25,000bpd condensate refinery both of which are at early stages of project development,â&#x20AC;? the Chairman of Waltersmith Group, Abdulrazaq Isa stated.

Beyond oil, what else to expect Isa further stated that he had envisioned Waltersmith to transition from just an oil production firm into a manufacturing colossus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is my long-term vision ultimately. It is not going to be one or the other. It is going to be both running concurrently, so we will have oil production activity and also be fully involved in manufacturing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I talk about manufacturing, it is manufacturing related to oil, petrochemicals, chemicals pharmaceuticals and food processing, essentially leveraging oil into enabling an environment for competitive manufacturing where manufacturing is going to happen not just for us

Ayodeji Ake

but also for third parties who will come onboard and co-locate in that environment,â&#x20AC;? he explained.

He however called on the government and its key agencies to lend its support to the refinery outfit, especially with regards to feedstock.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the key elements to the sustainability of our project is access to feedstock; it is critical. For now, we are using our own feedstock from the Ibigwe field and it is a marginal field, but we have made this significant investment to build this infrastructure to provide petroleum products in Nigeria.â&#x20AC;?

He noted that the oil field alone will not sustain the refineryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feedstock demands, and as such, â&#x20AC;&#x153;for us to achieve all of these aspirations going from 5,000bd to 50,000bd, we will require a number of things from raising the financing that we need, to having access to feedstock.â&#x20AC;?

Furthermore, Isa stated that Waltersmith will have to demonstrate to its financiers that it could equally access equity reserves which would be available for the refineries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This brings me to our long term 10-year aspiration as a company in exploration and production business which is to achieve 100,000bd oil production through different mechanisms - divestment, opportunities that may come along, farm-in, marginal fields. These are sources where we feel we will have feedstock to drive the 50,000bd refining capacity,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Not mincing words, he stated that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are looking up to government to support us as an indigenous company helping to realize Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aspiration.â&#x20AC;? In light of this, the company has continued its strategy of sustained engagements with key players like the NNPC to facilitate access to resources critically needed to run the refinery.

Firm Launches Grant forinSMEs Nigeria who are obviously the and economic development.

A media platform in Nigeria focused on young audience demographic, Pop Central, has launched the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ad Grant.

The organisation said the initiative would afford small businesses the opportunity of free exposure on live television.

According to a statement made available to THISDAY, the media platform would be giving verified SME in Nigeria millions of naira worth of free advert grants via its station, Pop Central TV, DStv channel 189.

Chief Executive Officer, Pop Central Yinka Obebe , stressed that SMEs are crucial for local

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;According to research, in Nigeria, SMEs contribute 48 per cent of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), account for 96 per cent of business and 84 per cent of employment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This significant contribution of SMEs to the Nigeria economy has been affected harshly by the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This incited Pop Central to introduce the ad grant stimulus to support SMEs in the country on the path to recovery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The SME Ad Grant is aimed at helping small and medium sized businesses recover from the reverberations of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are giving away N388 million worth of free advert grants to verified SMEs

engine that runs the economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Verified SMEs are those that have been duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria; they are eligible and can apply for the SME Ad Grant via the link on our websiteâ&#x20AC;?.

He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;TV advertising as a premium complementary marketing platform is effective for SMEs who need to promote and aim to market a product or service. SMEs who will take advantage of the SME Ad Grant by Pop Central will be able to target and capture their audience, reach and build trustworthiness with a wide audience and cushion the difficulty that most SMEs are experiencing this year.â&#x20AC;?

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As Rising Food Inflation Remains Unabated Oluchi Chibuzor in this report as part of the Civic Hive 2020 Atupa fellowship programme supported by the US embassy writes that the rising food inflation in the country can lead to undernourishment and potentially expose already fragile agricultural production systems.

T

he United Nation, in its latest statement put Nigeria as one of the four countries on heightened famine alert that could soon slip into famine if conditions undergo any further deterioration over the coming

months.

The stark warning described the situation as a toxic combination of conflict, economic decline, climate extremes and the COVID-19 pandemic combining to drive people further into the emergency phase of food insecurity.

The above revelation reiterated the urgent warning by FAO, at the peak of the pandemic that the compounding threat of the pandemic on existing crises such as conflict, natural disasters, climate change, pests and plagues are already stressing food systems and triggering food insecurity around the globe.

In addition, the World Bank had estimated that the Covid-19 pandemic economic impact could push about 100 million people into extreme poverty as soaring unemployment rates, income losses and rising food costs are jeopardising food access in developed and developing countries alike.

Despite its critical status in any national development, as stated by the Executive Director of CORAF, Dr. Abdou Tenkouano, agriculture is under pressure from multiple disruptors, of which Climate Change is the main driver, bringing along biological risks that are new to the region or that have been endemic to the region.

Worthy to note is that the renewed effort by the federal government to attach great importance to agriculture through various policies interventions, escalating food prices across the country is seemingly truncating achievement recorded in the sector.

As laid out in the Malabo Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), much more must be done, however, to sustain and deepen the agricultural transformation process in Africa inclusive of Nigeria.

Speaking recently, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Board Chairman, Dr. Amos Namanga Ngongi, said the continent was still faced with many challenges such as food insecurity; emerging effects of climate change, highlighting that rampant land degradation makes these challenges daunting particularly as rapid population growth and rising urbanisation increase the pressure on agriculture to deliver more and better food.

For Nigeria, the surge in food prices only buttresses the fact that people, the reduction of Lake Chad volume, flooding across some states, and delayed rainfall, low yield per hectare, made it easy for COVID-19 to worsen the already fragile food production systems and lack oversight price control mechanisms.

Unending Upward Trajectory of Food Price Data have shown that the cost of food in Nigeria increased 16.66 percent in September of 2020 over the same month in the previous year, but averaged 11.78 percent from 1996 until 2020, reaching an all-time high of 39.54 percent in September of 2001 and a record low of -17.50 percent in January of 2000 according to the world bank.

Affirming the trend, in its latest report, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) consumer price index, (CPI) which measures inflation increased by 13.71 percent (year-on-year), this was 0.49 percent points higher than the rate recorded in August 2020 (13.22) percent.

In a corresponding month, the composite food

inflation (general decrease in the general price level of food or a negative food inflation rate).

index rose by 16.66 percent in September 2020 compared to 16.00 percent in August 2020. This rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of Bread and Cereals, Potatoes, Yam and other tubers, Meat, Fish, Fruits and Oils and fats.

