THURSDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2022

Biden Announces $350m to Facilitate Digital Transformation in Nigeria, Others Afreximbank, US Eximbank sign $500m MoU to boost US-Africa trade Africa is confronted with internal, external trade barriers, says Elumelu Ugo Aliogo in Washington DC President Joe Biden of the United

States of America has announced the commitment of $350 million to facilitate digital transformation

in Africa.

According to Biden, such intervention would help to make sure more

people across Africa participate in the digital economy.

He stated that the commitment

included partnerships such as a new collaboration between Microsoft and Viasat to bring in Internet access to

five million Africans.

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Senate Confirms Reappointment of Two CBN Deputy Govs for Second Term... Page 6 Thursday 15 December, 2022 Vol 27. No 10110. Price: N250

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NEF: People Being Made to Give Up PVCs for N2, 000, AllegesVoter Suppression in North Olawale Ajimotokan and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

L-R: Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation and Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Tony Elumelu; United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and Co-Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Dr. Awele Elumelu, at the opening reception hosted by US State Department and Tony Elumelu Foundation, at the ongoing US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington...recently

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has alleged that millions of voters in the region, Continued on page 10

NEITI: 619.7m Barrels of Crude OilValued at N16.25trn Lost to Theft, Sabotage in 12Years Calls for special panel on Glencore scandal indicting Nigerian officials Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja As the federal government continues to search for a lasting solution to the bleeding in the oil sector, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) yesterday revealed that in the period spanning between 2009 and 2020, Nigeria lost as much as 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at N16.25 trillion to oil theft.

In a statement signed by the organisation’s Head, Communications and Advocacy, Obiageli Onuorah in Abuja, NEITI also welcomed the decision of the federal government to set up a special investigative panel on oil theft and losses in Nigeria.

To underscore the seriousness

of the oil theft investigation panel, the Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji-led NEITI disclosed that from its industry reports, Nigeria had lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at $46.16 billion or N16.25 trillion in 12 years from 2009 to 2020.

The losses were from theft and sabotage, based on information and data provided by an average of eight companies covered by NEITI process over the years, the statement added.

A breakdown of the losses, it stated, showed that in 2009 when NEITI commenced reporting of crude oil theft, Nigeria lost 69.49 Continued on page 10

Bureau of Public Service Reforms Rates BUHARI MEETS BIDEN...

Muhammadu Buhari (left) with U.S. President Joe Biden during a meeting at the White House on the sidelines of the US-Africa Leader's Summit NPA as ‘Platinum Level’ Organisation... Page 5 President held in Washington , US ... yesterday

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

NEWS

FEDERAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING...

L-R: Minister of state for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo; Minister of state for Budget and National Planning , Clem Agba; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and the Minister of state PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI for Industry, Trade and Investment, Maryam Katagum at the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the council chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja ….yesterday.

Whistle Blowing Policy Has Lost Steam, FG Declares Okays new bill to strengthen anti-corruption Approves N9.24bn life insurance cover for public servants, N700m for nine ballistic boats N564.2m for 20 transformers' analysers to detect faults, others FEC approves finance bill 2022 Deji Elumoye in Abuja The federal government has assessed its six-year old Whistle Blowing Policy with a declaration that the policy has not performed up to expectation.

It therefore owned up that the policy that was launched on December 21, 2016 by the Federal Ministry of Finance to encourage people to volunteer information about fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, government assets and any other form of corruption or theft to the ministry, has lost steam.

The policy rewards a whistle blower who provides information about any financial mismanagement or tip about any stolen funds to the ministry's portal with 2.5 per cent to five per cent from the recovered funds by the federal government.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, made the disclosure yesterday, while speaking with newsmen after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the State House, Abuja.

According to her, FEC approved a draft bill to strengthen the fight against corruption and to also enable protection for whistleblowers that provide information for use by government.

She said: “The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning presented a number of memos today. The first is the draft whistleblower bill for 2022.

This memo has been reviewed by council and approved with a provision to ensure alignment with the Evidence Act. “The purpose of operationalising and putting in place a whistleblower bill is to strengthen the fight against corruption and to also enable protection for whistleblowers that provide information for use by government.

“As you know since 2016, the council had approved the setting up of the Presidential Initiative of Continuous Audit (PICA). PICA has been working in partnership with EFCC, ICPC, DSS, NFIU as well as the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

“We noticed that the whistleblower policy response has lost momentum. We embarked on engagements in the six geo-political zones and one of the main outcome that we found is that people are concerned about their safety as a result of providing information.

So this bill is critical to ensure the effectiveness of the retention of the whistle policy.”

The minister also said the council approved a total of N9.24 billion for the 2022/2023 Group Life Insurance Cover for federal public servants.

Ahmed, who said the memo was presented to Council by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, explained that the insurance was meant to cover all government officials.

She explained: “The Head of Service of the Federation presented a memo to Council on Group Life Insurance Cover for the period 2022 to 2023. This is an insurance cover that is covering all government officials in all government agencies,

military and intelligence agencies.

Council approved the total sum of N9.24 billion for the insurance cover for 2022 to 2023.

“As you know, the insurance will take effect from the date of payment and in Nigeria, by our laws, the insurance cover is 30 per cent of the annual emolument of any staff of government that is deceased and this cover is paid by the insurance company to the beneficiaries of the deceased staff.”

There was excitement in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) following the classification of the agency by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) as a level 5 “Platinum Level” Organisation.

BPSR Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) deployed in the NPA for the independent assessment, validated assessment and in-depth analysis of processes and practices of the agency returned the verdict of “exceptional performance with performance level of 91.25 percent."

A statement yesterday quoted the Director General of BPSR, D.I. Arabi

to have explained: “This means that NPA’s performance far exceeded expectations due to exceptionally high quality of work in all essential areas of responsibility, resulting in an overall quality of work that is superior, exceptional or unique.”

Furthermore, Arabi noted that, “it is worthy of note that the whole process of the assessment was free from both internal and external influence,” adding that, “while we commend critical mass of staff members of the NPA for commitment and cooperation they displayed throughout the exercise, it

To replicate hub in tertiary institutions

The federal government has expressed its readiness to replicate innovation hubs in public universities and other higher education institutions in the country.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, made this known at the opening of TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR) initiative yesterday, in Abuja.

The TETFund boss who said the TETFAIR programme was put in place in collaboration with Innov8 Hub, revealed that the move was part of efforts to institutionalise Research and Development (R&D)

in Nigeria.

He stated that through the programme, selected teams of researchers and academic staff with promising ideas for innovative solutions in the programme areas of focus, were being taken through a journey that combines technology and product development along with venture creation.

“The programme is designed to support the advancement of solution-driven research, innovation and sustainable development in Nigeria.

“Being a year-long programme, TETFAIR is aimed at providing unique opportunity for our academics and researchers in Nigerian

implementation of the 2023 budget.

“So we have been working on this bill and have done a lot of consultations. The bill we presented before Council today has five focus areas including tax equity reforms, climate change and green growth provisions, job creation and economic growth reforms, reforming tax incentives as well as generating revenue enhancing tax administration.

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Bureau of Public Service Reforms Rates NPA as ‘Platinum Level’ Organisation

FG Launches Alliance for Innovative Research Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

FEC, according to the Minister, also approved the Finance Bill 2022 that was designed to support the implementation of the 2023 budget.

Ahmed said: “If you recall at the public presentation of the budget to the National Assembly, by His Excellency Mr. President, the President had committed to the parliament that a 2022 Finance Bill will be submitted to the parliament by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to support the

Universities to transform their ideas into market-driven solutions, including the development and fabrication of prototypes,” he added.

While saying many Nigerians who took part in start-up programmes by Innov8 hub have recorded many breakthroughs in inventions and technology, Echono said, "TETFund is committed to replicating this (innovation hubs) in our tertiary institutions."

Speaking further, Echono said the initiative was also aimed at providing solutions to identified challenges based on strategic needs and national priorities in areas such as Agriculture and Food Technology; Environment,

Energy and Circular Economy; Health and Accessibility: Information Communication Technology; Security; Transportation, Aviation, Shipping, among others.

The TETFund boss also revealed that the Fund has sponsored production of another set of 50 books, which will soon be unveiled for use in tertiary institutions in the country.

Declaring the TETFAIR open, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu said the initiative would help address gaps and proffer solution that will help Nigeria meet global demands.

Continues online

is imperative to also state that there were certain members who were lackadaisical in their attitude to the very important national exercise of the federal government.”

He urged the NPA to give, “wholesome attention to our recommendations as an important organ among the (income) generating agencies of the federal government.”

Arabi stated that when the journey to diagnose the current health status of NPA commenced on May 18th, 2022, there were palpable doubts expressed by both the management and staff members as to the purposes for which the results of the exercise would be used.

“As we present our findings on this independent, impartial and comprehensive assessment on the current health status of NPA and celebrate its performance, it is imperative to state at this juncture that to realise the benefits of the assessment rests on the readiness of NPA to start moving strategically with the identified priority areas for action planning that will have maximum impact, both immediately and over the longer term.

“A number of opportunities for improvement were identified during the assessment even where the statement of good practice was fully met.

“The findings and priority areas for action from the assessment need to align and support NPA’s longer term direction: its vision, mission, strategies and performance

measures,” he said.

He commended the zeal and commitment of the Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed Bello Koko, to reform and to ensure the agency’s systems and operations remain strong, responsive, robust, private sector-oriented and in line with the international best practices.

According to him: “As a Bureau, we are indeed willing to collaborate with the agency to sustain its achievements, support areas where work is in progress and address areas where performance is weak.”

He said that the Bureau was, among many recommendations, looking forward to see NPA create a structure of Committee, team, change drivers, “whose composition is drawn across various components with significant level of authority, credibility and leadership qualities, to drive change along the desired strategic objectives in the NPA.” The report, which was presented by the BPSR on December 13, 2022, at the NPA’s headquarters in Lagos, chronicled how in May, 2022, the BPSR deployed its SAT at the NPA, with the overall objective of identifying NPA’s strengths and weaknesses as a first step towards improvement and optimal performance.

In the report, the general findings, including areas of strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities for improvement were set out arising from the assessment.

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NEWS

SYMPOSIUM BY THE ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN BANKERS (APWB)...

L-R: Divisional Head, Emerging Corporates, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mrs. Chinyere Muda-Sanusi; Divisional Head, Transaction Banking, Mrs. Rolayo Akhigbe; Managing Director of the Bank, Mrs. Yemisi Edun; Zonal Head, Ikeja 1, Mrs. Violet Odu and Head, Training Academy, Nkechinyere Ojiego, during a symposium organised by the Association of Professional Women Bankers (APWB) in Lagos…recently

Stakeholders Urge Nigeria’s Next President to Declare State of Emergency in Power Sector Afreximbank pledges support for marginal oil field licencees Dike Onwuamaeze Participants at the PwC Annual Power and Utilities Roundtable have called on next administration that would be sworn in on May 29, 2023, to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria’s power sector.

The declaration of a state of emergency in the sector, according to the stakeholders, would aim at solving the lingering crisis of inadequate power supply in the country.

The PwC stated that the roundtable, whose theme was, “Setting a New Power Agenda Post-2023 Elections,” revealed that “stakeholders across Nigeria’s power sector value chain, from transmission, distribution, generation and renewable energy operators, have different perspectives on the policies required to solve the challenges in the sector.

“Furthermore, it was apparent that political actors often have bold ambitions that drive policymaking

but sometimes are not consistent with the pragmatic realities in the industry. This misalignment hampers a collaborative approach towards solutions.”

However, stakeholders at the roundtable agreed on the need to formally recognise the electric power crisis in Nigeria and for the new government post-2023 elections to convene a stakeholders’ summit.

The Partner and Energy, Utilities and Resources Industry Leader, PwC Nigeria, Pedro Omontuemhen, said: “Irrespective of your political affiliation, we can all agree that electric power is critical to our development as a nation.

“But there are several perspectives on the key solutions and policies that Nigeria should pursue to solve the crisis in the power sector. So there’s a need for all stakeholders and the incoming government to dimension the challenges and agree on the key policies to implement.

“This alignment is urgent if the

Minister Threatens Tax Evaders as FCT Annual Sanitation Bill Hits N6bn Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello has sent strong warning to tax evaders that they are liable to severe penalties upon conviction.

He issued the warning yesterday, at a town hall meeting on the demand and verification of tax clearance certificates by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), commercial banks and corporate bodies before transactions.

The minister, who was represented

by FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, said there would be sanctions against individuals, organisations and agencies that violate its order that tax clearance certificates be presented before transactions within the territory.

He noted that the FCT Administration has the mandate to a capital city that is comparable to the best in the world, adding they have delivered on the mandate. He said Abuja has turned out to be a very beautiful city as testified to by visitors to the city.

He, however, stressed that if the administration was to continue to provide world class infrastructure for

the city, it was important to improve the revenue base that could only be attained by a robust tax policy where all FCT residents contribute through taxes to its development.

He disclosed that the FCT administration expends over N6 billion annually on the sanitation of the city and N3 billion on water treatment every year even though what it earns from water tax was only N2 billion.

“We call on you to demonstrate your responsibility by paying not just your taxes but by paying the bills you ought to pay. In this way we will be able to provide quality services that will make Abuja truly a city of your dream,” Bello said.

In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the FCT Inland Revenue Service, Haruna Abdullahi, noted that the existing law provides that failure by MDAs and commercial banks to demand and verify a Tax Clearance Certificate presented by an individual was liable to sanctions and possible conviction with a fine of N5 million- or three-years imprisonment or both the fine and imprisonment.

He urged all residents and relevant stakeholders to choose voluntary compliance over compulsion.

incoming government is to deliver a sustainable and stable electric power supply in Nigeria.”

In his keynote address, Former Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Sam Amadi, who delivered the keynote address titled, “How to Solve Nigeria’s Energy Problem,” reviewed the power sector policies of the presidential candidates of the three leading political parties.

Amadi, however, proposed the restructuring of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the constitution of a presidential task force that would “drive power sector reforms and restructure the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to release its 4000 Megawatts generating capacity.”

He also proposed extending invitations to local and international developers to sign new PPA for 800 Megawatts of solar/wind in Lagos/PH/Warri by 2025.

The stakeholders also identified ongoing power sector interventions and critical and impactful reforms the incoming administration should continue to implement post-2023.

The Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Alex Okoh, noted that some ongoing reforms targeted at the GENCOs have worked and should continue.

According to Okoh, a legacy GENCOs firm that was privatised

and listed on the stock exchange is currently attracting favourable attention from the public, which he described as an independent test of the viability of that business.

The Component Lead, Standalone Solar Home Systems (SHS), Nigeria Electrification Project, REA, Ms. Lande Abudu, said that the has deployed over one million units of solar energy facilities that have been impacting over five million Nigerian households.

The Managing Director of Azura Power West Africa Limited, Mr. Edu Okeke, highlighted the positive impact the licensing of mobile money would have on the renewable energy space by emboldening investors’ confidence that they could easily collect their payments from the consumer.

A former Managing Director of the TCN, Dr. U.G Mohammed, noted that one of the laudable reforms in the power sector was the cessation of government-togovernment agreements with neighbouring countries, which paved the way for GENCOs to sign bilateral agreements directly with their governments.

Mohammed stated that a bilateral agreement is preferable to the single buyer regime.

The Partner, Energy, Utilities and Resources, PwC Nigeria, Mr. Akinyemi Akingbade, who moderated the panel session, noted

that a vital aspect of PwC’s purpose is to solve important problems.

“For the past 14 years, this forum has brought stakeholders together to discuss topical issues affecting the power sector and propose solutions. We are proud of some of its successes, and keen to collaborate with other stakeholders to chart a path forward.”

Meanwhile, the African Export and Import Bank (Afreximbank) assured marginal oil field operators in Nigeria of adequate financial support that would enable them to drill more oil and stop gas flaring.

The bank gave this assurance recently in Lagos during the PwC Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Stakeholders Forum with the theme “Marginal Oilfield Licence: After Winning, What Next?”

The Afreximbank’s Head of Client Relations (Anglophone West Africa), Mr. Peter Adeshola Olowonomi, explained during the stakeholders’ forum that the bank’s support would be enjoyed by marginal field holders that have achieved initial crude oil production.

Olowonomi added that the bank could provide guarantees to pay contractors and to service providers who have expertise do the work once there is proof that they have struck oil.

He said: We are an African bank and so even when the international institutions fail to provide financing

on the continent; we as an African bank have no choice than to provide the funding.

“But we have risk and acceptable criteria that these marginal field holders must meet before we can provide them with the financing.

In this case, we have said that they must get their first oil, meaning that they must go into the asset using their shareholders’ equity to develop the asset and bring out the oil.

“Once it is proven that oil has started flowing, based on this production we can then give them loan to put infrastructure in place to ramp up their production and drill more wells.”

Olowonomi disclosed that the bank is also considering a creative structure that would enable it to “give guarantees to contractors and service providers who can do the work and bring the oil out, then pay them once the oil is achieved.

“You should be pleasantly surprised that Afreximbank gave letter of interest to over 50 per cent of marginal field owners in this shareholders’ forum to support them during their bidding stage.

“It is not a discussion that is starting now. We have started with them even when they were bidding for these assets via letters of support.”

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Senate Confirms Reappointment of Two CBN Deputy Govs for Second Term Okays cash withdrawal policy, seeks upward review of daily limits

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate yesterday confirmed the reappointment for second and final terms in office, Mrs. Aisha Ahmad and Mr. Edward Lametek Adamu that were nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as Deputy Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Their confirmation followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions chaired by Senator Uba Sani.

Uba said the nominees' appointments were in line with the CBN Act and that they possess relevant academic qualifications He said the committee did not receive any petition against them and that they also scaled through the screening of relevant security agencies.

Ahmad and Adamu were first

appointed as CBN deputy governors in charge of the Financial System Stability and Corporate Services Directorate respectively in March 2018.

Buhari, in a letter earlier addressed to the Senate President Ahmad Lawan, had asked the upper chamber to confirm their nominations in the "usual expeditious manner."

According to the letter, Ahmad as Deputy Governor in charge of Financial System Stability, she is responsible for leading the effort to promote a sound financial system in Nigeria; one of the principal objects of the bank as specified within the CBN Act. Ahmad is a member of the Governing Board and Committee of Governors at the CBN. She is also the Chairman, of the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) - a not-for-profit organisation offering training, consulting and

research services for the financial services sector.

Her banking and investment career spans several financial institutions including NAL Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, among others.

Also Adamu began his career in the Unified Public Service (UPS) in 1983 with the Bauchi State Civil Service.

He spent 35 years in the UPS, twenty-five (25) of which was spent in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

During his years in the central bank, he was seconded to the Gombe State Civil Service from 2008 to 2010 as the Senior Special Assistant and Head, Procurement Management and Due Process Office.

He returned to the CBN in 2010 and was appointed Director of the Strategy Management Department

in 2012, after a selection process.

He was later deployed to the Human Resources Department of the Bank in 2016 as Director, a position he held until his retirement from the services of the Bank on 14th February 2018.

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday approved the latest policy of the CBN which limited the daily cash withdrawal for individuals to N20, 000 while corporate organisations would only be allowed to withdraw a maximum cash of N100,000 daily from next month.

The red chamber took the decision after considering the report of its Committee on Banking Insurance And Other Financial Institutions chaired by Sani.

Sani said the report of his panel was based on the interaction the members had with the nominees.

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2022 NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MSME'S...

L-R: Chief Product Officer, Sterling Bank Plc, Mustapha Otaru; Commissioner, Ogun State Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe; Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Olawale Tunde; Chairman, Odu'a Group, Bimbo Ashiru and Cluster Coordinator, Sustainable Economic Development Cluster and Promotion of Employment in Nigeria, Mr. Markus Wauschkuhn, at the 2022 National Conference on MSMEs in Lagos... recently

IPMAN: 350 Tankers Loading Petrol Directly from NNPC to Clear Backlog Says ex-depot price has returned to N148.19 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said yesterday that to clear the current petrol scarcity nationwide, its members had begun to load as much as 350 trucks daily.

National President of the organisation, Chinedu Okoronkwo, in an interview on TVC, explained that the demand of the union to buy the product directly from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) at the controlled price of N148.19 had been acceded to.

Okoronkwo stated that he had confirmed that Nigeria has at least 1.9 billion litres of petrol in stock , stressing that the meeting with the Department of State Service (DSS) and other stakeholders was helping to solve the problem and clear the queues.

According to him, the direct purchase from NNPC depots, rather than from third parties, has made fuel available in Abuja and some of others states and will eventually get normal in other affected states.

He stated that when the Port Harcourt refinery begins to work by the first quarter of 2022, and when Dangote comes on stream thereafter, there will be more improvement in

Nigeria’s fuel supply chain.

Okoronkwo stated that the government was cognisant of the coming elections and how scarcity may affect voters if the problem is not sorted out soon and therefore needed to do everything to solve the prolonged shortages.

“The availability has been confirmed and it’s 1.9 billion litres.

Now the NNPC has taken it upon itself to allow marketers purchase directly from them. And they have given us about 350 trailers and we believe that the problem will clear and it will continue in that manner,” Okoronkwo assured.

He added that the private depot owners who also own filling stations can now decide to use their stations as outlets, stressing that IPMAN was not against their business.

“There is a template of N148.19.

The depots are just like warehouses of the NNPC because it’s the NNPC that brings in these products,” he added.

Furthermore, he stated that the business in Nigeria should be done in naira, rather than asking marketers to pay their charges in dollars.

“How can they (marketers) be doing business in their country and they are going to the black market to source for dollars for charges. Everything should be

Obaseki Congratulates Edoborn Best Graduating Student of Obafemi Awolowo University The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has commended Dr. Godknows Osarenren Osarhiaekhimen, an indigene of Edo State, that emerged the Best Graduating Student in Medical Sciences and Overall Best Graduating Student of the Obafemi Awolowo University at the institution’s 46th convocation held recently.

In a statement, Obaseki celebrated Osarhiaekhimen’s achievements, hailing her for bagging seven distinguished awards.

He noted, “It is with great pride that I congratulate you, Godknows Osarenren Osarhiaekhimen, for emerging the Best Graduating Student at the 46th Convocation Ceremony of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University.

“We are, indeed, proud of your lofty achievements, as you have

given a good account of yourself by clinching 7 distinguished prizes.”

The governor further noted, “This attainment is a testament to the indomitable Edo spirit, which places hard work, diligence and determination as core virtues in pursuit of excellence.

“You have joined a long list of illustrious Edo sons and daughters, who continue to blaze the trail and record phenomenal results in their chosen life endeavours.

“Today, you serve as an inspiration to many young Edo boys and girls who are looking out for worthy mentors to guide them aright in a world filled with numerous distractions.”

“I celebrate your genius and wish you even more resounding success in your chosen field of medical practice,” he added.

done in naira. Why should they be collecting dollars?,”he queried, maintaining that the practice is also putting pressure on the naira.

However, he noted that the concerns of the marketers have been escalated to the appropriate authorities with the hope that they will stop the practice and hasten the ease of doing business in the sector.

He stated that the third party bottlenecks had become a problem, explaining that with the improved sale by the NNPC and sale of

products at N148.19 per litre, the problem was getting solved.

“Many of our members closed shop because of this matter, but there is hope now of adequate supply,” he explained.

An Energy Expert, Bala Zaka, who also appeared on the programme, argued that to ensure energy security, Nigeria should not be planning based on importation of fuel.

He noted that it was shameful that Nigeria had continued to tie consumption to products brought

into the country, insisting that it was unsustainable.

Zaka maintained that the reasoning that Nigeria must continue to import should be jettisoned, arguing in the same vein that the government must not deregulate prices because it will kill businesses as marketers will embark on price racketeering.

He noted that for instance leaving the prices of diesel in the hands of marketers has increased the product to about N800 in a country where many businesses

depend on it to generate their electricity.

For months, petrol supply in the country has worsened, with 10 litres of the product sometimes selling for as high as N4,000 in the black market in various parts of the country.

For instance , in Abuja, since February this year, there has not been reliable supply, with the authorities giving various excuses ranging from the Salah festivities to flooding and recently blaming bad roads in Lagos.

NDPHC Plans Additional 100,000 Home Units of Renewable Energy Decries N100bn NESI debt Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) yesterday disclosed that it was planning to install 100,000 units of renewable energy in Nigerian homes, after an initial 20,000 units.

In an address delivered by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, of the organisation, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo, at the 2022 Seminar for Power Correspondents in Calabar, Cross River State, the company also decried the N100 billion owed NDPHC by the sector.

“NDPHC has also diversified into renewable energy. Aside the 20,000 home units that we installed, there are plans to add another 100,000 units across the country.

“It should be noted that the company has been operating its existing plants, completing those still under construction and intervening in transmission and distribution through its internally generated revenue,” he explained.

“In spite of this, the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is owing NDPHC over N100 billion.

Again, our tariff is the cheapest among thermal companies even though we all buy gas at the same price in the market,” he stated.

Ugbo noted that the task of providing adequate electricity to Nigerians has been arduous, explaining that as a company jointly owned by every Nigerian through local, state and federal governments, Nigerians look more unto the NDPHC than its competitors.

He added that the NDPHC was striving assiduously to live up to the expectation, stressing that the organisation being primarily a generation company, also intervenes very seriously in both transmission and distribution segments of the power sector.

“In addition, we also a sociasible company through our corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects,” he noted.

He implored the media to join the NDPHC in appealing to every Nigerian and every community where it has installations to regard those projects as theirs and so protect them from theft

and vandalism.

Within the last one year , Ugbo said the NDPHC has witnessed some setbacks through such actions when gas pipelines were damaged and also recently when high tension towers were pulled down and parts carted away in River State.

While highlighting the cooperation he has had from stakeholders, he noted that the organisation will work towards achieving its goal of lighting up Nigeria.

He explained that the organisation was conceived in 2004 and developed to address the issues of insufficient electric power generation and excessive gas flaring from oil

exploration in the Niger Delta region.

The 10 thermal plants that were designed, he said, included: Ihovbor Power Station Benin, Edo State; Calabar Power Station, Cross River State; Egbema Power Station, Imo State and Gbarain Power Station, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Others, he said, are Sapele Power Station, Delta State; Omoku Power Station, Rivers State; Alaoji Power Station, Abia State, combined cycle plant; Omotosho II Power Station, Ondo State; Olorunsogo II Power Station, Ogun State, combined cycle plant and Geregu II Power Station, Kogi State.

STAKEHOLDERS URGE NIGERIA’S NEXT PRESIDENT TO DECLARE STATE OF EMERGENCY IN POWER SECTOR He said that being an export oriented bank, the Afreximbank would give them money to buy the turbines to monitise the gas. “As I mentioned, we are supporting Notore fertilizer. We supported the construction of Indorama facility and we are refinancing the NLNG project.

“As oil is being produced, we are able to give them financing so that the gas that is produced will be used for fertilizer, electricity and for LNG. So that there will be no more flaring of gas.

“Afreximbank is supporting today a company called UTMFLNG that not only wants to take the gas to power but also liquefy the gas and put it in vessels for export.

“And that is our intention that by the time we do all of these,

Nigeria can generate more dollars to boost its budget. The pressure on the Naira is because the dollar receivables are not as much as they can be. And we want to reverse that trend as an institution,” he said.

Also, Omontuemhen, admonished the firms not go it all alone but to look for joint partners rather than joint venture, adding that the most important thing is what comes next after the bidding, which is drilling and producing oil.

Omontuemhen said the essence of the forum was to enable older operators of marginal oil fields to share their experiences with new entrants into the sector.

He said: “The idea is to share experiences from very experienced people who will

tell us what they did right or did wrong and what mistakes they have made and what the new entrants should avoid in order to succeed in this business.”

He also said the forum would enable them to learn how to structure their loan requests in such a manner that financial institutions would be willing to assist them.

Omontuemhen advised marginal oil field holders to avoid going into operation alone. “My first advice to them is: do not go it alone. You need other people to partner with you. It should be joint partnering as against joint venture.

“Collaborate with other people so that you can succeed together.

Do not die alone and do not die in silence. Call for help,” he said.

