THURSDAY 23TH DECEMBER 2021

Senate Passes 2022 Budget, to Transmit Spending Plan to President Today Okays Buhari’s N276.8bn virement request Seeks stabilisation of polity ahead of 2023 polls Deji Elumoye and Juliet Akoje in Abuja Twenty four hours after the

House of Representatives okayed the 2022 Appropriation Bill, the Senate also followed suit as it passed an aggregate expenditure

of N17.126 trillion as budget for next fiscal year.

The Red Chamber also approved the N276.8 billion request

of President Muhammadu Buhari for funding of expenditure in the 2021 budget before adjourning plenary to January 18, 2022.

This is just as President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan also disclosed that the National Assembly would today transmit

the 2022 budget passed by both chambers to President MuhamContinued on page 10

Thursday 23 December, 2021 Vol 26. No 9754. Price: N250

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Buhari: Nigeria Requires N348trn for Realistic 5-year Nat'l Devt Plan FG to provide N49.7trn, private sector N298.3 trillion Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that Nigeria requires an investment size of N348.1 trillion

to achieve the targets set out in its five-year National Development Plan (NDP) from 2021 to 2025.

The projected investment portfolio, he said, would be

contributed by the government which would source for 14.3 per cent (N49.7 trillion) of the amount, while the balance of 85.7 per cent (N298.3 trillion) would come from

the private sector.

The president spoke yesterday, at Abuja, during the formal launch and public presentation of the NDP, the successor to the

Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), 2017- 2020, which lapsed in December 2020.

According to him, the overall target of the plan was to achieve a

broad-based real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of five per cent on average during the Continued on page 10

Electoral Act Amendment: Senate Cowers, Suspends Move to Override Buhari’s Veto To engage House, constituents on next plan President’s withholding of assent a decoy, says PDP caucus Saraki identifies options before legislature Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale, Juliet Akoje in Abuja, Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie in Lagos Despite the resolve and threat by many senators on Tuesday to overrule President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the senate, yesterday, backed down from its resolve.

In place of the move, which had seen the collection of signatures for the proposition, the upper chamber resolved to liaise with the House of Representatives on how best to handle the president’s rejection of the electoral reform bill.

The senate also agreed to involve their constituents in the consultation process during the Christmas break before taking a final decision by January.

Buhari had declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, citing issues with direct primaries provisions in the bill.

But members of the main opContinued on page 10

A PLAN TO SECURE THE NATION'S ECONOMIC FUTURE?...

L-R: Minister of State Finance, Prince Clem Agba; Secretary to Government of the Federation , Boss Mustapha; Minister of Finance, Dr. Zainab Ahmed ; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ; President Muhammadu Buhari ; Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Bagudu; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Idowu and Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy, domiciled in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. Dr Sarah Omotunde Alade, during the launch of the 2021-2025 National Development Plan at the Federal Executive Council Meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja... yesterday PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

FDA Approves First Injectable HIV Preventive Medication... Page 8

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

NEWS

ROYAL CHRISTMAS CAROL CULTURAL NIGHT...

L-R: Mother of the Olu of Warri, Yeye Atuwatse; Olu of Warri, His Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III and his wife, Olori Ivie Atuwatse, at the maiden of Royal Iwre Christmas Carol Cultural Night and Ghigho Aghofen held at Aghofen, Warri Kingdom, Delta State... recently

NNPC Raked in N2.563trn from Petroleum Products Sale in 12 Months Nigerians consumed 19.535 billion litres in a year, says oil company

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd yesterday revealed that its downstream subsidiary, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) realised a total sum of N2.563 trillion from the sale of petroleum products between July 2020 and July 2021.

The information contained in the July 2021 figures of the national oil company's Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR), the 72nd edition in the series, noted that petrol contributed about 99.67 per cent of the sales.

A statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Garba Muhammad, noted that total revenues generated from the sales of the white products in the July 2021 alone stood at N203.73 billion.

Similarly, the report disclosed that a total of 1.544 billion litres of petroleum products were sold and distributed by the PPMC in July 2021, with petrol accounting for 99 per cent of total volume.

Total sale of petroleum products for the period July 2020 to July 2021, stood at 19.535 billion litres and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) accounted for 99.73 per cent of total volume, the report stated.

The report also indicated a 5.23 percentage increase in the average daily gas supply to power plants

in the month of July 2021 which stood at 759 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCFD).

According to the NNPC, the gas supply was equivalent to power generation of 3,250MW against the June 2021 figure of 721mmscfd which generated 3,181MW. It stated that national gas production in July 2021, increased by 3.99 per cent at 232.69 billion Cubic Feet (BCF) compared to output

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promoted a total of 1,985 of its staff nationwide.

The promotions, according to the Commission, was in furtherance to its commitment to the welfare and development of its staff.

An INEC bulletin, Volume 2, No.168, dated December 22, 2021, revealed that the exercise was came on the heels of the 2021 promotion examination and evaluation carried out by the commission.

A breakdown of the figure

cent, 20.45 per cent and 20.89 per cent respectively to the total national gas production,” it explained.

In the downstream sector, to ensure sustained increase and effective distribution of petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), across the country, the NNPC said it had continued to diligently monitor the daily stock of petrol to achieve success in this regard.

In July 2021, the MFOR noted that 42 pipeline points were vandalised representing 10.64 per cent decrease from the 47 points recorded in June 2021.

In the month under review, the report stated that Port Harcourt area accounted for 40 per cent and Mosimi Area accounted for 60 per cent of the vandalised points.

In the upstream, the NNPC added that it recorded total export

receipt of $191.26 million in July 2021 as against $188.00 million in June 2021.

“Receipts from crude oil amounted to $12.95 million while gas and miscellaneous receipts stood at $78.69 million and $99.61 million respectively.

“Total crude oil and gas export receipt for the period July 2020 to July 2021 stood at $1.73billion,” the national oil company noted.

FG Destroys 1,066,214 Expired AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccines $40m saved, says NPHCDA Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government yesterday made good its promise to destroy expired COVID-19 vaccines as AstraZeneca injections totalling 1,066,214 doses were destroyed.

Addressing journalists shortly before setting out to destroy the vaccines at the Idu Dump site in the Federal Capital Territory, the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib said notwithstanding the destruction of the vaccines, the country was able to save about $40 million by accepting the donated short shelf-live vaccines from donor countries.

He said the government took

INEC Promotes 1,985 Staff Nationwide Chuks Okocha in Abuja

in the previous month, translating to an average daily production of 7,502.28mmscfd.

“For the period July 2020 to July 2021, a total of 2,891.53BCF of gas was produced representing an average daily production of 7,305.43mmscfd.

“Period-to-date production from Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and NPDC contributed about 58.67 per

indicated that 12 Deputy Directors on Grade Level (GL) 16 were promoted to the post of Directors on Grade Level 17, while 78 Assistant Directors on GL15 were elevated to the position of Deputy Directors on GL 16.

Also promoted to the Assistant Director cadre were 92 officers who were elevated from GL14 to GL15, and 971 other Senior staff were promoted to Grade Levels between 07-14.

The Commission also promoted 753, Junior cadre staff between GL 03-06, nationwide.

the action to destroy the expired vaccines not only to safeguard the health of Nigerians, but to also engender trust in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Shuaib said there were about two million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that were due for expiration last month, but that the agency was able to utilise over 60 per cent of the supplies before the expiry date.

He said: '”The agency has successfully withdrawn about 1,066,214 doses of expired AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccines have been deposited by the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency (AEPA). We have come through on our promise to Nigerians to be transparent in our delivery of vaccines.

“These vaccines did not expire before we took the decision to withdraw them, today is an opportunity for Nigerians to have further faith in our vaccination programme because we have lived up to the expectations of all Nigerians, we had the option of taking the advice of some experts to use these vaccines even beyond the labeled expiry date, but working together with NAFDAC, we took the decision to destroy them at the point they got expired."

Shuaib said that the move was to further demonstrate the high standards that the agency operate within Nigeria.

"This work that we do is a work that requires trust, it is a sacred trust that has been bestowed on us by the generality of Nigerians.

We hold that trust to be true and we guard that trust very jealously.

“This is why today we are destroying these vaccines that have expired. The heroes of today's activities is actually the frontline health workers.

"A few months ago when these vaccines were offered to us, we knew that they had short shelve life, but we are living in an environment that supply of COVID-19 vaccine were very scarce. They were not available due to vaccine nationalism, we had developed countries that procured this vaccines and hoarded them in their stores and at the point they were about to expire, they offered them for donations, while we appreciate the donations by these countries, we have to acknowledge the fact that they were almost expired vaccines.

"Because we wanted to satisfy and protect Nigerians, we offered to accept these vaccines, worked collaboratively with NAFDAC to ensure that the agency tested and made sure that these vaccines were in good condition and we rolled out under very difficult circumstances, we got our health care workers working night and day, staff of NPHCDA worked round the clock under extreme situations just to make sure that Nigerians have access to vaccines even when these vaccines were not available," he said.

The NPHCDA boss also gave an update on the vaccination exercise, saying the agency have been able to vaccinate over 10

million Nigerians with the short shelf life vaccines. According to him, if the country were to wait until much later when vaccines would be widely available, may be it would not have gotten any Nigerian vaccinated.

"We still have short shelf life vaccines in the country and they are still potent, they have not reached their end of use date. We have saved Nigeria over $40 million, resources that can be ploughed into other areas of the health sector.

“We will continue to encourage our health workers and continue to work with them until we are able to vaccinate at least 70 percent of our eligible population and achieve herd immunity.

"We guarantee Nigerians that these vaccines are safe, effective and can protect Nigerians against severe form of COVID-19 and also protect against death from Covid-19. The only people that are mostly dying from COVID-19 are people who are unvaccinated, very few people that are vaccinated," he said.

On her part, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof.

Mojishola Adeyeye said the agency was discharging its function by ensuring that expired vaccines and any other unwholesome medicine were destroyed and put out of circulation.

She explained that the vaccines destroyed yesterday were very good and potent only that they have reached their expiry date.

"Nigerians deserve the best in terms of the quality of medicines and vaccines. That was the basis of the meeting between NPHCDA and NAFDAC. When NAFDAC approves a vaccine meaning what you have seen on paper, inform of a dosage like a package of the vaccine. When we approve we wait for the vaccine to come," she said.

Adeyeye explained that the usually life span of the vaccines as they arrive Nigeria was eight to nine months.

According to her because the country does not manufacture the vaccines before they are brought into the country, they would have only about eight months life span remaining.

She said NAFDAC keeps strictly to its core mandate by ensuring that vaccines are properly tested before usage, adding that the agency was one of the few in Africa that tests vaccines before their usage.

Adeyeye described the destruction of the expired vaccine as a means of quality control, saying it marked the end of the journey for a product.

The NAFDAC boss used the opportunity to reassure Nigerians of the hope of revamping the country's capacity to manufacture vaccines locally in the next one year.

The highlight of the ceremony was the display of the truck load of the expired vaccines which were eventually crushed and poured into a ditch before being buried with sand.

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SIGNED, SEALED BUT WAITING FOR DELIVERY...

L-R: Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Oyo State, Prof. Musbaudeen Babatunde; Chief of Staff, Segun Ogunwuyi; Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan; Governor, Seyi Makinde; Head of Service, Alhaja Alolade Agboola and Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon Debo Ogundoyin, during the signing of the 2022 budget by the governor in Ibadan ...yesterday

Ahead of 5G Rollout, MTN Partners Google, Dotgo on Messaging Services Emma Okonji MTN has disclosed that it has finalised arrangements to launch its RCS Business Messaging (RBM) Services in partnership with Google and Dotgo.

This was disclosed in a statement yesterday.

Available on 3G and 4G networks, RCS is the default messaging standard for 5G networks.

As of today, RCS is available globally with over 700 million monthly active users.

Google is a global technology solution provider, while Dotgo is a gupshup company and a leading cloud communications provider of RBM solutions.

RBM uses the rich and interactive features of Rich Communication Services (RCS)—the next generation SMS that allows sharing of audio, video, images,

location, and a lot more—to enable branded business messaging. RCS messages are securely delivered to native messaging apps such as Google Messages and Samsung Messages on Android phones.