On a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index increased by 1.88 percent in September 2020, up by 0.21 percent points from 1.67 percent recorded in August 2020. The average annual rate of change of the Food sub-index for the twelve-month period ending September 2020 over the previous twelvemonth average was 15.13 percent, 0.26 percent points from the average annual rate of change recorded in August 2020 (14.87 percent).

Across the federation, food inflation on a year on year basis was highest in Zamfara (20.94 percent), Kogi (19.06 percent) and Plateau/Yobe (18.90 percent), while Nasarawa (13.94 percent), Lagos (13.87 percent) and Ondo (13.59 percent) recorded the slowest rise.

On month on month basis, however, for September 2020 food inflation was highest in Zamfara (3.65 percent), Anambra (3.19 percent) and Kaduna (3.15 percent), while Nasarawa (0.51percent) and Abuja (0.15 percent) recorded the slowest rise with Ondo recording price deflation or negative

Growth in Prices As a global watchdog on food prices, the United Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) for the month of October, in its key message said in West Africa, prices of coarse grains in Nigeria continued their marked upward surge of the past few months as a result of the macro-economic environment and disruption to the supply chains due to the restrictive measures implemented to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Nigeria, Prices of food items in August, in general, reached levels well above those a year earlier in most markets, with peaks in the conflict-affected areas of the northeast where, in addition to economic factors, market activities are further hampered by persistent insecurity.

According to the report â&#x20AC;&#x153;The situation remains further aggravated by the border closure with neighbouring countries, introduced last year to curb the smuggling of imported rice and maize.

The macro-economic environment is characterized by the continued depreciation of the local currency, the decline in foreign reserves and the high general inflation rate, which reached 13.22 percent in August, the highest rate since March 2018. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Macro-economic environment is characterized by the continued depreciation of the local currency, the decline in foreign reserves and the high general inflation rate. Furthermore, a 20 percent increase in fuel prices, resulting in higher transportation costs has added to the upward pressure on prices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prices of all cereal products were at least 50 percent higher than their year-earlier values, with peaks in the conflict-affected areas of the northeast due to the additional impact of persistent insecurity.

Fresh supplies from the domestic harvest are expected to ease the upward pressure on prices from October,â&#x20AC;? the report stated.

Impact on Household According to FAOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Director of Emergencies and Resilience, Dominique Burgeon, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are deeply concerned about the combined impact of several crises which are eroding peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to produce and access food, leaving them more and more at risk of the most extreme hunger. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need access to these populations to ensure

they have food and the means to produce food and improve their livelihoods to prevent a worst-case scenario.â&#x20AC;?

On his part, WFP Director of Emergencies, Margot van der Velden said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are at a catastrophic turning point. Once again, we face the risk of famine in four different parts of the world at the same time. When we declare a famine it means many lives have already been lost. If we wait to find that out for sure, people are already dead.â&#x20AC;?

The World Bank had warned that each percentage point drop in global GDP was expected to result in an additional 700, 000 stunted children, with smallholder farmers and their families, food workers in all sectors all particularly vulnerable.

A survey by the NBS in collaboration with the World Bank on Nigeria Living standard, released July 2020, had noted that average household size in Nigeria was 5.06 persons per family, showed that many households in Nigeria were affected by negative life events in the last three years preceding survey, noted that more than 37 per cent of households report being exposed to increase in prices of major food products; 20.1 per cent are affected by poor rains or flooding causing harvest failures.

Furthermore, when faced with shocks and negative events, 11.7 percent of exposed households report reducing food consumption to manage the impact of shock. Globally when households replace meat, fruits, vegetables and other micronutrient-rich foods with high carbohydrate staples, energy intake may be up, but both macro and micronutrient intake will be compromised.

This increases risk of stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and associated poor health outcomes like vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) - two of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; caused by diets low in animal source foods, fat, and certain fruits and vegetables. Understanding the implication of hunger, In a joint statement by International Labour Organisation (ILO), FAO, The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Health Organisation (WHO), said the economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating and that tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people, currently estimated at nearly 690 million, could increase by up to 132 million by the end of the year.

Combating Uncertainty in Price and Hoarding Speaking to THISDAY, the Executive Chairman, Mile 12 Perishable Foodstuffs Market Association, Lagos, Mr. Shehu Usman he said his members do not engage in food speculation to gain undue hike in price, stressing that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;unfortunately rain has done so many damages to the crops from the south which has affected the market and people a lot. Also with bad roads, about 30 percent of the tomatoes are lost before they arrive.â&#x20AC;?

For the baking industry, the president of Premium Breadmakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN), Tosan Jemide, said the increase in the price of basic baking ingredients from March to August 2020 affected their business without a corresponding increase in the price of bread, but raises a concern of hike in the price of bread, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we suggest the government should revisit its foreign exchange policy by giving wheat importers priority for accessing FOREX since our local wheat production cannot meet up with growing demand for flour.â&#x20AC;?

FG Moves to Power Katsina Hospitals, Schools with 300KVA, 30KWP Facilities Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government has formally inaugurated a 300KVA transformer and a 30KWP offgrid solar-powered facility in Katsina which it said would help electrify schools, hospitals and businesses across the benefitting communities. The event which took place in Unguwar Dutse, Malumfashi Local Government Area and Bambami village,

Batagarawa Local Government Area, respectively, the government noted, will also boost economic activities across the two councils.

Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Salihijo Ahmad, under whose purview the government is overseeing the programme, said the agency was tackling the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power challenge one community at a time.

He expressed joy that the

Anguwar Dutse community would utilise access to electricity for socio-economic growth in the project that was executed through a public and private partnerships with IBK Services Limited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the time for men, women, and youths to display the well known Nigerian spirit of innovativeness and creativity as you take full advantage of the access to stable power development,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The REA boss said the agency

designed off-grid intervention to automatically enhance the socioeconomic status of the villages, boost productivity and provide jobs in the communities.

Ahmad urged the people to leverage the reliable nature of the solar hybrid mini-grid to improve their well-being and reiterated the determination of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to transform the power sector in the country.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I strongly believe that that that the quality of lives will be improved and children will have better learning experiences as they will be able to read at night. This project will enliven this community and expose it to invest in the nearest future.â&#x20AC;?

In his remarks, the governor of Katsina State, Mr Aminu Masari, urged residents to take advantage of the installed and commissioned projects to boost their economic

activities. Represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Power, Mr. Mansur Musa, Masari said the project would be used to power schools, hospitals and businesses across the community.