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Don't Relax Your COVID-19 Safety Measures, NCDC Advises Elderly Nigerians Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Despite the recent relaxation of COVID-19 safety measures and travel advisory by the federal government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has advised senior citizens and persons in the high-risk category for severe COVID-19 including hospitalisation to continue to adhere to safety measures, especially wearing of facemask.

In a public health advisory issued yesterday, by the Centre, it

also advised Nigerians who have not been previously vaccinated to do so without hesitation.

The NCDC stated: "Following the presidential approval for the relaxation of COVID-19 safety measures and travel advisory and as a result of the declining cases of COVID-19 and the steady increase in vaccination coverage in Nigeria, the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC-COVID-19) has advised the relaxation of all COVID-19 safety measures and

travel advisories.

"This includes the lifting of COVID-19 protocols for travellers, the compulsory use of face masks in public spaces and restrictions on mass gatherings. Due to recent assessments of the COVID-19 situation in the country, the NCDC has also transitioned from weekly case announcements for COVID-19 to biweekly situation reports for COVID-19.

"However, we continue to advise Nigerians to visit the nearest

government health facility to get vaccinated if you have not been previously vaccinated. Complete your vaccination dose if you are partially vaccinated and get your booster dose for increased immunity.

In addition, the Centre stated: "Persons in the high-risk category for severe COVID-19 including hospitalisation e.g., the elderly, those with conditions or on treatments that affect their immune systems, those with hypertension, diabetes and other significant chronic illness

are advised to continue to use their facemask in crowded places.

"Wash your hands with soap under running water frequently or use an alcohol-based sanitiser.

Cough or sneeze into your bent elbow or a disposable tissue. Get tested for COVID-19 if you notice COVID-19-associated symptoms.

Self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19 until you recover."

The NCDC further advised the public to continue to adhere to the published guidelines for home-based

care of mild COVID-19 cases.

For travelers, NCDC said they should continue to fill out the simplified Health Declaration Form (not exclusive to COVID-19) on the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP) upon before or on arrival in the country.

"Although no longer a pre-requisite for travel, we recommend filling this simple health declaration form prior to travel to Nigeria to avoid any additional delays on arrival at our airports.

NEF: PEOPLE BEING MADE TO GIVE UP PVCS FOR N2, 000, ALLEGES VOTER SUPPRESSION IN NORTH particularly, women are being made to surrender their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for N2, 000 by some political parties contesting the 2023 elections. NEF's Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem BabaAhmed, disclosed this yesterday, in a statement.

Baba-Ahmed said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed what the public had been aware of in the last few weeks and allayed the forum’s fears.

He claimed all the political parties were involved in the suppression plot.

But the INEC leadership assured Nigerians that the new technol-

ogy introduced into the country's electoral system would not entertain any impostors, because its security features were a defensive standout against such forgeries.

At the same time, the federal government commended Meta, owners of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, for taking clearly outlined steps to protect the integrity of the country's general election next year.

However, decrying the widespread and targeted buying of PVCs in many parts of the north, NEF stated that it had been following this worrying phenomenon. It advised community leaders and

major stakeholders on the dangers of disenfranchising large numbers of citizens.

NEF pointed out that it had also undertaken its own investigations, which prompted the current public warning.

According to the statement, "Thousands or possibly even millions of northern voters, particularly women, are being made to surrender their PVCs for a pittance, in most instances, not more than N2000.

"In some instances, they are told their cards will be returned to them after they are processed for additional payments as poverty relief. No cards are returned.

"Our investigations suggest that this an aggressive and blatant voter suppression attempt to reduce the voting powers of the north. We have been assured by INEC that this practice in itself will not compromise its systems and processes.

"People, who are involved in this practice appear to be working for different parties, but they target communities, where they assume their parties or candidates have comparative advantages or disadvantages."

The forum advised registered voters not to part with their PVCs under any circumstance, irrespective of the party or candidate they

BIDEN ANNOUNCES $350M TO FACILITATE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN NIGERIA, OTHERS This was part of Microsoft’s commitment to bring access to 100 million people across Africa by the end of 2025.

He revealed that the initiative would include programmes to train African entrepreneurs with a focus on women entrepreneurs to code and build skills needed to start their own businesses, to secure good-paying jobs and for technology firms.

“This will include partnerships between Africa and American companies to provide cybersecurity services to make sure Africa’s digital environment is reliable and secure.

“So, today, I’m announcing a new initiative - The Digital Transformation with Africa. Working with Congress to invest $350 million to facilitate more than almost half a billion dollars in financing to make sure more people across Africa can participate in the digital economy,” he said.

Speaking during the US-Africa Business Forum, at the at the ongoing US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC, the United States, Biden said that Cybastion, a diaspora-owned small business, was jointly announcing $800 million in new contracts to protect African countries from cyber threats.

Furthermore, he disclosed that Visa was also committing more than $1 billion into Africa over the next five years to further expand its operations on the continent, including providing mobile payment services for more micro-, small-, and mediumsized businesses across Africa.

According to Biden, “The United States is focused on Africa’s future.

And the work we’ve done over the past two years, building on decades of vital investments made under previous American presidents, has helped make possible the critical steps that I’m about to announce.

“First, the United States is signing an historic memorandum of understanding with the new African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat. This MoU will unlock new opportunities for trade and investment between our countries and bring Africa and the United States even closer than ever. This is an enormous opportunity for Africa’s future, and the United States wants to help make those opportunities real.

“We are finally implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area.

It will represent one of the largest free trade areas in the world with 1.3 billion people, and a continent-wide market totalling $3.4 trillion.

“And with the new MoU, we are doing things correctly: enshrining protections for workers both across Africa and in the United States; looking out for small- and

medium-sized entrepreneurs and enterprises to make sure they have a fair shot to compete; lifting up opportunity for women-owned businesses, diaspora-owned businesses, and businesses owned by members of historically underserved communities; and supporting and investing in the continent’s vibrant and growing urban economies.

“Together, we want to build a future of opportunity where no one no one is left behind. Secondly, we are investing to facilitate greater regional trade within Africa, including by investing in infrastructure.

Today, the Millennium Challenge Corporation signed its first-ever regional transport compact with the governments of Benin and Niger.

“This compact will invest $500 million to build and maintain roads, put in place policies that reduce transportation costs, making it easier and faster for ships to ship goods from the Port of Cot- — excuse me, from the Port of Cotonou to neighbouring landlocked countries.”

Speaking further, he said: “General Electric and Standard Bank will together provide $80 million to improve healthcare services and provide access to cutting-edge healthcare equipment. Altogether, the forum has spurred more than $15 billion in new deals, which will turn, lift up, and improve lives of people all across the continent.

“And that is the biggest deal of all. These are long-term investments that are going to deliver real benefits to people; create new, good-paying jobs, including here in the United States; and expand opportunities for all our countries for the years to come. All of you, the deals you have signed, the investments we have made together, are concrete proof of the enduring commitment we are making to one another, government to government, business to business, people to people.”

In a related development, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the US Eximbank have signed a $500m memorandum of understanding (MoU) on trade to boost US-Africa trade.

The MoU provides the framework under which Afreximbank and the US Exim bank can operate and support renewed US-Africa trade, investment, engagement and relations.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Prof. Benedict Oramah, said by signing the MoU, the two banks have moved from intentions to action and set the stage for the two institutions to serve as anchors for a renewed, vibrant US-Africa trade

and investment relations.

He also stated that Afreximbank would leverage the relationship with US Eximbank to promote the creation of regional supply chains by through supporting transportation, rail and road infrastructure, healthcare, renewable energy, supporting Diaspora engagements, especially the creative industry, which he said was something, “we have it as a priority and the US government also has as a priority.”

He expressed confidence that the engagement they have had would promote the work they were doing to support the AfCFTA and make it possible for them to support industries to bring in heavy equipment and capital goods needed to create manufacturing capacity, “as well as also the kind of infrastructure goods that are required to create capacities for production on the continent.”

According to him, “It is undoubtedly that the US is the largest market in the world so by improving the relationship and creating the opportunities for trade, we can gain access to that market that has helped pull billions of people out of poverty, especially in Asia.

“US is the country with the largest pool of capital. By creating the environment to attract this capital, we are going to be able to support the kind of investments that will enable us do value addition in our continent, especially solid minerals and agriculture products, it will

help us to push ahead as a trade destination hub for venturing in the US, given the fracturing of global supply chain that we are beginning to witness. We have a large diaspora community in the US. “The good thing is that the President Joe Biden administration has issued an executive order to send in Diaspora engagement and they have even appointed somebody to an office to make sure that African diaspora engagement is strengthened.

The Diaspora source of foreign direct investment, marginal remittances, and skills, and it is also a market for us.

“So this renewed relationship we are beginning to see, if we are able to give it some impetus, we will also be able to fully leverage the benefits of a large pool of our diaspora here. Here, just as the Jews have done, and just as the Indians have done, we are the only ones who have not used our diaspora in a way that it is a win-win for us.

“Nigeria is large market and it has a huge population. The youth population in Nigeria is huge and it is a source of low-cost labour that can be used to produce for the US market. The US market and Nigeria are not far apart. Nigeria can be a good destination for the US and that can boost economy and create jobs.

“Nigeria is the largest source of diaspora in the US. So as we renew this engagement, we are able Continued on page 40

support.

It said northerners must vote in the forthcoming elections, saying it is the only way the region can reverse its current fortunes and circumstances.

NEF added, "To sell your card now, or sell your vote in next year’s elections, is to betray your responsibility to improve our circumstances and future.

"Every northerner should know that our voting population and turnout during elections are the only powers we have left, but we can use them to affect, who will lead us at the next elections.

"Voters from other parts of the country are jealously guarding their voting opportunities. Our relative poverty now is no excuse to surrender the opportunity to improve our future."

The forum called on INEC to intensify its public awareness campaign against this threat to the rights of voters, while calling on the relevant authorities to raise vigilance levels and arrest the ugly practice.

It further called on the federal and state governments to intensify the campaign against violent threats that could prevent millions of voters in the north, and other parts of the country, from voting.

Equally speaking on the development, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said, “For the 2023 general election, every voter must possess a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) issued by INEC, and must be accredited by the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in order to cast his vote on Election Day. “INEC assures Nigerians that no impostor, using another person’s PVC, will be able to vote at any of our polling units on election day.

That person will be detected and handed over to the security agents on ground. My strong advice to anyone planning to do this is, have a rethink and not allow himself to be made a scapegoat.

“But the other dimension being alleged that some persons might be purchasing PVCs with the aim of disenfranchising voters is a sad reflection of the mischief that some human beings are capable of in

our society.

“However, buying the required number of PVCs off the voters in any geopolitical zone in Nigeria with the aim of influencing the result of a presidential election will be a Herculean task.

“The threshold prescribed by the 1999 Constitution for a winner to be declared in a presidential election is that a candidate must win the majority votes and must also win a quarter of all the votes cast in twothirds of the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which ensures spread.

“So, how many PVCs can you possibly buy to be able to determine a winner in a presidential election?

Nevertheless, the commission, through its voter education efforts, has been imploring Nigerians not to sell their votes or part with their PVCs.” Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said yesterday at “PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023)” that a deliberate initiative introduced by the social media operator, Meta, would protect the 2023 elections from dangers posed by fake news and disinformation. Mohammed said Meta had detailed the actions it planned to take to combat disinformation and make political advertising more transparent, saying the company has committed to these actions before, during and after the elections.

The minister stated, “This is commendable and it is in line with what we have always said, that the platform owners have a big role to play in checking the spread of fake news, disinformation and hate speech via their platforms.

“Meta has demonstrated a great sense of responsibility and we hope the company will live up to its promise.

“We also urge other platform owners, like Google (owners of YouTube and others), ByteDance (owners of TikTok), Twitter, and the Telegram Group Inc. (owners of Telegram messenger) to emulate Meta by taking positive steps to prevent the spread of fake news, disinformation and hate speech via their platforms ahead, during and after the 2023 elections.”

NEITI: 619.7M BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL VALUED AT N16.25TRN LOST TO THEFT, SABOTAGE IN 12 YEARS million barrels valued at $4.31 billion.

It added that the figures for 2010, 2011 and 2012 revealed that 28.31 million, 38.61 million and 51.58 million barrels which were valued at $2.29 billion, $4.39 billion and $5.82 billion were lost respectively.

According to NEITI, its oil and gas industry reports for 2013 to 2020, also showed that the losses to crude oil theft did not abate as 78.30 million barrels valued at $8.55 billion were lost in 2013 alone.

In 2014 and 2015, the extractive initiative noted that Nigeria witnessed combined losses of 67.29 million barrels valued at $5.57billion, while in 2016, the country recorded the highest losses of 101.05 million barrels that were valued at $4.42 billion.

Between 2017 & 2020, the NEITI reports indicated losses of 36.46 million barrels ($1.99 billion) in 2017, 53.281 ($3.837 billion) in 2018, 42.248 million barrels ($2.772 billion) in 2019 and 53.056million barrels ($2.21 billion) in 2020.

“The combined value of these losses is 619.7 million barrels amounting to $46.16 billion over

a 12-year period,” NEITI added.

It described the decision to set up the panel as bold, courageous and timely, given the ‘havoc’ oil theft has wrecked in oil production and the country’s revenue generation.

NEITI lamented that it was regrettable that at a time Nigeria’s economy is largely dependent on oil revenues, some Nigerians would choose to collude with foreign nationals to steal and sabotage the main sources of revenue for the federation.

The agency particularly expressed delight over the new collaboration between Offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and that of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in coordinating the investigations and its wisdom to appoint NEITI in this special panel.

NEITI said it would seek technical support where necessary from 57 member countries of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to help tackle the international dimension of oil theft in the work of the investigative panel.

NEITI further disclosed that after a careful review of the terms of

reference of the panel, it found the terms of reference of the committee, comprehensive, incisive, and attainable.

The panel was among other things required to establish the ramifications of crude oil theft/ losses in Nigeria; ascertain the causative factors immediate and remote of crude oil theft/ losses in the country; with the widest possible amplitude and identify persons/entities whether public, private or foreign, involved in the criminal enterprise.

NEITI gave the assurances that working with other members of the panel, the agency would rely more on its multi-stakeholders to support the work of the committee.

Also the organisation renewed its call to the federal government to establish a similar special investigation panel on the Glencore bribery scandal which has seen some Nigerian government officials in the oil and gas industry alleged to have received the bribe payments to facilitate and secure crude oil contracts and other business advantages for Glencore.

Glencore is one of Nigeria’s oil traders that were convicted in the United States and Britain for paying bribes in various sums to some government officials in Nigeria, Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil, and Venezuela over a period of 10 years.

The global public disclosure about Glencore was made by the United States Department of Justice which later convicted Glencore of the said crime. Glencore has pleaded guilty to the charges and agreed to pay over $1.1 billion to the United States Government.

The NEITI statement noted that following its request to the federal government to launch investigations into the Glencore bribery incident, assurances were received that the matter was under investigation.

“NEITI strongly believes that the special investigative panel on Glencore bribery scandal will fast-track the investigations towards apprehending the culprits in view of the huge implications to the country’s investment drive and global image,” the statement added.

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POLITICS

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

Abubakar: I’m Prepared to Turn Around Bauchi’s Fortunes Immediate past Chief of Air Staff and Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi State, Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar (rtd), in this interview speaks about his plan to embark on aggressive development of the state if elected governor during the March, 2023 poll. Deji Elumoye brings excerpts:

W

hy are you interested in Bauchi State governorship race?

I left the service not too long ago but I decided to join politics because I believe that we can add value to what is on ground. I have been very lucky and went through a very functional system while growing up and so because of that we were able to go to school.

But it is sad today that access to education has become so limited and that to us is totally unacceptable and it is going to bring much bigger problems in future and that is why we decided to be part of the process to see how we can add value.

As a retired three-Star General, I have been trained, I have gone through so many processes and I don’t want to just retire with that knowledge in my village and just keep it to myself.

I took the decision to be part of the political process to see how we can add value to the society and see how we can revamp some of the economic, political and social issues that are affecting our society.

So the focus of my campaign is to sensitise the people on the situations that are on ground in Bauchi State.

You look at the statistics and you discover that the education sector in Bauchi State, you see that there are over 1.4 million children that are out of school, they cannot have access to school and they are not likely going to be able to contribute to the development of the society.

If you look at even those that are in schools, the net attendance is only 29 percent which is extremely poor. The national average is 68 percent but what we have in Bauchi is 29.9 percent attendance.

If you go to the health sector, they have similar issue where we have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Nigeria in our state.

1,549 women are dying per every 100,000 births, that is totally unacceptable and I think it has to do with the failure of leadership, people have refused to really discharge their responsibility to our women. No support to our women in the health sector.The only way you can survive is if you have resources and you can go to private clinics and so on which is elitist.

If you look at the entire state, what percentage can have access to private health clinics and so on? So the figures are very disturbing and unless we do something about it, unless we come in to rescue the state so that we change the narrative and make children go back to school like we had the opportunities to go to school…

In our own day, everything was available.

You had free uniform, free everything and even pocket money. But today those opportunities are no longer there and that to me is something that we should really be worried about and hence our decision to go to politics.

Apart from the health sector, if you look at youth empowerment, youths constitute 65 to 70 percent of the population but unfortunately we do not have any structure in place that is dedicated to empower youth. That is stage, they are very energetic but unfortunately the structure is not there for them to really empower them.

They don’t have the enabling environment for them to be creative, for them to be innovative and contribute to the development of the state, that is why you find them hanging here and there.

So like I said education is the most important in any society. If you are to destroy a society, don’t go with rifles, just make sure they don’t go to school and within a short time they will start killing themselves. This is exactly to some extent what is happening especially in our own part here. Then you look at agriculture, this is a very important sector. There is a lot of hunger, there is a lot of economic deprivation and that is because the agriculture sector has not been effective in providing job opportunities and social economic development and all the support that farmers are supposed to get, they are not getting it.

Abubakar

When you talk of fertilizers and other improved seedlings, preparation of the lands and so on, and all the support farmers are supposed to have, they don’t have it. So all the support they are supposed to get from the government is not there and hence you find that production is not at the level it should be.

We are endowed with solid minerals, over 100 different types of minerals but there isn’t any strategy on ground to really work with the federal government and development of the solid minerals sector of the state for the benefit of not only the state but indeed the federal government. This is a major issue and I believe that these are the areas that we can look at and improve on to see how we can generate resources for the state.

Most of our industries have virtually collapsed and when I was in the Airforce, I used to buy things from Bauchi factories, we used to buy things for our soldiers right

from 2009 when I was a Commander in Port Harcourt. We used to buy this Tabo Nama for our soldiers so that when we deploy them, they used to have something to eat. When I became Chief of the Air Staff, I was trying to do the same for my troops in Maiduguri and other areas but unfortunately they were not there anymore, the industries have collapsed.

Also, we had the Flour Mills in Azare that could accommodate about 30,000 workers, it has collapsed also.

If you look at the fertilizer company also in Bauchi which is supposed to add value to our educational sector, that has equally collapsed and right now quite a number of these companies are out and they sold them off to private people. So these are the fundamental issues that I felt it is necessary for me to use my experience and knowledge and what I have seen in the service to see if I can add values to our communities in Bauchi.

This, in a nutshell, is what this project is about.

Because if we get things right at the state level, the federal level will also be okay especially insecurity.

Security and development are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have development if there is no security. Similarly, we cannot have

One thing I will do is to create an enabling environment where people would have a sense of ownership of the government.

People must believe that this government is our government and they must have a sense of ownership.

The only way you do that is to make the people paramount in whatever you are doing, show concerns, show that you are worried, show that you are disturbed that their children cannot go to school, show that you are disturbed that they can’t have access to hospitals, show that you are disturbed that they cannot have access to clean water.

security if there is no development. People must understand that they have a stake in the process to be able to participate and contribute.

But the moment they know that they don’t have any stake in a system, then chances are that they might not only refuse to cooperate, they might even mobilise against the state.

And starting point in doing this is at the state level. The federal government is doing a lot, at least I am aware. We have acquired so many fighter aircraft for the service.

The Buhari’s administration has done so much in ensuring that we have the required equipment but the problem is where you are generating insecurity which is at the lower level, things are not happening properly. Also women constitute a large population but unfortunately most of these women have no support or whatsoever from government and that is certainly going to impact negatively on the system itself.

So our programme is to see how we can pass these ideas to the voting population to let them understand that we have our focus which is on development and addressing some of these fundamental problems that are making life very difficult for our people.

We must educate our women and if you do that you have solved 50 percent of our problem.

But if you leave women ignorant and they don’t have access to education, that is another major problem that we are facing in our society today.

If we are given the opportunity, we will make sure we promote girl-child education and make sure that all those girls that are out selling things are back in their school.

If you also look at the civil service, it has virtually collapsed, people are going to work and they are going back home without salaries, this is unbelievable. Not to talk of pensioners that have spent a greater part of their lives working for the state. This is the time for the state to support them but they can’t even get their pension.

As a pensioner, when I collect my pension every month, I feel extremely bitter that I have millions of workers in Bauchi state that have no access to this same resources. So it is a very disturbing situation and at this stage having served the state, we need to help our pensioners not only in ensuring that their pensions are properly paid but to even support their medical needs just like we have in the Military, if you are retired, you have access to the best of medical facilities.

So I see no reason why somebody would finish in the state civil service and would not have access to check his blood pressure or to check his sugar level, these are basic things but unfortunately they have no access to this.

So that is another area of major concern to us.

If elected come March 2023, what is the first thing you would do to address all these issues you have raised?

The first thing we will do is to look at the educational sector. Like I said if you want to destroy this society, please don’t waste your time going with weapons, just deny them education.

But what we want to do immediately is to take a very crystal look at the educational sector and see what is it that we need to do to open the gates of schools and bring back those children that are out on the streets into schools, make them very comfortable, create the enabling environment where they would sit down, not where we are having today where children are sitting under the tree to learn and then you have animals roam inside the classrooms because the classrooms have so deteriorated because no human being can sit down there.

Reverse is the case.

You have children under the trees learning and then you have goats in the classrooms. So the education sector is very important and I think that is the first thing that we are going to do and make sure that as much as possible, we get people back to school.

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

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POLITICS

Balami: Obi’s Pedigree Places Him Above Other Presidential Candidates

Former Arewa Youths President and ex spokesperson of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers and chieftain of Labour Party, Isaac Balami, in this interview with Emameh Gabriel says neither the APC nor the PDP is an option for Nigerians in 2023.

I

n 2015, you led a movement in the north against the then government of Goodluck Jonathan that brought President Buhari to power.Today you want another change of government under a new platform, Labour Party, because you feel the current administration has failed. Is there any regret for taking that decision?

Will I say I regret? I’m not somebody who regret, rather, I take responsibility for my decisions, my actions and inactions. Remember at that point in time, a lot of people from the South, especially South South, did not believe that President Goodluck Jonathan then can win election comfortably. Because of how big the North is. The strength of the Middle Belt has all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, but I can assure you that if you look at the numbers in 2011 and how Goodluck came to be in 2011, you will see clearly that the core North, I’m talking about North West now, didn’t give him that much votes. Most of his votes came from Middle Belt in particular.

Middle Belt cuts across 15 out of 19 Northern States. Southern Borno is part of Middle Belt, Southern Gombe, Bauchi and others. Then you go to Benue, Taraba, Niger, Kogi, Southern Kaduna and so on.

But what got us frustrated was that even though we got some few appointments, we were actually undermined.

Who are the ‘we’ that you just referred to?

We the Middle Beltans. We the ethnic nationalities in Northern Nigeria. So by 2015, even the PDP knew that they will not win. This was four years after we supported Jonathan and there was nothing to show for it. The Chibok girls happened, all the bad things happened, we lost more people in the region, there were more attacks and we were not protected. Our people were displaced and we felt Buhari is a retired general. At his age, somebody in the 70s, for God’s sake, what else does he want than to leave a good legacy and imprint his name in the sand of time? So we, most of the Middle Beltans left PDP and went to the APC and that’s how Buhari came to be.

We played our role. Personally, I went from church to church. APC did not pay me a dime to do what I did. Up to 2019 where at least within less than two weeks, I brought about 3000 pastors to the presidential banquet hall in Aso Villa, under the Concerned Nigerian Christian Forum. And we did all that and we thought things will be better off with Buhari but it even became worse.

We mobilised supports, organised the movement with boys brigade, girls brigade, women fellowship and we did everything within our powers to bring Buhari because we, like every Nigerian across the country, were just looking for change. And that was the slogan that they used. We never knew that we were making a huge mistake.

But like you asked, did I regret it? The answer is No! Because today what APC have put Nigerians through is the reason for the reawakening in the country today. It’s the reason why there is more awareness. I will tell you this secret for free. If you want to know how bad things are and how disenchanted Nigerians are, just travel between one state to another. When you meet with police officers or in the North East where you meet with military officers, ask them to tell you genuinely who they want, they will tell you what they want. This is because it’s no longer a thing of personal benefits; it is about survival of this country. The soul of Nigeria has been threatened.

Like Jonathan, Buhari has also failed your people, according to your statement, how would you want to convince these people to trust your judgement this time around and that you are not making another mistake like you did in the past?

The truth of the matter is that at 2015, you

Balami

will agree with me everybody was looking for a change in the system.

We had serious security issues and lives were being lost daily.

My village is just next to Chibok.

In fact, my nanny, Auntie Ruth, is from Chibok. I understand Chibok dialect and were all EYN, that is Church of the Brethren. Overnight they came and abducted 200 of these girls and about over 90% of them are Christians. We went through pain. We had no choice.

We trusted President Buhari, we gave him our all but he betrayed us.

He betrayed we, the poor people, he betrayed Nigerians. But as far as we are concerned, the mistake we made then, we can’t make such anymore.

But today, it is a different thing entirely. For me as a Christian, the Bible says he who is faithful a little can be faithful in much.

Why am I so loud and convinced about Peter Obi, the reasons are simple. He was given an opportunity to be a governor of a state, he didn’t embezzle their money, he brought a state from an average in the country to be one of the best in education. He encouraged Innoson Motors and now the company is selling cars to other Africa countries. He was a chairman of a bank and as a governor of a state, he gave over 1000 certificate of occupancy to his people and didn’t allocate a single plot of land to himself or family members. We have seen

what other governors have done with their positions in the past and even when they are doing today.

Compare him with other presidential candidates. They are not the same. You can’t compare them. Obi stands miles ahead of them morally. His track records speak for him. Obi is a transparent and well cultured person. Like I have said earlier, his track record speaks for him. This is somebody who worked in UK, ran a business there and got the highest credit rating that any British citizen on earth can ever get. It takes a clean and transparent person to achieve that feat.

Why Obi out of the 18 aspirants who many believe will not win the election for certain reasons?

If we want to be realistic to ourselves, we must begin to tell ourselves the truth. We must look ourselves in the face and tell ourselves the truth. Buhari is finishing his eight years in couple of months. Former President Goodluck Jonathan finished six years, Namadi Sambo served as vice president in six years, North, late Yar’Adua did two years, Atiku did eight years as vice president. Obasanjo has done eight years as president, South West. Buhari has almost completed his tenure of eight years and another Hausa-Fulani man wants to continue from where he stopped.

The country does not belong to one tribe.

The country belongs to all Nigerians. Those doing this things don’t know the dangers they are putting the country into. They do not know the implications. That’s why I have a lot of respect for the Afenifere. The leader, Pa Adebanjo has done something that in the next 100 years, the Yorubas will be protected

by Nigerians when Obi wins. Why? Because after eight years of Peter Obi, if power needs

They are not the same. You can’t compare them. Obi stands miles ahead of them morally. His track records speak for him. Obi is a transparent and well cultured person. Like I have said earlier, his track record speaks for him. This is somebody who worked in UK, ran a business there and got the highest credit rating that any British citizen on earth can ever get. It takes a clean and transparent person to achieve that feat

to come back to the North, but tomorrow if the Yorubas said it’s our turn, trust me, Nigerians and even the Igbos, will say yes, it’s your turn. Because at some point, they were fair, they were just, and that is the only way to go.

You don’t want them to leave the country.