Dotgo’s MaaP (Messaging-asa-Platform) is integrated with the Google Jibe RCS platform for business messaging, the world’s most advanced RCS platform that provides a high degree of scalability.

As a partner, the statement revealed that MTN would leverage the services provided by Dotgo such as the RCS APIs, chatbot directory, billing, payments, reconciliation, and more, to drive monetisation from RCS. Giving details of the partnership, which is part of the preparation for its 5G rollout, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, was quoted to have said: “As Nigeria’s largest

carrier, MTN is all set to onboard brands that can reach out to a vast majority of Nigerian customers and delight them with a user experience like never before, to boost lead generation and conversion rates.

“This is a great opportunity for brands to connect with the end consumers of Nigeria for sales and support.”

Also, the Chief Digital Officer of MTN Nigeria, Srinivas Rao, said: “We are proud of our technical

Report: Malaria Cases Increased to 241 Million in 2020 69,000 died of the disease in one year Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has alerted Nigerians on the upsurge in cases of malaria illness which it said reached 241 million in 2020.

Quoting the latest World Malaria Report, ACOMIN said there were, "241 million cases of malaria in 2020 compared to 227 million cases in 2019, an increase of about 14 million cases".

"The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 627,000 in 2020, an increase of 69,000 deaths over the previous year. According to the report, about 80 per cent of all malaria deaths in Africa came from children between the ages of zero and five."

Speaking at the quarterly advocacy meeting of the group, ACOMIN National Coordinator, Mr. Ayo Ipinmoye said half of the world's population were facing the risk of malaria, with the most vulnerable groups being pregnant women and children below the age of five.

"All these point to one fact: Malaria, a preventable and treatable disease spread by the female anopheles mosquito is still a leading cause of illness and death in many countries, among which is Nigeria," he said.

Ipinmoye said in seeking permanent solutions to this lifethreatening disease, there was need

to continually review the strategies being employed to fight malaria, with a view to bridging the gaps that undermine the tireless efforts being made by the government and non-state actors.

He stated several efforts were being made to eliminate malaria disease in Nigeria which included the provision of free Long-Lasting Insecticide-treated Nets (LLINs), deployment of volunteers to carry out Interpersonal Communication at the grassroot level, provision of free malaria test kits and medicines at some health facilities and Community-led Monitoring to ensure accountability in malaria interventions.

Ipinmoye lamented that one of challenges observed in the implementation of the malaria intervention programme in Nigeria was that most state governments were doing enough to take ownership of the health facilities provided by the Global Fund.

With the increase in malaria morbidity and mortality, Ipinmoye said it had become necessary to look into some of the existing gaps that were yet to be adequately resolved.

According to him, one major area that needed improvement in malaria intervention was the aspect of gender balance.

He emphasised the need to empower both men and women with the right knowledge, as opposed to leaving any particular

gender behind.

Ipinmoye further said the World Health Organisation had listed ways in which gender imbalance affects malaria intervention.

These included access to health care services, cultural inhibitions to use of insecticide treated net and poverty.

He said in some parts of Nigeria, women have to ask for their husband's permission to access treatment for themselves and/or their children.

He added many Nigerian communities, due to cultural and religious boundaries, male health workers are not allowed to attend to female patients, especially when the patients are married women.

Also Ipinmoye said the WHO has economic inequities sometimes place women at a disadvantage because they lack the financial resources required to access malaria services at health facilities.

According to him, acceptability and use of LLINs are strongly linked to culturally accept sleeping patterns, in which gender plays an important role.

"In some instances, young children sleep with their mother and are therefore protected by her bednet if she has one. Alternatively, if a household only has one bednet, priority may be given to the male head of the household as he is often considered the primary breadwinner. In other contexts, men have very little access to

ITNs if they predominantly sleep outside," he said.

Ipinmoye also expressed concern over the continued delay in the approval of funds to defray federal government's counterpart obligation in the malaria intervention programme.

"If we are spending billions renovating the buildings of the National Assembly, that same National Assembly should support investment in the provision of quality healthcare for Nigerians," he said.

On his part, the representative

of the Country Coordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund, Mr. Ibrahim Tajudeen, clarified what he described as misinformation about the $200 million loan being sought form the World Bank for the execution of the anti-malaria intervention programme.

He said contrary to the erroneous report, the loan was intended to pay federal government's share of the counterpart funding to enable the country access the over $1.1 billion grant from the United States and the Global Fund.

collaboration with Google and Dotgo. The superior technology design, robust service operations, optimum business processes, and 24x7 support are key to delivering the Next Generation Business Messaging experiences to our brands and business partners at the most affordable rates. With this generational shift we aim to further aid and accelerate digital transformation among the institutions, commerce and industry in Nigeria”.

Pleased with the partnership, the Country Director, Google Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan, said: “We are delighted to work with MTN to help bring RBM to their customers. With the highest number of subscribers in the region, RBM services on MTN will be a game changer. Dotgo has excelled once again as one of our top partners for monetising RBM with mobile operators.”

Also, the CEO of Dotgo, Inderpal Singh Mumick, said: “The launch of RBM by MTN, the largest operator in Nigeria, will accelerate adoption of RBM by brands in Nigeria. With the launch done, we will be working with MTN and Google to help CPaaS providers and brands in Nigeria to upgrade and incorporate RBM into their business applications.”

Edo Govt Offers LGAs N850m Loans to Pay December Salaries in Lieu of FAAC Receipt The Edo State government said it has advanced local government areas in the state a loan to the tune of N850 million to clear salaries of council workers in December 2021 in lieu of the release of Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations to the councils.

In a statement, the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie explained that, “due to its prudent management of public resources, the state had settled salaries and pension of state workers since December 14 from its internally generated revenue (IGR).

“However, local governments in

the state have been unable to pay December salaries and pension to workers and pensioners due to delay in the release of their FAAC allocation.”

He noted that the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, at an Executive Council (EXCO) yesterday approved the release of N850 million to the councils to enable them clear their salary obligations for the month of December.

According to him: “Recall that FAAC allocation is distributed between the Federal, State and Local Governments in the state after the monthly statutory FAAC

meeting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

“However, since the virtual FAAC meeting of December 18, where N675.9 billion was shared among the three tiers of government, local governments in the state have been unable to access their funds thereby putting them in dire straits.

“Realising, however, that local government workers would be hard hit by the delay during the festive season, the Edo State Government decided to advance the 18 local councils in the state a bailout to enable them clear the salaries of their workers.”

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SECURING LAGOS ON THEIR MINDS...

L-R: Executive Secretary/CEO, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun; Board Chairman of LSSTF, Mr. Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Assistant Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone 2 Command, AIG Adeleke Adeyinka and Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, during the 15th Annual Town Hall meeting on Security, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, ... yesterday

FDA Approves First Injectable HIV Preventive Medication Oluchi Chibuzor with agency report The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the world’s first injectable medication to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The injectable drug, Apretude, is given first as two injections one month apart and then once every two months.

Previously, the only PrEP (preexposure prophylaxis) medications approved were pills required to be taken daily, such as Truvada and Descovy.

For some people, adherence to daily medication can prove challenging or “not a realistic option,” The Washington Post quoted FDA’s Director of antivirals division, Debra Birnkrant to have said.

“Today’s approval adds an important tool in the effort to end the HIV epidemic by providing the first option to prevent HIV that does not involve taking a daily pill,” Birnkrant said in a statement.

PrEP in pill form could reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by as much as 99 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though the CDC notes that it is, “much less effective when it is not taken as prescribed.”

“It was approved for use in “at-risk” adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 pounds.

Recipients are required to test negative for HIV before starting the drug and before each injection “to reduce the risk of developing drug resistance,” the FDA said.

The injectable medication was found in trials to be more effective than oral medication at preventing HIV infection from sex.

In a trial of 4,566 cisgender men and transgender women who had sex with men, those who took Apretude had 69 percent less risk of getting infected compared with participants who took Truvada, the FDA said.

Participants in a trial of 3,224 cisgender women found those who took Apretude had 90 percent less risk of getting infected than those

who took Truvada.

Birnkrant said the injection provides a, “critical” alternative to oral medication, which the FDA noted can be less effective in certain groups of people who are less likely to adhere to the strict daily regimen.

Other factors — such as substance abuse, depression, poverty and the need to hide or take the oral medication discreetly — also impact adherence, the FDA said.

Apretude would be sent to

distributors early next year, said Melinda Stubbee, a spokeswoman for the drug’s manufacturer, ViiV Healthcare, an HIV-focused pharmaceutical company that is majority owned by the British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

Although ViiV expects a large, immediate demand for the drug, it does not anticipate problems with a lack of supply, Stubbee said.

The United States is the first country to approve the drug, though the company has

submitted requests for approval in a handful of other countries, including Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, she said.

The trials were among the most diverse and comprehensive preventive trials done, Stubbee noted. U.S. trials were inclusive of Black and Latino men and transgender women, who she noted are disproportionately affected by HIV, and trials in sub-Saharan Africa included cisgender women there who “bear

Data Crucial inAccelerating HIV Control,Says US Envoy Michael Olugbode in Abuja The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard has described data repository programmes such as the U.S.-supported National Data Repository (NDR) platform as a crucial component in accelerating access to life-saving anti-retroviral treatment to people living with HIV. She insisted that the platform provides near real-time data to allocate resources, recognise suc-

cesses, and identify areas needed for new strategies.

She said this at the Strengthening HIV Field Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Surveillance, and Laboratory Diagnostics project (SHIELD) closeout ceremony, which was funded by the United States government through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and implemented by the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMB)

Nigeria with technical support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The ambassador described the successful completion of the project as an essential milestone in the US government’s collaboration with the Government of Nigeria in HIV epidemic control efforts.

She said: “Over the past two years, it has been a great source of pride for me to witness the successful partnership between our

Sanwo-Olu Pledges Improved Security in Lagos N3m required to kit one police officer, says LSSTF Boss Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday reassured residents of the state that his administration would continue to play the leading role to secure the State.

He said his administration had demonstrated its commitment in the past and would remain resolute in its quest to enhance peace and security, with the support and partnership from people of the State.

Speaking at the 15th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security with the Governor, with the theme: "Reconceptualising Safety and Security in Lagos State," held in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said the state government was pressing ahead with its security trust fund's vision of making the state the safest, most secure and prosperous commercial nerve centre in Africa.

The governor also disclosed that the State Government and the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) with an investment of over N3 billion in security and with the active support of the private sector, procured and deployed security assets for the

use of the Nigeria Police.

He said his administration was committed to programmes, policies and projects targeted at socio-economic development, creation of job opportunities, prosperity and the sustenance of hope in the hearts and lives of people in the state.

Sanwo-Olu, who called for support to collectively tackle cultism, bullying in schools and other social vices, assured the residents that his government, in line with the vision of 21st Century megacity would deliver a call centre that is truly responsive to ensure a Greater Lagos.

He said: “We will continue to train and retrain all enforcement agents of the Lagos State government, while also supporting the federal security agencies to improve their effectiveness.

“We have continued to foster engagements with the various security agencies in the state, demanding that they work together to dislodge criminal elements from our state. These engagements have yielded results as we have developed a mechanism in which

a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic.”

The FDA said it hopes the availability of an injectable PrEP medication will increase uptake in people who are at risk of contracting HIV from sex. In 2020, about one in four of the 1.2 million people for whom PrEP is recommended were prescribed it. Although that is a significant increase from just three per cent in 2015, the FDA said, “there remains significant room for improvement.”

every agency works in synergy with others to improve the state’s security architecture.”

Sanwo-Olu, while appreciating the management of the LSSTF, the Lagos Police Command of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies, commended the generous contributions of donors to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Boards of Trustees (BoT) of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Mr. Kehinde Durosimi-Etti, said the annual security town hall meeting was for security agencies to render an account of their operations and also provide the present administration, the opportunities to share its vision for a safer and more secured Lagos.

Durosimi-Etti, who saluted the commitment of security agents for optimally carrying out their duties, stated that the Fund would continue to play a pivotal role in strengthening the security architecture of the state through partnership and development.