He told the residents that the commissioning of the grid extension project under the capital projects of the REA would provide reliable electricity to the town, which he said would in turn lead to more productivity.

27

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

FTN Cocoa Processors Reduces Loss to N78m in Q1

Goddy Egene

FTN Cocoa Processors Plc has

reported a loss after tax of N78.087 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020, showing an

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

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

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

improvement compared to the loss of N122.747 million recorded in the corresponding period of

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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

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

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 20Nov-2020, unless otherwise stated.

2019.

The company recorded a

revenue of N136.010 million, down from N196.541 million in 2019. Cost of sale fell from

N304.698 million to N198.544 million. Hence, it ended with lower loss of N78.087 million.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Dollar Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 1.04 1.06 16.12% ACAP Income Funds 0.85 0.85 11.30% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.18% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.75 3.88 53.23% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 1.03% Anchoria Equity Fund 130.44 130.90 21.86% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.46 1.46 21.92% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 18.24 18.79 19.10% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 402.55 414.69 16.54% ARM Ethical Fund 33.74 34.76 16.03% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.19 1.19 19.19% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.13 13.19% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.32% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 124.05 124.92 29.11% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.99% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.31 2.31 22.44% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.33 2.37 50.72% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.90% Paramount Equity Fund 15.63 15.93 24.94% Women's Investment Fund 131.97 133.41 19.65% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.77% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 127.48 128.10 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 154.15 155.72 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 107.24 107.24 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.56% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.12 1.13 20.41% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.75 1.75 31.57% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 1.25% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 1.84% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,191.83 1,208.84 7.59% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,483.19 1,484.76 24.86% FBN Balanced Fund 181.10 182.77 23.35% FBN Halal Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.79% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.19 119.61 5.66% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 119.37 119.80 5.29% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 148.03 150.33 13.76% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,614.39 3,658.83 18.68% Coral Income Fund 3,228.55 3,228.55 5.18% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 3.44% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.06% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 126.64 127.17 18.26%

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.94% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.81 2.87 28.55% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 7.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 156.00 156.93 8.89% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.34 1.44 22.38% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,143.91 1,143.91 9.97% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.61 1.64 30.21% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.06 12.16 7.13% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 2.38% PACAM Equity Fund 1.54 1.56 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.33 110.73 SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 135.11 137.85 16.53% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 8.44% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 26.48% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 6.13% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 26.11% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 7.28% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 29.85% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.36% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 22.65% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.22 1.22 5.04% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 110.57 110.57 6.10% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.39 1.41 16.28% United Capital Bond Fund 1.88 1.88 8.42% United Capital Equity Fund 0.86 0.88 21.95% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.01% United Capital Eurobond Fund 116.08 116.08 6.21% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.07 1.08 1.74% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.16 12.31 18.39% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.53 13.67 16.49% Zenith Income Fund 24.85 24.85 9.37% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.95%

REITS NAV Per Share

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

119.82

6.73%

53.51

2.80%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

11.45 118.33 87.88

11.55 118.33 89.52

35.95% 23.93% 16.99%

Union Homes REIT

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

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

4.21

4.25

22.51%

Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund

5.81

5.89

-1.63%

Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund

15.83 1.00 15.77

15.93 1.00 15.97

31.56% 2.17% 51.32%

231.85

233.85

23.13%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.71

13.11%

Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund

Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

28

T H I S D AY Ëž ͰͲË&#x153; 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Moghalu Provides Recipe for Achieving Inclusive Growth Obinna Chima A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof.

Kingsley Moghalu, has stressed that leading inclusive growth for economic transformation in Nigeria now requires far-reaching actions in the political realm.

Moghalu, stated this, following recent announcement by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third quarter (Q3) 2020 real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted for a second consecutive quarter by -3.62 per cent and the economy entered its second severe economic recession in the past five years.

The former presidential candidate, argued in a statement that no amount of â&#x20AC;&#x153;defensiveâ&#x20AC;? approaches to economic management, would adequately reverse the economic crisis and put the country on a path to real develop-

ment if the underlying issues that had created the weak economic framework are not addressed.

He explained: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chief among these structural factors is the urgent need for a constitutional restructuring of Nigeria to true federalism. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy cannot make real progress as long as it is organized on the basis of the 1999 Constitution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The existing constitution contains no incentives to economic production that creates wealth, as it centralizes excessive power in the central government. On the contrary, it creates massive incentives for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;sharingâ&#x20AC;? economy based on earnings from crude oil sales, which belong primarily to the Federal Government of Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This in turn creates an embedded incentive to rent-seeking as economic activity, an absence of

deep reflection by the political leadership on the nuances of competing economic frameworks as a basis for economic policy, and the commodity dependence that has created frequent economic distress through externally induced oil price shocks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our distress is now further entrenched with extreme levels of foreign borrowing that have essentially mortgaged the future of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth.â&#x20AC;?

He stated that while the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns imposed in the early months of the pandemic contributed significantly to the recession, it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a valid excuse to avoid confronting the more important causative factor of the longstanding, weak fundamentals of the Nigerian economy.

Accelerex Holdings Secures $20m Investment from ACA Emma Okonji Accelerex Holdings, Mauritius (Accelerex) has signed an investment agreement with regional private equity firm, the Africa Capital Alliance (ACA) for the Capital Alliance Private Equity IV (CAPE IV) fund to invest $20 million in Accelerex.

With this investment, CAPE IV will become a strategic partner in Accelerex and will hold three seats on the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board.

Accelerex, which is the parent company of Global Accelerex Limited, was set up for investment into digital financial technology companies

across Africa.

Global Accelerex was incorporated in 2008 and commenced payments services operation in October 2013 upon obtaining approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The company consistently ranked as the Number 1 Payment Terminal Service Provider in Nigeria in 2018 and 2019 and supports 95 per cent of Nigerian banks and over 90,000 merchants across the 36 states in the country.

Accelerex commenced operations in Ghana in 2019 and plans to expand into Cote dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa over the next 24 months with the new investment

from ACA. This funding will also drive new product development across the group.

Commenting on the ACA investment, CEO of Global Accelerex, Tunde Ogungbade, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am very excited by the ACA investment. In our quest for the right investment and strategic partner, we were looking for a company that shares our vision to empower businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa to exceed all their customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; payment expectations. This partnership will help Accelerex to aggressively expand into Africa and accelerate product development. I see our vision becoming a reality with this move.â&#x20AC;?