You don’t want to give them Biafra. Then if you want them as part of the country, you must give them leadership. You must trust them. It’s about equity and justice. It’s about fairness.

You cannot have a country with this crisis, division and you want a particular tribe to dominate. There’ll be more violence. So anybody who loves this country should stop this nonsense. And wake up and tell each other the truth because the country is bleeding. There’s no place for us to go to. My child called me one day, a 10 year old boy and he said, “I’m the only black boy in my class. I don’t like the way the whites talk to me because they don’t like my colour”.

It took me one week to recover. I schooled in the US, I saw how I was being treated.

I came back home to work here. The point is, you cannot be a first class citizen outside Nigeria. And nobody will come from Europe or America to build this country for us. We have to do this ourselves. And that is why when people keep joking because they are close to Atiku or Tinubu and because they can make money from the campaign, I laugh at them.

So I’m calling on Nigeria to wake up to the reality on ground and pick their conscience.

All we want is a Nigeria where everybody will have a sense of belonging and feel he or she is important and he or she has a stake.

That’s all what the people want. We have to leave our comfort zone and fight this battle.

Let me tell you this, there will be free and fair election because Nigerian women and youths would not allow anybody to attack any polling unit. The structure that they said we don’t have, we are building the structure.

We have the structure. But let me tell you this, from the depth of my heart, even if Peter Obi doesn’t win, I am happy with my decision and I stand by it. However, if this country is ready for equity, justice, fairness, there’s no reason why Peter Obi should not win because he’s the most competent among all of them.

I was at the North East -Middle Belt summit a couple of days ago and the issue of structure, grassroots mobilsation and others were raised by some persons in the region whose complaint bitterly dominated the conversation. Are you really not bothered, especially when someone like Babachir, the former SGF, directly expressed same worries to Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate, Ahmed Datti?

You heard my speech during the North East stakeholders engagement. We didn’t go there to eat meat pie, and cock or for photo ops with Peter Obi. We were there to tell ourselves the truth. And you saw the level of transparency, how coordinated we were and how nobody was being obstructed to ask any question or give any kind of answers. Everybody in the APC and the PDP have had access to power, and APC is still in power today, at various state level whether is APGA, the PDP and APC or Labour Party, people are still in charge. The point here is that we did these jobs and we know what we have put on ground so far.

We are not playing and you must know this.

What do you mean by structure? The people you saw in that hall, are not rented crowd.

These are local government chairmen and ward chairmen from party local government areas from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe states. You saw them there yourself.

They arrived 2-3 am when they heard about the meeting. That is structure, that is commitment. That’s what we have been doing behind the scenes.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

FEATURES

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

UBA Foundation and Its Commitment to Changing Lives In line with its commitment to being a socially responsible company and role model for all businesses in Africa, United Bank for Africa, through its foundation, UBAFoundation has continuously improved the lives of less privileged persons with particular focus on environment, education, economic empowerment and special projects. Recently, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that through its education scholarship initiative that has been changing lives for over a decade, a 15-year-old Usongobong Paul of FGGC Ikot- Obio Itong, Akwa-Ibom State, emerged overall winner of this year’s National Essay Competition beating 11 others to clinch N5million worth of scholarship to study in any African university of her choice

L-R: 1st Runner-up, 2022 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and Student of Value Spring College, Lagos, Princess Sholabomi; Winner and student of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, Akwa Ibom State, Miss Otong Usongobong Paul; and 2nd Runner-up, and Otta Total Academy, Otta, Ogun State, Sharon Nwajiaku, at the grand Finale of the12th Edition of UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for Senior Schools in Nigeria held at the Bank’s Amphitheater in Lagos on Monday

Judges, UBA Foundation National Essay Competition, Professors Samuel Onuigbo, Asabe Kabir and Ini Uko; Managing Director, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; 1st Runner-up and Student of Value Spring College, Lagos, Princess Sholabomi; Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba; Winner, 2022 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and student of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, Akwa Ibom State, Miss Otong Usongobong Paul; Trustee, UBA Foundation, Mary Udu-Ejembi; 2nd Runner-up, and Otta Total Academy, Otta, Ogun State, Sharon Nwajiaku; Deputy Managing Director, UBA Group, Mr. Muyiwa Akinyemi; and Trustee, UBA Foundation, Bala Magaji

F

or 15-year-old Usongobong Paul from Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Ikot- Obio Itong, Akwa-Ibom State, her emergence as overall winner of this year’s UBA Foundation National Essay Competition was nothing short of amazing.

Paul beat 11 other finalists to clinch the best prize at the competition, which had over 5,000 entries from Senior Secondary Schools students across the country. For her efforts through her essay on "Nigeria and The Brain Drain: The Interface Between a Better Life and a Loss of Fortunes", she was rewarded with a scholarship worth N5m to study in any African university of her choice and a laptop at the event recently held at the Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre in UBA House.

Escorted to the event by her information and communications technology teacher, Akanyere Chigozie, the winner said the experience has boosted her confidence.

“I am so grateful to UBA Foundation for this great opportunity. It has helped me to believe in myself and bolstered my confidence.

This scholarship will help in achieving my dream of becoming an ophthalmologist. This opportunity has changed my life and I really appreciate UBA and the Foundation for this,” she said For her win, Paul will be supported throughout her educational career and beyond with constant mentoring by the UBA Foundation.

UBA's Education Initiative Paul's win was made possible through UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of United Bank

L-R: Company Secretary, UBA Group, Mr. Bili Odum; Managing Director, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; 1st Runner-up, 2022 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and Student of Value Spring College, Lagos, Miss Princess Sholabomi; Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba; Winner, 2022 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and student of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, Akwa Ibom State, Miss Otong Usongobong Paul; 2nd Runner-up and Student, Otta Tota Academy, Otta, Ogun State, Miss Sharon Nwajiaku; and Deputy Managing Director, UBA Group, Mr. Muyiwa Akinyemi

Managing Director, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta(5th from left); 1st Runner-up and Student of Value Spring College, Lagos, Princess Sholabomi; Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba(7th from left); Winner,2022 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and student of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, Akwa Ibom State, Miss Otong Usongobong Paul(8th from left); 2nd Runner-up, and Otta Total Academy, Otta, Ogun State, Sharon Nwajiaku (9th from, left); and Deputy Managing Director, UBA Group, Mr. Muyiwa Akinyemi(10th from left) flanked by other finalists

for Africa Plc, which is committed to the socio-economic betterment of the communities where it operates, focusing on development in areas of education, environment, economic empowerment and special projects.

For 12 years, the foundation’s education initiative has been changing lives.

The competition has been taken to other African countries, including Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Guinea, with more African countries coming on board this year.

This year, Princess Sholabomi of Value Spring College, Lagos, clinched the second prize and was rewarded with N3m educational grant and a laptop; while the third prize went to Sharon Nwajiaku of Ota Total Academy, Ogun State. She got N2.5m and a laptop.

The other nine finalists also received brand-new laptops as well as consolation prizes, including books and other learning materials.

Commitment to Youth Empowerment, Development According to UBA Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba, the bank is committed to youth empowerment and development, who are the future of the continent.

He said; “As a bank, we are interested in empowering youths and to do this, we must educate them through efforts such as these. The truth is that we are launching these programmes in all the 20 countries where UBA has presence.

Touching Lives Chairman of UBA Foundation, Mr. Ken-

nedy Uzoka, said the bank has been touching lives and making a solid impact through its foundation and has produced hundreds of winners, some of who have long graduated from higher schools and have been impacting their communities.

He said: “I commend everyone for being a part of this event. We set up this competition over 12 years ago, because we saw the need to allow students to express themselves and convey their ideas, and over the years, we have seen that we are doing something very unique and truly African. We have given scholarships to over 60 students, and we have been able to produce doctors, engineers and lawyers through this platform.”

Education as Bedrock Managing Director, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, who commended the winners for their exceptional brilliance, noted that education remains the foundation’s focus as it is the bedrock of any nation.

She said: "The student who sent in an entry is a winner. To be confident about your writing skills and ambitious enough to enter a competition to further enhance your educational path is laudable. For those that did not come first this year, I would say do not be discouraged. Take it as a challenge to perfect your writing skills and enter for the competition again next year” she said.

She explained that the UBA Founda-

tion is committed to giving back to communities where it operates. Education in any capacity, she noted, remains one of the Foundation’s focus area as it is the bedrock of any nation.

"We have been focused on improving the reading culture amongst students, to foster growth and learning. So today, we would like to congratulate all 12 finalists, because you are all winners, having been selected from over 5,000 entries."

About UBA Foundation At UBA Foundation, the aim is to make improvements in the lives of the underprivileged.

Therefore, they are committed to the socioeconomic betterment of communities across the African continent focusing on development in the areas of Environment, Education, Economic Empowerment and Special Project Also, United Bank for Africa (UBA) PLC, Africa’s global bank, is committed to being a socially responsible company and role model for all businesses in Africa. Therefore, as West Africa’s largest and most profitable bank, they recognised the need for a social contract between the bank, the community and its people. To this end, United Bank for Africa became the first bank in Nigeria to institute a foundation – UBA Foundation.

According to the foundation, it draws its inspiration from the Group’s intrinsic values of humility, empathy, resilience, integrity and its mission statement; “to be a role model for African businesses, abiding by the utmost professional and ethical standards, and creating an enduring institution”. These values have, and will always be the factors that inspire us to ‘Do Well and Do Good.’

THURSDAY DECEMBER 15, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

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

08056356325

D E C E M B E R

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Election Infrastructure: FG Urges INEC, ICT Stakeholders to Harness the Digital Provisions of Electoral Act 2022

Emma Okonji As Nigeria prepares for the 2023 general election, the federal government has called on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders to take advantage of the digital provisions enshrined in the Electoral Act 2022, in ensuring inclusive and transparent election in 2023.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ibrahim Pantami, gave the charge, while speaking as a special guest of honour at a three-day national workshop on election infrastructure, organised by the Centre for

Cyberspace Studies, Nasarawa State University, held in Abuja.

Pantami commended the organisers for providing a strategic platform that would enhance stakeholder engagement to ensure that the digital provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 deliver the expected credible, free, fair, inclusive and transparent election in 2023.

The central objective of the workshop was to avail stakeholders in the Nigerian electoral process, an opportunity to brainstorm on the concerns, challenges, and desirable interventions needed to enhance effective preparations and delivery of successful 2023 national elections. This is against the need to balance the benefits

of digital transformation and the usual negative effects of cybercrime and cyber warfare directed against election infrastructure.

Acybersecurity expert and pioneer Commandant of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Academy, Dr. David WodiTukura, who delivered the keynote address, stressed the need for INEC to involve ICT stakeholders who are cybersecurity experts to ensure that hackers do not take any advantage to disrupt the election.

The workshop, which was conducted in a hybrid mode, had a total of 162 national and international participants and featured over thirty-five top-level resource persons from academia and industry across the globe.

In his welcome address, the

Convener and Vice Chancellor of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Suleiman Bala Mohammed thanked President MuhammaduBuhari, for the boldness to reform the Nigerian electoral process to include the use of digital resources like BVAS and IReV for the first time.

He stated that the workshop was primarily conceived by the university to support the vision of President Buhari in digitizing the electoral processes.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the workshop and co-signed by the Chairman, Workshop Working Group, Chris Uwaje and the Director, Center for Cyberspace Studies, Nasarawa State University, Professor UcheMbanaso, it was observed that the nation

was faced with the challenges of stable and reliable broadband internet connectivity across the country to support effective digital electoral processes, as well as the unresolved interoperability challenges in synchronising the Internet Protocol version four (IPv4) and the Internet Protocol version six (IPv6) networks, which participants said, could affect election processes.

According to the communiqué, stakeholders have therefore recommended that INEC should work closely with the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), Galaxy Backbone, NigComsat, and other private internet broadband providers to improve broadband connectivity and deploy

and protect robust seamless network infrastructure across the country, in order to extend reliable connectivity to remote areas.

They also said NCC and NITDA should facilitate full implementation of IPv6 and ensure timely synchronization with IPv4 to enhance interoperability of digital infrastructure elements.

They advised the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) currently in charge of cybersecurity, to designate some tertiary institutions as Centres of Excellence (CoE) in cybersecurity, in order to advance capacity building, research and development, as coordinated and measurable measures to improve national cybersecurity posture.

Advertising Regulation: FG Tackles Skit Makers, Influencers RaheemAkingbolu Less than two months after the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) filed a suit against Meta Platforms Incorporated, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, accusing the company of rendering

unapproved advert materials in the country, and demanded up to N30 billion as damages, the regulatory body has said most commercials put out by skit makers, influencers and others are unethical and full of unproven promises.

The regulator said this in a statement said,“Most of the advertisements exposed by this group are not only unethical

with unverified claims and misinformation, but also in violation of the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice.”

To this end, ARCON has advised brand owners, digital agencies, and other stakeholders in the digital marketing/advertising space to obtain pre-exposure approval for all advertisements, advertising, and marketing

communication before signing on the influencers.

The regulatory body has also threatened to take all necessary actions, including sanction and prosecution, to ensure that the act’s provisions are followed.

In October, ARCON sought a declaration that Meta’s continued publication and exposure of various advertisements targeted at the

Nigerian market on Facebook and Instagram without first ensuring that they are vetted and approved is illegal, unlawful, and a violation of the country’s current advertising laws.

The agency argued that Meta’s ongoing broadcast of unscreened advertisements has cost the federal government money.

For the alleged infringement

of the advertising regulations and for lost revenue as a result of Meta Incorporated’s continuous exposure of prohibited advertisements on its platforms, ARCON is asking for N30 billion in fines.

“ARCON reiterates that it will not permit unethical and irresponsible advertising in the Nigerian advertising space,” the statement said.

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MATURITY FDHP CP III 17-MAR-23 VHPL CP III 1-APR-23

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Current Rate Updated Time ($/₦) December 454.73 2, 2022 December 456.93 2, 2022 December 459.12 2, 2022 December 461.32 2, 2022 December 463.51 2, 2022

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As Gender-based Violence Persists UgoAliogo examines why gender-based violence is still a recurrent challenge in Nigeria

T

he incidence of gender-based violence is growing with the activities of the insurgency in the North-east. From forced and early marriages to the physical, mental or sexual assault on women, it is evident that one in every three Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by age 15.

Despite several efforts by women led groups and Civil Society Organisation (CSOs), stakeholders feel that there is still a long way to go to ending gender-based violence in Nigeria. They called for greater cohesion among the various institutions and individuals working in the human rights space to end gender-based violence in Nigeria.

The US Missions in Nigeria noted that as Africa’s largest democracy, Nigeria sets the tone for the rest of the continent. Nigeria has done so much to advance women’s issues, including the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act and the implementation of the National Gender Policy. However, there are still many structural inequalities that impede women’s access to economic resources and opportunities and that hinder women’s full participation in society. According to the World Economic Forum 2021 Global Gender Gap Index, Nigeria ranks 78th out of 156 countries in terms of economic opportunities for women.

The issue of gender-based violence was once again brought to the front burner of discourse at the 27th Annual Teenage Festival of Life (TFL) held in Lagos recently and organised

by Action Health Incorporated (AHI).

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of AHI, Dr. UwemEssiet, said the organization has built the capacity of students to become champions of sexual and gender-based violence in their homes, schools and communities.

Essiet noted that the festival was shaping the lives of young people to use their ingenuity in building the country’s socio-economic landscape to greatness.

He added that for more than 27 years, the organization has forged partnerships with government, parents and communities to improve the health and well-being of Nigerian children.

A report by the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) has said at least 5,623 cases of gender-based violence were recorded within four years in Nigeria’s North-eastern States of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

The report said the incidents were recorded between January 2018 to July 2022. The three conflict-torn states have seen devastating attacks by Boko Haram terrorist group, over the years. Reported cases of rape in the camps for displaced persons have become an epidemic.

There is the argument in some quarters that the federal government is not fully committed in addressing the problem as it is not placing it on the front burner of law making and policy discourse. In some advanced economics in the world, the issue is accorded the needed attention and women are given leadership position in both public and private sector.

US MISSION VIEWPOINT In the United States of America, President Biden has made gender equity and equality a cornerstone of his administration, with a first-ever national strategy to advance the rights and empowerment of women and girls. The Department of State has an office dedicated to Global Women’s Issues and the United States globally contributes over $200 million annually towards gender equity and equality programming.

In Nigeria, the US Mission works to promote environments that support women’s economic success, to address challenges that hold women back, and to empower Nigerian women to do the same. Nations that have gender parity have greater economic and developmental growth, less conflict, and higher rates of literacy than those that do not. Fundamentally, we see it as our duty – and that of everyone who seeks a just and equitable society – to ensure women and girls have opportunities not just to participate but also to lead in all aspects of life.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s five-year plan, initiated in 2020, highlights gender inclusion as a cross-cutting issue required to achieve Nigeria’s development objectives. The strategy prioritises narrowing gender gaps and equalizing access to health care, agriculture, education, economic empowerment, political participation, and peacebuilding.

USAID said equitable treatment of women is something they can all agree on, and it is

the underlying requirement for addressing gender-based violence (GBV).

Last year, USAID promoted an integrated, comprehensive package of community interventions, including health and counseling services, to prevent and respond to GBV. Concurrently, activities such as the Integrated Health Programme supported the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs to select national GBV indicators to increase GBV reporting across sectors. USAID supported the Federal Ministry of Health to adopt World Health Organization post-GBV clinical care guidelines. United with the Nigerian government, the private sector, and civil society, USAID was able to simplify the most complex concepts of GBV, and thereby shape Nigeria’s National Strategic Health Development Plan II to better address this vital issue.

According to the US Mission, “Nigerian women’s full participation in public life is fundamental both to reducing their vulnerability to GBV and to sustaining Nigeria’s vibrant democracy. Yet, women and girls often face high barriers in electoral politics, governance, and peacebuilding.

Nigeria’s representation of women in state and national government stands at only 4 percent in elective office and 16 percent in appointed positions. Women not only lack a platform, but their viewpoints are also excluded from the decision-making process.

“The upcoming 2023 elections present a critical opportunity to include more women in leadership positions in government. Throughout this election season, Mission Nigeria will be working with local organisations specifically to reduce violence against women in politics and during the elections. Together we will work to strengthen the capacity of women’s groups to advocate for laws and policies that provide better protections for women. In return, we hope more women will run for office, join a campaign, or serve in the next administration.

“Recognising the challenges women face, the United States will continue to support Nigerian women to realize greater productivity, economic diversification, and income equality. We will continue to push for full implementation and enforcement cooperation of laws and regulations already enacted, with emphasis on

criminal accountability for those complicit in violations of the law. And we will continue our long-standing partnership with the Nigerian government, the private sector, and civil society, to each do our part to build a more gender-inclusive society, where women and girls are not only safe from gender-based violence but can reach their full potential.”

AHI GBV REPORT According to AHI Annual 2021 report, it was noted that access to comprehensive sexuality education plays a central role in preparing young people for a safe, productive and fulfilling life in a world where HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence (GBV) and gender inequality still pose serious risks to their well-being. Unfortunately, so many young people still do not have the opportunity for this necessary preparation.

The report also revealed that in 2021, AHI made significant strides in this regard, reaching over 31,010 adolescent girls and boys directly with information and skills that empower them to take control of and make informed decisions about their sexuality and relationships freely and responsibly, while another nearly 2 million people across Nigeria were reached through our social media programme interventions.

According to the report, “In response to the heightened incidences of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), one-stop centres were established and equipped in Daware Community, Adamawa State and Damaturu, Yobe State to contribute to the security, safety, health and wellbeing of survivors of SGBV. The one-stop centres offer safe shelter residential facilities, healthcare, psycho-social support, security and access to legal redress to women in need of these services. Multi-sectoral partnerships were also established between each State’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Ministry of Health, Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Nigerian Police Force to facilitate the efficient delivery of services and speedy access to justice for the facility users.

“The COVID-19 pandemic also created a greater need to focus on hygiene, especially in the IDP camps where living conditions along with poor water and sanitation

facilities worsen the risks of the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.

To curb the spread of COVID-19, especially in health facilities and women-/girl-friendly safe spaces around the states, essential COVID-19 protective supplies and information materials were widely distributed, functional handwashing stations were installed at entry points/ focal areas, and continuing awareness-raising was conducted on the importance of adhering to COVID-19 prevention measures during regular outreaches.”

INTERVENTION EFFORTS The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) targeted areas of intervention is to improve the gender-based violence policy environment at national and state levels. The fund works with a variety of partners to provide survivors with medical, reproductive health services and/or psychosocial care as part of our commitment to rehabilitate women and girls who have been abused and to help them overcome their ordeal.

In September, 2022, UNFPA Nigeria launched the national landscape analysis on SGBV, HP and Obstetric Fistula provided the report provides a comprehensive overview of violence, child marriage, genital mutilation, the situation of people with disabilities and fistula in Nigeria.

According to the report, “77 percent of the women were mutilated as infants. 80 percent of people with disabilities have experienced some kind of abuse. Over 90 percent of the women experiencing violence either do not report their experience to anyone or inform their parents only. 33 percent of participants noted that women living with obstetric fistula live with the stigma and consequent rejection.

25 percent of the women (aged 18-49) were married or in union before their 18th birthday.

“The government urgently needs to demonstrate the political will to accelerate actions to end SGBV in the country. In particular, increase commitment to implementing existing policies and frameworks that promote women’s rights. Improve education outcomes for girls and women, and promote gender equality in education.

“There is an urgent need to address child marriage through a multi-sectoral approach, including other UN Agencies, to ensure adolescents and girls are empowered and educated to complete at least secondary school education and entrepreneurship skills acquisition training.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Fayomi: Gomoney Helps Increase Trust in Digital Banking, Reduces Dependence on Cash for Settling Payments In this interview, Operations Lead, Gomoney, a digital bank that offers peer-to-peer payments and integrated third party services, AdeyemiFayomi, speaks on developments in the Fintech space, what Gomoney has done to boost financial inclusion and how it delivers a digital banking experience that is relevant to a diverse group of individuals. OluchiChibuzor presents the excerpts used features under one button.

As a digital bank expanding into the Nigerian financial space, how is will Gomoney help change the narrative in cashflow in Nigeria, where there is so much liquidity outside of the banking space? ow more than ever, digital payments have been on the rise and gomoney makes it easier for people to set up bank accounts in just three minutes with no complex paperwork.

With our instant credit alert notifications, gomoney helps increase trust in digital banking and reduces the dependence on cash for settling payments. With gomoney, individuals are able to track their spending which in turn enables them to make informed decisions about their money.

What is unique about Gomoney that will attract Nigerian customers?

Simple, yet robust. The app combines all features required for everyday payments, from transfers to bill payments to virtual cards while it also allows you to request for physical cards which can be used to access physical cash on ATMs or used to make payments on POS terminals.

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Most bank customers are still afraid about online transactions because of the risk of financial losses and theft. How will Gomoney change this narrative?

As a digital bank, security is a priority for us and that is why we have put various measures in place to protect our customers from the risk of financial losses and theft. gomoney users are 100% in control of their money and where they think their cards may be compromised, they are able to freeze or block their card in the app immediately. Our customer support is also run by real people who are able to respond and attend to your issues in the app in real time. Users also have the privilege to create multiple virtual cards which allows them to identify the platforms which could have caused the breach.

What could be the motivating factor for Gomoney to venture into the Nigerian financial sector? gomoney was built to foster a future where people have enough tools to make informed decisions about their money.

To make this possible, we help our users simplify money by bringing transparency to banking, ease, speed, and enriched transactions to help them understand how, when, and where their money was spent compared to how much they make.

What is your view about FG’s plan to redesign the naira and how will the plan affect your kind of business as a digital bank?

As a digital bank, we would not be directly affected by the logistics of cash deposits and cash handling. However, we expect to see a noticeable increase in customer account balances as people start to deposit their cash in their commercial bank accounts with an anticipated subsequent increase in electronic inflows from those accounts into their digital wallets such as Gomoney.

How will you describe the importance and growth of e-Naira that was developed to enhance electronic payment system, and how will Gomoney key into the initiative?

Any initiative to encourage and promote digital payments is in the ethos of Gomoney and we fully support the CBN e-Naira initiative. Gomoney as a digital bank is currently working on modalities to key into this project, which will allow our customers link their eNaira wallets to their Gomoney accounts. While this is still in the pipeline, it will definitely enhance the payment capabilities of all Gomoney customers and curtail the use of cash in general.

Fintechs have done so much in disrupting the financial space with digital solutions, what are your plans to further develop the Nigerian Fintech space?

We pride ourselves as the bank that simplifies money. This simply implies that every Gomoney customer has been empowered with enhanced analytical features on the app that enables them to easily keep track of their spending and spending habits. The more people are able to track their spending the better they will be able to plan ahead and be more financially stable. We have also developed technical capabilities in the banking-as-a-service sector, where we

How will you describe the future growth of digital payment in Africa andans Nigeria, considering the poor infrastructure on the continent?

The digital banking and payments industry has developed a lot in spite of the poor infrastructure, and I foresee this growth to continue into the next decade.

The African continent and Nigeria in particular is full of young, talented people who have taken it upon themselves to think out of the box despite the strong headwinds blowing against them and this tenacity is what is pushing the sector upwards. It must also be noted that the younger generation is more tech-inclined and less adaptable to bureaucratic tendencies hence the adoption of more agile and digital platforms to power their financial activities.

Fayomi

offer our clients simple and effective APIs which enables them to collect payments, deposits while also giving them the freedom to allow outward transfers.

What are the new digital payment channels that Gomoney is bringing to the Nigerian financial market to further drive innovation in the financial space?

Innovation is at the core of our business operation and we are constantly studying and listening to our customers to enable us to understand and provide solutions to their needs.

We have a suggest a feature function that users use to communicate their needs and suggestions for our feature upgrades. This has helped build our strong community of users.

This year alone, we launched our physical cards which give our users more freedom with enriched transactions and enable them to track payments made at PoS terminals as well as ATM withdrawals. We also launched gostash, which is our savings feature to allow users to spend and

save all under one platform at no extra charge. We have also improved our user experience and existing features such as split bills, payment links, and many more.

What will you say are the core focus and values of Gomoney, and how will they impact the Nigerian financial sector?

As mentioned earlier, the focus of Gomoney is to allow every user gain interest in how they utilize their funds.

The more knowledge you have on how money comes in and out of your account and how it is being utilized the better for you as a user. Our app simplifies the data being presented to you in simple terms and it also allows the user to classify their spending as it is being spent. This enables the user to easily understand their account statement when it is being reviewed at a later date. The Gomoney App also simplifies user experience from the look and feel of the app to our quick action button which in effect combines the functions of the most

How will Gomoney help to Deepen financial inclusion in Nigeria?

With an increase in broadband penetration and digital adoption in Nigeria, gomoney will be able to help deepen financial inclusion with our simplified banking process and also contribute to making the CBN’s cashless policy more of a reality.

Tell us how Nigerians can benefit from your financial product offerings and the Gomoney cards?

Just as I had mentioned earlier, with our banking solutions, users are more aware of their spending habits and are able to make informed financial decisions which can help them create wealth for themselves and grow their financial credit. Nigerians anywhere in the world can access the banking they deserve by opening an account in just 3 minutes when they download the app from the app store or google play store.

Our 100% stress-free platform allows you to: open an account in just 3 minutes, pay all your bills on one platform with our specially built in-app services, track your spending with carefully curated categories and even request payments from that debtor that’s been dodging your calls. Yes, all of the above and that’s only the beginning.

24 T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 15, 2022 TR

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& RE A S O

Thursday December 15, 2022 Vol 27. No 10110

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

The argument between federal and state governments on pauperism alleviation is hollow, insensitive and diversionary, writes MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE

THE 20TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF CPC CUI JIANCHUN highlights China’s new journey and Africa’s new opportunities See page 25

ELECTORAL ACT 2022 AND PDP’S CONGRESSES IN ENUGU STATE The congresses that produced the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senatorial candidates were in contravention of the electoral act, contends EJIMNKEONYE NNAMANI

See page 25

EDITORIAL

BAUCHI, GOMBE AND THE OIL WAR

26

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THE PITILESS POLITICISATION OF POVERTY The recent exchanges between federal and state governments over who to blame for the country’s challenged growth and poverty must not be swept away by our usual casual, resigned attitude to critical national issues.