He also implored the private sector and individuals to play their

part by contributing to the LSSTF to ensure that the security agencies in the state are fully equipped so as to respond swiftly to any security breach.

The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, revealed that N3 million was needed to fully and properly kit a police officer.

He said: "The high cost of equipment required for security is a big issue, especially for technology related equipment such as good quality drones, CCTV cameras, trackers, etc.

"Our security agencies require advanced training, more equipment that would support an intelligence-led approach to crime prevention (drones, trackers, scanners at city gates, gunshot detection devices), more non-lethal weaponry.

“To fully kit one policeman with uniform, taser, tactical gear (light, knife, jacket, belt, gloves, shoulder, ankle, and boots), bulletproof vest, ballistic helmet, tear gas, push-totalk on cellular communication equipment, rain gear, etc, will cost

at least N3 million. Hence to kit 33,000 police officers in Lagos will cost about N99 billion. This is our reality if we truly want a highly motivated and fully equipped police force in the state."

On his part, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu confirmed that in the last one year, cases of crime within the state had reduced.

Odumosu, who disclosed that no bank robbery was recorded in the last one year, called on the general public to support the fight against crime and cultism.

He said the Lagos Command would continue to rely on logistics support from Lagos State Government, LSSTF and other stakeholders in order to sustain the current tempo against crimes and criminalities in the State.

Some of the speakers and stakeholders at the 15th Annual Town Hall Meeting with the Governor also commended the Lagos State Government for improving the security architecture in the state and pledged their continuous support to tackle security challenges in Lagos.

governments on the national HIV response,” while attributing the success to the collective contributions and achievements of implementing partners and programmes such as SHIELD. Overall, the US assistance supported more than 90 per cent (1,649,188) of the estimated 1.8 million adults in Nigeria infected with HIV receiving treatment and propels the country to a point where HIV epidemic control is within reach.

The SHIELD project also helped closely monitor the effects of COVID-19 on the HIV response and effectively mitigated its negative impact.

In addition, data from the NDR has been used to develop guiding policies regarding viral suppression, surveillance, and mortality surveillance, which are vital to long-term sustained epidemic control.

The US-CDC awarded the SHIELD project in October 2016, to improve the quality of HIV service delivery by instituting standardised monitoring and evaluation nationally. The project aligns with the PEPFAR 2025 strategy that highlights the need to institutionalise robust, granular, and transparent partner country data systems to manage and monitor the HIV response, disease detection broadly, and outbreak control. The same practices are being adapted for the needs of Nigeria beyond the HIV response to COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks.

The highlight of the closeout ceremony included the launch of products from the SHIELD Project, including the Electronic Medical Records Implementation Guideline, Case-Based Surveillance Guideline & Road Map, NDR Platform, NDR Analytic Database, National Medical Record System (NMRS) Website, and the NAIIS NADA sub-domain.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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TEN SENATE PASSES 2022 BUDGET, TO TRANSMIT SPENDING PLAN TO PRESIDENT TODAY madu Buhari for assent.

Lawan also canvassed for the Senate to stabilise the nation's polity ahead of the 2023 general elections as the Red Chamber prepares to consider the report of the committee on the review of the 1999 constitution upon resumption of plenary in January, 2022.

The passage of the budget during plenary was sequel to the consideration of a report by the Appropriations Committee on the 2022 Appropriations Bill.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Barau Jibrin, said the revenue projection for the 2022 budget was predicated on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework/ Fiscal Strategy Paper approved by the National Assembly.

Barau recalled that the National Assembly had approved 1.88mbpd daily oil production and $62 as against the $57 proposed by the executive arm of government.

He explained that the increase in oil price benchmark was done to reflect the current market value in the international market.

The ranking Senator added that the exchange rate was pegged at N410.15/$1, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projection at 4.2 per cent and inflation rate estimated at 13 percent.

According to him, out of the N17,126,873,917,692 approved, N869,667,187,542 is for statutory transfer; N6,909,849,788,737 for recurrent expenditure; N5,467,403,959,863 for capital expenditure; and N3,879,952,981,550 for debt service.

The Committee in its recommendations stated that additional revenues discovered should be provided to the Works and Housing Ministry for funding of critical projects, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the 2023 General Elections, Defence and the National Population Commission for the 2022 Population Census.

It also added that the N98 billion increase in deficit should be approved to take care of some of the additional requests from the executive arm of government.

A breakdown of recurrent expenditure showed that N61,079,757,342 was budgeted for the Presidency in 2022; N996,09 1,292,618 for Defence; N79,243,483,198 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; N55,796,274,038 for Federal Ministry of Information and Culture; N257,626,461,524 for Ministry of Interior; N7,919,353,247 for Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, and N4,476,854,068 for the Auditor General for the Federation.

While the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs received N518,532,292,470; the Ministry of a communications and Digital Economy got N23,387,996,618; National Security Adviser

– N155,820,2 14,009; the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission – N1,344,674,257; Secretary to the Government of the Federation – N62,575,420,244; Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs – N4,439,614,685; Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – N75,544,228,649, and Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning – N28,604, 104,969.

In addition, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment received N17,966,745,438; Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment – N14,453,726,978; Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation – N49,683,523,165; Federal Ministry of Transport – N15,892,132,819; Federal Ministry of Aviation – N7,692,548,460; Federal Ministry of Power – N6,262,156,943, and Ministry of Petroleum Resources – N30,502,257, 191.

Similarly, N12,038,392,758 was budgeted for the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development; N31,935,604,197 for Federal Ministry of Works and Housing; N870,534,226 for National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission; N456,245,928 for Fiscal Responsibility Commission; N10,669,058,320 for Federal Ministry of Water Resources; N26,761,780,448 for Federal Ministry of Justice, and N11,655,253,717 for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission.

Others are Federal Capital Territory Administration – Nil; Federal Ministry of Niger Delta – N2,569,680,304; Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development – N185,489,102,966; Federal Ministry of Women Affairs – N2,103,758,084; Federal Ministry of Education – N593,473,925,256; Federal Ministry of Health N462,858,698,619; Federal Ministry of Environment – N22,796,647,842; National Population Commission – N8,880,618,082, and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development – N7,669,972,542.

Other Executive bodies such as the Federal Code of Conduct Bureau received N2,343,845,401; Code of Conduct Tribunal – N830,910,644; Federal Character Commission – N3,272,871,999; Federal Civil Service Commission – N1,217,473,478; Police Service Commission – N926,505,919, and Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission – N2,337,230,632.

Also yesterday, the Senate approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the virement of N276,757,232,395 billion to fund expenditures in the 2021 budget.

The approval followed the consideration of a motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi.

In the motion entitled: “2021

Appropriation Virement Proposal", Senator Abdullahi recalled that on Tuesday, 21 December, 2021, the Senate President read a communication from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria requesting for virement of the 2021 Appropriation Act to fund critical expenditure in the 2021 Budget.

He noted also that pursuant to Section 3 of the Appropriation Act 2021, amounts appropriated under the Act could be vired only with the approval the National Assembly.

“Aware that the details of the expenditures proposed for the virement are contained in Schedule 1 hereto attached, while Schedule 2 shows the source of the funds to be vired for the items in Schedule 1; and “Further aware that the 2021 Budget Implementation is faced with challenges that will require additional funding for some critical and urgent Line Items in the Budget,” he explained.

Buhari in his virement request contained in a letter dated December 16, 2021, said the sum of N276,757,232,395 would be sourced from the N365 billion Service Wide Vote for Upscaling of National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

A breakdown of the virement request detailed by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning showed that N199, 129,053,400 was for payment of local contractors’ debts, public service wage adjustment for MDAs, OSSAP SDGs Projects 3 and Group Life Assurance for all MDAs. In addition, N4, 500,821,569 is for the Federal Ministry of Education; N2,335,167,265 for the Nigeria Airforce; N4,617,811,857 for the Ministry of Defence; N25 billion for the National Assembly in settling minimum wage areas of National Assembly Staff and Intervention to settle outstanding liabilities owed local contractors.

Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on November 10, 2021, approved the Draft National Development Plan, 2021-2025, which is the first of the envisaged Medium Term development Plans to implement the Nigeria Agenda 2050. ‘‘The Plan, as a matter of deliberate efforts, is comprehensive and has the capacity not only to accelerate and sustain national development but also the attainment of various Regional and Global Agendas, including the AU Agenda 2063, ECOWAS Agenda 2050 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2030. ‘‘I have no doubt in my mind that with effective and sustained implementation, Nigeria will achieve quantum leap in unlocking its potentials in all sectors of the economy for a sustainable and inclusive national development,’’ the President said at the presentation before the commencement of the weekly FEC meeting.

Commending the Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Leaderships of the National Steering Committee, the

“We have seen the benefits of passing and assenting to the budget in good time, especially when we had to fight COVID-19.

“The consequence of the implementation of the budget in 2021 and 2020 was very clear. For us to come out of the recession that we found ourselves in the previous period, we must have had the fortune of passing the budget and getting Mr. President to sign in time.

“So, we believe that the economy of Nigeria, and Nigerian businesses especially, will continue to benefit from the passage of the appropriation bills in time and the assent by Mr. President, accordingly.

“We wish to make it clear that our desire is to provide legislations for the peace, order and good government of our country.”

Lawan further stated that the Red Chamber would consider the report of the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution as soon as it is presented early next year.

“When we return, we have one major that has not been attended to at all as a chamber, and that is the constitutional amendments.

“Our Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has been doing its work. But as a chamber, we haven’t finished working on it.

“We are expectant that our Committee on the review of the constitution will be presenting the report to this chamber as soon as we resume. The committee has done so much, and the report is almost ready.

“When we harmonise with our colleagues in the House, we should be able to vote on the issues that will particularly bring about peace, unity and good government in our country, before such bill will be sent to the State Houses of Assembly for concurrence,” the Senate President said.

“On the whole, we must thank Almighty God that almost all those

major items we reflected in our legislative agenda as a chamber has been attended to.

“There’s nothing that has been left out, including the review or amendment to our standing orders on how our committees have better and more clearly defined jurisdictions and, of course, how we conduct ourselves here as a chamber.

“And this is because we’ve remained united even in the face of sometimes very difficult issues. We have gone through such difficult moments with dignity and respect for each other, and we have come out even stronger,” he added.

He reminded his colleagues of the role of the Senate as an institution to stabilise the polity, particularly against the backdrop of issues likely to surface ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“Next year, by the grace of God, will be the last lap of our tenure.

So, we have a lot to ensure that we finish all the things that we have penciled down for ourselves and, of course, there are many other issues that from time to time will be coming up in our polity.

“This Senate is supposed to play that role of stabilising the polity in Nigeria.

“And I daresay, that the members of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, is a stabilising institution in the polity of Nigeria.”

Lawan underscored the need for the National Assembly to work with the executive arm of government to provide the needed resources, as well as oversight the use of such funds in the fight against insecurity.

“The killings across the country are so bad, and it is not acceptable to us, but we have to work hard because we are part of government and we are also accountable to the people, for not only protecting their lives and property, but to ensure that they have a life that is worth living.”

ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT: SENATE COWERS, SUSPENDS MOVE TO OVERRIDE BUHARI’S VETO

position Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives said the reasons given by the president for not assenting to the bill were a mere decoy to stop the electronic transmission of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), using direct primaries as a peg.

Former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, went ahead to identify two plausible options currently before the National Assembly. Saraki said the legislature should either veto Buhari’s decline of assent or remove the contentious provisions on direct primaries and send the bill back to the president for his assent.

Some senators had at the end of Tuesday's plenary expressed anger over the president's rejection of the electoral bill, saying they have

BUHARI: NIGERIA REQUIRES N348TRN FOR REALISTIC 5-YEAR NAT'L DEVT PLAN Plan period; generate 21 million full-time jobs; and through an inclusive growth, lift 35 million people out of poverty.

He added that this would set the stage for achieving the government’s target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS). ‘‘This implies that successful implementation of the Plan will require a strong partnership between the public and private sectors. ‘‘In this regard, a Development Plan Implementation Unit headed by the Vice President with the Honourable Minister of State, Budget and National Planning as the Vice-Chair will be established in the Budget and National Planning arm of the Ministry to ensure overall coordination with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies; sub-national governments; Private sector operators and Civil Society Organisations,’’ he said.