9PSB Commences Operations, Targets Six Million Customers in One Yea Raheem Akingbolu, Nume Ekeghe Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ugo Aliogo In a bid to foster financial inclusion in the country, 9PSB, a Payment Service Bank has commenced operations.

The firm said it has set a target of achieving six million new users in the first year.

By dialing *990#, customer can easily open accounts using their mobile numbers as an account number, transact and earn money per transaction, receive instant cashback on airtime purchases, savings proposition and investment opportunities.

Speaking at the launch of 9PSB, the Chief Executive Of-

ficer, 9PSP, Branka Mracajac, commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)for its drive towards bridging the gap of unbanked and under-banked citizens, assuring that her firm would aid the CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial inclusion goal. Mracajac said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As you all know the CBN recently approved the 9PSB to commence operation in the Nigeria financial ecosystem.

Today, we commend the CBN for the tremendous work they have done to provide daily service banking to leverage mobile banking and digital channels to enhance financial inclusion and stimulate economic activities at the grassroots level.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;9PSB is the first payment service bank designed to fund financial services in Nigeria by providing creative and market driven solutions and address the need of the financially excluded people. 9PSB operates simple, convenient and reliable channels to conduct financial services. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With our bank, customers can open any account they like from the comfort of their mobile phones and computer devices. There is no need for customers through all the convention procedures of opening a bank account 9PSB. 9PSB will be deployed as a channel for financial education for rural and low income consumersâ&#x20AC;?.

Fidelity Bank CEO, Okonkwo Emerges â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Banker of the Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, has been adjudged â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Banker of the Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the Business Hallmark People of the Year Awards 2020.

The award, presented during a ceremony in Lagos, at the weekend, was conferred on Okonkwo in recognition of his leadership and vision having not only overseen strong financial performance for the bank in recent times but also guiding the financial institution to greater heights

in a highly competitive industry.

According to the organizers, Hallmark Newspapers Limited, the award was aimed specifically at recognising individuals and corporate organisations that made meaningful impact in supporting the growth of critical institutions that are needed to foster healthy growth of the Nigerian economy.

Under Okonkwoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s watch, Fidelity Bank has grown from being one of several players in the Nigerian banking space to one that has presently registered

in the consciousness of many as one of the most dynamic and fast-growing businesses of its type in the land. Receiving the award on behalf of Okonkwo, the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Executive Director, Corporate Bank, Obaro Odeghe described the award as a very clear testament of his contributions, not just to the bank but the entire banking sector.

While expressing his gratitude to Business Hallmark Newspaper Group for the award, Okonkwo said the award was not taken for granted.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JULY 2020 Money Supply (M3)

36,822,751.47

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

3,476,121.25

Money Supply (M2)

33,346,630.22

-- Quasi Money

120,764,479.02

-- Narrow Money (M1)

12,582,151.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,002,026.89

---- Demand Deposits

10,580,124.31

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,637,137.23

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

29,185,614.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

39,711,115.95

---- Credit to Government (Net)

19,521,851.08

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-130,189,264.87

--Other Assets Net

3,472,017.70

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,421,827.07

--Currency in Circulation

2,395,917.03

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,025,910.04 317,234.17

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? Ě&#x2039;

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ě&#x2039; ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $43.38 a barrel on Friday, compared with $43.12 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

29

T H I S D AY Ëž ͰͲË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

All-share Index Falls 0.04% as Market Opens on Negative Note Goddy Egene The Nigerian equity market opened for the week on a negative note, declining marginally by 0.04 per cent as profit taking continued. The market had depreciated by 2.5 per cent last week on profit taking after a period of an unprecedented bull run.

The profit taking continued yesterday as 46 stocks declined compared with only five that

appreciated. Consequently, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 0.04 per cent to close at 34,121.78, while market capitalisation shed N17.83 billion to be at N17.838 trillion.

Although there were 46 price losers, gains by Dangote Cement Plc, BUA Cement Plc, Airtel Africa Plc and Nestle Nigeria Plc, which the leading capitalised stocks, moderated the losses, which led to the marginal

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

decline.

Analysts at Cordros Research had said despite the decline last week, in the short to medium term, they still saw scope for expansion in valuation multiples as the depressed yield environment remains compelling for yield-seeking investors to rebalance their portfolio towards equities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the week ahead (this week), we expect a mixed market performance due to

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

continued profit-taking activities and positioning by early birds in dividend-paying stocks ahead of full year (FY) 2020 dividend declarations. We reiterate the need for positioning in only fundamentally sound stocks as the weak macro environment remains a significant headwind for corporate earnings,â&#x20AC;? they had said.

Six stocks depreciated by 10 per cent led by Custodian Investment Plc. Others included:

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

Ardova Plc, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Livestock Feeds Plc and Transcorp Plc. Oando Plc and Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc went down by 9.9 per cent, just as Guinness Nigeria Plc and PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc depreciated by 9.5 per cent and 9.4 per cent in that order among others.

On the positive side, Airtel Africa Plc led the price gainers with 5.0 per cent trailed by BUA

O F

Cement Plc with 2.5 per cent.

Dangote Cement Plc chalked up 3.4 per cent, just as Nestle Nigeria Plc and NEM Insurance Plc appreciated by 1.8 per cent ans 0.7 per cent respectively.

The total volume of trades increased by 64.7 per cent to 568.04 million units, valued at N7.33 billion, and exchanged in 8,928 deals. Zenith Bank Plc was the most traded stock by volume and value at 79.74 million units and N1.91 billion, respectively.

2 3 / 1 1 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

30

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

24 HOURS...

GSA Asks Biden to Begin Transition Process President-elect picks former Fed chair, Yellen as Treasury Secretary Oluchi Chibuzor with agency report The General Services Administration (GSA) has informed President-elect, Mr. Joe Biden that the United States President, Mr. Donald Trump’s administration is ready to begin the formal transition process, according to a letter from Administrator Emily Murphy sent yesterday afternoon and obtained by CNN. Biden has also nominated a former Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary.

The letter is the first step the

administration has taken to acknowledge Trump’s defeat, more than two weeks after Biden was declared the winner in the election.

Murphy said she had not been pressured by the White House to delay the formal transition and did not make a decision “out of fear or favouritism.”

“Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts,” Murphy wrote. “I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official -- including those who work at the White House or GSA -- with

regard to the substance or timing of my decision. To be clear, I did not receive any direction to delay my determination.”