First, President Muhammadu Buhari accused governors of undermining development in their states by misappropriating local government funds. Whatever happened to the move by this same administration to directly send the revenue allocations of the third tier of government to it? Then, it was the turn of the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, to lambast the second tier of government for the nation’s ZKLUOZLQG SRYHUW\ SURÀ OH $FFRUGLQJ WR KLP the governors have abandoned the large population of rural dwellers to their fate.

The governors promptly picked up the challenge. A statement by the spokesperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Abdulrazaq Bello-Barkindo, is both blunt and combative. It reads in part: “The federal government which is responsible for the security of lives and property has been unable WR IXOÀ O WKLV FRYHQDQW ZLWK WKH SHRSOH WKXV allowing bandits, insurgents, and kidnappers WR WXUQ WKH FRXQWU\ LQWR D NLOOLQJ À HOG PDLPLQJ and abducting people, in schools, market squares and even on their farmlands.

“This dereliction of duty from the centre is the main reason why people have been unable to engage in regular agrarian activity and in commerce. Today, rural areas are insecure, markets are unsafe, and life for the common people generally is harsh and brutish. The question is, how can a defenceless rural population maintain a sustainable lifestyle of peace and harmony when their lives are cut prematurely, and they wallow permanently in danger? How does a minister whose government has been unable to ensure security, law and order have the temerity to blame governors?”

The major problem I have with those questions is that the Nigerian people have for long borne similar ones and many others ZLWKRXW WKH EHQHÀ W RI H[WUDFWLQJ FUHGLEOH answers from the persons who should know.

They have had to carry on with their lives DJDLQVW DOO VRUWV RI RGGV KRSLQJ WR À QG UHVW IRU their weary souls at a future date, whenever that is. If the shameful drama between these top tiers of government is merely intellectual, it would have made a good topic for schools’ debate. Something like, “I am here to show this distinguished audience that the federal government is responsible for the country’s scandalous standard of living, and not the state governments.” Or vice versa.

But this subject is grave indeed. Nigeria, once a land of opportunities and corporate productivity, now hosts acute lack and grossly reduced chances for individual and national enhancements. This sorry reversal of fortune has produced dire repercussions locally and a despicable image abroad. The green-whiteJUHHQ Á DJ LW VWLOO PDLQWDLQV KDV EHFRPH D

misrepresentation. The framers of Nigeria’s nationhood saw a place stupendously HQGRZHG DQ DUHD WKDW RͿ HUHG VR PXFK physical fertility and human energy that they chose that emblem. Decades down the line, however, the nation is witnessing a rapid decline of its fortunes.

With the return to democracy 23 years ago, the people had hoped that their lives would be better positioned to reap the dividends of representative governance, which ordinarily VKRXOG LQFOXGH DͿ RUGDEOH DFFHVV WR WKH essentials of life, including good food, shelter, healthcare, education and gainful jobs. But the stark reality they have continued to face is the steady erosion of their expectations, a situation that deteriorates with each successive administration. This unfortunate free-fall has brought the nation to its present highly despondent conditions. The citizens are roundly overwhelmed by economic and social PRQVWHUV OLNH IRRG LQVHFXULW\ K\SHULQÁ DWLRQ battered currency, mass unemployment and an unsafe atmosphere. People who had never thought it possible to go below a certain line QRZ À QG WKHPVHOYHV VZLPPLQJ DJDLQVW WKH tide, hundreds of metres under the sea. No hyperbolic allusion intended. The picture is that severe. , ZRQGHU KRZ WKH UHOHYDQW R΀ FLDO DJHQFLHV have reacted to the report of the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index survey of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), a federal government-owned institution. Of Nigeria’s estimated 200 million people, 133 million of them, representing over 60 percent, are À UPO\ LQ WKH JULS RI ZKROHVDOH SHQXU\ ,Q WKDW state, otherwise decent human beings with demonstrable capacity for productivity watch their sense of dignity drain away. Common responsibilities assume intimidating statures.

Average meals that should be taken for granted have become fervent prayer points.

Other visceral items that normally occupy the lowest rung of the ladder of needs are forcing their way up and crowding out more elevated cravings. We have arrived at a point where we must remove the veil and concede that many Nigerians do not operate too far from the animal kingdom.

Yes, jungle existence is here already; didn’t arrive at this mark suddenly, though. For us

It is unjust for political leaders, most of whom are in the process of serving out two underperforming terms, to, despite the burden of weak accountability, tease Nigerians about their protracted problems. Posterity still matters in the affairs of rulers

as a country, it has been a predictable walk to deprivation and ruin. A needless journey led by short-sighted leaderships and followed by largely unquestioning, I dare say docile, SRSXODFH HͿ HFWLYHO\ UREEHG RI WKH ZLOO WR demand their basic rights, justice and equity.

Of what practical use is this quarrel between the executive arms at the national and state levels? None, in my view. This era, more than the ones before it, has midwifed very damning human-condition statistics. Now, at the tip of the sojourn in their various positions, in their lame-duck postures, and weeks to the elections WKDW ZLOO VHH WKHP RͿ WKH VDGGOH WKH\ KDYH WKH audacity to argue among themselves about who is responsible for the abject plight of the masses. The exercise lacks sincerity, to put it mildly. I won’t hesitate to draw a comparison with dancing on the grave of one’s victims. Not few people believe that most politicians work without the conscience they entered the world with, a vital faculty long replaced with avarice, self-worship and outright wickedness, and are, therefore, not surprised by their theatrics.

The hard truth about the accusations DQG FRXQWHU À QJHU SRLQWLQJ LV WKDW WKH\ are all correct. Abuja cannot distance itself from issues relating to security of lives and property, formulation and monitoring of enabling poverty reduction policies and the overall creation of an environment conducive for exiting dejection and squalid living.

Whatever the tangible achievements of, say, the ministries of humanitarian duties, labour, employment, agriculture are, they haven’t registered in the minds of most people.

Neither can the governors deny that the resources at their disposal may truly have been broadly mismanaged. I can’t think of any state legislature today that is not in the pocket of the state chief executives. Those who control local government funds are also public knowledge.

What else do they require to pull the citizenry out of perennial destitution? &XULRXVO\ PRVW RI WKHVH SROLWLFDO R΀ FH holders have visited countries like China and India which are far more populated than Nigeria and had worse records until their leaders rose to the occasion with winnable programmes and projects that drastically altered the courses of their territories. In just 15 years beginning from 2006, India succeeded in rescuing over 400 million of its people from indigence. It means that within the period, the SRYHUW\ À JXUHV UHGXFHG IURP WR SHUFHQW Unfortunately, since Nigeria dethroned that country four years ago as the residence of the planet’s poorest people, there are no signs of recovery whatsoever.

It is unjust for political leaders, most of whom are in the process of serving out two underperforming terms, to, despite the burden of weak accountability, tease Nigerians about their protracted problems. Posterity still PDWWHUV LQ WKH DͿ DLUV RI UXOHUV Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

T H I S D AY

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 15, 2022

The congresses that produced the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senatorial candidates were in contravention of the electoral act, contends EJIMNKEONYE NNAMANI CUI JIANCHUN highlights China’s new journey and Africa’s new opportunities

THE 20TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF CPC From October 16 to 22, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was convened in Beijing.

H.E. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee delivered a report to the Congress on behalf of the 19th Central Committee. The Congress elected a new Central Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). President Xi was re-elected as the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. The international community closely followed this Congress, leaders of many countries and major political parties and dignitaries have sent congratulatory messages to Beijing. On a special note, President Buhari congratulated General Secretary Xi Jinping’s re-election, which ZHOO UHÁ HFWHG WKH IULHQGVKLS RI WKH WZR leaders and the high level of our two countries’ relations.

Xi’s report summarized in a comprehensive way the work in the past À YH \HDUV DQG WKH JUHDW FKDQJHV LQ &KLQD in the past 10 years, which is also the À UVW GHFDGH RI WKH QHZ HUD LQ &KLQD DQG reviewed three major events of great immediate importance and profound KLVWRULFDO VLJQLÀ FDQFH IRU WKH FDXVH RI CPC and the Chinese people. What’s more important is that, the report drew a blueprint for China’s future development, which will surely bring new opportunities for the further growth of China-Africa and China-Nigeria relations.

Firstly, China’s experience and practice show that every country must choose a path based on its own national realities. Democracy is an ideal that has always been cherished by China and its people. Now, we have developed whole-process people’s democracy, made all-around progress in improving the institutions, standards, and procedures of our socialist democracy, and advanced socialist consultative democracy by way of extensive participation. What’s more, we have reinforced the foundations that undergird the people’s running of the country, injected fresh vitality into democracy at the community level.

China’s experience proves that democracy should and can come in many forms.

Nigeria and China share many similar national situations, such as large population DQG GLYHUVLÀ HG HWKQLF QDWLRQDOLWLHV %RWK countries belong to the developing world and are on the path to pursue national development. Meanwhile, both countries are also trying to develop their own native systems which could serve their people’s interest most. During my communications with political party leaders of Nigeria, they showed strong interest in acquiring China’s experience of governance. I strongly believe that China’s exercise of “whole-process people’s democracy” could provide reference for Nigeria and other African countries to develop their own political institution which would uphold democracy while maintaining national unity and common development RI GLͿ HUHQW HWKQLF QDWLRQDOLWLHV Secondly, the report has set forth that building a community with a shared IXWXUH DQG VWDQGLQJ À UP LQ SURWHFWLQJ international fairness and justice will be China’s consistent aim. China is a strong

proponent and consistent practitioner of true multilateralism. We have taken a clear-cut stance against hegemonism and power politics in all their forms, and have never wavered in our opposition to unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying of any kind. We have improved China’s overall diplomatic agenda and worked actively to build a global network of partnerships and foster a new type of international relations. China is much aware of its duty as a responsible major country, and actively participates in the reform and development of the global governance system.

In this regard, China, Nigeria, and the whole Africa have many goals in common.

Back to the middle of last century, both of us had fought together against colonization and hegemony. Even till now, the interests of developing countries are yet to be fairly accommodated under the current international governance. Guided by the spirit of the report of 20th Congress of CPC, China will continue to work closely with African countries to build a more fair and just international governance system in which the voice of developing countries shall be heard, and their calls be answered.

Thirdly, China will pursue a more proactive strategy of opening up. We have worked to build a globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas and accelerated the development of pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port. As a collaborative endeavor, the Belt and Road Initiative has been welcomed by the international community both as a public good and a cooperation platform.

China has become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions including Nigeria. It leads the world in total volume of trade in goods, and becomes a major destination for global investment and a leading country in outbound LQYHVWPHQW 7KURXJK WKHVH HͿ RUWV ZH have advanced a broader agenda of opening up across more areas and in greater depth. As economic globalization is beset by recession and fragmentation, China has been providing a rare source of stability for a turbulent world.

In recent years, China-Africa win-win cooperation, by docking the Belt and Road Initiative and Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation (FOCAC) action plans, has focused on economic growth and development, reduced poverty through human resource capacity development, and helped to maintain sustaining peace and security on the continent. Today, the outcomes of China-Africa cooperation are all over the African continent. The roads, railways, airports, ports, high-rise buildings, stadiums and other structures that China helped build are evidences that the all-round cooperation between China and Africa is yielding fantastic results.

The cooperation between China-Nigeria is also steadily growing. Last week, I participated in the ground-breaking ceremony of the new building of the ECOWAS Headquarters and the handover ceremony of the Nigerian Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center.

H.E. Jianchun is Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria

ELECTORAL ACT 2022 AND PDP’S CONGRESSES IN ENUGU STATE The intention of the legislature is that the DͿ DLUV RI UHJLVWHUHG SROLWLFDO SDUWLHV DUH WR EH UHJXODWHG E\ WKH (OHFWRUDO $FW 6WLͿ SHQDOW\ is provided for registered political parties ZKRVH DͿ DLUV DUH FRQGXFWHG LQ YLRODWLRQ of the provisions of the Electoral Act. See Adejoh v. Olofu & ors (2004) LPELR - 22347 (CA). It is for that reason that Section 84 (13) of the Electoral Act, 2022 provides that: “ Where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of this Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for election shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue.”

Section 77 (2) of the Act supra, requires every political party to maintain a register of its members in both hard and soft copy,

before the expiration of 30 days after the submission of register of members of the party in the state to INEC. Having conducted the congresses and primary election that produced its candidates in Enugu State for the 2023 general election before the expiration of 30 days after the submission of its register of members in the state to INEC, the PDP clearly acted in contravention of the provisions of Section 77 (3) of the Act supra. The consequence, as provided in Section 84 (13) of the Act supra, is that candidates of the party in Enugu State shall not be included in the 2023 general election. The words of Section 84 (13) of the Act are clear and unambiguous, and

while Section 77 (3) thereof requires that such register must be made available to INEC not later than 30 days before the date À [HG IRU WKH SDUW\ SULPDULHV FRQJUHVVHV RU convention. Section 77 (3) of the Act supra provides: “ Each political party shall make such register available to the Commission not ODWHU WKDQ GD\V EHIRUH WKH GDWH À [HG IRU WKH party primaries, congresses or convention.”

The Supreme Court in EFCC v. Akingbola (2015) 14 NWLR (Pt. 1478) said that the word “before” means “in advance of.” It follows that the word “before” in Section 77 (3) of the Act supra means that each political party is required to make available to INEC its register of members not less than 30 days “before” or “in advance of” its primaries, congresses or convention.

In purporting to comply with the provisions of Section 77 (3) of the Act supra, the Peoples Democratic Party by a letter dated 6th May, 2022, submitted its register of members in Enugu and three other States to INEC, and referred to its letter of 28th April, 2022. The PDP in Enugu State thereafter began the conduct of its congresses, culminating in its gubernatorial primary on 25th May, 2022.

The period between the 6th of May, 2022 and 25th of May, 2022 is 19 days. In other words, the gubernatorial primary election of the PDP in Enugu State was conducted within a period less than 30 days before the primary. It is to be noted that the congresses that produced the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senatorial candidates of the party were conducted earlier than 25th May, 2022 when the party’s gubernatorial primary election took place. It follows without equivocation that the congresses were also conducted

HͿ HFW PXVW EH JLYHQ WR WKHP LUUHVSHFWLYH of whether or not it would lead to a harsh or inconvenient result. See Dangana v.

Usman (2013) 6 NWLR (pt. 1349) 50.

Submission of register of members of the PDP in Enugu State to INEC 30 days before its congresses and primary election to choose its candidates for the 2023 general election is a condition precedent for inclusion of candidates of the party for the election in the state.

Congress, primaries or convention of a political party held before the expiration of 30 days after submission of the register of its members to INEC cannot validly produce candidates for such political parties to contest in an election, as the provisions of Section 77 (3) of the Act supra, would have been clearly violated.

Having realized the futility of its May, 2022 congresses and primary election in Enugu State, and given the obvious strength of Mr Chika Emmanuel Idoko’s action, challenging the charade and travesty of justice, which is before the Federal High Court in Enugu, the PDP LQ (QXJX 6WDWH DQG LWV R΀ FLDOV KDYH EHJXQ WR PDNH IUDQWLF HͿ RUWV LQ YLUWXDOO\ all directions to circumvent the law and compromise the course of justice.

7KH OLG KDV EHHQ EORZQ RͿ WKH QRFWXUQDO PHHWLQJV RI R΀ FLDOV RI the party in Enugu State and their candidates, including their telephone calls to highly placed and connected individuals within and outside judicial circles. Thankfully, we have judicial R΀ FLDOV ZKR DUH SURIHVVLRQDO DQG incorruptible.

Nnamani writes from Lagos

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T H I S D AY

THURSDAY DECEMBER 15, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

BAUCHI, GOMBE AND THE OIL WAR The actual location of the Kolmani oil fields must be decided by National Boundary Commission

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

How Technology Adoption Reshaped Nigeria’s Construction Materials Market Emma Okonji

ICMR CAPITAL MARKET MEET

L-R: Founder of Chams Plc, Demola Aladekomo; Chief Consultant at B. Adedipe Associates Limited, Dr. Abiodun Adedipe and CEO, NGX, Temi Popoola, during the 11th Annual Conference of the Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR), which held in Lagos… recently

NCC Seeks Identification, Elimination of Risks in Telecom Sector Samuel Ohwovoriole The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has embarked on a regulatory step to sensitise the industry about the need for proper and continuous risk identification with a view to managing such risks before they affect the health of the industry.

Speaking during a two-day maiden conference hosted by NCC in Abuja, its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar GarbaDanbatta, said: “It has become imperative to minimise risks in the industry to ensure that services are not disrupted, and that consumers obtain the best services that are globally available.”

The conference with the theme: “Nigerian Telecommunications Industry: Managing the Emerging Risks and Embracing Risk Opportunities,” called for collaboration between

the regulator and other stakeholders in the industry, to achieve multi-stakeholder strategies aimed at identifying and addressing emerging risks in the telecommunications sector to ensure sustainable and impacting growth.

Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, YetundeAkinloye, who represented Danbatta, said the essence of the forum was to examine myriads of issues that challenge the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, and to enhance the development of a sustainable ICT sector in Nigeria.

“The focus of this conference is to bring to the fore the ever-rising uncertainties in the global economy and the attendant regulatory/ operational risks in the areas of increased data security regulations, new partnerships and transforming business

models, fast-changing mix of mounting capital expenditure (CAPEX) burdens, shifting market structures, newly emerging disruption scenarios, regulatory and policy challenges amongst others,” Danbatta said.

The EVC told participants at the event, which also featured virtual participation that the commission has been at the forefront of ensuring that the telecoms industry is not adversely impacted by these uncertainties/risks.

He stated that one of our Strategic Visions is to ensure a competitive market for the communications services that foster fair inclusion of all players, promote local content and innovative services in ways that facilitate new investment, job creation and consumer satisfaction.

In his paper presentation titled ‘X-raying Telecommunications Risk Radar: The Operators’

Perspective’, the event facilitator, EniolaOlugboyega, who spoke about issues of concern to operators, said that risk-taking can have positive or negative impact on businesses. He also stated that most common losses from improper management of risk in the sector include customer dissatisfaction, fines and litigation, product failure, and loss of business opportunities, among others.

According to him, “Effective risk management aids effective decision making, prevents financial and reputational loss and addresses potential threats.

Thus, telecommunication risk from the operators’ perspective includes regulatory risk, insecurity, data breach risk, foreign exchange risk, rising CAPEX risk, human resource risk, and the inability to take advantage of new business models.”

Kelvin Strengthens Leadership Team to Enhance Customers’ Experience NosaAlekhuogie Kelvin, the leading collaborative control software company delivering industrial intelligence, has bolstered its executive leadership team with strategic hires and internal promotion.

The company recently promoted SuhailJiwani to Chief Technology Officer, appointed Sheena Chandra as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer and also appointed CitalouiseGeiggar as Vice President of Marketing.

The strategic appointments represent a key element of Kevin’s strategy to capitalize on the momentum to serve and broaden its customer base.

The senior appointments aim to advance Kelvin’s position in the market and enable it to continue partnering with global enterprises to solve unique industrial customer challenges by allowing companies to connect, create, and scale control applications across their operations, with market-leading solutions including Kelvin Carbon Maps and Kelvin Copilots.

Founder and CEO of Kelvin,

Mr. Peter Harding, said: “The right talent is vital to Kelvin’s success, so it gives me great pleasure to welcome Suhail, Sheena, and Citalouise to Kelvin’s executive leadership team. With their years of extensive experience and vast achievements in prior roles, they are well-proven appointments that give us the ability to build further on the impressive momentum we’ve built with Kelvin over the last few years.

Together, the expansion of our

team boasts diverse and strong expertise that will thrust Kelvin into the next phase of its global growth.”

Harding further said: “We look forward to working with global enterprises and delivering industrial intelligence via our market-leading collaborative control solutions.

Our solutions have proven themselves across energy and manufacturing sectors, empowering businesses to achieve their net-zero goals,

find and fix issues across their entire production process, with automation and closed-loop control.”

In his new role, Suhail serves as the executive technology leader for Kelvin’s engineering and product division. With deep industry and technology expertise, and over 16 years of experience, Suhail is driving the acceleration of technological innovation in Kelvin’s next growth stage to best serve our customers needs.

Allison Joins Sophos as Senior Vice President of Sales for EMEA NosaAlekhuogie Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurityas-a-service, has announced the appointment of Gerard Allison as its Senior Vice President of Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Announcing the appointment, the Chief Revenue Officer at Sophos, Michael Valentine, said:

“We are very excited Gerard joined Sophos to lead and help accelerate our growth efforts in EMEA, one of the largest regions for the company. Gerard has a deep understanding of the distribution and reseller channel, as well as extensive knowledge of successfully establishing new routes to market. With this impressive track record, Gerard will be a valuable and important Sophos

sales leader overseeing EMEA, particularly as we head into 2023 with our new Sophos Managed Detection and Response service.”

According to Allison, “The need for modern cybersecurity solutions, including MDR services from a team of experts trained to spot intrusions ‘hiding in plain sight’ along the attack chain, has become imperative, as indicated in the Sophos 2023 Threat Report.

The construction materials industry, one of Nigeria’s largest sectors, has been repositioned through the adoption of emerging technologies.

Despite the industry’s attractiveness, the sector had suffered several inefficiencies in Nigeria and most African markets in three major ways.

One is in Fragmented category markets, where construction project managers traditionally spend significant time and effort managing multiple procurement conversations across different platforms for each item category.

Another is in allowing multiple layers of middle-men, while the third is the lack of access to credit, which creates inefficiency.

However, since launch, Africa’s frontline building materials marketplace, CinderBuild, appears to have conquered these barriers with technology adoption.

CinderBuild is the digital one-stop-shop for all bulk materials procurement, sourced directly from major manufacturers and licensed dealers. It was incorporated in Delaware and backed by leading US and European VCs. CinderBuild team is comprised

of globally proven business professionals, including exMcKinsey consultants, Harvard Business Review Professors, and e-Commerce leaders.

The marketplace links the last mile resellers, construction managers and export markets.

Resellers and project contractors make single-point procurement directly through the digital platform or by walking into any of the 1500+ e-stores opening across the country.

The organisation uses key value propositions like Speed, Convenience, Price Discovery, Discount Offers, Trade Credits and Improved Sales to remove the bottlenecks created by fragmented market categories, multiple layers of middlemen and lack of access to finance.

According to the CEO of CinderBuild, Paul Adeyoyin, “What we have done to transform the rather legacy market, involves the use of technology to transform a rather fragmented sector into a single digital market square. For instance, a customer who needs to procure five items -including Cement, Iron rods, Aggregates, Floor Tiles and Electric sockets, doesn’t need to spend whole week roaming different stores and managing suppliers to ensure timely delivery.“

How Binance is Accelerating Adoption, Education, Transparency across Africa Emma Okonji Binance, a global leader in crypto and blockchain infrastructure, with established operations in Nigeria, has continued to experience immense growth across Africa, making it one of the fastest-growing regions for the company within the year.

Reviewing the company’s performance for the year, during its end of year dinner in Lagos recently, the Director, East Africa at Binance, Mr. NadeemAnjarwalla, highlighted three key features: Adoption, Education and Transparency that shaped the business of Binance across Africa in 2022.

In the area of adoption, Anjarwalla, said: “As a leader in the blockchain industry, Binance has been key to innovating new products and services that enable financial accessibility and inclusivity for Africans. Notably, the company recorded a significant increase

in Binance Pay users across the continent, highlighting its strong use case and continued uptake.

Binance Gift Card also became available in Ghana, making it the first of its kind on the continent.”

He said in 2022, Binance expanded product offerings across multiple regions in the African continent, including Nigeria, where it introduced a fiat gateway for the Nigerian Naira through Cashlink in October 2022, a development, he said, enabled Nigerian users to withdraw and deposit Naira directly to and from their wallets, enabling greater financial accessibility for African users.

“Overall, in 2022, our Africa team more than doubled in size, highlighting the company’s focus on the region, the holistic cryptoforward mindset of the continent, and a strong appetite across African nations for a transformational system that drives innovation and financial inclusion,” Anjarwalla, said.

ThriveAgric Nigeria Wins Visa Everywhere Initiative Competition Emma Okonji

ThriveAgric, a Nigerian start-up that uses technology to transform the payments landscape for the agricultural sector, has emerged first place winner of the Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI), a global open innovation program and competition for startups and fintech companies.

Taking place in Qatar amidst the FIFA World Cup 2022, the global finale was preceded by a yearlong competition that saw entrepreneurs across the world compete in regional editions before advancing to the final stage.

Announcing the winners, the Regional President for

CEMEA, Visa, Mr. Andrew Torre, said: “This year we have seen more than 4,000 fintechs participate in the global Visa Everywhere Initiative, including a record 1,130 applications from Central Europe, Middle East and Africa.

A new fintech generation is transforming the way consumers and businesses make payments, making it easier for more people to access and move money when they need it. We congratulate ThriveAgric and all the winners in this year ’s competition, and we look forward to continue partnering with fintechs to solve the payments challenges of tomorrow.”

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Showcasing Resilience in Disability Sunday Ehigiator writes that the second edition of the one-week-long Okunrin Meta-Art Exhibition recently held at the Gemini Art Gallery, Onikan Lagos, with the theme, ‘Resilience: Plasticity in Motion, was aimed at showcasing the resilient spirit of people living with disability despite the day-to-day challenges they encounter

L

iving with a disability can be very stressful at times. Resilience is a term that describes how we all cope with stress, and by building up our resilience, we can stay more engaged in life. Resilience also describes our ability to bounce back and keep going after a stressful experience.

Long-term disability and progressive conditions such as Sickle Cell Disease can cause unpredictable physical changes and pains, putting our resilient spirit to the test.

However, learning to be resilient largely depends on our pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaviours that help to cope well with stress such as; painting, singing, writing, mindfulness, social connections, and optimism etc.

It is against this backdrop that the Founder of Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative (SAMI), with the Studio Name, Okunrin Meta, instituted the Okunrin Meta Gallery and Creative Hub, to create an avenue for those living with any form of disability to showcase their artworks, which is a product of their resilience ability against their struggles.

The Exhibition Speaking about the exhibition, SAMI’s Programs Manager, Tobi Olaitan said the one-week-long art exhibition played host to works from four Artists from various parts of the country, including Okunrin Meta herself.

According to him, “the goal of the exhibition is to showcase inclusivity among people living with chronic conditions and the society.

“With this, we want to showcase their creativity and give it a voice. This edition has been themed Resilience: Plasticity in Motion which is aimed at showcasing the artworks of people living with chronic conditions expressing different phases of life.

“And also helps us to realise that we are like clay in the hands of the porter. Despite all, they have gone through they are showcasing how they have remained unbroken. So these pieces of artwork show different phases of the Artist’s life and how they have been resilient in living well.”

In his opening remarks, the Founder and Senior Pastor of Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, said he was proud of Adesola and her works within the art space.

According to him, “We have practically been together from Freedom Hall, and she always gets across. I appreciate God for this new phase of your life she has entered where she is showcasing people’s abilities despite their disabilities. This is great work, and I pray that it will flourish.”

Also Speaking, the Chairman of Phillips Consulting Limited who doubles as the Chairman of SAMI, Mr Foluso Phillips, noted that it’s always wonderful when “we discover that we are more than we think ourselves to be when others think life has dealt us a bad hand.

“That was the thought that went through my mind as I walked around looking at the paintings displayed at this mini art exhibition organised by Toyin Adesola, our Sickle Cell warrior of warriors.”

According to him, when we seek to raise support through charity, it’s better to do it with pride by offering something in return, not only through the item we want to exchange for your cash but hoping you give for the very essence of why we seek charity in the first place - for the cause than the ‘product’.

L-R: Member, SAMI Advisory Board, Mrs Folake Jeremaih; Member, SAMI Advisory Board, Mr Ayodeji Jeremaih; Chairman Philips Consulting Limited, Mr Foluso Phillips; and SAMI), Okurinmeta Artists and Executive Director SAMI, Ms Toyin Adesola; Lead Pastor Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; Legal Practitioner Lanre Keleko & Co and Former President ICOBA’ Mr Lanre Keleko “The SAMI cause is advocacy, advice, direct health intervention and sustenance of a community of sickle cell warriors. That was the essence of our cry as we offered you paintings in return.”