The president recalled that the

Others are N20, 038,920,773 for the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA); N762, 678,972 for the Nigeria Correctional Services; N592 million for the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) as financial assistance for the execution of 2021 End of Year Special Patrol Operation.

Also, the sum of N19, 780,778,558 was for funding of the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, and Jos University Teaching Hospital.

The Senate at the end of yesterday's plenary adjourned sitting for the Christmas break till Tuesday, January 18, 2022.

Meanwhile, Lawan, who yesterday disclosed plan by the lawmakers to transmit the appropriation bill to the president today, in his remarks shortly before the chamber proceeded on recess emphasised that the timely assent of the 2022 Appropriation bill would ensure the commencement of its implementation by January next year.

According to him, businesses operating in the country as well as the economy would to be impacted positively by the timely passage of the nation’s budget by the National Assembly.

He said, “For the 2022 Appropriation bill, we are expecting that the bill will be cleaned up between today and tomorrow, and we hope that by tomorrow (Thursday), the bill will be sent to Mr. President for his assent.

“And we are very optimistic that Mr. President will assent to the bill, like he did for 2020 and 2021, so that by January 2022, the implementation of the budget 2022 will commence by the grace of God.

Central Working Group and the Technical Working Groups for the sacrifice and efforts in achieving this milestone, the president stressed that the implementation of the ERGP not only helped the country to exit the 2016 economic recession, but sustained a modest growth until the advent of the recent global economic challenges occasioned by the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

He said: ‘‘The sustained implementation of the ERGP ensured execution of our social investment programmes and improvement in infrastructure across the country. ‘‘In order to ensure a seamless transition and continue the implementation of the policies, programmes and projects of government, it became necessary to prepare a successor Plan to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. ‘‘I on September 9, 2020, therefore, inaugurated the National Steering Committee (NSC), co-chaired by the respected Mr. Atedo Peterside Continued on page 43

secured over 75 signatures ahead of a plan to veto the president at Wednesday's plenary. But the threat was eventually not carried out, as President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, while summarising the outcome of their closed-door session, said the senate would now consult with the House of Representatives on how to respond to Buhari’s letter on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.

According to Lawan, the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) do not permit the upper chamber to exclusively take action on such matters in the absence of the House of Representatives, which had already embarked on vacation. He assured Nigerians that a joint position would be reached with the House after due consultation with the people to determine the appropriate line of action, when both chambers reconvene from the Christmas break in January.

Speaking on what transpired at the executive session, the senate president said, “The senate in a closed session deliberated on matters relevant to the workings of the senate, in particular, and, the National Assembly, in general.

“The senate, also, in the closed session, discussed how to respond to the letter from Mr. President on the electoral bill amendment.

The senate consequently resolved to consult with the House of Representatives in January, when both the senate and House will be in session.

“Presently, the House of Reps has gone on recess and, like we all know, the constitutional provision is for the senate and House of Representatives to jointly take the appropriate action.

“The senate also resolved to consult with our constituents during our recess in January. The senate believes that our constituents have a role to play as the major stakeholders in the laws that we make in the National Assembly.”

However, the leader of the PDP caucus in the House, Hon.

Kingsley Chinda, in a statement yesterday, said the president was actually trying hard to avoid the electronic transmission of results and had used direct primaries as a decoy.

The caucus assured Nigerians that it would ensure that its members exercised their constitutional power to veto the president whenever the matter was tabled for discussion Chinda said, "The untold reason of declining is to avoid the electronic transmission of results, which will improve the credibility of the electoral system.

This refusal, though contemplated, has left Nigerians confounded by a president, who continues to show utter disdain for the constitution and the reform of the institutions of state.

“Under him, our institutions of state have regressed, to the point that the gains of previous institutional reforms embarked on by Our Great Party while in power, have been either lost to his inaction or to his deliberate ploy to leave our country worse than he met it. On this point alone, we are not convinced that he is interested in the reform of the electoral process.

"As an opposition caucus, we will ensure that our members exercise their power under Section 58(5) of the constitution to veto the president whenever the National Assembly deems it fit to table the issue for discussion."

Saraki Identifies Options Before Legislature

Former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, opposed Buhari’s decision to throw out the entire amendments to the electoral bill, saying there are two options before the federal lawmakers.

In a statement, Saraki said the lawmakers could override the president’s decline of assent or remove the contentious provisions on direct primaries and send the bill back to the president for his

assent.

The former senate president stated, “Now that Mr. President has conveyed his decision to decline assent to the Electoral Act [amendment] Bill, I am sure that I speak on behalf of millions of Nigerians in urging the National Assembly to act fast. This is because we cannot sit back and allow one contentious clause to throw away all the positives in the proposed Electoral Act (amendment) Bill.

“At this point, two options are open to the National Assembly.

They either veto the president’s decline of assent or remove the contentious provision on direct primaries and send it back to the president for his assent. Whichever option our legislators choose, can be accomplished in the shortest possible time. We could have a new electoral law in January 2022.

“Anyone that has been following the mood of the nation knows that Nigerians desire to have a new electoral law that will lead to having a credible, free, fair, and peaceful process of electing our leaders. They want a system that will ensure that their votes truly count in the election of those who govern them.

“This proposed electoral law is expected to reassure the youths, many of whom steer clear of the political process, because they have no confidence in the system. They believe the system is usually rigged and compromised. One way to bring this active demography into the political system is to enact a new law that will give them hope in our nation. This Electoral Act [Amendment] Bill serves that purpose.

“This is why, as the representatives of the Nigerian people, the National Assembly must take a decision in the interest of our nation and its long-term democracy. The option of not doing anything after the refusal of the assent by the president is not an option. Our legislators in both chambers of Continued on page 12

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

"MOST YOUTH-FRIENDLY GOVERNOR IN NIGERIA"...

L-R: Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; Enugu State Deputy Director, Power Shift Movement (PSM), Mrs. Onyinye Mamah; National Coordinator, Nonso Nnamani and National Publicity Secretary, Bright Uyiosa Omoruyi, during the conferment of the 'Most Youth-friendly Governor in Nigeria' award on Ugwuanyi by the youth advocacy group, at the Government House, Enugu... yesterday

Ayu Berates APC Governors for Abandoning State Responsibilities for Abuja Politics We changed party leadership to win 2023 polls, says Wike Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, for allegedly abandoning their responsibilities in their states to reside in Abuja for alleged party chairmanship job.

Ayu also alleged that another APC governor hid N19 billion in a bank instead of providing development to his people.

The PDP chairman made the assertions yesterday, while performing the flag-off of the Oyigbo-Okoloma Road in Oyigbo Local Government Area Rivers State.

He said: “I am not only proud

of the governor of Rivers, I am proud of PDP governors. Every PDP governor with the resources base of the state have been trying very hard to make sure that the people get the dividends of democracy.

“The other party, the governors take power as a joke. How on earth can a governor leave his state and become a party chairman and live in Abuja without making any effort to develop his state? I believe such action does not take into recognition the people, who laboured to elect such a governor.

“How can a governor of a state take N19 billion and go and hide in a bank account, in a state where he has not paid salaries? He has not been able to do any positive

UK Court Orders Dubai Ruler to Pay Ex-wife $700m in Divorce Settlement Dike Onwuamaeze with agency report A British court has ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their children close to £550 million pounds ($730 million), in one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history.

A High Court judge said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum must pay 251.5 million pounds to his UK-based sixth wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, and make ongoing payments for their children Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, underpinned by a bank guarantee of 290 million pounds.

According to the Associated Press, the total amount the children receive could be more or less than 290 million pounds, depending on factors including how long they live and whether they reconcile with their father.

The settlement includes 11 million pounds a year to cover security costs for Princess Haya and the children while they are minors.

In a November ruling that

was made public, Judge Philip Moor had said the family needed, “water-tight security," and that “absolutely uniquely,” the main threat to them came from Sheikh Mohammed, rather than outside sources.

Haya, 47, fled to the UK in 2019 and sought custody of her two children through the British courts. The princess, who is the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, said she was “terrified” of her husband, who is alleged to have ordered the forced return to the Gulf emirate of two of his daughters.

The long battle in Britain's family courts has disclosed personal and financial details about the powerful but publicity-shy Gulf royals who are among the world's wealthiest people.

Sheikh Mohammed, 72, is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, and a major horse breeder.

The founder of the successful Godolphin horse-racing stable, he is on friendly terms with Queen Elizabeth II.

development by ways of hospital, road construction or anything. No PDP governor has hidden N19 billion in his account, the little they get, they are busy making effort to develop their areas.”

Ayu, however, said his leadership would ensure that they increased the number of states controlled by the PDP, produce majority membership of the National Assembly and clinch the presidency in 2023.

“The Peoples Democratic Party is prepared to expand its base not

only in control of states, but in control of the National Assembly and ultimately also the return to the villa in Abuja, where we shall put a president of PDP extraction."

Earlier, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike said concerned stakeholders fought for the change of the immediate past national leadership of PDP, because they wanted to reposition the party to win the presidency in 2023.

While maintaining that such change of leadership at the

national level was also to avert a situation of doom for the party, Wike asserted that the party now has good leadership in place to rescue Nigeria from the APC governance.

He urged Ayu to brace up for the task ahead and capitalise on the opportunity he has to effect positive change in the party and return PDP back to the presidency.

The governor, who declared that Rivers people had no other party than the PDP, which is why they would not allow it to die,

said Rivers was among few states in the country that denied the APC a 25 per cent of vote spread during the 2015 and 2019 national elections.

“There is calm in my state about those who want to be governor.

What I have told them is to go and do your consultation, but nobody should go and consult the national chairman, nobody should consult NWC. Do your consultation here, because it is the people here that will vote," he said.

ELECTORAL ACT: SENATE COWERS, SUSPENDS MOVE TO OVERRIDE BUHARI’S VETO the National Assembly and Mr. President must ensure that it becomes a law without delay.”

PDP: APC Scuttling Electoral Reform for Fear of 2023

The leadership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of ruining the Electoral Act Amendment Bill because some key provisions of the bill would not allow them to rig the 2023 general election. PDP said its investigations revealed that the undercurrent was fear of failure at the 2023 general election and the positive implications that the electoral bill would have by guaranteeing electronic transmission of election results.

The opposition party recalled that APC had been in trepidation of the amendment to the Electoral Act due mainly to the provision of electronic transmission of election results, which would completely eliminate manipulations and alteration of results at elections.

A statement by National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said it was apparent that APC and the Buhari presidency were never committed to the amendment of the Electoral Act to ensure credible elections. PDP accused APC of triggering a controversy over the mode of primaries by political parties as a camouflage to scuttle the entire amendment, including provisions for electronic transmission of results.

PDP said, "It is imperative to remind Nigerians of how the APC, in collusion with their leaders in the National Assembly, fought hard

to stop the electronic transmission of results provision in the bill, but were resisted by Nigerians supported by the courageous action of the PDP Caucus in the House of Representatives, which staged a walkout only for the APC to orchestrate controversies and set the stage for the withholding of assent by Mr. President.

"The main reason for this manipulation of the legislative process by the APC is to prevent the electronic transmission of results so that it can continue in its culture of rigging and electoral impunities, including alteration of results at collation, ballot box snatching, destruction of data, among others, just to cling to power against the will of Nigerians.

"Such is consistent with the APC’s well-known machination against every genuine effort to instil credible, transparent, free and fair elections in Nigeria in the last six years. The APC thrives in electoral scam, duplicity, underhand dealings, violence and political brigandage, all in their heinous script to put Nigerians under perpetual bondage."

PDP alleged that APC, having been rejected for its failures and having also self-decimated its structures across the country, had completely lost the capacity and goodwill for electoral contest and as such sought every means to subvert any process that could guarantee credible elections in 2023.

PDP said the subversion of the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill by APC further validated the fact that APC was averse to the aspiration of Nigerians and did not believe in

democratic principles of credible elections.

More Nigerians React…

Meanwhile, Nigerians from all walks of life have continued to react to President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the electoral bill.