The letter signals that Murphy has formally signed off on Biden’s victory, a normally perfunctory process known as ascertainment.

The move will allow the transition

to officially begin, permitting current administration agency officials to coordinate with the incoming Biden team, and providing millions in government funding for the transition.

The move toward ascertainment comes after Michigan formally certified its election results on

Monday and Georgia certified its razor-thin presidential results on Friday. Pennsylvania is nearing certification of its election results, too.

Meanwhile, Biden has nominated former Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary.

If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to lead the department, according to CNBC. Yellen was the first woman to serve as Federal Reserve’s chair after her Senate confirmation in 2014.

Ebonyi PDP Elders: Umahi Acted Unilaterally Party inaugurates caretaker committee for the state Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Ebonyi State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elders led by former Minister and Nigeria Ambassador to Greece, Frank Ogbuewe, at the inauguration of the state PDP Caretaker Committee yesterday, declared that the state Governor, Dave Umahi, defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was a unilateral decision, adding that it was without consultations.

It was supposed to be the inauguration of the Ebonyi State PDP Caretaker Committee, but it eventually turned out to be a gathering of who-is-who in the party in the state.

Other elders at the inauguration included the former state Governor, Senator Sam Egwu; former Chairman of PDP in the state, Senator Obinna Ogba; former INEC National Commissioner, Lawrence Nwuruku; former Senate President, Pius Anyim; Senator Azu Agboti, former Deputy National Secretary of PDP, Sam Onwe; Senator Sylvanous Ngele, Senator Ama Nnachi among others.

They all took time to speak on the fate of the PDP in Ebonyi State, insisting that the defection of Umahi to the APC will give the PDP an opportunity to rebuild the party. They claimed that the PDP in the state witnessed stunted growth.

Lagos-Ibadan Rail: Amaechi Denies Alleged $650m Loan Request Kasim Sumaina in Ibadan The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday described reports that the ministry is seeking over $650 million loan to complete the ongoing expansion works on the Warri-Itakpe and the Lagos-Ibadan rail lines as untrue, noting that the money sought for the projects have long been approved.

This is even as he frowned at the contractors, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) and the American Consultant firm, TEAM, on the slow pace of work on the ongoing Lagos-Ibadan rail line project.

Amaechi, while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the

project inspection at Omi-Adio station in Ibadan, said: “I read somewhere that we are looking for additional $650 million for the expansion works on the LagosIbadan and Itakpe-Warri corridors, this is not true.

“We said we would be needing $1.6 billion, and that was long time ago. The money has since been approved. It is not as if we are looking for additional funds for these projects. It is important that I clarify that.”

The minister, while lamenting the slow pace of work at the Agege sub station, expressed concern at the pace of work, reminding officials of the CCECC that he would return on December 20 to ascertain the level of work done.

Nigeria Earmarks N10bn for COVID-19 Vaccines OnyebuchiEzigboinAbuja The federal government said it has set aside N10 billion in the 2021 budget for the purpose of procurement and evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccines when they are ready.

It has also said that a task team has been constituted to help in mobilising resources and advising government on how best to utilise such resources to effectively deal with the pandemic.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made the disclosures while speaking at the media briefing by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 pandemic in Abuja

yesterday.

He said: “Nigeria had floated a vaccine company known as, Bio-Vaccine Nigeria Limited. It is a joint venture between the federal government and a private company to carry out not only research but also to look at the options of producing Vaccines in licence.

“Federal government has earmarked N10 billion in the 2021 national budget to serve as a reserve fund, which will be for the development of vaccines and could also be deployed for procurement of Vaccines”.

PROMOTERS OF NOLLYWOOD…

L-R: Stars of the Big Brother Naija and Ultimate Love Reality TV Shows, Mr. Iyke Nnama, Ms. Chris Adah, Ms. Theresa Ifeoma Ugorji, Mr. Chris Obaoye, Ms. Bolanle Babalola; and Mr. Nelson Allison, at a private screening of latest Nollywood flick, ‘The New Normal,’ in Lagos… recently

Govs Commit to Greater Partnerships for Poverty Alleviation Rally support for constitutional amendment, restructuring, fiscal federalism James Emejo in Abuja State governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday committed to seeking better working relationship with the federal government and other arms of government as well as the private sector towards tackling the increasing poverty

in their respective jurisdictions.

The governors specifically committed to working with the legislature to ensure that the constitution is amended to pave the way for the development of sub-national governments.

They believed that there’s currently little that they can do with respect to unleashing

the economic potentials of their states largely because of the limitations in the constitution particularly items in the exclusive list, which only the federal government has control over.

Speaking during the opening plenary titled, “Nigeria’s Turning Point,”

at the ongoing 26th Nigerian Economic Summit (#NES26), themed:” Building Partnerships for Resilience,” in Abuja, the governors argued that there are huge opportunities in the areas of power and transportation, which the states can explore to create jobs for the teeming youths.

FG Still Subsidising Petrol Price, Says Sylva Insists Nigerians should be proud of fuel imports from Niger Republic Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva yesterday declared that the subsidy element was still being retained in the pricing of petroleum products, explaining that though there is currently no direct price control, there is

still some form of subsidy at the foreign exchange component of the pricing regime.

Sylva has also argued that Nigerians should be proud that the federal government is set to resume the importation of petroleum products from neighbouring Niger Republic Sylva, who spoke when he

appeared on live TV programme last night, stated that if the government completely hands off the pricing regime, Nigerians would be buying at a much higher price.

“Government is no longer in the business of fixing petroleum prices. That’s what was agreed and that’s what is being done.

The timing is not a good time, but it is also not a good time for the country. It’s not just a Nigerian problem. It’s a global problem.

“We are still trying to manage this bumpy start. We have not been able to get to the 100 per cent removal of subsidy from the foreign exchange end.

LabourVows to Declare Strike If FG Fails to Reverse Fuel Price Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Organised labour has threatened that it may embark on strike if all entreaties to get the federal government to reverse the recent increase in the price of petrol fail.

They said they would not honour further negotiations with the government unless it sees reason to revert it to the former pump price.

Addressing a press conference on the fallout of last Sunday’s botched meeting between the federal government and the labour leaders, the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajero, said the organised labour was surprised at the manner the government went ahead to implement further increase in fuel price while negotiations in

the last price increase was still ongoing.

He said for any meaningful dialogue to continue between both parties, the government would have to do the needful by reversing the increase in petrol price.