Okunrin Meta Speaking more about the Okunrin Meta-Art Exhibition initiative, SAMI Founder, Toyin Adesola noted that Okunrinmeta Gallery and Creative Hub was created to showcase an inclusive creative atmosphere which will not only bring the able-bodied person down to the gallery, “but also those with physical or other mental challenges.

“This exhibition is to further buttress the point that we are all resilient in our ways when it comes to creativity and we have that creative aspect in us, especially people with some form of disability. We have that creativity in us and it’s not for us to lock it in there but be able to express and showcase it.

“We are also having an atmosphere where people can come and showcase their creativity despite their passive limitations and that’s why resilience plasticity motion was chosen as a theme.

“The whole idea is that we want to showcase the fact that everyone has a level of creative talent in them one way or the other and we should be able to encourage and empower every one of us to showcase this.”

Resilience: Plasticity in Motion Speaking on the theme for the exhibition,

Adesola said, “With this theme, we are saying we are resilient despite being stretched by several difficulties, we are always flowing in motion and creativity to be able to showcase our innovation and ultimately our humanity.

“I don’t believe anyone has to resort to begging if they can tap into their creative abilities. It doesn’t have to be a Picasso but something tangible made from your own hands. It means something to me and society as well.

“The exhibition is running for a week.

Two days on the Island here at Gemini Art Work and the remaining five days on the mainland at the Sickle Cell Office along Bode Thomas.

“Also after the exhibition, all these Artworks would be uploaded on our site, toyinadesola/okunrinmeta.com and anyone can equally walk into any of the Gallery we exhibited here on the island and mainland to make a purchase.”

She concluded that some percentage of the proceeds realised from the exhibition would go into supporting people living with the sickle cell through the Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative.

Inclusivity While appraising the inclusiveness of the exhibition, an Author and Inclusion Advocate, Ngozi Chukwuka expressed her belief in inclusion just as SAMI had done. She noted that including people with disabilities in whatever you have

going on is the key to having a better society.

According to her, “Art exhibitions go on all over the place but persons with disabilities have been excluded but this shows that though they live with their disability, they also have their abilities to be artistic. They can draw, they can paint and they are very creative. So disability does not take away from their creativity which is what we are seeing on the walls.”

Also speaking, the Proprietor of Standard Bearers School, Modupe Oni, expressed delight in what SAMI was doing.

According to her, “I run an inclusive school and I do have children living with disabilities in my school and I have a lot of them showing talent in art.

“Hence, one of the things that I have pledged to do is to work with SAMI in the next edition so that some of my children can actually come and exhibit their works here as well.

When you encourage children from an earlier age, it makes them happy and I think we need to put more smiles on people’s faces.

“I always say that there is ability in disability because everyone is made perfect in Christ. A young boy came from Kwara because he couldn’t find expression for his Art in Kwara, so he had to come to Lagos for the exhibition. Now imagine if there is something like this in Kwara and how many people with disabilities stand a chance to benefit from it.

“Hence, part of my prayer for Adesola and her Advocacy group is to be blessed with the ability to replicate this in the six geopolitical zones across Nigeria.”

Family of Two-year-old Seeks N5.875m for HeartSurgery Rebecca Ejifoma The family of two-year-old Ramadan Mayeleeke diagnosed with three holes in his heart is desperately seeking financials of N5,875,000 for a chest infection surgery to save his life.

According to the medical report made available to THISDAY, it showed that

Mayeleeke was admitted to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) 17 months ago on account of the chest infection diagnosed from birth.

The report also noted that the paediatric team was managing the minor as a case of Secundum ASD, right partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection, small VSD and

moderation PAH. He was presented on account of recurrent chest infections noticed from birth and had been on anti-failure medications.

Our correspondent gathered that Mayeleeke was expected to undergo surgery for his condition at the Tristate Health Care System in Lagos State.

Some of the procedures

which the two-year-old would undergo include preoperative evaluation, cardiac catheterisation and VSD closure amounting to N5.8m.

According to the child’s mother, Tolani Mayeleeke, “We have been facing endless difficulties since I gave birth to him. My son has been due for surgery since last

November.”

Although she admitted that they have raised N800,000, Tolani appealed for more help. “I’m pleading with everyone to help me. I don’t want to lose my son. My baby finds it hard to breathe; he is always in pain due to the multiple holes in his heart.

He is in discomfort,” she lamented.

Ramadan Mayeleeke

35

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

NEWS

THISDAY Reporter Emerges Winner at Nestlé Media Awards 2022

Navy Takes Medical Outreach to Lagos Community to Strengthen Relationship Rebecca Ejifoma

Dr Austin Nweze of Pan-Atlantic University handing over the plaque of recognition to Rebecca Ejifoma at the Nestlé Nigeria Media Awards 2022 in Lagos THISDAY Newspaper reporter on Features Desk, Rebecca Ejifoma, has emerged winner of the Women Category and the first runner up in the Community Development category at the 2022 Nestlé Nigeria Media Awards.

Her stories on Improving Standard of Living for Rural Women and Growing Ecosystem with Local Milk Sourcing in Nigeria were nominated as the Best and the second best among eight categories at the Nestlé Awards on Saturday, which was held at the brand’s headquarters in the Ilupeju area of Lagos State.

She received a recognition plaque, a Samsung tablet, a Samsung phone, Nestlé branded notepad with pen, a box of Nestlé products, and a set of Oriamo free pods.

In her opening remarks at the awards ceremony, the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager of Nestlé, Mrs Victoria Uwadoka said the award was instituted to reward and encourage journalistic excellence in the country.

She added: “Nestlé Nigeria

Media Awards aims to reward professionalism and excellence in reporting and storytelling around Nestlé’s focus areas comprising Affordable Nutrition, Environmental Sustainability, Youth Empowerment, Women Empowerment, Engendering Thriving Communities, and Agriculture.”

A member of the Panel of Judges, Mr Peter Ejiofor appreciated Nestlé Nigeria for the noble initiative.

He, therefore, encouraged those who did not win this year to put in the work next and prepare well for next year.

“I must say the maiden edition of the awards was good but this year is better. From what we saw from their submissions, I feel happy to say that you adhered to the advice given to you as the bases for the awards.

“Congratulations to all of you, and for us as well because we all worked together to make it a success,” Ejiofor commended.

Other winners include Edet Udoh, publisher of the Revealer who emerged as winner of three categories. Chioma Umeha, Health Editor at Daily Inde-

pendent, emerged the winner of the Community Development category. While Umeha emerged the first runner-up in Women Empowerment, Odutayo Odusanya of Newslounge Media clinched the third position.

Other runners-up in the Best Story on Women Empowerment include Oladeotan John of the Societyradar.com and Rakiya Muhammad of RMTimes as the third.

Winners for Best story on Environmental Sustainability include Udoh in the first position, Vivian Ihechu from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in second position, and Chioma Obinna of the Vanguard in third position.

Winners for each category received a recognition plaque, a Samsung tablet, Nestlé branded Notepad with pen, a box of Nestlé products and a set of Oriamo free pods.

The 2nd position also received recognition plaques as well as Samsung phones and a box of Nestlé products and a set of Oriamo free pods. The third position got plaques, a box of Nestlé products and a set of Oriamo free pods.

The Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy has taken medical services and medications to the Arumoh Ajeromi area in Lagos State as part of efforts to provide free medical services to host communities.

The Command Admin Officer, Western Naval Command, Cdre Edem Duke told THISDAY at the weekend during the free medical check-up that this initiative by the Nigerian Navy is to strengthen its civil-military relationship with communities that host all its unit establishments and commands across states in Nigeria.

“In the Lagos area, Western Naval Command is having its corporate social responsibility.

We are showing them love and appreciation, he emphasised.

According to Duke, this is

a continuous activity. “This is just the health outreach we are using to wish the residents well for the Yuletide season,” he emphasised.

The Commander, Obisesan Medical Centre, Apapa, Surgeon Cmdr Ugo Elendu listed high blood pressure, arthritis, deworming in children, malaria, diabetes and others as some of the illnesses they hope to attend to.

“Last week was World AIDS Day. So one of the objectives of this programme is to create awareness about HIV/AIDS. And we have a station here that will be offering voluntary counselling and testing for as many who wish to take the test,” he outlined.

On how to reduce the risk of transmission, Elendu highlighted the ABCs of HIV transmission like abstinence, and the use of condoms. “For

maternal-to-child transmission, we have an HIV programme at our centre where we take care of these women when they are pregnant.

“From pregnancy to delivery, there are certain drugs we give them as soon as the child is born to prevent the probability of transmission.”

With a population of aged people as beneficiaries, the commander assured THISDAY that their pharmaceutical stand was rich enough.

“We have anti-malaria drugs, deworming for children, drugs for muscular pains and anti-hypertensive medications among others.”

He hinted at the possibility to follow up on some disease conditions they would detect, adding that “And we will direct them to come to the centre, which is not far, for continuous management”.

Commodore Edem Duke with Commander, Obisesan Medical Centre, Apapa, Surgeon Cmdr Ugo Elendu at the outreach

IgbobiOldBoysAssociationLiftstheLessPrivileged

The old boys during the presentation Raheem Akingbolu Determined to give succour to less privilege in the society, the Igbobi College Yaba Old Boys Association, 1996 Set (ICOBA ’96), has stretched out their kind hands to the Heart of Gold Children’s Hospice as part of activities for its end of the year celebration.

According to Set Chairman, Mr Bankole Agunbiade, the essence of the visit is to bring smiles on the faces of the children, especially during seasonal festive celebrations as they donated a sum of Five hundred Thousand Naira (#500,000) to the Organisation.

He said, “Like we sing

our school anthem, wherever there is an Igbobian, there is always a noble Nigerian”.

As old students of this great citadel of learning that has helped mold us into the men that we have respectively become today, we deem it necessary to put smiles on the faces of the less privileged amongst the society.

“It is our little way of saying thank you to the Almighty God for sparing our lives all through the year, from January 1 to date, and relaxing with our families in a convivial mood.”

Agunbiade decried the high level of poverty in the country and its adverse effects

With some of the drugs distributed free of charge at the medical outreach on the poor standard of living of the citizenry.

He attributed some of the challenges of the country to failure of the leaders in fulfilling electoral promises.

He advised Nigerians to vote with their conscience during elections to be able to elect patriotic and capable leaders who have genuine interest of the masses at heart.

Also present were the former Chairmen of the Association, Mr Emmanuel Okoh, Mr Psalm Mafoitan and Mr Damola Ogunojemite who all agreed that the initiative deserves an applause and pledged to make it a yearly commitment.

NAS Conducts Free Prostrate, Cervical Cancer Screening for Rivers Residents Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), conducted a free prostrate, cervical cancer screening for residents of Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor local government areas of Rivers State.

The screening was conducted by the Olympus Marino Deck of NAS, Rivers State branch, just as they urged the beneficiaries to always do regular check on their health to ensure a healthy living.

The association also known

as Pyrates Confraternity had a street walk along Ada-George road, to sensitise the people on responsible lifestyle leading to better living.

Speaking with THISDAY, Capoon, Olympus Marino Deck, Iche Cecil Wordu, said the programme which was done to mark the 70th anniversary of the association, was targeted at educating and screening residents of residents of Port Harcourt on prostate and cervical cancer.

He said challenges of cervical and prostate cancer to humanity

in the society necessitated the programme.

Wordu said: “Today, in the Olympic Marino Deck, which is the number one branch of the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity), we are celebrating with other branches across the globe, a weekend of service to humanity.

“Over this past 70 years from when the association was formed in the University of Ibadan in 1952, we have been serving humanity, provide succour, give aides to charity and do advocacy work.

e pa n e

T H I S D AY ˾ DAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

36

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Capital Market Operators Urged to Work with NIBSS, NCC toTackle Identity Challenges Emma Okonji Founder of Chams Plc and Executive Chairman of SmartCity Plc, Demola Aladekomo, has called on the capital market operators to work with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), in order to tackle identity challenges currently being faced in the Nigeria capital market.

He made the call during the 11th Annual Conference of the Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR), which held in Lagos recently, with the theme: ‘Sustainability of the Nigerian Stock Market as a Catalyst for Economic Growth and Prosperity’.

Aladekomo who spoke on how best to tackle the identity management issues in the

Nigerian Capital Market, informed the audience, made mostly of stakeholders in the sector, that identity should be the least of their worries.

“Identity seems to be the least of our worries. BVN and NIN already solved Identity based issues. Let us work with NIBSS and NCC,” Aladekomo said.

He went further to inform the audience that Chams has been directly involved in most of the successful national identity projects in Nigeria. He listed some of them to include: the Bank Verification Number (BVN), Chamscity Guinness World Record, NCC SIM registration, and INEC’s Voters Registration. He also reminded the participants that Chams is the first ICT Company to be quoted on

the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), the stock exchange.

On the capital market identity issues, Aladekomo posited that public confidence needed to be restored in the capital market. He proposed that operators fully implement the use of BVN and NIN, create more awareness for stakeholders, explore and try to attract more investments from pension funds and foreign investments into the market, as well as creation of more exciting products and services by NGX. In addition, Aladekomo said regulators should ensure speed, firmness, and improve cooperation with stakeholders, and then positively invest and manage Nigeria’s image and reputation against fraud and scams.

Knowledge Digest Unveiled to Bridge Business Resilience Gap

MARKET INDICATORS

Oluchi Chibuzor

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

Knowledge Digest Africa, a one stop digital knowledge bank for African businesses to expand their capabilities has been launched with the aim to help them draw a pool of information to generate massive market trends and bridge resilience.

Speaking at the launch of the digital knowledge bank in Lagos, the founder, Knowledge Digest Africa, and Digital CEO Tribe International, Samson Olatunde, said everyone in this world needs refined knowledge and innovation to live and make an everlasting impact.

According to him, the knowledge ecosystem platform aims to educate and inspire business leaders and youths on the shore of Africa.

“Knowledge Digest Africa is a one-stop digital knowledge bank platform that seeks to educate and empower one million African business leaders and enrich professionals with substantial and up-to-date careers in entrepreneurship and technology know-how for wealth creation. Also, Knowledge Digest Africa is set to unveil its Mentoring series, which is more of an exclusive weekly interview of captains of different industries who have done over 10 years in the business ecosystem, “he said.

Speaking at the event, the immediate past president of Chartered Institute of Banker of Nigeria, Dr Bayo Olugbemi acknowledged the place of information and collaboration in the 21st century economy.

He said, “Most businesses that would die do so in the first two, three to four years and if you are able to sustain a business beyond 10 years then it makes sense that you try as much as possible that business outlives you.”

Explaining how businesses can stay longer than their founder, Kolawole Opeyemi, CEO Axiom Intel Limited urged businesses to seek information, innovation and places from data banks that can help them develop products to solutions.

Meanwhile, speaking on the theme “Harnessing Digital Collaborations for Growth in a Growing Global Communities.”, the commissioner for Education, Lagos State, Folashade Adefisayo, harped on leveraging data banks to drive the educational sector in the country.

Soromidayo: Women are Changemakers, Essential in Creating Sustainable Future The Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever West Africa, Mrs Soromidayo George, noted that women are changemakers who play a critical part in creating the envisioned and sustainable future required for all.

George made this known while speaking at the 2022 BusinessDay Inspiring Woman Series II, themed, “Leading the Change-My Story, my role, my expectation,” held in Lagos.

She explained that there is ample evidence that a country’s economic prospects are condi-

tioned by how engaged women are in society, how able they are to engage in the boardroom, how women entrepreneurs can thrive, and so much more.

“All over the world, women are becoming changemakers, helping to create a new narrative. We cannot afford to be left behind because the world’s future belongs to us. Our place in building any economy and rebuilding our nation cannot be underestimated. As women, we recognize that we are an important economic, social, and political force,” she said.

In his remarks, The Category Manager of Homecare, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Oladapo Oshuntoye, noted that the Sunlight brand has chosen to take advantage of the platform to drive home the significance of women empowerment in addressing numerous economic challenges.

Also speaking, the Brand Manager, Sunlight, Oluwapelumi Kolade, stated that the brand has decided to sponsor the event to make a strong case for the economic powerhouse that women represent.

Lekki Port Appoints Liu Jialin Director, Emmanuel-Olubake, Chengwei Elevated The board of directors of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (Lekki Port) has announced the appointment of Liu Jialin as a director of the company.

The appointment, which takes immediate effect, was approved during the historic board meeting held on Monday, December 12, 2022 at the new administrative offices of the port.

Jialin has 19 years of experience in Project Development and Investment. He started his career with China Habour Engineering Company (CHEC) as a technician in 2003 and rose

to the position of Chief Technical Officer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Port Channel and Coastal Engineering from Tianjin University, China. He has worked in Nigeria, Latin America, the United States of America and in Beijing. He was involved in the project development of Lekki Deep Sea Port, the Bogota Metro Line 1 Project and the MAR2 PPP highway project in Colombia, the Colombo Port City project in Sri Lanka, and the Grand Avenue Project in Los Angeles, United States of America.

The board also approved the elevation of Opeyemi Emmanuel-Olubake and Yi “Ray” Chengwei to Head of Legal & Chief Commercial Officer, respectively.

Before their elevation, Emmanuel-Olubake served as the In-House Lawyer while Chengwei held the position of Head of Commercial & Legal Department. Reacting to these developments, the Chairman of Lekki Port’s Board of Directors, Mr. Biodun Dabiri, welcomed the newly appointed director to the board.

(MILLION NAIRA)

AUGUST 2022 Money Supply (M3)

49,356,443.6

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

50,601.36

Money Supply (M2)

49,305,842.3

-- Quasi Money

27,869,678.3

-- Narrow Money (M1)

21,436,164

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,680,236.81

---- Demand Deposits

18,755,927.2

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

5,074,909.92

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

27,869,678.3

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

61,195,142.4

---- Credit to Government (Net)

21,001,401.5

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

40,193,740.9

--Other Assets Net

6,785,979.22

Reserve Money (Base Money

14,040,351.9

--Currency in Circulation

3,210,664.98

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,829,686.9 390,557.8

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

July 2022

Inter-Bank Call Rate

13.00

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

2.76

Savings Deposit Rate

1.42

1 Month Deposit Rate

3.64

3 Months Deposit Rate

4.96

6 Months Deposit Rate

5.87

12 Months Deposit Rate

5.76

Prime Lending rate

12.10

Maximum Lending Rate

27.61

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ͰͲ ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $92.17 a barrel on Monday, compared with $92.09 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

37

T H I S D AY ˾ DAY, ͯͳ˜ 2022

NGX Regco Drives Capital Market Sustainability Agenda with Engagement Forum KayodeTokede NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo) yesterday held an issuer’s engagement forum to build the capacity of issuers in the capital market on climate related disclosures.

The forum, held virtually with the theme “Climate Disclosures: Trends, Risks and Prospects” focused on issues regarding disclosures on climate reporting for listed companies and featured

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

In her opening remarks, the Chief Executive Officer, NGX RegCo, Ms Tinuade Awe, emphasised the company’s commitment to advancing sustainability and responsible climate governance in the capital market. According to her, it was pertinent for stakeholders to engage in robust discussions and for corporates to do more on climate reporting, adding that NGX RegCo was intent on promoting a fair, orderly and transparent market that thrives

noteworthy expert contribution from industry professionals and policymakers.

Speakers agreed that companies have to institutionalise climate governance and their boards need to embrace capacity building and incorporate sustainability into their strategies. They also advised that governments should identify the impacts of economic activities on climate and create incentives to encourage better actions by stakeholders.

DEALS

F O R

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

on full and timely information disclosures for the protection of investors.

Quoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, Awe said the projections in the report on poverty escalation were worrisome even as Nigeria experienced its share of challenges amid rising inflation, flooding and insecurity.

“A recent report by the Guardian points to lingering food crisis as a result of recent floods which

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

could put 25.3 million people across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory into acute food crisis between June and August 2023 unless FG, states and the private sector take drastic steps to mitigate the destructive effects of such potential national crisis on social and economic lives. It is essential for corporates in all sectors to reassess their priorities in the wake of these dire projections.”

She, however, noted some positive developments like

A S O F

Nigeria’s strides in the ESG space, particularly regulatory actions to drive sustainability and climate action. “These regulatory actions show that business can no longer be conducted as usual and emphasise the need to embrace sustainable business practices and credible disclosures as mitigating measures and sustainability risks whilst positioning themselves to attract more investors and potentially unlock capital flows to the Nigerian capital market. “

1 4 / 1 2 / 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

38

GAMINGWEEK

Edited by NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG | ikotibok@gmail.com | Tel: 08114495324

Things to Note When Considering Offshore Gaming Investment in Africa 4. PRODUCT OFFERING AND ACCESSIBILITY

Any betting product in Africa that is not youthcentric and not accessible via smartphone will find it difficult to fly. Millennials should be the focal point of your product because they mostly engage in betting. A continent whose youth population is between 18 and 25 and has the fastest-growing youth population in the world presents a good platform for the demographic product offering.

Across Africa, mobile dominates, with most locals possessing smartphones made available through a payment scheme that allows for payment to be made on an instalment basis. A continent in which nearly half a billion people use smartphones, according to the latest GSMA reports, simply points in one direction when thinking of a product in Africa; mobile.

5. VOLATILITY OF POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT

Foreign gaming companies are looking to diversify their business into Africa, writes John Bamidele, however the need to understand the multi-faceted diversity in the continent

A

frica is a dynamic gaming space.

However, a lot of investors have got their fingers burnt by having little knowledge of the continent and how to invest in it. Though most see Africa as a cash cow, the continent is regarded as high risk when looking at offshore investment.

Foreign gaming companies are now looking to diversify their business interest more than before, with Africa on their mind.

The continent is beginning to see some improvements in online regulation. The three biggest markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, are unique in regulation and dynamic operation.

1. KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

The first and most important thing is to fully understand the regulatory requirements of the particular

sector in Nigeria. A good understanding of the tax regime allows the investor to know the percentage to pay so as not to be on the wrong side of the law and to know how it will affect his bottom line.

country you are investing in or the region depending on your mission. You should understand how to obtain a license and what laws and frameworks are in place; licences available and the conditions they come with are other important issues that must be known to the investors.

3. FOOTBALL IS KING IN AFRICA

2. GOOD AND CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF TAX REGIME

Before investing in Africa, you need to understand which betting verticals players prefer to play. Depending on where you are going to operate, be it Southern, East, West or North Africa, players engage differently, but football is king here. Sport betting is strong in all betting-legalised jurisdictions in Africa, and it’s the fastest growing in the gambling industry. Africa is a football frenzy continent where national teams and footballers are passionately followed. Therefore, any operator wishing to invest in Africa must make football its number one priority.

Gambling was once relegated to the back burner in Africa because of the stigma attached to it and, secondly, because of religion. All these have changed because a lot of African countries have legalized it, and it has improved their revenue. Any investor that wants to invest in Africa must fully understand the tax regime in your preferred country. Multiple taxation is one of the factors plaguing the gaming

Operators wishing to have an offshore investment in sub-Saharan Africa must clearly understand the political environment of such jurisdiction. Military coups were a regular occurrence in Africa in the decades after independence, and there is concern they are starting to become more frequent. Between 2020 and now, Chad, Mali, Guinea and Sudan have experienced coups, while there was coup failure in Niger and Sudan. Though a lot of countries in Africa are now democratic, however, many still go through turbulence during general elections and changes of democratic power.

6. REPATRIATION OF FUNDS AND STRENGTH OF LOCAL CURRENCY

Restrictions in many African countries can make it difficult for investors to move cash to where it’s needed.

For foreign investors operating in Africa, the issue of trapped cash looms large. Companies may generate a healthy amount of cash in a particular market. But if that market has restrictions or local exchange controls in place, it may be difficult to repatriate funds to another location.

In some cases, these constraints can leave companies with hundreds of millions of dollars trapped. Some countries have stringent foreign exchange regulations in place, while other countries have been known to restrict companies from purchasing US dollars. Multiple exchange rates and a weak currency are prevalent in Africa because of external borrowing. One of the conditions of foreign non-governmental institutions when approached by third-world countries, especially in Africa, is the devaluation of its local currency vis-à-vis notable foreign currencies like the dollar, pounds and euro. A weak currency connotes a weak economy.

The story continues online on y www.thisdaylive.com

Bitville Gaming South Africa Expands Product Bouquet Via TVBET John Bamidele Having acquired a certificate of sustainability in the province of Western Cape, B2B provider of live games TVBET has also undergone integration into the Bitville Iframe Solution and has passed BMM testing for all nine provinces in South provinces in South Africa. TVBET is a live games provider and can render live lottery and numbers games in all of South Africa’s jurisdictions. TVBET Is ecstatic to bring fresh content to South Africa and, in doing so, extend its footprint into South Africa. Bitville Gaming is a well-established B2B igaming platform, aggregated products, bespoke lottery and custom software solutions company.

Emily Asava, TVBET business development manager in Africa, stated that TVBET “continues its cooperation with Bitville Gaming, and we are happy to reach new achievements within our partnership.”

He added, “Getting the license by WCGRB confirms our straight decision to expand in Africa and deliver our products to new markets in the region, and we are happy to do that together with Bitville Gaming.”

Bitville Gaming CEO Andrew Von Hoesslin noted that it “is exciting to have the opportunity to work for Bitville Gaming South Africa, a company that is dedicated to keeping content relevant and fresh.”

The gaming CEO also pointed out that the company “prides itself on being a Level 11 BBBEE manufacturer in South Africa,” striving to keep the online and retail products fresh and new “so we don’t find ourselves in a space where the one market cannibalizes the other and TVBET is one of those products that effectively helps secure this.”

Hoesslin further said, “If we don’t ensure that we preserve our land-based betting shops and keep them financially profitable by bringing exciting retail content, it will have a negative impact on the economy in South Africa. TVBET has wonderful retail and online content, so you could say it’s the best of both worlds.”

S O LO M O N G O D W I N :

Ensuring the Right Business Image for Africa Nseobong Okon-Ekong

E

veryone calls him the go-to guy when it comes to setting up new igaming operations in Africa. That is not a cheap reputation but comes from nearly two decades of hard work, which has earned him coveted integrity as a B2C and B2B business development expert in Africa.

Not minding his current designation as Senior Business Development Manager, Africa Continent, Pragmatic Play, he is very

much sought-after by businesses, even outside gaming, seeking a foothold on the African continent. His self-appointed assignment is to ensure that every foreign investor seeking business opportunities, particularly in SubSaharan Africa, gets all the assistance he/ she needs to open a shop and grow.

Although he operates primarily in the gaming industry, he is convinced that Africa needs every legitimate investment that comes her way because the continent should be in a hurry to catch up with the rest of the advanced world.

For him, deploying technology to deliver goods and services is the way out for Africa.

Nowhere is this urgently needed, as in the area of ease of doing business, to eliminate corruption and frustrating bottlenecks that have damaged the continent’s image and driven many potential foreign investors away.

It is a huge testament to Godwin’s capacity that Pragmatic Play made him its number one man in Africa. For a company that has established itself as one of the top content producers in the gaming business, accessing the growing African market is very important. And that is an assignment that Godwin delivers to the satisfaction of his employers. He is equally as passionate about creating the right impression about Africa: He is also doing well with this task.

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022

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GAMINGWEEK

FOR ECAST Davidson Abraham’s World Cup Finale Preview and Betting Tips 3RD PLACE PLAYOFF: Croatia Vs Morocco Both teams have had a brilliant tournament prior to being eliminated by Argentina and France respectively and either side could win. A win for Morocco will see them become the first African nation to finish 3rd in the world cup while Croatia are still favorites coming into the game given their European pedigree which hasn’t really mattered much in this year’s tournament.

A Peak at Radical Transformation of Gaming Through the Years

FINAL:

Iboro Otu writes that Cloud Gaming and Virtual Reality have added extensions to gaming that have radically transformed gaming interactions and lifestyles, in a little less than one decade The Gaming industry will be worth $200 billion by next year according to Phil Rowley of Omnicom Media Group UK. The gaming ecosystem which has other business support components like betting companies hasn’t really taken off in Nigeria like it has in the rest of the world largely because of Internet penetration. I’ll tell you why in a second.