A member of the House of Representative, Henry Nwawuba, said he did not see any power tussle at play in the whole situation.

Nwawuba, who spoke yesterday on the Morning Show of ARISE NEWS Channel, said, “It is part of the process that as it goes through the rounds in the House, we expose the law to public dialogue, and then we send it off for access.

The speaker has said when we come back in January, we are going to take another look at the electoral bill, as it is not over yet.”

On the news that almost 80 senators had agreed to override the president, Nwawuba stressed that the bill was in the courts of the National Assembly, which would come together and take the best decision in the interest of Nigeria.

He said, “This is a critical piece of legislation that is contained in our legislative agenda and we are determined to see them through. We are going to deal with the Electoral Act, by the grace of God, when we come back in January.”

A lawyer, Oluwole OsazeUzzi, who also spoke yesterday on the Morning Show, clarified the issue of indirect primaries,

saying each party has the right to choose direct or indirect primaries.

According to Osaze-Uzzi, direct primaries support every member of the political party to vote and choose the candidate for a particular election.

He stated, “There are many good sides of the bill and we must not lose sight of those aspects. There are also some aspects the president did not touch, which some find worrisome. The timelines have been extended for the conduct of primaries for all sorts of steps to be taken as expected by the law.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kunle Adegoke, said on the ARISE Morning Show that political parties were free to determine their internal affairs. Adegoke explained that the recent intervention by the legislature to regulate the affairs of political parties actually stemmed from the fact that the power given to the political parties to regulate their internal affairs had been substantially abused and this has led to a lot of agitation.

Adegoke said, “The National Assembly knows the constitution that we run in Nigeria recognises only the legislature to take a final decision in this regard. We can as well pass the act all over again and the president will have no choice.

We can’t just say we have the power and we are free to exercise it, we must look at all factors that fit the process we are trying to take on.”

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COMMENT

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

UGANDA AND ITS MANY CONFLUENCES Uganda is a confluence of all sort, writes Okello Oculi

U

ganda’s troops taking blazing military guns into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo hit the international media. Its immediate roots lie in the country becoming a confluence between a war in which its troops have, for over a decade, been fighting to block rule by Islamic Jihadists, Al Shabaab, over Somalia.

The Islamic Ugandan group which bombed government buildings in Kampala have roots in Ottoman Turks ruling over Egypt seeking control of the source of River Nile whose waters feed the country’s irrigated agriculture. Sir Samuel Baker recorded barbaric brutalities by Turkish troops against local populations along the river.

Ottoman Turks hired Swiss, Austrian, Italian, British and Nubian mercenaries. Their Nubian contingent was stranded in northern Uganda when a revolutionary war terminated a horrendous exploitation in Sudan’s Gezira plains by Turks. The Nubians coming up the Nile found fellow Muslims from the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean coast who had fought with the Kabaka (king) of Buganda against British invaders.

Muslim converts in Busoga and Buganda went underground during British colonial dictatorship until Idi Amin’s coup became a renaissance. After Amin’s quick fall and flight to Saudi Arabia, his political mentors, the rump of his army took shelter across the border in DRCongo. Historians have remarked that in their conquest from Egypt across Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, Ottoman Turks combined permanent violence against indigenous populations with Lack of Development. That legacy is marking the character of Idi Amin’s rump in eastern Congo.

The source of the Nile, copper deposits in the foothills of Ruwenzori mountains and fertile lands, urged the British to build a railway line from the Indian Ocean coast to Kampala.

The record of nationalist revolution in Sudan made the construction of a railway line from Jinja to Cairo less attractive than one from Kampala to Mombasa. A confluence of a river and railway lines gave Uganda a new importance to Kenya.

In the last three decades trade through Kenya and Uganda to eastern DRCongo has both bloomed and drawn politicians towards extending the membership of the East African Federation to the Atlantic Ocean.

British officials also decided to make Kampala the location of the only oasis of higher education for Africans for her colonies in eastern Africa. European immigrants in Kenya, Tanganyika, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) were not admitted into Makerere – a College of London University. In 1963, Milton

A CONFLUENCE OF A RIVER AND RAILWAY LINES GAVE UGANDA A NEW IMPORTANCE TO KENYA. IN THE LAST THREE DECADES TRADE THROUGH KENYA AND UGANDA TO EASTERN DRCONGO HAS BOTH BLOOMED AND DRAWN POLITICIANS TOWARDS EXTENDING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE EAST AFRICAN FEDERATION TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

Obote’s government admitted 45 undergraduates from Nigeria, a few from Ethiopia and Burundi. Dr Lawrence Ekpebu, a recent PhD graduate from Harvard taught at Makerere under a Rockefeller Foundation scheme for job seekers from top American Universities. Dr. Kenneth Prewitt came from Stanford University under the same scheme.

Uganda paid the price for this academic magnetism.

Euro-American academics in Makerere’s faculty played an active role in doing the research legwork for the military coup that brought Idi Amin to power on January 23, 1971. The late Professor Ali A. Mazrui walked the tight rope of pleasing President Obote and expatriate academics on campus. As Idi Amin became a pal of Muammar Gaddafi, expelled hundreds of thousands of ‘’Asians’’ – including those who were citizens ours of Uganda - this academic platoon fled from Uganda.

The Makerere ‘knowledge oasis’ did survive Idi Amin’s hurricane. Its potential for meeting academic thirst from the vast Southern Sudan to the north, the much vaster DRCongo to the west; the equally vast Tanzania to the South. Under Daniel arap Moi’s repeated shutting down gates of university campuses to students and faculty, parents among educationhungry Kikuyu communities, sent their children to Uganda’s campuses. Private universities sprouted and have flourished.

Conflicts over resources that wracked eastern DRCongo following the fall of President Mobutu Sese Seko, have driven into Uganda millions of refugees. They have confluenced with flows from over 50 years of civil wars in Southern Sudan.

An earlier flow from a massacre in Rwanda from the day of independence brought infant Paul Kagame into Uganda. A policy of treating these human flows not as ‘’refugees’’ but as ‘’Fellow Africans in Need’’ has been an enormous service to Pan-Africanism.

International commendation of this policy legacy has not been matched by injection of resources for the development of this vast human potential. Even the African Union is yet to invest diplomatic capital towards the construction of quality educational structures including technology colleges and a Pan-African Confluence University.

It has been speculated that President Yoweri Museveni’s support for John Garang’s war made it easy for an enemy diplomat to plant the bomb that killed him in a plane crash on his return from Uganda. It wrecked his dream of a united Sudan. Museveni’s support for Laurent Kabila’s war killed Mobutu and his peaceful ‘’ZAIRE’’. So historic a Ugandan confluence.

IN PRAISE OF NED NWOKO Chinelo A. Iwenofu writes of his relationship with Nwoko, lawyer, politician and philanthropist

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n the beginning, Chinedu Munir Nwoko – the enigmatic prince from Idumuje-Ugboko, in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, left a permanent handprint on an era of my life. Once I reunited with him, I realized that despite the length of time we had lost contact with each other, as soon as I spoke to him again and laid eyes on him, it felt as if we were naturally continuing a relationship from where we left off! He certainly trained me well to become a solicitor, I must add.

He taught me from scratch ‘how to manage a law practice’ - and I could never forget him because of that. He did the same with many other lucky young Nigerians, not only in the legal field but also in politics, I gathered. I could safely say that I was one of the few people who was privileged enough to have experienced a part of his journey.

The nostalgia that engulfed my senses when the media became flooded with stories of his current lifestyle, motivated me to make contact again. It was an incredible sensation. Ned Nwoko was still himself, still as charming as ever, but with an extra tinge of matured dignity, comportment and refinement.

One of the most valuable legal techniques I learnt from Ned was how to issue appeals under section 51 at the Royal Courts of Justice, where I became a regular on Stay of Executions and Judicial Reviews. Immigration became my strongest point and it got to the stage where Ned, my boss, promoted me to Head of the Immigration Department, with at least five junior lawyers and paralegals assisting me. We were always ‘on call’ 24/7, ready to attend to newly arrested clients at airports, seaports, and any other immigration holding or detention facilities.

The most memorable experience I gathered through working with him during that period was when I ended up meeting Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles face to face. The Nigerian High Commission had spon-

sored a group of Nigerians, some of us from Ned Nwoko Solicitors, to go for a Commonwealth gathering in Edinburgh, Scotland, naturally attended by some top members of the British royal family. I guess you can’t get any higher than Her Majesty, the Queen of England, and her first son, the Crown Prince! The pictures imprinted in my mind of the cold wintery eventful weekend in Edinburgh and the eventual British royal parade is permanently embedded there.

This article is a basic recollection about a great Nigerian man with a candid personality who has a lot to offer Africa and the world at large; a man who can freely share his experiences and entrepreneurship achievements with anyone who cares to know, and more specifically, can be a highly valued role model to the youth of African descent who are in dire need of a positive focus.

His Malaria Eradication Project Impacts: After a huge gap of well over 20 years during which we had moved on with our respective lives, I made an effort to contact my former boss again. I had bumped into him briefly at a restaurant car park in Abuja in between those years. So much water had passed under the bridge and the constant media attention he was getting prompted me to drop him a message and when he graciously responded a few days later, communication between us started again.

In March 2021, I got myself invited to one of his Abuja houses to discuss a book proposal.

Being in his presence was all so familiar, it was just like old times. In Nigeria, the Ned Nwoko Foundation has been going strong. I was invited by him in April 2021, on World Malaria Day to join their Malaria Awareness Walk from Unity Fountain, Abuja. I attended with my friend, Dr Eleanor Nwadinobi who was not only experienced in malaria advocacy and health activism but also the first Nigerian and current president of the Medical Women International Association (MWIA).

She was invited to talk to the audience about

the intrigues of malaria and she certainly did not disappoint. Deeply impressed, we found it to be quite an occasion, championed by the foundation and supported by many other organisations such as NYSC, the Ministries of Health and Environment, the Malaria Consortium, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Linas International, Project Tourism, Regina Entertainment TV, (owned by his adorable Nollywood actress wife, Regina Daniels), FRSC and the Nigeria Police Force.

The Malaria Walk incorporated his Antarctica Experience project which highlighted a trip he made in January 2020 to the frozen climes of Antarctica, where he went to draw international attention to the malaria scourge in Africa in a rather unique manner, by becoming the first black African to make that journey, and succeeding in installing Nigeria as the 13th country in the world to have placed its flag on that ice peak.

A competition coined: Antarctica Experience had been taking place for months, searching for the most talented young artists in the country.

450 contestants participated and 10 finalists were expected to perform at the grand finale on the day after the Walk at his estate in Life Camp Abuja.

It was an entertaining event. The winner and runners-up were presented with very generous financial gift packages by Ned himself in his characteristic benevolence. I was fascinated by his ability to identify and select a controversial and seemingly incurable disease and proceed to tackle it effectively. The foundation had set up a recycling plant in each local government area to embark on the fumigation and spraying of their respective environments.

Ned had even gone as far as applying for a bill through the National Assembly for the creation of an agency to implement the said plants. The foundation is also involved in some intense research for the development of safe malaria drugs with the endowment of research

grants to five universities in Africa and the implementation of the RTSS Malaria Vaccine in Nigeria, plus sanitation that includes cleaning up the entire country to get rid of mosquito breeding spaces.

And lastly, there are quite a few other adventurous projects that have either been established or are still in incubation, kicked off by forward-looking Ned Nwoko, all in the quest for enhancing the development process in this country.

There is the magnificent Mount Ned Tourist Resort and the Stars University, both located in his Idumuje-Ugboko homeland. Mount Ned is a wondrous tourism resort, encompassing a palatial mansion with a striking mix of African and Arabian architecture and a zoo bearing the rarest collection of wildlife in the country. The proposed Stars University nearby, promises to be iconic as it is modelled to serve as the first sports university in sub-Saharan Africa! Only Ned, ever unique and inimitable can dream this big.

Prince Ned Nwoko appears passionate about saving Nigeria, yet he cannot do it all by himself, so he does what he can whenever God gives him the opportunity. Interestingly, his steadfast determination is one of his strengths that got him to where he is today and is bound to get him to where he wants to be tomorrow.