Ajero said: “The committee on tariff and others are still meeting, and before we could do the next meeting, the government

increased the petrol pump prices.

The best thing for that discussion to go ahead in good faith is for the government to return at the point we were before we continue discussion, and that was exactly what happened yesterday, and I really don’t think that it is out of place.

I think that the government would do the needful for us to continue.”

Fashola: No Suspicious N4.6bn Payments in Works, Housing Ministry Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, yesterday reacted to a report alleging a fraudulent payment of about N4.6 billion under his watch in the ministry sometime between September and December

last year.

Describing the online medium which published the report in various unprintable names, Fashola argued that if the payment of the money was suspicious in the first place, it wouldn’t have appeared in a public portal where it was picked up by the news

medium.

According to the report which Fashola rebutted, the ministry under the minister’s watch paid the money into personal accounts of directors and staff in four months in violation of existing law.

The report stated that all the

payments were dubious, stating that its checks indicted 21 officials of the former ministry of power, works and housing, before it was split into two ministries last year, to whose personal accounts tranches of funds were paid in the last third of 2019.

31

Ë&#x153; ͺ͟Ë&#x153; ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

FIFA Slams Five-year Ban on CAF President, Ahmad, over Corruption May become ďŹ rst one-term chief of the continental body Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Ahmad, 60, who was slammed with a

five-year ban yesterday by FIFA for breaching various codes of ethics and misappropriation of funds, is unlikely to be able to upturn the sanction before presidential elections slated for March in Morocco.

Sports Minister Congratulates New Executives of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has congratulated the Professional Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union of Nigeria new executive for the peaceful conduct of their election which ushered in former Super Eagles winger, Tijani Babangida as President.

A statement signed by the Media Office of the Minister yesterday said,: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hereby congratulate the Nigerian Professional Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union over its peaceful election which led to the emergence of notable ex-internationals Tijani Babangida as President. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Others elected include; Clement Temile (1st Vice President); Victor Ikpeba (2nd Vice President) and Emmanuel

Babayaro (General Secretary) respectively. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This (election) is a confirmation of the organisational ability and cohesion among the players.

You are worthy partners in the concerted efforts to deepen the development of Nigerian Football. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The unity of leadership is important for the task ahead of ensuring playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; welfare and protecting their rights. Without unity among the players, there can be no development. I encourage the new leadership to work with a vision that would impact the growth of Nigerian Football,â&#x20AC;? concludes the minister in the statement from his media office.

And if that happens, the former Madagascar minister of fishery resources who also doubles as one of the Vice Presidents of FIFA will go down in history as the first one-term president of the continental body in modern time and the first to be sanctioned.

Ahmad was found to have breached codes relating to duty of loyalty, offering and accepting gifts abuse of position as well as misappropriation of funds.

The Malagasy can appeal his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) once he has received the full grounds for the decision, a process that can take up to

60 days. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The investigation into Mr Ahmadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conduct ... from 2017 to 2019 concerned various CAF-related governance issues, including the organisation and financing of an Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, his involvement in CAFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dealing with the sports equipment company Tactical Steel and other activities,â&#x20AC;? a FIFA statement read on Monday.

Ahmadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impending ban was announced by BBC Sport Africalast month, was also fined $200,000. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, the former head of Madagascarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FA announced his intention to go for a second termin office when CAF elections take place in March.

This is now in major doubt as Ahmad, who was elected CAF president in 2017, would have to pass an eligibility test to resume his place on the FIFA Council.

Any chances of re-election will be dependent on not only winning his appeal at CAS but also ensuring said appeal is heard early e n o u g h to allow him to be confirmed as a candidate.

Ahmad...banned for five years

by FIFA

U E FA C H A M P I O N S L E AG U E

PSG Set to Risk Neymar Against RB Leipzig Tonight Paris Saint-Germain are having to take a calculated risk on Neymar when it comes to Champions League competition, with Thomas Tuchel preparing to start the Brazilian against RB Leipzigtonight.

Last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beaten finalists are aware that they need to take a positive result from their latest European outing in order to keep continental dreams alive for 2020-21.

With plenty resting on a visit from German opposition on Tuesday, Tuchel is prepared to roll the dice and that means including Neymar from the blast of the whistle despite the 28-year-old being well short of match fitness, with just 30 minutes of action taken in by the South American since October 28. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need him to play, it is necessary that he be on the field,â&#x20AC;? Tuchel told reporters when quizzed on his plans yesterday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has the quality and the experience. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a key player for us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is not in the best physical condition, but he will start tomorrow. He can handle this kind of game physically and mentally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be too focused on him though. I hope that we can help him and that he will not be alone.â&#x20AC;?

Kylian Mbappe is among those PSG will be looking to for inspiration alongside Neymar.

The World Cup winner remains a talismanic presence with 99 goals for the club to his name, but he has not found the target in a Champions League game since December 2019.

Pressed on whether that record puts added pressure on

the 21-year-old forward, Tuchel said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course. If Neymar or Kylian doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t score, it has an impact for us. I hope they score Tuesday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need Kylianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals. I can tell that he is doing everything to be decisive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He played with the France team. Against Monaco, he scored two goals. Now is the time for him, as well as for Ney, to be decisive again.â&#x20AC;?

With goals a necessity for PSG, as they sit third in Group H at the halfway stage, Tuchel says he may be tempted to tinker with his formation and go more attacking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although Mauro Icardi has been ruled out of his plans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is of course a possibility,â&#x20AC;? said a man charged with the task of delivering more major honours in Paris. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to win, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a final in the group. I absolutely want us to have more courage to score than fear to have problems defensively.

It will take courage to score, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a possibility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must find two players in the middle capable of making the effort if we play a 4-4-2. But it is also possible that we play 4-3-3.

We used it in Leipzig as well as in the quarter-finals (last season).

There are two possibilities, we will wait to see who is available.â&#x20AC;?

TODAY *Krasnodar v Sevilla *Rennes v Chelsea Dortmund v Club Brugge Lazio v Zenit Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Kyiv v Barcelona Juve v Ferencvaros Man Utd v Basaksehir PSG v RB Leipzig (All matches at 9pm except * 6.55pm)

PSG players training ahead of tonightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clash with RB Leipzig

Solskjaer Tasks Man Utd to Shake off Istanbul Nightmare Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer conceded his side cannot afford another off night against Istanbul Basaksehir if they are to reach the Champions League last 16.

United got off to a brilliant start in Group H with wins over two of last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Champions League semifinalists, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.