As a gamer, Nintendo Mario was the first game console I bought back in 2005 in Lagos. Between then and now, I have moved from that to all Sony Playstations and have experienced solid gaming experiences from better graphics to real life

mimicking interfaces like the first sony AR headset games bringing in the 3-D experience to games.

Today, I’m enjoying it on mobile.

I’m in my 40s.

In the last five years, gaming has accelerated user experience dramatically as a result of its fluid availability across platforms and devices all aided by technology.

Today, one can play the same games on mobile, computers, TV, online and offline. Technological advances have made mobile device processors faster and better enough to accommodate very complex and immersive games while the 5G internet has made cloud

gaming possible. As such, it is easier to have access to millions of game options on disk or on a subscription basis across platforms online and offline and this in turn has made monetization of gaming possible in ways that couldn’t have been imagined just a decade ago.

Cloud Gaming and Virtual Reality have added extensions to gaming that have radically transformed gaming interactions and lifestyles.

Lets take for example Axie Infinity, a play-to-earn game. Here, players can buy and sell digital creatures to fight other players using an Axie digital currency called SLP which

TIMELY SUPPORT FROM 22BET…

R-L: Mr. Babalola Oladapo (Marketing Director 22Bet West Africa), Mr. Kumbi Titiloye (Executive Chairman Kwara United Football Club), Mr. Adebayo Ajala (Head Local Brand Partnership & Sponsorship), Mr. Hamidu S. Olowo (Club Secretary Kwara United FC)

itself can be traded on the Ethereum blockchain to real money. This is a totally new business ecosystem running on block chain technology and crypto currency, running in an AR meta universe where limitless value is created as far as the eyes of ingenuity see.

It’s a new world of wealth creation. It’s the future!

Another example is Decentraland, another play-to-earn game. Here, players can buy, sell and build on virtual pots of land. Transactions are made using MANA, an in-game crypto currency. Decentraland is built on Ethereum blockchain. In 2021, a piece of virtual land sold for nearly One Million Dollars. Capturing such possibilities and making them reality in a place like Nigeria which has a massive youth population would be an economic goldmine for any investor who can see the future.

Betting companies have taken a stronghold in the Nigerian market because the market is there; the Nigerian sport loving population.

Gaming has a solid market in Nigeria too, the difference here is that the technological infrastructure to support the future of gaming - which is online - isn’t here yet. In Lagos and Abuja, there are growing gaming communities supported by well equipped gaming and entertainment centres, but these are often owned or run by game loving individuals who have the funds to sustain the needed expensive gaming infrastructure like dedicated internet access.

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

Betway Provides Pathway to Africa for Twain Sport Nseobong Okon-Ekong Twain Sport, the provider of Hybrid Sports League and BetGames, has entered a working relationship with Betway, a leading global sports betting and gaming holding Super Group. The partnership between Twain Sport and Betway will make Twain Sport’s premium live content available to African players for the first time.

Twain’s revolutionary hybrid live sports content will now be available to Betway’s extensive customer base in the region. The partners intend to launch the content in the leading South African market first and then continue the delivery across the continent in countries like Nigeria, where Betway operates.

The partnership results from intensive market research showing the gap in demand for live sport with high-frequency entertainment, the basic requirement of the worldwide next-generation players.

Twain Sports is recognised as a leading hybrid live sports content provider, and Betway is a longstanding operator in Africa with first-hand knowledge of the market

Everett requirements.

BetGames’ VP of Sales, Africa, James Everett, explained that Africa “is a hotbed for sports betting, and the Twain Sport proposition is perfectly suited to match the rapidly-growing demand for contemporary entertainment in the space.”

He added, “We expect T-basket and then T-kick to make a real impact with Betway. As one of Africa’s most trusted names in betting, we couldn’t have hoped for a higher profile partner to get started with – the opportunity this represents cannot be understated.”

Mark Rowles, Head of Marketing

at Betway, expressed excitement about the firm’s launch of the Twain Sport’s offering across our African markets and “look forward to seeing the traction of this innovative new feature across our existing offering.”

Twain’s presence will be additionally supported by its partner company BetGames which has already had an impressive share across regulated African markets. Its SBC award-winning studio will provide the essential technological platform for Twain Sport’s successful launch to the stellar market position.

The first product to hit the market will be Twain’s T-Basket.

The product delivers head-tohead basketball tournaments every hour and a match every three minutes to make 6,300 a month.

African bettors can access a variety of betting markets using the mobile app designed to boost their betting experience. Taking into account the reputation of the content provider and the operator, T-Basket’s launch is expected to attract many customers.

Argentina Vs France This is the game we have all been waiting for - the final of world football’s showpiece event as Argentina and France square off on Sunday, vying for the prestigious world cup trophy. This fixture is truly a clash for the ages, as both sides have been solid all tournament, with France looking better overall. Either sides could win this game as two PSG superstars Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi look to get one over each other.

DATES

FIXTURES

TIPS

Dec. 17, 2022

Croatia Vs Morocco

Over 0.5

Dec. 18, 2022

Argentina Vs France

Over 1.5

22Bet Links up with Kwara United Nseobong Okon-Ekong Continuing its aggressive strategy to become top of mind among Nigerian bettors, 22Bet recently unveiled a one-year trial partnership with Kwara United, one of the promising clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Explaining its choice, Mr Adebayo Olusegun Ajala, Head, Local Brand Sponsorship and Partnership, 22Bet Nigeria noted that his company was impressed with the performance of Kwara United in the last season: the Ilorin-based team advanced beyond the preliminary stages of the continental football contest and also did well in the local league.

According to Ajala, 22Bet was motivated by this show of brilliance. He said it was significant that 22Bet chose to work with Kwara United in a deal that will be of mutual

benefit to both companies, as it will enhance brand visibility for the Sports Betting company and the football club.

Describing Kwara United as one of the best teams in the NPFL, the Director of Marketing of 22Bet, Mr Babalola Oladapo, noted that the deal with the ‘Harmony Boys’ was the beginning of good things between his company and the team.

Emphasising an urgent area of need, the Chairman of Kwara United, Mr Clement Kumbi Titiloye, appealed to 22Bet to renovate the club’s training pitch while expressing hope that with the partnership, fans and lovers of the club should watch out for the new look of Kwara United next season.

He declared that the partnership between 22Bet and Kwara United confirms that both companies share values and attributes like accuracy, mobility and focus.

PROMO!!!

50 MOST

INFLUENTIAL PERSONALITIES IN GAMING Keep a date on Thursday, March 30, 2023 as Gaming Week reveals across the gaming spectrum, the ladies and gentlemen who turn the wheel.

GAMINGWEEK TEAM Nseobong Okon-Ekong ikotibok@gmail.com | 08114495324 John Bamidele amostogun@yahoo.com | 08022212236 Akeem Lasisi lasaisai@yahoo.com | 08023687884 Vanessa Obioha vysylver@gmail.com | 08069838305

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THURSDAY, ͹ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

COURTESY VISIT TO OBASEKI...

L-R: Vice Consul General of the Federal Republic of South Africa, Lagos, Busisiwe Olamini; South Africa Consulate General, Lagos, Dr. Bobby Moroe; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., and Managing Director, Edo State Investment Promotion Office, Kelvin Uwaibi, during a courtesy visit, at the Government House, in Benin City.

DSS’ Intelligence Gathering Efforts Curbing Kidnapping, Banditry, Terrorism, Says Lawmakers Urge FG to seek alternative energy sources to improve power supply Demand probe of attack on Kogi PDP senatorial candidate Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representative Committee on National Security and Intelligence has said efforts of the Department of State Services (DSS) on intelligence gathering have remarkably curbed the menace of kidnapping, banditry and terrorism in the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Sha’aban Sharada made the remarks when he led members of the committee to an oversight function at the DSS headquarters in Abuja.

Commending the Director-general of DSS, Yusuf Bichi, for utilising the funds appropriated to the Service judiciously, Sharada said the committee was impressed by the physical changes seen at the headquarters.

He said: "The service was informed about the committee's interest to carry out the oversight during your recent appearance for budget defence.

“The objective of the exercise is to access or evaluate your performance in implementing the 2022 budget and it is also carried out to discharge its constitutional mandate of ensuring efficient service

delivery through judicious public expenditure management.

“I want to use this medium to convey my gratitude to the management of the state security service under the leadership of Yusuf Bichi, a man of honour, vision and integrity. This cherished, but rare attitude in many leaders may not be unconnected with his success in transforming the service to attain prominence in the protection of lives and property in Nigeria.

“It is significant to note that the level of crime, especially kidnapping, banditry and terrorism has reduced

considerably despite approaching the 2023 general election due to his inclusive approach of utilising stakeholders' input in the delivery of its statutory mandate of the service.”

Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Adejoro Adeogun said his colleagues have had a good relationship with the DSS because of Bichi.

In his remarks, Bichi said the DSS would continue to spend its budgetary allocation judiciously, adding that more, “changes” would be seen when next the lawmakers visit the headquarters.”

“All that you have seen would not have been possible without your backing and support and as such we thank you immensely. I want to promise you that whatever amount of money you appropriated to the service will be spent judiciously and next you come you will definitely see a lot of changes," he added.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has urged the federal government to focus on the exploration renewable energy such as nuclear, solar, biomass, and wind as alternative sources of power supply to residents nationwide.

Don Disagrees with Falana, Backs Cash Withdrawal Limits Obinna Chima An Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Covenant University, Ogun State, Dr. Moses Duruji has disagreed with the position of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) imposition of cash withdrawal limits which becomes effective from January 9, 2023.

Falana had faulted the fresh cash withdrawal limits fixed by the apex bank and had said the regulator did not resort to the constitution and other relevant laws on the national economy without taking the decision. Precisely, Falana had said the central bank placed the limitation on cash withdrawals in Nigeria in complete defiance of section 2 of the Money Laundering Act, 2022.

“Since the Money Laundering Act

2022 (which has fixed maximum cash withdrawal to N5 million) has not been amended the limitation of cash withdrawal of not more than N20,000 per day and N100,000 per week fixed by the central bank is illegal, null and void in every material,” he had argued.

However, Duruji held a contrary view, insisting that the CBN Act of 2007, grants the regulator monetary policy independence. He argued that the naira redesign policy and cash withdrawal limits would help curb vote-buying in next year’s general elections.

The don explained: “The CBN, according to the CBN Act of 2007, has enormous powers when it has to do with monetary policy in Nigeria. So, they are within their rights to redesign the currency as well as set withdrawal limits.

I believe strongly that the CBN in working in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC) to ensure that the 2023 elections are successful.

“Femi Falana who said it is illegal, citing the Money Laundering Act. When you go through that Act, look at Section 2, sub-section 1, it states that people should not make or accept cash payments beyond N5 million and N10 million. It doesn’t talk about withdrawal.

“So, if the SAN is citing such a law, I think he shouldn’t declare that people should ignore the directive of the CBN. What he should do is to go and test it in the court. But for now, I would urge him to comply with the central bank’s directive.”

Speaking further, Duruji said: “In Nigeria, we have seen INEC working very hard to ensure that we eliminate vote-buying. INEC has introduced technology into the electoral process with the introduction of BVAS and this has cut off so many ways politicians use in rigging elections in the past. Politicians have

BIDEN ANNOUNCES $350M TO FACILITATE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN NIGERIA, OTHERS to leverage the pool of the Diaspora we have in the US, we are also going to attract more capital for the US into Nigeria.

“Nigeria stands the opportunity of gaining so much from the AfCFTA. So Nigeria can be industrial base that will attract manufacturing investments from the US apart from also being a potential market for our goods.”

Earlier in his remarks, the the Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu called for an urgent need to address internal and external obstacles confronting Africa, stating that the region suffers the most trade discrimination in the world.

Elumelu disclosed this at a panel session on US- Africa Business Forum with the theme: “Charting the Course: The Future of U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment Relations.”

He emphasised the urgent need to address internal and external obstacles confronting the continent.

Elumelu challenged African leaders to rise to the occasion, as the continent has the capacity to do a lot for itself and the world.

"We should not allow this discrimination to discourage us.

Africa can be the food basket of the world. Africa can do a whole lot more for the world and itself the moment we address the obstacles.

“We need to look at our structure, we need to work together collectively to turn Africa into a manufacturing center. Africa can do a lot more than it is doing today.

The opportunities on the African continent are huge, but we need to address trade barriers and obstacles as well as environmental challenges,” he said.

The Nigerian Banker told his audience that he had been supporting young entrepreneurs across Africa, adding that through the work of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, he would want to see the young entrepreneurs become multinationals.

Continuing, he said: “We need to change the stereotype. We need to change our mindset. We need to understand that Africa has opportunities. Let's embrace Africa as we embrace other parts of the world.

“Africa can be the breadbasket of the world. Africa can do a whole lot more for the world. What I see as opportunities on the continent in the area of trade and investment is huge, but for us to realise that we need to do more in removing obstacles as well as address environmental issues. If we remove these two, we can make progress.”

been used to compromising the voters, INEC officials and security agencies because of the large volume of cash at their disposals.

“But with the naira redesigning and the cash withdrawal limits, that means it would be difficult for any politician that intends to compromise voters to have large volume of cash that they would deploy on election days. I strongly believe that the objectives of these policies are to curtail vote-buying.”

The CBN recently introduced new cash withdrawal limits for banks and other financial institutions.

The new policy followed its recent currency redesign project in which it had expressed concerns over the high volume of cash outside the banking system.

Under the new dispensation, the central bank restricted the maximum cash withdrawal over the counter (OTC) by individuals and

corporate organisations per week to N100,000 and N500,000 respectively.

The CBN stated however, that withdrawals above the thresholds would attract processing fees of five per cent and 10 respectively for individuals and corporate entities going forward.

In addition, third party cheques above N50,000 shall not be eligible for OTC payment while extant limits of N10 million on clearing cheques still remains. The new withdrawal regime further pegged the maximum cash withdrawal per week via Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at N100,000 subject to a maximum of N20,000 cash withdrawal per day.

Also, only denominations of N200 and below shall be loaded into ATMs while the maximum amount that can be withdrawn via Point of Sale (POS) terminal was limited to N20,000 daily.

The House also urged the federal government to establish a clear investor-friendly framework for private sector investment in alternative power supply across the country.

The Green Chamber mandated its Committee on Power to liaise with relevant stakeholders in the public and private sectors to develop the best strategies for sustainable alternative and renewable energy distribution in the country.

The resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion on the need for alternative and renewable power supply in Nigeria, sponsored

by Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji at the plenary Wednesday.

Moving the motion, Umeoji noted that the major driver of sustainable economic growth was reliable electricity supply and has remained on the front burner of all government initiatives.

He also noted that electricity in Nigeria was being generated through thermal and hydropower sources and the main source of electricity generation comes from fossil fuels especially gas, which accounts for 86 per cent of the capacity in Nigeria with the remainder generated from hydropower sources.

Umeoji said, "Aware that Nigeria is endowed with abundant renewable energy resources, the significant ones being solar energy, biomass, wind, and small and large hydropower with potential for hydrogen fuel, geothermal and ocean energies, however, the exploitation and utilisation of renewable energy resources in the country is very low.

Continues online

Kogi Emerged ‘Best Performing State’ in World Bank's ANRIN Project, Commissioner Reveals Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja Kogi State emerged as the ‘Best Performing State’ in the World Banksupported Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project out of the 11 states assessed for the project's Community-Based Nutrition Service Delivery.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Zakari Usman disclosed this when he spoke to journalists on the feat in the health sector in Lokoja, yesterday.

Usman explained that the state government received the Certificate of Achievement as Best Performing State: Community-Based Nutrition Service Delivery (NSA Performance +DLI) at the sixth ANRIN event,

held in Abuja.

He stated that the ANRiN project, supported by the World Bank, was a priority health-care project aimed at increasing the utilisation of quality, cost-effective nutrition services for lactating women, adolescent girls and children to reduce illnesses and enhance their overall wellbeing.

He added that the 11 states including Kogi, Abia, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, and Katsina were assessed.

The Commissioner stated that the drivers of the project who are non-state actors were recruited through the World Bank's procurement processes, noting that participating states, through the

provision of basic health needs, including deworming for children (12-59 months), IFA supplementation for pregnant women, malaria care for pregnant women, among others, would be able to reduce infant and maternal mortality drastically.

Usman said owing to the high performance in giving basic nutrition services to women and children, the nutrition indices of Kogi State’s women and children were expected to increase greatly while illnesses would reduce drastically.

According to him, Kogi State's Gross Domestic Product would also increase with increase in functional population and reduction of maternal and infant mortality, among others.

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THURSDAY, ͹ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

7TH EDITION OF THE NATIONAL HOUSE FAIR...

L-R: Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II; MD/CEO of BSTAN Group, Engr. Becky Olubukola and the Alara of Ilara, Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo at the 7th edition of the National House Fair organised by BSTAN Homes and Properties held recently in Lagos.

Blinken, Elumelu Convene US, African Entrepreneurs, Policymakers for Opening Reception at Leaders’ Summit About 300 entrepreneurs, investors and celebrities took part in the opening reception of the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit.

The investment-focused “Innovators Gathering” saw the influx of two-way investment and trade opportunities set to be announced at the ongoing US-Africa Leaders’ Summit.

The Innovators Gathering titled: ‘Investing in U.S.-Africa Cultural and Economic Ties,’ was hosted by the United States Secretary of State, the Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships, the Prosper Africa Initiative, and the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

According to a statement, the attendees included Secretary of States, Anthony Blinken; Tony Elumelu, Dr. Awele Elumelu, Idris Elba, Yvonne Orji, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and many more – with virtual remarks from former President Barack Obama.

“All came together to celebrate and catalyse partnerships between US. investors and African and Diaspora innovators, influencers,

and entrepreneurs.

“The evening included a panel discussion themed “The Power of Investing in Africa” moderated

by U.S. Special Representative for Global Partnerships, Dorothy McAuliffe, panelists included Dr. Awele Elumelu, and Tony Elumelu Foundation entrepreneurs who shared inspiring stories of their startup journeys and the impact of the Foundation in empowering them to build, scale, and sustain catalytic businesses that have created jobs and helped eradicate poverty in their communities,” it added.

According to a PWC impact report, TEF Entrepreneurs have collectively created over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs across all 54 countries in Africa.

The night also included a pitch competition organised by US African Development Foundation and US Chamber of Commerce, featuring dynamic African entrepreneurs, and a reception hosted by celebrity chef and entrepreneur Pierre Thiam.

In his remarks, Tony Elumelu was quoted to have said: “I am

an entrepreneur and I know the transformative power of entrepreneurship. In 2010, we started the Tony Elumelu Foundation- a platform that identifies, supports and trains young, brilliant entrepreneurs.

“To date, we have disbursed over $85 million to more than 18,000 young female and male entrepreneurs living across the 54 African countries, each with a nonrefundable seed capital of $5,000.

“Additionally, we have trained over 1.5 Million African entrepreneurs, giving them world-class mentorship and business training. We have delivered effective programs to female entrepreneurs in fragile

states and are now working on our intervention in the green economy.

“We know we can do much more with partnerships. This is why we have convened this summit in collaboration with the US State Department and other US Government agencies, to drive a global coalition, an alliance to catalyse entrepreneurship across our continent.”

Elumelu further reiterated, “In the 21st century, the kind of support that Africa needs is one that moves away from aid and prioritises self-reliance, self-independence and sustainable progress.”

Speaking on the panel, Dr.

As Lagos state government begins Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) over the construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge, the government yesterday allayed fears of land owners on compensation.

The government gave the assurance at the Panel Review Meeting on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge project in Lagos and Ogun states by the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure held in Lagos.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ forum, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye said compensation for the landowners would be in line with international best practice.

Adeyoye, who was represented by the Project Director, Engineer Tokunbo Ajanaku said the panel review for the ESIA report on the

Lagos fourth mainland bridge project was the final before the project approval at ESIA level.

According to him, the meeting with the stakeholders was very fruitful, adding that, “It is a meeting of co-owners and as such you will see the quality of the input from everybody has been topical of the owner for the project.”

Harping on the issue of compensation, he said, “This project passes through Lagos and Ogun states so it is a Lagos State initiative for Lagos State and Ogun State driven by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu and that means all of the corridors within Lagos and those within Ogun State, there is a harmonious and integrated approach to settlement and that is what we will do and each party will be properly compensated, where necessary resettled.

“The approach is going to be holistic I think the issue compensation is not the case it is actually a

from African stakeholders on the development agenda needed on the continent - one that empowers, that prioritizes mutual benefit and delivers self- reliance.

Obama commended the US Secretary of State, Prosper Africa, and The Tony Elumelu Foundation for putting together the kickoff event for the US-Africa Leaders Summit.

Encouraging young African entrepreneurs, Obama said: “When you succeed, your country succeeds and that creates opportunity for everyone”, and to investors all over the world, he charged to “Look towards Africa, because something special is happening there”

Oloyede: JAMB Remitted N50bn to FG in SixYears James Sowole in Abeokuta The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede, yesterday disclosed that the board remitted no less than N50 billion to the federal government in the last six years.

He said the N50 billion was what was left after recording expenses incurred in conducting the examination, adding that the remittance was due to measures put in place on, "cost control, prevention of financial leakages and minimisation of financial

Lagos Govt Allays Land Owners’ Fears over 4th Mainland Bridge Planned Construction Segun James

Awele. Elumelu highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship in building sustainable economies, particularly in Africa’s response to climate change.

She said: "No one will develop our economies but us. I see entrepreneurs playing vital roles in transformative sectors including healthcare, technology and the green economy. We invest in and train entrepreneurs to build sustainability, climate-conscious initiatives into their business models.”

The gathering was an important opportunity for the Biden Administration to demonstrate its support for Africa and to hear directly

composite plan to make everybody happy.’’

In his address, the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdulahi, who was represented by Engineer Gomwalk Celestine, noted that, “despite the laudable benefits associated with the proposed project and considering the biophysical and socio-economic nature of the proposed corridor; the project was envisaged to have significant negative social, economic, health and environmental consequences including resettlement issues for numerous Project Affected Persons (PAPs).

“It is the responsibility of the federal government in collaboration with other tiers of government and relevant regulatory authorities to ensure that these negative impacts are adequately identified and effectively mitigated while the attendant positive impacts are realised for project and environmental sustainability.”

He emphasised that the primary objective of the EIA was to ensure adequate protection of the biophysical and socio-economic environment as well as project sustainability.

“As policymakers, we must ensure adequate provision of an enabling environment for investment in critical infrastructure such as this project for Nigeria to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Nigeria’s commitment to Net Zero by 2060,’’ he said.

Earlier, the panel chairman of the fourth mainland bridge project Prof. Oladapo Afolabi explained that, “The technical people have made their presentation, those areas that have potential impact have been identified and the stakeholders have also raised their concern.

“What we do basically in EIA is to determine where the project should go after which negative impact and balance with positive impact.”

corruption."

Oloyede disclosed the figure in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during a lecture he delivered, as part of the 13th Gbagura Day celebration.

At the lecture, entitled, "The imperative of JAMB in Tertiary Education in Nigeria," Oloyede said the surplus funds included over N29 billion directly returned into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), N11 billion disbursed on capital projects, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), savings of about N6 billion, among others.

The Registrar explained that the "humongous returns" were in contrast to about N52 million - which is the cumulative return of the previous 40 years of the board.

He said that UTME's credibility and reliability, massive returns to the national coffers, institution of CSR, establishment of governmentowned CBT centres in all states of the federation, minimising fraud in National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation are some of the achievements of the board under his watch.

Oloyede said "The recent strategic and structural innovations in JAMB have resulted in significant impacts on the Board in areas such as cost control, prevention of financial leakages and minimisation of financial corruption. This has changed the narratives such that JAMB now posts humongous returns to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

"The Board also expanded internal capacities for its operations with direct execution of processes

and procedures. Currently, over N50 billion has been recorded as surplus in the past six years.

“Over N29 billion of this has been returned directly to the CRF. About N11billion disbursed on capital projects, Corporate Social Responsibility, savings (about N6billion) and others in contrasts to about N52million that had been the cumulative return of the previous 40 years.

"Some critics argue that JAMB is not to, and should not generate fund for the Government. Since JAMB charges are extremely minimal compared with similar charges within and outside Nigeria, exploitation is ruled out.

"Secondly, should JAMB then be revenue wasting Board? The Board reduced its charges in 2018 and in 2020 by about 30 per cent and has continued to expand its facilities and support institutions with the surplus from its well-managed finances. What then is the crime if not fault-finding?"

Oloyede identified examination malpractice, admission outside central admission processing system, unsuitable CBT centres, erratic power supply, lack of uniform calendar by institutions as some of the challenges confronting the board.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof Rahmon Bello, emphasised on the Gbaruga kingdom's commitment to drive community development through education.

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NEWS

SECOND NIGER BRIDGE READY FOR USE...

A view of the 2nd Niger Bridge in Delta and Anambra States during an inspection tour by the Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola.. INSET: Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN (middle) flanked by the President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr Mustapha Isah (right) and Delta State's Hon. Commissioner for Works (Highway and Urban Roads), Engr. Noel Omodon as he addresses journalists on the new Bridge, during an inspection of the 2nd Niger Bridge in Anambra and Delta States which will open to motorists travelling from the West to the East, for the yuletide period... yesterday

Like Tinubu, Atiku Slips in Jos, Chants ‘A.. I Mean PDP’ Seriki Adinoyi in Jos A video clip from the presidential rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jos, Plateau State, where the candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, made a slip similar to his APC counterpart, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has gone viral among residents of the state.

Atiku, was addressing a crowd of supporters in Hausa language at the Rwang Township stadium, when he wanted to chant PDP but mistakenly said, “A-, I mean PDP”.

The candidate said, “People of Plateau, this stadium has a history.

As you have heard, we elected MKO Abiola here; it was here

that we also elected Olusegun Obasanjo. We have elected different Heads of states in this place. In the name of God, and for the respect of this place (stadium), vote for

A-, I mean PDP.” Atiku’s blunder, though wasn’t as pronounced as that of Tinubu, critics have feasted on it as the video has gone round the city

and beyond.

Reacting, a cross section of residents, who spoke to THISDAY said, the gods of the land were with them and thus confusing them,

Restrains MD from misusing his powers Wale Igbintade The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Lagos Division has ordered the Bank of Industry (BoI) to reinstate Mr. Sonny Ekedayen

as the Assistant General Manager of the bank with immediate effect.

Justice Rabiu Gwandu nullified the termination letter issued by the bank to Ekedayen and ordered his reinstatement forthwith, and that

his salaries and allowances paid from the date of the purported termination.

The court held that failure to comply with the order of the court would be treated as contempt

PDP candidate arrives Anambra today for presidential rally The chairman and director-general of Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council in Anambra State, Senator Ben Obi and Professor Obiora Okonkwo, respectively, revealed that a special team was already working to resolve the rift between the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the aggrieved governors of the party, known as G-5 Governors.

Obi and Okonkwo spoke yesterday in Awka, during a pre-campaign flag-off press conference to announce Atiku’s visit today. They also presented the candidate’s itinerary for the Anambra rally.

The duo, while addressing journalists, said efforts were on to reconcile Atiku and the G-5 Governors. They said the state was poised to give Atiku victory in the 2023 election.

Obi said, "It is a common thing for political parties to have crisis.

That is not out of place, and we have a team that is working to resolve the crisis in the PDP. "This is not something we want to make public, but let me tell you that the G-5 Governors are also willing for peace. Wike (Rivers State governor) has said so. We have a team that is working on that,

of Jos and Nigerians as they were only paying lip service, adding that, the “God we serve will continue to confuse everyone that comes to the state with evil intention.”

Court Orders BoI to Reinstate Sacked Assistant General Manager

Atiku Working to Resolve Crisis with G-5 Govs, Says Ben Obi David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

such that they were incoherent when they appear before the people.

They alleged that the duo had no good intention for the people

and for now, we are not willing to make the outcome public, but we are working."