Challenges and hiccups notwithstanding, I have watched from afar as he has continued to gradually push obstacles aside to get to his goals. His survival instincts are very strong and have been working for him. He does not hide his weaknesses, but his strengths overshadow them, which is a good thing. We must continue to watch his space as he continues to tick the right boxes. We should offer our support where feasible, as most of the projects are beneficial to improving our future.

And I believe that, very soon, his story will be shared across nations and will come across as inspirational and historic. Mark my words!

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EDITORIAL GULF OF GUINEA AND PIRACY PROBLEMS The authorities could do more to curb the menace of the criminals

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n a new United Nations report, “Pirates of the Gulf of Guinea: A Cost Analysis for the Coastal States,” maritime problems on the Nigerian waters have continued despite the best efforts of the current administration. In 2020, according to the report, there were 106 incidents of piracy with 623 seafarers affected by kidnapping with an estimated cost of $1.9 billion. “After considering indirect financial damages and opportunity costs, it becomes clear that the Gulf of Guinea nations have the most to gain from reducing piracy and armed robbery in the region,” the report stated. “The frequency and violence of these attacks have preoccupied navies that could be addressing other maritime security threats, discouraged foreign investment, weakened state control of coastal and offshore areas, slowed the development of the blue economy, emboldened illicit traders and illegal fishers, and terrorised seafarer communities.”

When in August the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), an arm of the International Chamber of Commerce, released APART FROM REDUCING its latest report on THE NUMBER OF VESSELS the state of piracy CALLING AT THE NATION’S in the world for the first half of that year, SEAPORTS DUE TO THE were more FEAR OF ATTACKS, IT HAS there incidents in Nigeria HELPED IN NO SMALL (31) than any other MEASURE TO INCREASE country. The increase THE COST OF DOING of piracy in the Gulf BUSINESS IN NIGERIA of Guinea, according to the report, had led to higher shipping costs since vessels were compelled to insure their crew as well, aside paying for higher security costs. Describing them as “unacceptable”, the Director of IMB, Pottengal Mukundan said reports indicate more violence against ships and crews in the Gulf of Guinea, particularly around Nigeria than anywhere in the world. That emblem of shame should command serious attention.

While there is unanimity among shipping practitioners that sea piracy cannot be totally eradicated,

Letters to the Editor

it is also a fact that with concerted efforts by all the relevant stakeholders, the menace can be minimised in our country. The negative impact on our economy goes beyond oil theft. Apart from reducing the number of vessels calling at the nation’s seaports due to the fear of attacks, it has helped in no small measure to increase the cost of doing business in Nigeria as ship owners and the consignees now charge higher than they do for other countries. The huge costs are eventually passed off in the cost of freight to the final consumer. The high number of lives lost to such crime aside, piracy drives fear into shipping practitioners, especially ship captains and master mariner.

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

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

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

A VIRUS, VACCINATION AND VEXATIONS

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s the novel Corona Virus 2019 ripped through western capitals leaving death and disease in its wake, many Nigerians quaked in their boots. What would happen when it got here, many asked? How would a country and with historic hygiene hurdles cope?

How would a country overflowing with superstitions cope? The predictions were apocalyptic: experts predicted millions of deaths and catastrophic infection rates. The dire predictions saw many clinging to their prayer beads and hope.

With people dropping like flies in Spain and Italy, the virus soon found its way into Africa and then Nigeria. It was brought here by those who having visited affected countries failed to take requisite precautions.

But Nigerians were spared the worst. Although, the virus sent some notable Nigerians to their graves, the infection and mortality rates were comparatively lower than what obtained in some other countries. While the virus did not kill or sicken millions, it wrought long-lasting changes to the way Nigerians lived and did business.

Historically hygiene-lax, Nigerians were forced to sit up and learn frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers. Nigerians also grumbled their way to the use of face masks. Other measures like social distancing and closure of public spaces were obeyed more in breach, especially by many public officers.

The virus also whipped up a potpourri of issues, especially after the country went into a lockdown. Many livelihoods that supported vulnerable Nigerians were wiped out while many families found their resources eviscerated. The virus also exposed just how shallow

hat the cost of this menace to the country is very high is evident. In 2018, the United Nations (UN) Security Council disclosed that Nigeria was losing about $1.5 billion a month due to piracy, armed robbery at sea, smuggling and fuel supply fraud in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG). According to Ambassador Michele J. Sison, the then United States’ Deputy Representative to the UN, piracy in the region could be traced to ineffective governance structures, weak rule of law, precarious legal frameworks and inadequate naval, coast guard, and maritime law enforcement. “The absence of an effective maritime governance system, in particular, hampers freedom of movement in the region, disrupts trade and economic growth, and facilitates environmental crimes,” she said.

Most concerning about this development, according to Jake Longworth of the EOS Risk Group, is the resurgence of ‘petro-piracy’, involving the hijacking of oil tankers. “The return of petro-piracy has been accompanied by an associated increase in the geographical reach of Nigerian pirate gangs, leading to attacks in the waters of Benin and Ghana,” he said. We hope the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will work with other agencies of government and the security apparatus to put necessary measures in place so that the Nigerian territorial waters will not continue to harbour criminals.

public accountability remains in Nigeria, and the vast depths of public anger. The management of funds meant to alleviate the difficulties occasioned by the virus was without transparency. Officials went about distributing palliatives. But many of the recipients were only ghost recipients.

While many were said to have become rich beyond the dreams of avarice from the funds, locations of warehouses holding palliatives soon leaked and Nigerians swarmed. The images will stay long in the memory. From Jos, the Plateau State Capital, to Kubwa and Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory, and a handful of other places around the country, Nigerians fell upon the warehouses with a vengeance, carting away practically everything they could find.

As the virus raged, so did superstitions and skepticism. Many openly questioned its existence. Many branded it a fictitious invention of the West. The religious among Nigerians went as far as resurrecting an age-long feud with science.

Thankfully, the development of vaccines continued at pace. The breakthrough finally came months after the virus cut loose. Vaccines were soon ready and vaccination commenced. Many have since been vaccinated. But many remain skeptical about the provenance and efficacy of the vaccines. So, in Nigeria, many are yet to receive the jab.

Now, with the Omicron variant of the virus in town, it is not just internal vexations that convulse the country. Already, there have been diplomatic spats and tit-for-tat actions by countries reeling from the new variant.

Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.com

WHY BISI AKANDE WROTE MEMOIR

Dear Olusegun Adeniyi, et me start by saying that I really enjoyed reading your article, ‘Akande, Tinubu, Buhari and 2023.’ There have been many articles on Bisi Akande’s book over the last week. Few of the writers had bothered to read the book and even fewer of them showed the depth of thinking that you brought to your writing. Thank you.

Let me now respond to the comment in your opening paragraph that the book was written “to warn, albeit in a subtle manner, that President Muhammadu Buhari (who eulogised Akande at the ceremony) has a responsibility not to renege on a certain political agreement that facilitated his ascension to power in 2015”. I am Chief Akande’s nephew, and I was a member of the family committee that helped him with the writing and publication of the book, and I can say confidently that the 2023 elections played no part in the timeline of the release of the book.

As the author said in the preface, this was a project that started in 2012.

Indeed, he first mentioned the idea to me in 2008. Our committee was set up in 2014 to help choose an editor to help him structure his thoughts and help with editing of his writing. The delay in getting the book to market was because of the failure of the first editor to complete the project and the need to appoint a new editor - Dare Babarinsa - in 2017. The original brief to Babarinsa was to have the book ready for Chief Akande’s 80th birthday in January 2019, but unfortunately many delays, from all sides, meant the book was launched almost three years later.

My point is that essentially the book was written in its current form by 2015, which is where the story ends. Therefore, it cannot be said to have been written in anticipation of events that would happen six years afterwards.

Oyewole Akande

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T H I S D AY ˾THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021

POLITICS

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

Bamidele: Fuel Subsidy No Longer Serves Interest of the People

Gboyega Akinsanmi holds a conversation with Chairman, Southern Senators Forum and Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele. He explains among others, his resolve to contest the 2022 governorship race in Ekiti State, how he survived gunshot

by Providence on June 1, 2018

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bout three and half years ago, you were shot at the flag-off of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s re-election campaign. Immediately you found yourself on the ground, what went through your mind?

It is an event I will not like to discuss without first returning all the glory to God Almighty.

It was a fatal experience. To the extent that I was conscious of what was going on, I was not conscious for too long. To the extent that I was conscious, I found myself between life and death. On the one hand, I faced the realities that it might lead to death in terms of fear that would grip any person in such a situation. I wondered if that indeed was going to be the end of a chapter. On the other hand, I was full of faith and hope that I was not going to die.

However, I did not know how God would do it. That was why I described it as finding myself between life and death. If I were to walk by sight, I had no reason to fear death at that moment.

But by the grace of God, I was able to walk by faith. That was actually what sustained me all through the ordeal. From that moment till today, I could remember being carried from the ground.

I remembered the first shot went through my thigh. That took me to the ground. As I was hitting the ground, the other bullet came right through my stomach. It was a terrible experience.

At every point, I found myself fainting as I was losing blood on the way to the hospital until I became totally unconscious partly because I had then come under the influence of anesthesia.

But all through that I remained conscious, I was full of faith, and that faith really saw me through. There was no time to call for ambulance.

There was no time to get a stretcher or any of those things. I remembered being lifted from the ground. I was thrown into a waiting jeep, which was the official car of His Excellency, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. I could also remember driving through the gate of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. Governor Fayemi tapped me because I was losing consciousness. I could remember telling him: “Your Excellency, I will be fine. I will not die. I will live to declare the glory of the Lord in the land of the living.”

That was the scripture that came to my mind immediately when the incident occurred. It was a wonderful experience. It was a test of faith.

It was also an opportunity to experience the glory of God. After serving Lagos State for more than years, you returned to your home state.

What informed your decision, considering limitless opportunities you had in Lagos?

It is a natural thing. Charity begins at home.

Before I got the opportunities to serve in the Lagos State Executive Council, I spent my early days being relevant as a student leader or as a youth leader, operating more as an Ekiti man everywhere I went, whether in the University of Ife, University of Benin or in Lagos State where I began my career as a lawyer. I also had part of my post-secondary education in Lagos. I attended Baptist Academy, Obanikoro for Higher School Certificate (HSC). At every point, I tried to be relevant in my own little way. Coming to serve as a cabinet member in Lagos State was really what I needed to carve a niche for myself. Again, it was God that made it possible.

I was privileged to be under the tutelage of the most fantastic human being I ever met in my life. He is an unassuming African man and a very dignified Nigerian, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom I did not meet as a governor. I did not even meet him as a politician.

He was one of those who believed in me early enough in life as a young professional. As soon as I came out of the Nigerian Law School, he began to give me briefs. Then, he was not in politics. He was the Treasurer of Exxon-Mobil.

He gave me some briefs to represent his own

Bamidele

mother, Mama Abibat Mogaji, who was then the President-General, Nigerian Market Women and Men Association.

She had a lot of challenges with some factional leaders, struggling with her for leadership. She had a lot of cases in courts.

Tinubu gave me some of these cases to represent her in court. It would take some level of trust to encourage a young man fresh from the law school to be involved at that level. That was one of the things that gave me early exposure to practice in the courtroom. In 1991, we had reasons to be politically involved together. He was aspiring to become the senatorial candidate of our party, Social Democratic Party (SDP). Young men, like me too, felt that I should also aspire to fly their banner for the House of Representatives.

Tinubu and I happened to be within the same senatorial district. It is history today

that I lost my own primary, then Option A4, by one vote. But Tinubu won his own primary. We all worked together for him.

He also won the senatorial election. As soon as he was sworn in, he invited me to work with him as his Special Assistant on Legal Matters. I left my practice behind to join him in Abuja. By the grace of God, we have been together since then. We were together in the National Assembly for the brief period he was there. We ended up in the trenches together. Also, we were together in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). We ended up in exile together. At some point, he came back home to contest election. When he returned home, I was very busy. I had just finished Masters in Law. I moved to New York to write the New York Bar Exam. I passed the exam and got what looked like a clean job for a young professional with the

I laugh sometimes when the opposition leaders criticise the Senate for approving all manners of loan for Mr. President. But they forget that Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Senator Clifford Ordia was elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Senator Ordia means well for the country.