However, a 2-1 defeat in

Turkey three weeks ago has put the pressure back on when Basaksehir travel to Old Trafford tonight.

United still lead the group on six points, alongside Leipzig, with PSG and Basaksehir three points back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need at least 10 points to go through, maybe even likely that you have to have 12 points,â&#x20AC;? Solskjaer said at

his pre-match press conference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to go into this game trying to win it, of course, and try to win it well with a good performance because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got games coming thick and fast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Getting to 10 points as quickly as you can was the main point but that defeat was a big blow.â&#x20AC;?

Solskjaer is hoping to have

Paul Pogba back available after the French midfielder missed Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unconvincing 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Luke Shaw, Phil Jones and Jesse Lingard will miss out, while Solskjaer did not rule out handing Dean Henderson another Champions League start in goal ahead of David de Gea.

Runsewe Lauds Discovery of 1913 Golf Trophy at Rayfield in Jos Director General of the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has expressed excitement at the discovery of a golf tournament trophy dating back to 1913 at the club house of the Rayfield Golf Club in Jos. Runsewe, an ardent golfer is excited that the presence of that trophy â&#x20AC;&#x153;is enough to stir lovers of the game into action and to also show that culture could relate with golf.â&#x20AC;?

And come November 28, a one-day amateur tournament

has been scheduled to come up at the Rayfield Golf Club where that golf trophy etched in 1913 will be relished.

Over 350 golfers from across the nation will feature in that tournament with Plateau State Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong performing the ceremonial Teeing-off.

Said Runsewe yesterday:â&#x20AC;? We have a deep culture in all facet of human life in Nigeria. We have been able to substantiate that of Rayfield and we are picking it up from there.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we are not only going to celebrate Rayfield but we shall equally display cultural golf wears that would appeal to over three million Nigerians playing golf. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beside, we shall display how the game of golf has perfected the art of greeting by maintaining social distance in this Covid-19 era.â&#x20AC;?

Going down memory lane, white settlers who were into tin mining in Jos and environ engaged in the game of golf well before 1913.

In those early years, sports historians report that Nigerians were never allowed into the Rayfield Golf Club course.

Men like John Dankaro, Innua Gombe and Alhaji Jalingo who made efforts to play the game were not allowed until in the early 1970s.

Ever since, tongues became wagging why it took the locals so many years to venture into the game if indeed golf was first played in Jos before 1913.

Tuesday November 24, 2020

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Price: N250

MISSILE Fashola to APC “It was a crisis that led us to have a caretaker committee, we must respect the caretaker committee, let it do its job. Those of us who didn’t contest party positions, let’s focus on our jobs too and stop getting in each other’s way” – Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, warning members of APC to keeps the party’s promises to Nigerians in order to retain power in 2023.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

“M

Recession Blues

y brother, how you dey?”

“What can we do?”

“E ku recession” “Excuse me?”

“I said er ku

recession…”

“Are you Yoruba people alright at all? You people always make a joke out of everything.

Does recession look like a joke to you? Second recession in the last five years, the worst in Nigerian history in 33 years, and all you can think of is some meaningless local greeting.

Someone at your level should be above such provincial fixation that instinctively compels a Yoruba man to create one form of greeting or another out of every situation. That was how one of your brothers met me eating the other day, with his eyes rolling like rolling dollars, he told me: er ku jije mumu. Must you greet a person for performing a natural function? I am sure if a Yoruba man stumbles on you in the toilet, instead of leaving you alone, he will insist on greeting you for performing a biological function.”

“You don’t get it. Sunkunmus riranmus” “And what gobbledygook is that?”

“It means when we are crying, we must also keep our eyes open. What has happened to Nigeria this year alone is an eye-opening experience. I am not trying to make light of the situation. I am just trying to find out how you are coping.

By the first quarter of the year, COVID-19 had forced government to lock down the country resulting in the disruption of our lives. With the rest of the world also shut down, everything went upside down. Businesses collapsed. The country could not even sell crude oil, because there was no demand for our crude anymore.

Nigeria like most developing countries became insolvent. And now towards the end of the year, we have been told that the Q3 data about the economy shows that the country is in recession.”

“What we are facing is worse than recession. It is stagflation. Economic growth is terribly slow.

Inflation is high at 14.23%. Unemployment is very high in absolute terms: basic unemployment plus under-employment has messed up the populace.

The implications are frightening. Long before the National Bureau of Statistics announced its figures, the evidence was already before our very eyes. In Lagos, it is now very risky to go onto the streets at night. Hungry and angry boys are now attacking people to seize their valuables at a rate hitherto unseen. One of my friends was sitting in his car, the air-conditioning system of the car had gone bad, so the side window had to be wound down, and he was busy eating a pack of chicken wings that he had bought on his way home. One hand appeared from nowhere and snatched the pack from him. It is that bad. People are hungry. They are ready to kill to get food to eat.”

“But we saw that during the attack on COVID-19 palliatives warehouses in the month of October.

That wasn’t just about politics. It was an expression of hunger and anger. Even when the people were told that a particular warehouse had a large storage of poison, didn’t Nigerians attack the same warehouse?”

“I remember that story, but the problem is that it could get worse. Christmas is around the corner. In January, school fees would have to be paid, now that schools have re-opened.

Meanwhile government says there is no money.

Many employers of labour also insist that they need help to be able to recover from the effect of the pandemic. People can’t spend. They can’t sell. Have you not in fact, seen that this year’s Black Friday is truly black? With all the discounts that the stores are offering, I haven’t

Buhari seen long queues.”

“It is people who are relatively comfortable that do Thanksgiving with Turkeys and rush Black Friday sales. Ordinary Nigerians just want to eat. The price of every staple food is now so high, it is a miracle how some people are still surviving. Onions and tomatoes have become as expensive as gold. I like to eat snails as part of my regimen of eating healthy. The last time I asked for the price of a basket of snails, I lost my sense of taste immediately.”

“I don’t think that has anything to do with economic recession, my friend. That’s COVID. The first thing you lose, when you are COVID positive, is your sense of smell and your sense of taste. I advise you see a doctor immediately.”

“No, my brother, it is not COVID. I know my system. And I know that nothing makes you lose your senses faster than the pandemic of empty pocket. Can you smell or taste what you cannot afford? But how about you? How are you coping?’

“I thank God for my wife. You know she works in an oil company. They still pay them well, so no matter what, we still manage to keep the household going. She is filling the gap. Slight adjustments here and there, but we have not yet lost our ability to smell and taste.”