Okonkwo also said, "Even in those states where the rifts are going on, there are still campaigns going on, and the plan is to vote PDP from top to bottom. In Abia, you have head of the five over five slogan, and all our governors are still campaigning for Atiku.

"In all their (G5 Governors') demands, they have never said they have any problem with Atiku

personally. It is not a matter that cannot be resolved."

On the itinerary of the PDP presidential candidate in Anambra, Okonkwo said the party expected massive mobilisation, and a number of activities had been lined up for him.

He stated, "Arrival is by 10am.

We will meet him at the airport and also move to the Governor's Lodge, where the presidential candidate will meet with Governor Chukwuma Soludo. From there, he will

have an interactive non-partisan meeting with the traditional rulers of Anambra State.

"He will commission the campaign office, and also interact with town union leaders, market leaders, at Ekwunife centre, before hitting the campaign arena."

The party had earlier announced a public holiday for all the PDP members in the state, and Okonkwo said the decision stood, and a massive crowd was expected at the campaign.

and would attract a 10 per cent per annum interest until it is fully liquidated.

The judge gave the orders in a December 8 judgment in suit NICN/ LA/569/2015 filed by Ekedayen as the sole claimant against BoI's Managing Director, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa and BoI as first and second defendants respectively.

The claimant's case, which he canvassed through his counsel, Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu was that he was an Assistant General Manager in BoI and had been in BoI's employment since February 14, 2003.

He was 50 years old and had only served for 12 years in BoI as of November 20, 2015, when the 1st Defendant, without just cause or lawful authority ordered him to resign his employment with BoI or proceed on voluntary early retirement therefrom, on the basis that he (the 1st Defendant) could no longer work with the Claimant.

He contended that this contravened his Employment Contract and Conditions of Service which provide that the compulsory retirement age for every BoI employee is sixty 60 years or thirty-five (35) years in service

Akinlade: Over 3000 Illicit Weapons Destroyed Ahead 2023 Polls Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti The National Centre for Small Arms and Light Weapons, Southwest zone, has advocated against Illicit weapons ahead of the 2023 general election, noting that over 3000 illicit weapons had been destroyed in Nigeria in recent times.

The Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Ben Akinlade, gave the figures in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, when the Southwest team visited the NUJ secretariat on an advocacy and sensitisation visit to journalists in the state.

He posited that the proliferations of arms in the society,

especially, illicit weapons in wrong hands must be stopped, so that the society could be better for it.

According to him, “About three weeks ago, we destroyed illicit arms collected from various military operations across Nigeria.”

Akinlade, said their visit was for an advocacy and sensitisation tour to announce their presence in Ekiti, so that the people would know what they were doing, majorly to try to mop up illicit weapons in the hands of political thugs, armed banditry, individuals, for illicit use, either to rob or to threatening law-abiding citizens.

“Our first programme is the advocacy and sensitisation, so

that people will know what we are doing in the zone. The proliferations of arms especially, the illicit weapons in wrong hands, with political thugs, armed banditry, and individuals, for illicit use, either to rob or to threaten the people must be mopped up from them.

“That is why under the NSA, we are to take advantage to control the arms in the hands of the people for illicit use in the society,” he said.

The zonal coordinator was accompany on the visit by other senior officials in the zone,including Commander WAY Olabisi, Assistant Director, Strategic

Communication and Information, Asst. Director, Ibidapo Olubuyi, Major Bolahan Falayan, Mr. Funsho Lawal, Oke Olaitan and Ojeleye Mayode.

Responding, the NUJ Chairman, Comrade Rotimi Ojomoyela, commended the initiative of the federal government, and described it as a welcome development.

While noting that the NUJ was ready to cooperate with them on the awareness and sensitisation to wipe-out illicit weapons in the society, the NUJ advocated state policing to be able to curb the proliferations of light and illicit weapons in the society and better security in the country.

He averred that he was neither 60 years old nor had he attained 35 years of service in the employment of the 2 Defendant as of November 20, 2015, when he was asked to resign.

By an Amended Statement of Facts dated and filed on May 30, 2019, the Claimant sought the following reliefs jointly and severally, against the 1 and 2 Defendants: "A declaration that the 1st Defendant has no right and/or power to compel and/or force the Claimant to either resign from his employment with BoI or proceed on voluntary early retirement therefrom.

"A declaration that the Defendants have no right and/or power to dismiss and/or terminate the Claimant's appointment with the 2nd Defendant except in accordance with the provisions of the Claimant's Employment Contract and Conditions of Service.

"An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st Defendant from compelling and/or forcing the Claimant to either resign from his employment with the 2nd Defendant or proceed on voluntary early retirement therefrom.

"An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants from dismissing and/or terminating the Claimant's appointment with the 2nd Defendant except in accordance with the provisions of the Claimant's Employment Contract and Conditions of Service."

Granting the reliefs, Justice Gwandu held that forcing an employee to resign is, "a gross misuse of power and position, a flagrant display of superiority and most of all an infringement on the Claimants rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999."

Specifically, the judge held, "I hereby hold that the Claimant's first relief succeeds. The 1st Defendant is not in any position to direct or force the resignation of any staff, if they must do so, it should be of their own volition, or the company's internal mechanism has to come into play, this relief is granted accordingly."

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NEWS

UNVEILING LARGE SCALE STARCH AND DERIVATIVES PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION...

L-R: Secretary, Large Scale Starch and Derivatives Producers Association (LSSDPA)/Project Manager, Premier Plantations Limited, Mr. Boniface Iyen; President, LSSDPA/ Chief Executive Officer, Psaltry International Company Ltd, Mrs. Oluyemisi Iranloye; Chairman, Board of Trustees, LSSDPA/Group Managing Director, SaroAfrica International Ltd, Mr. Rasheed Olakanmi Sarumi; Member Board of Trustees, LSSDPA/CEO and Managing Partner, ZMJ Integrated Services Ltd, Mrs. Zainab Mustapha Jaji and Member Board of Trustees, LSSDPA/Group Managing Director and CEO of Odu'a Investment Company Ltd, Mr Adewale Abiodun Raji during the inauguration ceremony of LSSDPA in Lagos… recently

Okowa Advocates Better Emoluments for Medical Officers to Stem Brain-drain

The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and President of World Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, have said improving emolument and working environment would reverse the preponderance of brain-drain of medical personnel from the country.

They made this known in their separate remarks at the opening of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) National Executive Council Meeting and Leadership Retreat in Asaba, on Wednesday.

They expressed optimism that resolutions from the NEC meeting, with the theme, "Doctors and Effective Leadership in the Health Sector" would also proffer more solutions to resolving the issue and others plaguing the medical profession and healthcare delivery.

Reacting to the request for replacement of medical workers who left for greener pastures abroad, Okowa said he had given approval to fill the vacancies.

According to him, it was painful that people were leaving the country due to poor conditions.

“We cannot stop them, but the vacancies created by such exits should be filled; I have given the approval that they should be replaced so that we don't over-labour those left behind.

"I have long given approval to the Commissioner for Health that all doctors and medical professionals who exits the services of the state should be replaced immediately.

"No doubt, the economic fortunes of a nation are closely intertwined

with the status of the health of its people. But, to remain economically buoyant as a nation, we have to ensure that our health sector is not plagued with daunting challenges.

"Although we have achieved some milestones in health as a nation, the healthcare system of our country is beset with the current problem of brain-drain.

"It is worrisome that our medical doctors who are expected to provide care for those who are ill among us, are leaving the shores of our country in droves.

"I feel this is a very key issue facing us as a nation and we should look into ways of stemming this ugly tide as we will continue to lose our medical professionals to other countries abroad if urgent measures are not adopted.

"It is a national challenge, which demands the collective attention of all, and among other reasons, is especially the desire to earn more money. There are also some complaints about the working environment and inadequate equipment," he said.

Okowa said his administration had built new hospitals and provided modern hospital equipment to meet with current realities.

"In Delta State, we have tried to tackle some of these challenges by carrying out extensive renovations of most of our health facilities in all the three tiers of government across the state.

"In addition, we have largely replaced old, worn-out and obsolete medical equipment with new ones in virtually all the health facilities in the State.

"We have also built new hospitals; an example is Asaba Specialist Hospital, which is providing tertiary-level services in the State, including the Delta State University Teaching Hospital at Oghara. Others include the Advanced Diagnostics Medical Centre and Mother and Child Centre in Owa-Alero.

"Their medical equipment are state-of-the-art and these facilities will also serve as referral centres providing tertiary-level health services in the State and indeed, the entire country.

"They have been provided with all necessary amenities, including a very conducive environment and attractive working conditions for staff.

"I am proud to add that Delta State is one of the very few in the Federation to domesticate the Medical Residency Training Act of

2017 in all our health institutions where residency training is being done," he stated.

On his part, Enabulele said that there was a need to have effective leadership that would address the myriad of issues confronting the health sector in the country.

He called for concerted efforts to address the issue of brain drain, saying "we must ensure that we walk the talk in terms of leadership."

Enabulele described Governor Okowa as an exemple of good leadership, and wished that the medical profession and Nigeria had more persons like him.

Chairman of the occasion, Professor Sam Oyovbaire, recalled the role of the NMA in the past and urged them to wake up and contribute their best to rebuild the nation's health sector.

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti Presidential standard bearer of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has asked the electorate to reject both the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the poll in 2023, because both parties had been tested and they failed the nation.

Specifically, he urged Nigerians

to vote for his party, the NNPP instead, saying the two old parties were dead already and had nothing good to offer the country anymore.

Kwankwaso spoke when he visited Ado-Ekiti, as part of his campaign tour in the Southwest part of the country, to canvass for votes ahead of the February 25, presidential poll.

Speaking at the Palace of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo

Niger supporters assures him of victory Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has assured the people that his administration would return farming to its glorious past by giving it a better future if elected next year.

Tinubu gave the assurances while addressing supporters, who converged on the Trade Fair Complex in Minna, Niger State, even as party supporters, who thronged the venue, also assured Tinubu of victory at the election.

Tinubu, in a statement yesterday by his Media Office and signed by Mr. Tunde Rahman, said Niger State and indeed all states in Nigeria would reap the benefits of the available resources they have.

“Your State has ample resources and large potential. Not only does Niger cover the largest land mass of any state in Nigeria, but it also serves as the home to three hydroelectric power plants that symbolically light the way forward to hope renewed.

“By God’s grace, I shall be elected. If so, my administration will further empower Niger State so that you reap the full benefits of its bounteous resources. We appreciate your vital role as the state that powers the nation. The nation will show its gratefulness by investing in your future. The power state will become the more powerful state.

"We shall ensure that farmers realise the full value of their produce.

Commodity Exchange boards will

is achieved.

The NMA boss stressed that the grief of the long-suffering Nigerian doctor must meet a relief quickly to avert a total acquisition of escape velocity also known as 'Japa'.

He said the NMA was passing through a lot of turbulence as a result of loss of standards and derision of merit in the society, and urged members to be of good cheer in the discharge of their duties.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of NMA in Delta, Dr. Carter Okolakpa, had expressed appreciation to Governor Okowa for the immense support his administration had offered the association.

Okolakpa appealed to the governor to declare an emergency on the replacement of medical doctors and other healthcare workers who had left the service of the state.

Kwankwaso to Voters: Reject PDP, APC, They've Failed Nigeria

Tinubu: We'll Return Farming to Glorious Past Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

He commended Okowa for his impact in the health sector of the state, especially with the state’s contributory health insurance scheme.

In his address, the President of the association, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, expressed appreciation to the federal government and some state governments, including Delta, for paying the new hazard allowance, adding that the Delta blazed the trail in paying the new allowance and many others.

Ojinmah called on other state governments in the country that were yet to commence payment of the allowance to do so to maintain industrial harmony in their health care sectors.

According to him, the quest for the long overdue upward review of CONMESS has been reinvigorated and shall not wane until the goal

set minimum prices for strategic agricultural produce, ensure our farmers do not toil in vain but earn a decent income for their toil.”

Tinubu underscored his economic plan, which included building roads for easy movement of agricultural products and creating better opportunities for the farmers.

He added: “Our economic plan will make strategic investments in industry and infrastructure, giving our talented people the chance to make a good living while producing valuable goods that will improve the quality of life for those who buy them.

“Federal roads such as the Minna-Bida road, Lambata-Bida road, Suleja-Minna road, Birnin Gwari-Jebba road, and MinnaKotangora road will be improved

such that that they become better avenues of travel and commerce for wellbeing and prosperity of all of us. My action plan calls for a modern railway network such that you shall be able to move the things you make and produce to markets throughout Nigeria, West Africa and beyond.

“We must continue to plant and grow the seed of food security by pressing forward with the expansion of our agricultural sector. We will return farming to its glorious past by giving it an even better future.

We shall ensure that farmers realise the full value of their produce.

Commodity Exchange boards will set minimum prices for strategic agricultural produce, ensure our farmers do not toil in vain but earn a decent income for their toil.”

Adejugbe, he berated both parties over what he termed bad leadership, economic problem, adding that the two major political parties had failed the nation.

The former governor of Kano State recounted the achievements of his administration, when he was in office, saying he would make life more abundant for every Nigerian citizens if elected in 2023.

“APC and PDP are dead, they are finished, and it is our party that will win the next year presidential election by God’s grace, we are on ground in the North; we will win the polls.

“Why I’m different from all presidential candidates, is that I go round the country on roads, not only the state capital, not only the local government areas, this made me had first hand information on the way and manner our people live.

“The NNPP is based on the talakawa (masses), voters and good people of this country, who believe in us. Nigerians know the APC and the PDP very well and they’ve failed.

The two political parties themselves know that they’ve failed. The only chance they have is to buy votes.

“If the election takes place today, NNPP has a brighter chance, no political party can defeat NNPP. The PDP has been wounded in the Southeast by the emergence of some political parties, of course in the North, we have caged PDP, even in the South-south, they are no longer popular because of the presidential primary contest, and

the APC has failed the citizens, no right thinking Nigerian will want the status quo to remain, meaning this terrible situation to continue.

“I’m part of the formation of the PDP in 1999, so also the APC. Unfortunately, the two political parties drew Nigeria back to square one, or even worst in performance, this is why we formed the NNPP as a credible alternative to the two political parties. We want a new Nigeria. So, I’m happy we have this party NNPP, and also happy that all Nigerians especially, those earning their living – the masses, women and young men – are trooping into the NNPP," he said.

The presidential hopeful noted that the dilapidated road network in Ekiti State and other states, has affected security economy and education of the country, hence, his decision to contest again in order to make the country better.

“The road from here, Ado-Ekiti, Osogbo to Abeokuta and from here to Akure is in deplorable condition.

It’s the same story; it’s the same story about us. The roads are reflection of what is happening in other sectors of transportation, like railways, waterways even in the aviation industry.

“And put them together, they are also a reflection of what is happening in this country, in terms of economy, in terms of insecurity, in terms of education and so on, and all these put together, are the reasons I decided to contest again to right the wrong," he said.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 15, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

SOLIDARITY VISIT TO GOVERNOR UGWUANYI…

Governor of Enugu State and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Enugu North Senatorial District, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (5th left); Leader, Enugu State House of Assembly, Ikechukwu Ezeugwu (5th right); President, University of Nigeria, Alumni Association (UNAA) Nsukka Branch, Christy Obi-keguna (4th left), and other members of UNAA, during a visit to the governor in Enugu…yesterday

Security Forces Launch Special Operations in FCT, Six States PSC promotes 745 police officers

Kingsley Nwezeh inAbuja

Security Forces, yesterday, launched a special operation to combat violent crimes in the Federal Capital Territory and six contiguous states ahead of Christmas and the new year celebrations.

The states included Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau and

Benue.

The operation, however, coincided with the promotion of 745 senior police officers by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

The commission also considered and approved proper placement for five Commissioners of Police and one Deputy Commissioner of Police and treated 14 appeals and

Oil Producing Status Excites Enugu Gov Following the outcome of the recent meeting of Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in Abuja ratifying the request of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration for Enugu to join other states in enjoying oil producing status, the governor yesterday said that he was delighted that the state would receive more revenue after he leaves office in May 2023.

Governor Ugwuanyi, who spoke when a delegation of the University of Nigeria, Alumni Association (UNAA), Nsukka Branch paid him a solidarity visit, Enugu, disclosed that his administration’s struggle

to get Enugu listed in the oil producing status was a tough exercise.

The governor thanked God that the untiring efforts yielded the desired result, saying : “As I am leaving office, I am happy that the money that will be coming to Enugu won’t be what I witnessed. It won’t be what we suffered.”

Speaking on behalf of the University of Nigeria, Alumni Association (UNAA), Nsukka Branch, the President of the association, Hon. Dr. Christy Obi-keguna, commended Ugwuanyi for his good works in Enugu State in general and Nsukka zone in particular.

Access Bank, Nerdz Factory Collaborate on Climate Change Sunday Okobi

Students in public secondary schools in Lagos State will serve as model ambassadors for the global climate change advocacy being championed by financial giant, Access Bank, and NerdzFactory Foundation, a non-profit organisation working to improve access to quality education and skills, and gender equality.

As part of the initiative, a flag-off event was held at the Lagos City College Hall in Yaba with the launch of ‘The climate change and environmental sustainability clubs’, which will equip at least 2,000 students and teachers across 50 schools in the state.

Students from 10 schools within the Yaba axis participated in the launch event yesterday, which included the announcement

of a climate essay competition.

The schools in attendance included Lagos City Senior College; Jibowu Junior High School; Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School; Aje Comprehensive Senior High School; Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School; Birrel Avenue Senior High School; and Wesley Girls Junior Secondary School.

While addressing the students, the Senior Special Assistant on Education to the state Governor, Adetola Salau, said climate change is a real phenomenon that should be understood rather than dismissed.

According to her, “Since it is you and possibly your children who will be the ones dealing with the effects of climate change in about 30 years’ time, it is important for you to be interested and become engaged from now.”

petitions as well as nine pending disciplinary matters from dismissed and serving police officers.

Speaking in Abuja, the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Babaji

Sunday, said the operation was in collaboration with other security agencies just as he announced the arrest of three suspected kidnappers, namely, Abubakar Umaru, Nasiru Umaru, and

Haruna Sulu, who were residents of Niger State in connection with the kidnapping incident at Kasanki village in Gwagwalada Area of the FCT on December 12, 2022.

He spoke at the launch of

the second phase of a special anti-crime operation, codenamed Operation G-7, to combat violent crimes in the FCT and other neighbouring contiguous states to the FCT.

Police Kill Two Notorious Terrorists in Katsina

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

Two notorious terrorists terrorising Katsina State were on Tuesday night killed during an exchange of gunfire with operatives of the state police Command in Dutsinma local government area of the state.

The Command’s Public

Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, in a statement yesterday said the hoodlums were killed in a foiled attack they launched on Sokoto-Rima Quarters in Dutsinma metropolitan area.

He explained that the neutralised terrorists, Abu Na-Iraqi and Abu Na-Masari, were on the wanted list of the

police command.

According to the statement: “On 13/12/2022 at about 1930hrs, a distress call was received that terrorists in their numbers, shooting sporadically with AK-47 rifles, attacked Sokoto-Rima Quarters, Dutsinma LGA of Katsina state, with intent to kidnap some residents.

“Subsequently, Area commander Dutsinma and team swiftly moved to the area, engaged the terrorists in a gun duel, neutralized two notorious terrorists, on the wanted list of the police, identified as Abu Na-Iraqi and Abu Na-Masari and recovered two AK-47 rifles.

2023: Obi, Kwankwaso, Others Pledge Inclusion of Women, PWDs in Govt

KuniTyessi in Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, and the vice-presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Isaac Idahosa, have signed the Governance Agenda for an Inclusive Nigeria document.

Obi and Idahosa signed the documents at the public presentation of the GAIN document, put together by the YouthHub Africa, Inclusive Friends Association, and the Women in Politics Forum, with the support of the National Democratic Institute, and the United States Agency for

International Development Obi, in his address, said there was no inclusiveness without women, youths, and persons with disabilities. He added that more women were needed in government, as they were the most productive part of the society.

The former Anambra State

governor also emphasised the need to insist on affirmative action for women, and ensure that the agenda is documented, made into law and that everyone follows it.“We can’t talk about the development of any society without being inclusive of the three, call it sectors.”

Five Feared Dead as Cultists Clash in A’Ibom Okon Bassey inUyo Five persons have reportedly been killed and others injured in cults clashes said to involved two rival confraternities, the Vickings and the Mafians in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State.

The incident, which occurred Tuesday evening, took place around the Ibom Plaza axis of the city centre and adjoining streets.

Eyewitness said the fracas, started at about 6:30 pm and lasted for two hours, before security operatives including detachment of soldiers arrived to restore normalcy.

A tricycle operator, Aniekan Akpainyang, who spoke to journalists, linked the cause of the violence to a minor disagreement at a betting shop, along Ikot Ekpene road by the plaza area, saying the

incident triggered the old animosity between the rival groups.

“One cultist, a member of the Vickings confraternity had placed a bet to the tune of N5,000, but could not pay after he lost. The shop attendant asked him to pay or drop his phone, but he refused and, instead call his gang members on phone, who came, pounced on the attendant and raided the shop,” he said.

According to him, the resultant reprisal attack from the camp of the booking man, said to belong to the Mafians group, led to a free for all, with three persons killed.

Two at the Plaza area and one at the Ikpa road junction, close to the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) town campus, while two others, had earlier been killed at Okokon Etuk street, few meters to the Uyo City centre.

Ekiti Assembly to Enact Law on Compulsory Medical Check-up for Workers Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti The Ekiti State House of Assembly has declared its readiness to enact a law that will make comprehensive medical check-up compulsory for workers in the state to prevent avoidable deaths in service and ensure a healthy

workforce.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, disclosed this yesterday when she led other members of the Assembly to the Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka Wellness Centre, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) where they submitted themselves for comprehensive

medical screening.

A statement by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Speaker, Odunayo Ogunmola, said the Assembly members were received by the EKSUTH management team led by the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Kayode Olabanji, who commended the legislators for laying a good example to the

citizenry.

The exercise, which was the first of its kind in the history of the Assembly, saw the legislators, some of whom came with their spouses, undergoing different types of tests at the Centre which boasts of state-of-the-art facilities and qualified personnel on ground to perform the task.

FITC Advocates Film Industry, Financial Institutions Partnership for Economic Growth The Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) has called for collaboration between the film industry and financial institutions to stimulate funding for economic growth.

FITC Managing Director/CEO, Chizor Malize, stated this during the 5th edition of the Annual Seminar and Short Film Screening of

Nollywood Creative Mind Forum (NCMF) held recently in Lagos.

In her keynote address themed: ‘Finding Common Grounds for Collaboration Between the Film Industry and Financial Institutions’ Malize highlighted the excellent achievements that the industry has recorded and revealed the enormous opportunities that still

exists within the same space.

She said despite the huge potential in the Nollywood industry, the sector remained underfunded, a challenge that can be fixed with partnerships with key stakeholders in the economy. She said the industry frequently encounters funding challenges forcing some filmmakers to seek external support

and assistance which is usually a herculean task considering the stringent requirements for accessing such facility.

According to a report, Nollywood was ranked as the world’s secondlargest movie industry by volume, surpassing America’s Hollywood and coming just short of India’s Bollywood.

THURSDAYDECEMBER 15, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

45

NEWSXTRA

BIDDING LATE ALICE PHILIPS FAREWELL…

L-R:Bishop, Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Rt. Revd. Akinpelu Johnson; Granddaughter of the deceased, Oreofe Etim Effiong; Son-In-law, Daniel Etim Effiong; Daughter, Toyosi Etim Effiong; Mrs. Muyiwa Idowu and Provost, Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos Diocese, Very Revd. Adebola Ojofeitimi, during the funeral service of late Alice Phillips at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina Lagos… yesterday ETOP UKUTT

Adeleke Suspends Mining Licences for Operators in Osun Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, yesterday directed the immediate suspension of all licences of mining firms operating in the state mining sector.

Adeleke gave the directive

in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, and made available to THISDAY in Osogbo yesterday.

According to the statement, the governor ordered all operators to report to the Committee on Assets Verification and Recovery chaired by Dr.

Uzodimma Moves to End Open Defecation in Imo Amby Uneze inOwerri

In a determined effort to end open defecation in the State, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has declared state of emergency in Water, Sanitation and Hygienic (WASH) sector in the state.

Stakeholders, however, strongly condemned the act of polluting the environment by way of open defecation, necessiating the governor to put necessary steps in motion to ensure that open defecation is stopped in the state.

In the same vein, the state government is planning construction of public toilets across the urban cities in the state.

This was disclosed in Owerri, yesterday by the Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer of the Imo State Water and Sewerage Corporation (ISWSC), Emeka Ugoanyanwu, during the Stakeholders’ Engagement Forum.

At the event attended by the Special Adviser to the Imo State

Governor on Urban Water, Tanana Biaduo; the governor’s Special Adviser (Public Enlightenment), Eze Ugochukwu; the Imo State Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers (NIWE), Dr. Mike Nwachukwu; Imo Controller, Nigeria Correctional Service, Kingsley Njoku, represented by the Command’s Engineer, Onyenegecha Melford, the ISWA’s Chief executive said: “governor Hope Uzodimma, has since declared a state of emergency in the WASH sector in the state.

According to him, despite the governor’s great progress in the sector, many people in the urban cities practice open defecation.

He said: “We have invited all of you today, including the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), Nigeria Breweries Plc, the Nigeria Correctional Services, Fecal Sludge evacuators, hotel proprietors, etc to chat a new approach to ending open defecation in Imo State..”

Tricycle Operator Raped by Suspected Ritualists in Awka David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka A male tricycle operator, whose name could not be immediately be ascertained, has been allegedly raped by three men for ritual purposes.

Sources said the young men suspected to be involved in modern rituals, also known as Yahoo plus, negotiated the services of the tricyclist, who took them to their house in Okpuno, a suburban town in Awka, where they lured him into their house and took turns to rape him.

The incident happened on Monday, and has also been confirmed by Anambra State Police Command’s Spokesperson, DSP. Toochukwu Ikenga.

Ikenga said that one of the suspects has been arrested

while his allies have taken to their heels.

He also confirmed the incident, adding that the state police commissioner has ordered the transfer of the matter from Central Police Station (CPS), where it was formally lodged to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

Ikenga said: “Preliminary information showed that the suspect hired the victim who is a tricycle rider and lured him in a room before having carnal knowledge of him.

“Meanwhile, the result from the doctor’s report showed that there was penetration into his anus, but the arrested suspect denied the allegation.

“Further details shall be communicated as investigations are still ongoing.”

B.T Salami with copies of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which governs their relationship with the state government.

He said: “In furtherance of his bid to reform the state

solid mineral sector, Adeleke has directed the immediate suspension of all mining firms operating the state mining licences.

“All operators are to report to the Committee on Assets

Verification and Recovery chaired by Dr. B.T Salami with copies of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which governs their relationship with the state government.

“In a public announcement

from the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon Teslim Igbalaye, the governor reiterated his resolve to recover all fund owed Osun State and stop the reaping of state assets from mining to revenue collection.

Unlawful Killing: Kudirat Abiola’s Children Sue FG, Demand $10m Compensation Wale Igbintade

Twenty-seven years after the murder of their mother and wife of the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, her children have dragged the Buhari administration before the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja over the unlawful killing of their mother.

Khafila Abiola, Moriam Abiola, and Hadi Abiola are suing for themselves and on behalf of the other children of Kudirat.

The late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola popularly known simply as Kudirat Abiola was assassinated on June 4, 1996 The children in suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/62/2022 filed by their lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, are challenging the

“violation of the fundamental human rights to life, and dignity of human person of the late Mrs. Abiola.

The Plaintiffs are stated that, “the failure or refusal of the Defendant to protect the life of Late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola in the Republic of Nigeria amounts to a violation of Articles 1,4,5,18 and 23 of the African Charter.”

According to the Plaintiffs,

“the combined effect of the said provisions of the African Charter and the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria is that states will be held responsible if they fail to act with due diligence to prevent violations of the rights or actively involved act which amount to the violation of the plaintiff right (as in this case), and for providing adequate compensation.