It is not about political party. What we see is different from what most Nigerians see, to be precise. If I were not in the Senate, I probably would see things differently.

But we have the global view. We have the picture of the extent of money the federal government has to spend in terms of expenditure profile. We have clearer picture of the revenue profile. We see how far away we are from realising our revenue target. Each time the request for loans comes to the Senate, part of the question we ask ourselves is: what is the implication of not approving it?

Harvard University Law School Immigration Clinic, where we were providing pro bono legal services, who could not hire their own private attorneys. Ford Foundation provided fund for the programme, and Harvard University Law School was understudying us as the practical part of its curriculum. That is what I was doing when Tinubu became the Governor of Lagos State. After he became governor, he insisted that I should come back home to serve the government and people of Lagos State. Eventually, I agreed to his request to return to Nigeria. I returned in March 2020. I was first appointed Senior Special Assistant on Political and Intergovernmental Relations. Under one year, I was appointed Special Adviser and was seconded to the Office of Deputy Governor, then Mr. Femi Pedro. In 2003, Asiwaju appointed me the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development. I finished the tenure with him till May 29, 2007 when Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) assumed office. Under Fashola, I was reappointed to serve in the State Executive Council, then as the Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

I was in that position until February 2011 when I left to contest federal legislative election. That was the first time I contested election in Ekiti State, not because I could not have contested in Lagos State. I also felt that regardless of how much God has promoted me in life, it is always important that we identify with the yearnings and aspirations of people of our local community, who may need us in such a way we have to forgo our relative comfort zone that we may be operating. It was that feeling that made me go to Ekiti State. It was not because I felt I was the best thing that could happen to Ekiti or because I knew it more than those who were there. It was because I was convinced that I would be a strong addition to the progressives in Ekiti in trying to build the economy and polity of the state and improve on the quality of life of our people. Since February 2011, I have remained consistent in trying to be part and parcel of the politics and life of the people of Ekiti State.

To the glory of God, I have been able to make modest contributions to the growth of the state.

The governorship contest in Ekiti State has started already. Are you contesting again? If you are contesting, are you confident of winning?

Following consultations with God Almighty whom I first sought in trying to take a decision, I have concluded that I will be contesting the next governorship election in Ekiti State. Following meetings with various stakeholders including friends, political associates and party leaders, I have come to this conclusion. This is informed by my own personal policy and conviction that no man owns himself to himself alone. Rather, you own yourself partly to yourself, partly to your family, partly to your extended family, partly to your community and largely to the society.

At the end of it all, you will be accountable to God Almighty, who did not just create any of us without a purpose in life. I have come to a conclusion that I will be contesting the next governorship election in Ekiti State. With this conclusion, I am in talks with various stakeholders. At the fullness to time, I will officially declare my interest to contest governorship election in 2022 and do the needful including picking the nomination forms as prescribed by the party, getting on the field to canvass for votes among party members, who will eventually decide the candidate to fly the flag of our party, All Progressives Congress (APC) in the gubernatorial contest. I am trusting God that at the end of that, I will be in the position to fly the flag of our party in 2022.

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

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POLITICS

Olawepo-Hashim: Since the Second Republic, Nigeria Has Regressed Politically In this conversation with Chuks Okocha, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a one-time presidential candidate and one of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress bares his mind on national issues. Excerpts:

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ecently, the National Secretary of your party, Sen. Akpanudoedeghe said that the National Chairman of your party, All Progressives Congress, will come from the North and the Presidential ticket will go to the South.This is against your aspiration.

Has the party officially announced it?

I ran in the last election as a presidential candidate not just an aspirant. I have not formally declared now but we are looking out to take a very serious position after the national convention of the party. You know that in the constitution of most parties, when it comes to where officers come from and the national convention, you know that it is the the exclusive job of the National Executive Committee not even the National Working Committee or any principal officer of the party or any party for that matter, whether it is Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or whatever party, most of the constitution of parties are similar. I want to take this as a rumour because, to be honest with you, I don’t think that any officer is in a position to zone party offices. This is done by the National Executives Committee.

I have not spoken with the Senator whose name you have mentioned. I am not in a position to confirm that but I can say what I know of party administration and we have a lot of experience in this, that it is going to be decided by the National Executive Committee. That is the organ of the party that has the powers to do so.

Having said that, I do not believe that the Presidency of a country should be exclusively reserved to any particular region. There has never been a time this was done under our democracy. People assume and give various version of history.

In 1999, former President Obasanjo contested for the Presidency under the PDP ticket. We also had contestants like Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and as recent as 2015, when Gen. Buhari was an aspirant, we also had Rochas Okorocha who contested in Lagos and Chief Oyegun was the chairman of the party also from south. If there was any formula that when chairman comes from his region, the Presidential candidate cannot come from same region then Rochas would not have been an aspirant at the convention. But people have different narratives for whatever political objective that they are pursuing. For me, I believe that every Nigerian who is qualified and who is convinced that he is capable of being a good president, should throw his hat into the ring regardless of where the chairman of the party comes from.

If I chose to run after the party’s national convention, I am not going to be limited by where the party chairman comes from. Even if the party chairman comes from my ward, it is not going to stop me from contesting as a president, if I so decide by the grace of God. The first chairman of APC who was also the former governor of Osun state, Chief Bisi Akande written a book which has attracted criticism from many people. What is your opinion?

I have not gone through the book. I will not be able to make far-reaching comments on that book except there are specific areas of national importance you want me to comment on from that book.

Looking at the Presidential ticket of your party, it looks like the party has conceded it to the South-west and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be specific Senator Tinubu is qualified to run for presidency just like every other person from any zone. If he decides to run, he will first of all be an aspirant. I have been a candidate of a party before and I know what it takes to go round the country. He is qualified but it doesn’t have to be based on the fact that he is from the South-west.

If you look at it from that angle, then it may work against him more than for him because President Obasanjo is from the South-west. He was the president for eight years. The current Vice President is from the South-west. He is doing eight years in an executive position. This should not be an argument for South-west presidency.

It disqualifies the South-west, it does not qualify

First Republic was more advanced than this and it is such a shame that people who think that they are educated with professorial degrees and what have you are the same people talking that it is the turn of ‘A’ or the turn of ‘B’ and journalists with PhDs, some of them Masters are the one writing these, essayists at the back of national newspapers and all that. This is not what this country was in the First Republic.

In the First Republic, Azikiwe will go to the South-west and control quite a number of seats in the parliament and somebody who is a Muslim from North could come to Benue, and contest at the State House in a predominantly Christian state. I believe that we have degenerated politically in Nigeria and despite the claim of education by most people who make public commentary, unfortunately their reasoning is far below those who didn’t have as much education in the First Republic.

Olawepo-Hashim

the South-west. What qualities Tinubu will be his personal story, his vision and the people of the country will have to decide.

At the end of the day, every party will go for their primary, the APC will go for its primary and every body who is qualified will show reasons why he should be considered. I don’t see any special reason the South-west will have it, just for being South-west or anybody for that matter.

Anybody that wants to become President should just come out and start campaigning if he is qualified, he is entitled to be President just like any other Nigerian citizen who is a member of the APC. The national convention of the party will decide as it did in Lagos in 2015. Nobody was precluded in 2015 from contesting, Rochas Okorocha contested. If Tinubu had wanted to contest at that time, nothing would have stopped him from contesting.

The North-west has taken much; we had late President Yar’adua, we have President Muhammadu Buhari, we had late President Shehu Shagari, the same thing with the South-west.

Do you not think that South-east and North-central has been more marginalised in governance?

Every zone has a right to contest the

presidency. You can make a strong case for North-central and South-east; that these zones have not produced anyone in the executive realm in this political dispensation. I have a stand on this issue.

To be honest with you, I have said it time without number that the President I am looking to see is the President that will see the whole Nigeria as his constituency.

A true Nigerian President that will unite the country, secure the country and bring propserity to the country.

In the US, Bush Senior was President and within eight years, the son of the same Bush became President in America. They also have their own issues, affirmative issues and what have you. Who says that we have not gotten to that stage. I want to tell you that Nigeria is regressing now.

In the First Republic, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was President and Jaja Wachukwu was the Speaker and nobody was complaining about that and most of the security chiefs were from the South. Nobody complained about that because everybody was looking at Nigeria as one country and all that. I will say that we have regressed as a country politically.

Where did we go wrong?

The politics that we played even in the

Every zone has a right to contest the presidency.

You can make a strong case for North-central and South-east; that these zones have not produced anyone in the executive realm in this political dispensation. I have a stand on this issue. To be honest with you, I have said it time without number that the President I am looking to see is the President that will see the whole Nigeria as his constituency. A true Nigerian President that will unite the country, secure the country and bring propserity to the country

Christmas is around the corner, non-state actors have taken over the security of this country. Recently, the governor of Sokoto state was calling for a state of emergency on security in the state. Are you worried about the care free attitude of our leaders.

I think we have spoken considerably on this issue of security but anyone who has blood flowing through his veins will be moved by all these killings. We should rather focus on the solution rather than bemoaning the problems.

One of the things that I have advocated for a long time is decentralization of the police. This is the medium term solution to this problem. Let states and local governments take care of some aspects of policing at their own level. This will give us a situation whereby the governor should not be appealing to the central government to help it deal with some simple security issues as we have in most federalism.

A lot of people have raised concerns that even this can be abused by state governors and what have you. I believe that once we are able to achieve some level of decentralization and democratisation of the institutions of state at the state level, whererby the legislature and judiciary at that level enjoy some level of independence, then we have checks and balances on the use of force at that level, some of the fears that people have would have been addressed if the powers of the governors over local security are wileded with a lot of accountability to the state institutions that are envisaged to be a bit more independent. The federal government needs to do something quick to stabilize the situation. There is no doubt about that, but what is sustainable is to decentralize policing.

The President has declined to sign the electoral bill, meaning the country will fall back on the old electoral act for future elections. What’s your take?

You were here in 1999, the PDP conducted all its primary apart from presidential primary through direct primary. The governors were elected in 1999 based on direct primary, so we are not talking of something that we did not do before. It was only the presidential candidate that was chosen through indirect primary, every other position up to governorship was through direct primary in 1999. Option A4 system was direct primary right up to the presidential election under the NEC. I don’t know why anybody should be afraid of this because they are making it look like something that we have never done before, something coming from Mars, there is nothing wrong with direct primary. It shouldn’t be be a problem. Direct primary or indirect primary should not create a situation where some segments of political parties should be confronting each other. I believe that itt should not bring any confrontation between the executive and legislature or governors and the legislature.

APC wants democracy, APC wants to consolidate democracy and you have seen the way elections have gone progressively well, you saw what happened in Edo, you saw what happened in Anambra and these reporting system of results were followed in those elections. So I do not think that there is any policy of the APC that is against direct primary or anything.

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FEATURES

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

When the Doctor is Just a Truck Away Vanessa Obioha reports on how MTN Nigeria Foundation intervention in the healthcare sector is helping underserved communities to access and accept primary healthcare services

MTN Y’ello Doctor trucks

A

ccess to primary healthcare remains a challenge for most local communities in Nigeria. In Lagos State for instance, with an estimated population of 20 million, some areas are difficult to reach and are marked as difficult terrain, riverine areas or slums. These areas have little or no access to healthcare compared to the urban areas where it is easily accessible. Even as the health sector confronts the myriad of challenges ranging from infrastructure deficiency to shortage of personnel, primary healthcare centres which are relatively domiciled in grassroots areas are not widely accepted by locals.

The perception that healthcare can only be accessed by the rich still pervades most of these communities such that even if a healthcare facility is close to their doorstep, they are reluctant to accept the services. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see many rely on self-medication or ignore medical treatment.

It is against this backdrop that MTN Nigeria Foundation launched its medical outreach programme called MTN Y’ello Doctor which is targeted at underserved communities. The initiative provides primary healthcare services to women and children in communities using state-of-the-art mobile clinic trucks.