“What you are telling me is that COVID 19 and economic recession combined have now turned your wife into the breadwinner in your house.”

“What kind of talk is that? She is my wife.

We are together for better for worse.”

“Hmm. I get it. The number of families that will break up before this COVID and recession are over, we should just start counting. Have you ever seen any household where a woman is the breadwinner and there is peace in that house?”

“Yes” “Okay, I will tell you a story.”

“No. I don’t want to hear your offensive piece of misogyny.”

“Calm down, omo boy. Once they have given you people efo riro to eat, that is how you sound.

Get it right. This is not a white man’s country.

The moment your wife begins to feed you, in this our Africa, you are finished. One of my friends lost his job. The wife had a good job.

Three months later, the wife started hosting some funny-looking men at home. Our friend became depressed. He was helpless. I am worried that there may be an escalation in cases of domestic violence.”

“You are talking trash. My wife is a Psalm

31 woman. Recession cannot divide us. No weapon fashioned against us shall prosper in Jesus name. Our matrimony is holy and divine, and so shall it be.”

“Psalm 31 woman. I don’t understand.”

“Go and read your Bible.”

“In this Nigeria or inside the Bible?”

“In this Nigeria, and I have one at home!”

“Psalm 31 woman. But I think it serves all of you well. We would not be having this kind of conversation, if you had listened to me. I told you not to vote for General Muhammadu Buhari, and the APC. I told you APC is the name of an expired and banned drug that cannot cure anything. You said you wanted change. You see yourself now? You used to be an alpha male, but they have reduced you to the husband of a Psalm 31 woman who is now your master.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Wetin concern me? I jus dey talk my own.”

“Yes, you mind your business. And for your information, the recession has nothing to do with the Buhari administration. The current economic recession is global. Even developed countries are in bad shape in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. The problem with people like you is that you always try to play politics with everything. What we should be talking about at this moment is how to support government with ideas because we are all involved one way or the other. How do we restructure the weak fundamentals of our economy and our politics?

“Well done. So is it global recession and COVID-19 that are responsible for the inflation?”

“Yes” “The closure of land borders” “In a sense, yes.”

“The sudden breakdown of a passenger train between Abuja and Kaduna in the middle of nowhere and the abduction of innocent persons and the death of one person.”

“I will say yes” “Even if that makes complete nonsense of the railway project and all the promises the government has made?

“These are difficult times. We can’t blame government for everything” “Yes, we can. ASUU strike. Nine months now, public universities have been shut down.”

“ASUU should learn to be reasonable. It is not fair to continue to punish parents and innocent students” “I see that even with all the hardship you have suffered, you are still stubbornly pro-government.

I am sure if you were American, you would be a far-right supporter of President Trump despite the messy character of his politics.”

“One of these days, your mouth will put you in trouble, and I won’t be available to help you.”

“But what do you think of the various things we are now beginning to hear about the #EndSARS protests, and how the military and the police have been lying persistently, covering up one lie with another, adding to our misery, and making government look very bad? There say there are no corpses from the toll gate. A massacre without bodies they say. But the Chief Coroner of Lagos State is asking people to come forward to claim corpses. I don’t get it.”

“I believe some day, the truth will be unveiled. It is only a matter of time. As you can see, police men and security agencies are the same everywhere.

What makes the difference is leadership and the political will to listen to the people. We have seen police brutality in the United States. We have heard stories of misconduct by the police in other countries.”

“Yes. Yes. I can think of one topical example.”

“From where?”

“Mozambique. I don’t know whether you saw

the story. Two police trainers in Mozambique have been suspended for impregnating more than 15 female police trainees who were placed under their care. They were found guilty of sexual harassment.”

“From harassment to pregnancy. Wonderful.

Were the female recruits raped?”

“No. What I hear is that they were hit by blanket bullets and accidental discharge, the male trainers shot blank bullets in the air, which landed on 15 female police trainees in the Mozambican police system, and the women immediately became pregnant. I think the matter should be carefully investigated.”

“Blank bullets. 15 women. Pregnancy. Are you okay?”

“I am. Nobody can ever understand these uniformed men, whether they are soldiers or policemen. I am in fact shocked that police men in Mozambique have turned pregnancy into a COVID-19 pandemic. The infection rate, 15 women in one swoop, is quite alarming. In Mozambique, they have their own notorious SARS. But rather than kill, those ones, fire and inflate the stomachs of women. Here, nobody would have raised any eyebrows if that was our problem. The women would have been congratulated for receiving divine favour in form of a gift of the womb.

Du-du-ke... Du-du-ke.”

“I see you don’t quite respect women. How does your wife cope with you?”

“I am the man in my house. My wife calls me “okunrin meta” – one man like three! A man for all seasons. Ever-ready battery, ekun, in times of surplus, and a fighter of Buhari’s recession.”

“Stop blaming President Buhari. Use your head.

What I think we need is a general rethink. What you don’t know is that the Nigerian economy is in fact doing better than many economies in Europe and Asia.”

“I don’t get it. Nigeria has had eight recessions since 1960. Three out of the eight under Buhari.

That is a hat-trick. A legacy. You claim to know the Bible. Have you not heard of the king that said he will make the people’s yoke heavier and chastise them with scorpions?”

“1 Kings 12: 4-19. But you are a Devil misquoting the Bible. It is people like you that spread fake news about the leaders of our country. The same Bible that you are quoting also tells the people: “Obey people who have authority over you” (1 Peter 2).

“Go and say that to ASUU and NLC. Go and say that to the angry Nigerian youths who organized the #EndSARS protests and who have now taken Nigerian leaders to the UK parliament, the UN, and the International Criminal Court. I hope you listened to the debate on the Nigerian crisis at the UK Parliament, yesterday.”

“It is the job of parliamentarians anywhere in the world to talk. Let them talk. Let them say…”

“I see you are just a government apologist. I hope you know that Twitter has suspended the account of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). I hope you also know that even APC Governors are now visiting former President Goodluck Jonathan. Na so the thing dey begin…”

“Good for you. But just watch out for accidents because the road lies in wait…”

“Is that a threat? We can’t talk again in this country?”

“You can talk. Who is holding your mouth?

It is the consequences of talking recklessly that you have to worry about.”

“The last time I checked, the Nigerian Constitution recognizes my right to talk, to freely associate and to protest.”

“When a blank bullet lands on your head, you are on your own. It is your wife and children that I pity.”

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