Ondo Realises N800m from Tickets Sales to Motorcyclists in One Year Fidelis David in Akure Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), yesterday said the state has generated the sum of N800 million revenue from ticket sales to motorcycle operators in the state between January 2022 and now.

This is just as Akeredolu

assured the state of his administration’s commitment in creating the enabling environment for their operations within the state.

Akeredolu stated these at the occasion of the 2022 raffle draw ceremony for commercial motorcycle riders in the state at the Revenue House, Alagbaka, Akure.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, revealed that when he came on board, commercial motorcyclists collection in the state was about N400,000 in a month and N4.8million in a year, but in 2018, his administration was able to generate N350million.

He said: “In 2019, the state generated over N538 million; 2020

(with the COVID-19 pandemic), we were able to get over N660 million, and in 2021, we made over N750million. This led to the invitation of commercial motorcycle riders to this hall last year where they were gifted various items ranging from gas cylinder to different sizes of power generating sets, to appreciate their commitment.

Police Debunk Report of Old Naira Notes Stashed in Barracks George Okoh in Makurdi

The Benue State Police Command has refuted reports that old naira notes were discovered in a police barracks in Wadata, Makurdi, the state capital.

According to a statement

issued on December 13, 2022, by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, police investigators dispatched to the location recovered wasted papers in a shop near the Wadata Police Barracks in Makurdi.

She further stated that the

shop owner, Mr. Isah Suleiman, was invited for interrogation, and presented a waste management licence provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Suleiman went on to say that the discarded papers were typically obtained from CBN and converted into mosquito

repellents.

According to Anene, the probe has been extended to the CBN for confirmation.

Last Tuesday, information was received at A Police Division in Makurdi that hidden naira notes were recovered from a police barracks in Wadata.

Otti: Creating Wealth for All Better than Political Appointments for Few Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia The governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has urged communities in the state to end the practice of negotiating with governorship candidates for political appointments instead

of asking for what would be of general benefit to the people.

He gave the advice yesterday at Ukwa East while flagging off his local government campaigns, saying he was coming to create wealth benefits for all Abians and not to give political appointments to a few persons.

Otti, who was speaking at

a town hall meeting in Ndoki, said it would be more beneficial for the communities to demand democratic dividends that would impact positively on their lives and well-being.

“I have been listening to people talking about positions, asking me what position I would give. That position that

you would get ends up being a position for one person or his family or his immediate environment,” he said, adding: “So, I want us to start thinking well.

“The mindset now has to change. Talk about the community, don’t talk about the individual.”

2023: Abiodun Charges Residents on Timely Collection of PVCs James SowoleinAbeokuta

The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on the people of the state to take advantage of the period introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to collect

their Permanent Voter’s Card, stating that “your PVCs are your voices.”

Abiodun made the call during the state Christmas Carol and Service of Nine Lessons held at the Arcade Ground of the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

He maintained that the collection of PVCs is key to participating in the forthcoming elections, charging the people of the state not to be disenfranchised.

The governor said: “As elections are fast approaching, do not be disenfranchised, please go and

collect your Permanent Voter’s Card.” Earlier in his message, the President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke, while noting that one of the reasons God sent His only son, Jesus Christ, into world was to bring the people out of darkness.

46

THURSDAY, ͹ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

France set up a heavyweight Qatar 2022 World Cup final against Argentina last night after an early goal by Theo Hernandez and a late one from Randal Kolo Muani ended Morocco’s African dream of playing in the final match on Sunday here in Doha.

Full back Hernandez stretched high after five minutes to hook in the first goal Morocco have conceded to an opposition player in the tournament after a scramble in the box, but the holders offered only occasional glimpses of their class.

Morocco, disrupted by early

WORLD CUP injuries to two key defenders, recovered to cause no end of problems, with Hugo Lloris brilliantly saving Jawad El Yamiq's overhead kick at the end of the first half and the outsiders pouring forward for much of the second.

However, they could not quite fashion a clear enough chance for the equaliser and were unable to extend the astonishing run that included victories over Belgium, Spain and Portugal and made

them the first African team to make the semifinals.

France settled it in the 79th minute when a brilliant dribble

by Kylian Mbappe set up Kolo Muani to tuck in the decisive goal with his first touch less than a minute after coming on.

France will be hugely relieved to become the first defending champions to reach successive finals since Brazil in 2002 and can now look forward to Sunday's showdown when they will bid to follow Brazil (1962) and Italy (1938) as the third team to retain the title.

DURO IKHAZUAGBE Reporting live

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France Halt Morocco, Set up Final Clash with Argentina Modric Blasts 'Disaster' Referee in Argentina Defeat

France players celebrate on their way to defeating Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup semi-final at the Al Bayt Stadium (1)

Luka Modric has hit out at referee Daniele Orsato for his performance in Croatia's defeat by Argentina.

Modric and his Balkan nation weren't able to make it to their second World Cup final in a row on Tuesday night, losing 3-0 to their South American opponents.

They made a decent start, perhaps edging the contest in the opening 30 minutes, but just after that Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead from the penalty spot after goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was judged to have fouled Julian Alvarez inside the box.

Whether it was indeed a penalty divided opinion and Modric was of the firm belief that that the Italian referee attracted a little too much controversy with his decisions.

"Argentina was a fair winner of the game, they were better, they deserved to win, but these things have to be mentioned, I generally

don't do them, but today they have to be done," he said.

"I don't like to talk about referees but this is one of the worst. I don't have a good memory of him, he's a disaster. For me it wasn't a penalty.

"Despite this, I don't want to detract from Argentina. The penalty killed us. We have to recover for the third place play-off and win that game."

To add to the controversy, Croatia should have had a corner shortly before the penalty but a goal kick to Argentina was awarded instead.

Mateo Kovacic argued both decisions were big mistakes on the referee's part.

"Both situations seem incredible to me, first that he did not give a corner and then that," the Chelsea midfielder added. "I never talk about the referees, but they are huge errors and it cost us."

Ronaldo ‘Returns’ to Real Madrid after World Cup Exit Cristiano Ronaldo has been using Real Madrid's training base to keep fit after Portugal's World Cup exit.

After his contract at Manchester United was cancelled last month, Ronaldo is free to join another club on 1 January.

Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have made a big-money offer for the 37-year-old forward, although it is understood he has other options.

Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United was brought to a premature end after a controversial interview in which the five-time Ballon d'Or winner criticised the

club and said he had "no respect" for manager Erik ten Hag. That came two days before Portugal began their World Cup campaign and Ronaldo started their first three games, reacting angrily when he was substituted in the final group game against South Korea.

The Portuguese Football Federation denied that Ronaldo threatened to leave the squad after being told he would not start the last-16 game against Switzerland, and his replacement Goncalo Ramos went on to score a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.

The tournament in Qatar was expected to be Ronaldo's last chance to win a World Cup, and he came off the bench against Switzerland and Morocco but could not prevent the African side knocking out Portugal.

That 1-0 upset in the quarterfinals could be Ronaldo's last World Cup game and he said on social media: "The dream was nice while it lasted".

In asking Real to use their training facility rather than take a break following Portugal's early exit, Ronaldo has given a clear indication

he is ready to join a new club at the earliest opportunity.

However, that will not be Real, whose all-time leading scorer is Ronaldo with 450 goals in 438 games, during time which he won the Champions League four times and La Liga twice.

Ronaldo made a then-worldrecord move to Real from Manchester United in 2009 and left for Juventus in 2018.

Ronaldo trained alone at Real's Valdebebas base and there is no option of a return to the Spanish club.

Modric (centre) slammed Italian referee Daniele Orsato for his decision to award the penalty

Late Wahl’s Wife Debunks Foul Play in Reporter’s Death American soccer reporter, Grant Wahl, died from a complications from an undetected heart problem while covering the World Cup in Qatar, his widow has revealed, and not as the result of foul play, as had been suspected by many, including his brother.

Dr. Céline Gounder, Wahl's wife, told CBS yesterday morning that her husband died from an 'aortic aneurysm that ruptured.'

“And it's just one of these things that had been likely brewing for years, and for whatever reason it happened at this point in time,” said Gounder.

Wahl, an outspoken critic of the World Cup host, Qatar, was covering Friday's NetherlandsArgentina quarterfinals match when he collapsed in the press area. He was taken to hospital, but declared dead soon after.

Eric Wahl, Grant's brother, previously claimed on social

Wahl and Gounder attended Princeton University together before marrying in 2001 media that Grant was 'killed' for wearing a rainbow 'pride' shirt to a game earlier in the tournament, in violation of Qatar's anti-gay laws.

He has since acknowledged that

his brother did not die from foul play, and has admitted he regrets making that claim.

Speaking to CBS, Gounder attributed her brother-in-law's

misstatements to grief.

There had been speculation that Wahl wasn't cared for properly by emergency staff on hand at the match in Doha on Friday night.

Others echoed ongoing conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 vaccine, suggesting Wahl died from the injection.

But speaking to CBS, and writing on Wahl's Substack page, Gounder has shot down those theories.

“Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium,” she wrote in a recent post. “The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms.

“No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status.

There was nothing nefarious about his death.”

Gounder wasn't just writing as a grieving widow, but as a medical doctor who previously worked on President Joe Biden's Covid-19 Advisory Board.

She also spoke about her grief, and the shock of learning that her husband had died.

“I was wrapping up one of my last work calls of the day on Friday, and I started to see messages from Grant's friend and colleague, Gabriele Marcotti, another soccer journalist,” Gounder said Wednesday. 'I saw messages on Twitter, on my texts, on my email.

“So I got off the call and called Gabriel, and he told me he had seen what had happened at the stadium, that Grant had collapsed, that they had tried to do CPR for some 20 minutes, and then took him off to the hospital,” she continued.

“And two of his other colleagues were following in a car behind the ambulance.'

As she explained, Gounder phoned the hospital and tried frantically to find out if Wahl still had a pulse, but couldn't get an answer.

“I knew that was a sign,” she said. “If he had a pulse when he left the stadium, that would have been a good sign. No one would answer the question. And so to me, that was... I was scared. I was scared.”

After his passing, Gounder traveled to Qatar to identify his body - something she says she needed to do.

“Honestly, this has been so surreal,” she said. 'Even now, having seen the body, it's hard to believe this it real. But I just needed that.”

Gounder had remained largely silent until Tuesday, when she posted a picture of herself with Wahl on Twitter with the caption: 'I miss you.'

The image showed the laughing couple at a vineyard, where Wahl had a glass of red wine in his hand.

47

THURSDAY, ͹ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

SPORTS

Messi: Final on Sunday My Last World Cup Match Lionel Messi confirmed yesterday that Argentina’s final clash with France on Sunday at the magnificent 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium here in Qatar will be his last FIFA World Cup match for the albiceleste.

The 35-year-old Paris SaintGermain star who is playing at his fifth World Cup has surpassed the four of Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano for the South

American nation.

Messi was quoted by Argentine media outlet, Diario Deportivo Ole,covering the tournament here in Qatar that he feels happy ending his international career playing in a World Cup final.

"I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final.

"It's many years for the next

one (in 2026 to be jointly hosted

by USA, Canada and Mexico) and I don't think I'll be able to do it. And to finish like this, it's the best," added the Argentina captain.

With his fifth goal in Qatar, Messi has surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as the top Albiceleste scorer at World Cups, netting 11 times. The tally could be more after Sunday’s final at the Lusail Stadium.

The ‘petit-bomber’ led Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia in their semi-final on Tuesday night at the same ground and will earn his 172nd cap on Sunday when he tries to bring the country its first World Cup title in 36 years.

"It's all well and good (the records), but the important thing is to be able to achieve the group objective, which is the most beautiful thing of all," Messi added.

"We're just one step away, after fighting hard, and we're going to give everything to try to make it happen this time."

Messi, who equalled Lothar Matthaus' record for the most World Cup appearances with his 25th start in Tuesday's semi-final against Croatia, scored their opening

Rufai, Sodje, Obodo Laud NDDC U-17 Peace Cup The trio of former Nigerian internationals-Peter Rufai, Sam Sodje and Christian Ogbodo have lauded the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for sponsoring the ungoing U-17 Peace football tournament in Asaba, Delta State.

They described the move as highly commendable, as it would go a long way in motivating the youths of the Niger Delta region, and helping them believe that their future is bright, playing football.

Speaking moments after the opening ceremony of the tournament, Rufai commended the efforts of the organisers, the Grassroot Sports Federation of Nigeria, GRASOF, led by its President, John Ekpenyong.

He said as a player who was discovered at a young age, his core passion is youth development, insisting there was need to look back and discover talents from the grassroots and ensure they are groomed to playing at the bigger stage.

"The support from the Niger Delta Ministry and NDDC is great. It shows their concern for the development

Argentina Captain, Lionel Messi

Cacic: The Journeyman Who Powered Croatia to Top Four Finish Croatia Head Coach, Ante Cacic, is not your everyday coach with distinguished playing career. Before him were others like Kovac, Igor Stimac, Slaven Bilic, or even char-

Croatia Head Coach, Ante Cacic

ismatic Miroslav 'Ciro' Blazevic. It was Blazevic that powered Croatia to their first 1998 finalist medal at the World Cup in France in 1998.

But Cacic, a former TV and radio repairman who was first appointed national coach at Euro 2016 in France, succeeded here in Qatar 2022, taking the Balkan nation to the Last 4 a second consecutive time.

He may even go a step further if he succeeded in winning the third place match on Saturday.

Reaching the last four in Russia and Qatar was barely conceivable six years ago. Croatia were a team in near disarray, their fans were fighting each other at Euro 2016 and the leadership of the Croatian FA faced corruption allegations.

The appointment of Cacic as head coach had only fanned the flames of discontent.

Fast forward to Qatar, where Croatia entered the tournament as 2018 runners-up with an ageing squad led by 37-year-old Luka Modric and with Zlatko Dalic, who replaced Cacic before the 2018 tournament, at the helm.

Coming through their group with a win over Canada and draws against Belgium and surprise semi-finalists Morocco, conceding only one goal along the way, the Croats showed they were again a force to be reckoned with.

No longer the explosive attacking team of 2018 that stunned England in the semi-finals before losing to France in the final, Croatia have matured into a well-oiled machine where each player knows what needs to be done to get the result.

Their midfield of Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Modric looked so solid that team mate

Josip Juranovic said it was "safer than having money in the bank", while 20-year-old defender Josko Gvardiol pulled the strings at the back.

Croatia got past Japan in a shootout in the Round of 16 before delivering one of the shocks of the tournament by eliminating five-times champions Brazil in the same manner.

In another display of mental toughness, Croatia had conceded an extra-time goal to Brazil's Neymar but dug their way out of trouble by scoring an 117th minute equaliser through Bruno Petkovic.

Before Tuesday's 3-0 loss to Lionel Messi's Argentina, Croatia had needed penalties or extra time

in five of six knockout matches at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

They won all four of their penalty shootouts.

"I have nothing to blame the boys for, now we have to raise our heads and get ready for the (third place) game that awaits us," Dalic said.

"If someone had offered us this before the tournament, we would have accepted it. We are really proud."

Few will question Croatia's commitment in the match to decide third place in Qatar. Their opponents will be known after defending champions France clash with Morocco in the other semi-final late last night.

boasted that he was coming to win the title. Win the title? He must be joking. I wish to say to him that he should prepare for war and nothing else. I’m flying Nigeria’s flag and I cannot afford not to win the war for my country.

It is war,” said Esepor, who is yet undefeated.

Like Esepor, Adeyemi “Spirit” Adekanla also vowed to flatten Bartholomew Abuchi, his opponent in the national lightweight challenge bout at the show. “He will see why I’m called Spirit after two rounds, as he will be down and out in two rounds max,” he raved.

Also lined up for the event are bouts in other categories. They include the super featherweight

of the youth, and I also thank the Delta State Government for accepting to host the competition."

Also speaking, former Super Eagles midfielder, Christian Obodo, said he was pleased with the competition, especially one for young kids, as it would help build their concentration for their passion and take their minds away from social vices.

Obodo,expressed willingness to take few talented players discovered from the competition abroad.

Also, former Leeds and West Brom player, Sam Sodje, said he is delighted that the the tournament is holding in his state. He urged young players to remain focused and ensure their dreams of playing professional football was achieved.

According to Sodje who is also the Special Adviser to the Governor on Sports Development, "I know how important it is to get a competition for grassroots, so when I heard about this, it was very important that am here, and again it's my state so am very supportive of what they are doing."

4th Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open Serves Off 2022 Commonwealth medalists as well as medalists from the just concluded National Sports Festival will compete at the 4th Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open which serves off on Thursday, December 15, at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

From Commonwealth silver medalists Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi and Nasiru Sule to Isau Ogunkunle and Faith Obazuaye, the Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open would provide an avenue for them to share from the mouthwatering prize money at stake at the three-day tournament.

According to the coordinator of the tournament, Sunday Odebode, the aim of this year’s tournament was to use it to select players that will represent Nigeria at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France.

“The para table tennis players made the country proud in Birmingham and we believe this

GOtv Boxing Night 27: ‘Prepare for War,’ Esepor Warns Pumipic West African Boxing Union (WABU) featherweight champion, Taiwo “Esepor” Agbaje, has warned Richard Pumicpic of the Philippines to prepare for war when they meet for World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental title on 26 December at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

The bout is one of the six scheduled for the 27th edition of GOtv Boxing Night. The UK-based Esepor, from whom a lot is being expected, issued the warning in a Zoom interview conducted on Monday.

It was in response to Pumicpic’s claim that he is coming to Nigeria to win the WBF title.

“I saw the video in which he

goal to take his tally to five same as leader Kylian Mbappe of France whose country took on Morocco in the second semi final last night.

Tuesday's victory prompted thousands of fans to take to the streets in Argentina to celebrate the national team's sixth World Cup final appearance.

challenge contest between Michael Adesodun and Idris Aloma; national bantamweight duel between Opeyemi “Golden Boy” Ibrahim and Sodiq “Happy Boy” Adeleke as well as the much-expected super featherweight duel between Sikiru “Iya Eleja” Shogbesan and Sodiq Oyakojo. The event will equally stage an all-female middleweight bout between Sofiat Lateef and Abosede Akinsanya.

Sponsored by GOtv with support from Supa Kommando, the event is a marriage of boxing and music, as it will feature live musical performances by Afrobeats maestros, Ruger, Pheelz, Chinko Ekun as well the renowned DJ Xclusive.

tournament would provide a good platform for them to test might against themselves and we hope we can pick the team from here. This year we are excited that our sponsors – Valuejet believe in the players, especially with their performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where they made the country proud with two silver and two bronze medals in the table tennis events of the games,” he said.

For Odebode, the tournament has provided the platform to identify talents like Ikpeoyi whose addition to the national team has strengthened the women's team.

For this year, over 38 events would be competed for in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles with the top four players getting cash prizes for their efforts.

In his remarks, Vice President, of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) Adesoji Tayo, the federation would remain grateful to the sponsors for keeping faith in the special athletes adding that this would continue to motivate the players to give their best in a major competition.

“The federation would be grateful to our sponsors and our host, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) who have not given up on the athletes with their continued support of the tournament despite the economic downturn, they never stop supporting the para table tennis team. We were also motivated by the athletes’ performance at the Commonwealth Games because they were the ones that won medals for table tennis in Birmingham. We hope that this year will throw up more talents as we are hopeful that this year promises to be exciting,” Tayo said.

The tournament ends on Saturday, December 17 with finals in some of the events as 100 of athletes across the country are expected to battle for honours in 10 classes.

Thursday, December 15, 2022

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Price: N250

MISSILE

Garba Shehu to Gudaji Kazaure “Having lost a potentially ‘lucrative’ line of ‘business,’ the sacked characters returned to the drawing board to formulate one form of trick or another to intimidate the government, but the vigilant teams of the administration kept them at bay. Lately, they returned to the government through Hon. Muhammadu Gudaji Kazaure with a plan to track the so-called lost stamp duties with the erstwhile consultant as chairman and Gudaji as secretary”—Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, dismissing the allegation of misappropriation of stamp duty funds

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

The Lessons from Qatar ’22

T

he German national team arrived the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to play politics rather than football. In their pre-match photograph against Japan, players covered their mouths with their hands in a cynical attempt to disparage FIFA’s stance regarding the ‘OneLove’ armband campaign. On the field of play, they left their goalpost open for Japan to score two quickfire goals after they had taken the lead. With that loss, and subsequent draw with Spain in their next match, Germany never recovered despite their 4-2 defeat of Costa Rica. That was how one of the pre-tournament favourites ended up crashing out in the first round for the second (and successive) time in their illustrious history of World Cup participation.

But that was just the beginning of the drama in Qatar.

With a few minutes to the end of the quarterfinals match between Brazil and Croatia on 9th December, a Nigerian reporter thought he had seen enough to play Nostradamus by filing a story which his editor also rushed to publish. “Brazil have edged out Croatia 1-0 to seal a place at the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup,” proclaimed the newspaper, promising to provide details later. For context, the newspaper also added, “Neymar’s solitary strike sends Brazil to semi-final.” But in the 117th minute, just three minutes to the end of extra time, Croatia levelled the score and in the deciding penalties that followed, defeated Brazil 4-2 to pick the semi-final slot!

Despite all the issues surrounding the choice of Qatar as host for the 2022 World Cup and the fact that it is holding for the first-time mid-season, there can be no doubt that the football to which we have been treated since 20th November has been exciting. On Sunday, we are going to witness an epic final between defending champions, France, and the Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina. How can anybody not love football?

Okay, let me ‘face reality’. Like most Nigerians, I am interested in the coming general election, and I am going to engage the process before, during

Messi

Building a successful nation requires teamwork, just as in football. We saw it with ‘small’ teams in this competition, as demonstrated by Morocco, the first African team to reach the semi-final of the World Cup. Their strength was in the collective, with everybody playing to his strength. There is no greater formula for success, whether in politics, sports, or the business of nation-building.

and after. We must build a society that works for all and on that count, leadership matters. But there is also more to life than politics. I will come back to the 2023 general election and associated issues in the coming weeks so for those who learn enduring lessons even from the seemingly mundane things, Qatar ’22 has also taught us much about business, politics, and life.

Even before the opening match was played between Qatar and Ecuador, QNET, a Hong Kong-based marketing company, had reminded football fans of lessons from previous World Cups that would also apply in Qatar. Performance, according to the company, matters more than branding, talent doesn’t guarantee success, scoring takes effort and losing isn’t everything, perhaps because of the redemption that

there will always be another World Cup. In ‘The Case of the Benched forward’, John Rekenthaler wrote on three lessons prospective investors can take from Qatar with illustration on how Portugal Manager, Fernandos Santos twice benched one of the best footballers in the world and team captain, Cristiano Ronaldo. In the round of 16 match against Switzerland in which Ronaldo was first benched, Portugal won the match by 6 goals to 1 with Goncalo Ramos who stood in for him scoring the first hattrick at the tournament. That the same formula failed against Morocco which eventually knocked Portugal out in the quarterfinals formed the kernel of Rekenthaler’s thesis. After analysing the behaviour of fans to Santos’ decisions in the two matches that produced different outcomes, Rekenthaler concluded that ‘sports fans and investors are prone to the same mistakes.’ Last-minute goals like the one scored by South Korea against Portugal to pick the round of 16 ticket at the expense of Uruguay or the one by Netherlands that took the match against Argentina to extra time also remind us that in football, as in life, it is never over until it is over. Those who are writing off Nigeria because of the current challenges are therefore not conversant with history. But hey, I am not going into all that today; I am talking football!

Motivational speakers will write books about what has transpired in the past three weeks at the World Cup in Qatar. From watching better teams with star players defeated by teams comprising average players, according to Sylvia Mwefigye, we learn that sometimes, even the best of us can have a bad day.

But perhaps the biggest lesson we can take from Qatar is that of teamwork in which the whole is far bigger than the sum of its parts. Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina in the group stage because every player gave his best. Same with Cameroon that defeated Brazil and the ousting of Belgium ranked number two by FIFA by Morocco.

Continued on page 26

At 60, ‘Senior Ifueko’ Danced!

F

ormer Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) chairperson and President of the Queen’s College (Lagos) Old Girls Association (she loves that), Mrs Ifueko Omoigui Okauru was 60 last Saturday. In the weeks preceding the day, according to her husband, Asishana Okauru, she requested two things to mark the occasion: Reflection and a dance! And by all account, she got her birthday wish.

I have had the privilege of close interaction with Omoigui-Okauru since 2004 when President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed both of us to the National Stakeholder Working Group (NSWG) of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) then just established under the leadership of Mrs Oby Ezekwesili. And I have over the years been an admirer of her intellect, strength of character and the sense of humour that sometimes border on mischief. But despite her serious mien and crazy work schedule, I was also not surprised that Omoigui-Okauru chose to celebrate with a dance. In dancing, as one writer explained, people expand not only their physical flexibility, but also learn the mental art of creating shapes and movements through imagination and exploration. And last Saturday, ‘Senior Ifueko’ (as my sister, Hajia Mairo Usman and many Queens College alumni members at the occasion kept calling the celebrant) danced!

However, before the dance, there was also a conversation on the state of the nation moderated by former Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) chairman, Mr Asue Ighodalo, following a paper, ‘Thinking Aloud: Reimagining a Nigeria that works

Ifueko for the collective’ presented by former Access Bank Managing director, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. Even though I only went to eat and make merry, I was conscripted to join the discussion. The choice of topic, as Okauru wrote in the invitation letter, was informed by the celebrant’s “deep passion about a prosperous Nigeria that works for a demographic not often spoken about—the less privileged, the elderly and the vulnerable.”

The conversation aspect of the birthday celebration started 24 hours earlier at the maiden lecture of the ‘Society of Women in Taxation’ where OmoiguiOkauru spoke on the topic, ‘A Roadmap for economic advancement of the Nigerian State: Reflections and Thoughts.’ In the presentation, she expressed sadness that many of us agonise “over the same issues like a broken record…” and she highlighted a few of them: “How we should diversify our economy; how we should optimize our potential; how we should manage our debt burden; how we should spend more on capital and less on recurrent expenditure; how we should make the various arms of government autonomous and yet interdependent to collaborate and work together for the good of one country; how we should believe in our diversity and build Nigeria across race, ethnicity, age, gender educational and income levels .. so that no one is left behind.”

The paper of course went beyond lamentations to making prescriptions on some of the things we need to do differently as a nation, especially in this period of political transition. But more significant for me was the personal details Omoigui-Okauru shared in the introduction to her paper. “When I decided to choose this date in August 2022, little did I know that my father won’t be here with me listening to his daughter once again. He would have been sitting in front, right by my husband, routing for me as he has done all my life,” Omoigui-Okauru said as she reflected on what life has been without her father. “Since that date, more of life happened to me after losing my mother in 2016 and my oldest brother in April 2021.”

Omoigui-Okauru was candid about the pain of

losing her father who “joined our heavenly father, our mother, my oldest brother and his ancestors on 24 November 2022, a day of national thanksgiving in the United States, two weeks after his 91st birthday…I want to believe he died on a day of thanksgiving so that we can always be thankful to God for life and recognize that He brings and takes.” She also recalled the harrowing circumstances under which her mother died six years ago, even though without bitterness: “On her sick bed, in the hospital, a day after she was shot by a group of miscreants who followed her from the Banking Hall to her home in Benin-City, and in pain, my mother whispered into my ears, that I should never forget to help those in need. She died three weeks later, on 19 November 2016, six years before my dad.”

What Omoigui-Okauru reminds us of is that despite the bracing challenges of life, we should always find a blessing in the moments that we enjoy and in the abundance that God has bestowed upon us as individuals, families, and society. Indeed, expression of gratitude is not only a focus of several religions but has also been interrogated extensively by philosophers. It was therefore fitting that most of the people who showed up for her last Saturday were former and current staff at the FIRS she left a decade ago and friends from Queens College dating back to the late seventies and early eighties. It is a testimony to a worthy legacy and the abiding friendships she has cultivated across generations.

And with the discussions over and the birthday cake cut last Saturday, Omoigui-Okauru, a strong admirer of Governor ‘Michael Jackson’ of Osun State, danced!

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