“We recognise that health is also an economic issue. A lot of people do not go to the hospital because they cannot afford it. And it’s also an education issue, so the project is about closing the last mile. We diagnose you, however, we take up the burden of you having to buy your medication,” said the Executive Secretary of MTN Foundation Odunayo Sanya.

Partnering with state governments and health ministries, the programme was rolled out in 2014 with six mobile clinic trucks in communities across six states. They are Abia, Ogun, Delta, Taraba, Niger and Katsina.

States are usually selected based on existing data from the Ministry of Health, the National Bureau of Statistics and some economic data.

Coloured yellow, the trucks are adequately equipped with doctor and nurse stations as well as a pharmacy. They are stationed in areas where the poor can easily access them such as the marketplace. Each mobile clinic has at least six medical professionals to render medical services for free such as the treatment of malaria and pneumonia and other common ailments. They also screen patients for tuberculosis, blood pressure, diabetes and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) as well as give referrals to secondary facilities. And with the ongoing pandemic, vaccinations have been added to their services.

A patient gets tested inside MTN mobile clinic Since its inception, the Foundation has had three phases with the third phase kicking off last November. The first two phases which ran from 2014 to 2018 had benefited over 710,000 individuals nationwide. According to the Foundation’s statistics, a total of 611,405 individuals were reached with health messages and 97,844 patients were treated for various ailments.

However, in 2019, the Foundation paused the initiative to restrategise and by 2020, when the pandemic kicked in, the initiative was delayed to this year. For the third phase, the mobile clinic trucks were sent to Gombe, Lagos, Anambra, Kano, Kwara and Rivers. Gombe recently received its mobile clinic truck which will cover the 11 local government areas of the state.

In partnership with Market Doctors, a team of medical professionals who take affordable healthcare to the doorstep of Nigerians with minimal disturbance to their economic activities, the mobile clinic trucks will visit selected communities, mostly on their market days to offer their medical services.

The Chief Executive Officer of Market Doctors, Yetunde Oyalowo explained that the marketplace is a natural habitat to many in the rural areas.

“What we do is that we take healthcare to the people where they are, using the market as our focal point because the market is very unique. People come there to buy, sell, compare prices, buses pass through the market so there’s hardly any Nigerian that doesn’t have anything to do in the market. So we feel that if we take health care to the markets, people will be able to access it in their natural habitat.”

Most times, the people are so fascinated by the trucks that they approach the market doctors just to get a peek at the inside of the truck.

While the intervention is providing free

healthcare services for all, it primarily focuses on maternal and child health.

As Oyalowo puts it, getting expecting mothers to access healthcare on time ensures safe delivery.

“When they don’t access care when they get pregnant, they are likely not to have a safe delivery. That’s one of the things the Y’ello Doctor will address; to ensure that when people get pregnant, they can come to the truck and get antenatal care without going to the hospital. It encourages them to visit the hospital eventually.”

Sanya added that a lot of advocacy around HIV and contraception will be carried out in this phase.

“We recognise that it will be a big issue for us because, in 2050, our population is going to be huge. So it’s good to also complement all this effort with an awareness so that people understand that they have within them almost a natural power to live a good life by watching the number of children that they have.”

Apart from making healthcare accessible, the MTN Y’ello Doctor initiative has helped identify prevalent diseases in regions across the country. For instance, during the first two phases, it was discovered that malaria was common in the north and south regions. It was the most diagnosed in Ogun State while respiratory tract infection was prevalent in Abia and Delta States as well as in some of the northern states. Diarrhoea and hypertension were found to be rampant in states such as Niger and Katsina.

With these findings, the Foundation can work with health ministries to seek solutions to eradicate these diseases. As pointed out by the Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr Ore Finnih–Awokoya, the intervention is a laudable one as it helps the state reach the underserved in inaccessible areas.

She emphasized the need to develop and

Healthcare has to be affordable, available, and culturally acceptable. People tend to look at healthcare from afar, like it is for the educated people, that it is very expensive. But when you go to the market, you have come to their natural habitat

implement a sustainable and effective approach in improving healthcare outcomes of people living in hard-to-reach riverine areas while strengthening access to healthcare to those areas as it constitutes a biosecurity threat.

“It could lead to increases in diseases and what this means is that as people gather more and more and push more and more into the environment, they come closer to animals.

When there is no space, people live in closer proximity with animals and diseases from animals spread. So, epidemics and pandemics ensue as well as increases in communicable diseases like cholera, Lassa fever, and this causes a decline in the working population, and time is spent sick, leading to a reduction in the working population and ultimately decrease in the IGR and subsequent GDP. It could lead to disharmony and anarchy as when many people die in a place, there is a crisis.”

For the Commissioner of Health in Kwara State, Raji Abdulrazaq, Y’ello Doctor is in line with the vision of the state government which is to take healthcare to the doorstep of residents as a way of entrenching democracy to the people.

Although lauded for its level of impact, the numbers reached are still a trickle compared to the over 200 million people that make up the country. Only one-sixth of the 36 states in Nigeria access these services in each phase.

This limitation is not lost on Sanya who said that the Foundation is doing its best to ensure that each state enjoys free medical services. However, the most daunting challenge is changing the mindset of the people.

“Based on data from the previous phases, people just don’t believe in going to the clinics.

But you know that something is wrong but they don’t come up. So that’s the other huge challenge but there’s a lot of education ongoing here.”

“Healthcare has to be affordable, available, and culturally acceptable. People tend to look at healthcare from afar, like it is for the educated people, that it is very expensive.

But when you go to the market, you have come to their natural habitat. Then they can easily approach you and ask questions about the health services. So we are making it acceptable, that’s the barrier we are trying to break,” added Oyalowo. t5IJT TUPSZ IBT CFFO TVQQPSUFE CZ /JHFSJB )FBMUI 8BUDI UISPVHI UIF 4PMVUJPOT +PVSOBMJTN /FUXPSL B OPOQSPmU PSHBOJTBUJPO EFEJDBUFE UP SJHPSPVT BOE DPNQFMMJOH SFQPSUJOH BCPVU SFTQPOTFT UP TPDJBM QSPCMFNT TPMVUJPOTKPVSOBMJTN PSH

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

23

#THISISNIGERIA

Abiodun Komolafe

NIGERIA, HARD TIMES & CACOPHONOUS TUNES

F

ellow Nigerians, if reports emanating from the grapevine are anything to go by, then, interesting times beckon in 2022.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Nigerian government is expected to fully remove the “unsustainable and economically disingenuous” fuel and electricity subsidies next year. In simple terms, the dreaded full deregulation of the oil and power sectors will most likely take effect next year, to pave the way for “market-based”, “cost-reflective” pricing mechanisms. However, the government is said to be ‘forgivingly’ planning a “well-targeted” N5,000-a-month social intervention scheme to cushion the biting effects of poverty on about 40 million vulnerable Nigerians.

So far, so excruciating! But, from the look of things, it’s like Nigerians ain’t seen nothing yet, given the prevailing socio-economic conditions in the country. Why did I say so? Well, despite the troubling status of Nigeria’s economy, with many Nigerians becoming dangerously poor – the poor remaining poor; or, getting poorer – it is important to note that a certain bloc in the Nigerian power elite still holds the notion that Nigeria’s economy has not only recovered from recession but it is also improving quite remarkably.

Like children born into homes with certain privileges, King Herod and Pontius Pilate became friends and the country is in turmoil. In the view of this privileged clique, statistical indices are all we need to proclaim a healthy economy. Hence, some of them are always quick to heap the blame of the food scarcity currently ravaging Africa’s largest economy on the doorstep of insecurity while the soaring prices of goods and services are blamed on the activities of smugglers.

In a recent edition of ‘Axios’, an American news website, Felix Salmon and Hans Nichols berated Joe Biden’s administration’s use of positive economic indicators to demonstrate signs of strength in the American economy. Echoing the

THE WILL concerns of the broad population of ‘God’s own country’, “who are yet to be convinced”, Salmon and Nichols urged President Biden not “to worry about the economy” but “about what Americans think of the economy.” After all, “consumers don’t live by data points.”

Compendiously, people’s experiential knowledge of the reality and dynamics of the economy is what really counts.

Sociological imagination mimics reality and gives an interpretive understanding of the norms and values of a given society or civilisation. In Southwest Nigeria, for example, there is a general belief, which is cosmic to the people. It is the belief in a better tomorrow. In the same vein, society believes in communal togetherness; thus, has developed copious coping mechanisms that help to stabilise the society.

Coincidentally, governments, over the years, have capitalized on this belief; and, have encouraged a laissez-faire attitude on the part of the government towards responsive, good, and accountable governance. To most public servants, the people will not revolt unless instigated by disgruntled elements in the society. This means people should just be muddling through without demanding accountability.

When Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang that Nigerians were ‘suffering and smiling’, the late Afrobeats king sang like a man who saw tomorrow! Tragically, the society in which he lived had woven a stigma of ‘unseriousness’ around him. Even among the intelligentsia, Fela was seen as one unrepentant, recalcitrant, noisome pestilence, who was only out to rebel against the government for whatever reason.

So, most people did not understand or take him seriously! But, years after the man is gone, Nigerians are beginning to understand the philosophical worth of his songs. Unfortunately, Fela’s songs are as relevant today as they

were at the time he sang them, which is also a shame! In saner climes, ‘Abami Eda’ would have been celebrated for possessing enough courage to sing about the state of the nation notwithstanding whose ox was gored. But, ours is a different country, where people of his ilk are not honoured!

Looking at the issues dispassionately, it will not be out of place to conclude that the mismanagement and, consequently, the misfortune of the national economy has, by default, impacted negatively on the federating states. The unbridled national corruption over the years is now crying aloud for reckoning.

Evidently, things, indeed, are no longer at ease!

In this part of the country, refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of cooking gas now attracts N9,000.00.

Barely a year ago, it was N3,200.00. Around this time last year, a 25kg keg of palm oil went for less than N8,000.00. Now, a 5kg keg of the same product goes for N5,500.00. A measure of gari, which used to cost N100.00 in our very recent past, has now gone up to as much as N400.00.

Ditto for a bag of rice, which has jumped from N7,300.00 in 2015 to N29,000.00! Even a bag of sachet water, aka ‘pure water’, which sold for N100.00 in 2020, now costs N200.00.

Rumours even had it that the current retail price per litre of premium motor spirit (PMS) would no longer stand at N162.00; it’s eyeing between N380.00 to N408.00. Amidst these, monthly wages are not increasing. Many states are not paying even the old rates. So, how will an average man cope?

Yes, governments, on paper, always appear as having good intentions; but intentions are not reality. Take for instance: despite the avalanche of churned policies, it is difficult to decipher the way the national government is headed towards solving the myriads of problems currently confronting our country. Terrorism in the North East!

Banditry and abductions in other parts of the country! National economic downturn! Investment drought! Criminally scandalous exchange rates; and so many falsehoods being spread, even by the government itself, amid emerging reality. Truth be told, the government appears overwhelmed!

Sad that our democracy has been so reshaped that votes no longer count. Instead, guns and allied violence do the counting; even the collation of results. Announcing the winners is a different ballgame entirely. Interestingly, the configuration of the Nigerian society, as of today, is different from those they lied to, decades ago. The sad reality is that the ends are no longer meeting! The symbolic retrogression is that even those who are now saddled with the power of legitimately providing direction have been fenced out of reality.

What’s more? The nature of corruption in Nigeria impoverishes the mass of the people. Of course, when the falcons can no longer hear the falconers, the gravity of the resultant katakata can only be imagined. Is it any wonder we hear all kinds of problems daily? In any case, wasn’t that one of the factors that gave birth to the #EndSARS campaign?

All said, there needs to be a culture of making the government accountable to the people. It is different from protests. Making the government accountable will curb corruption, improve governance and enhance mass political participation.

When the citizens are interested in how they are being governed, the space for corruption and allied criminalities become narrowed. But, if a budget is passed, allocations are distributed, and contracts are messed up, what is left to contend with will be mere noise-making which can only be likened to advice after injury.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria! t,PNPMBGF XSJUFT GSPN *KFCV +FTB 0TVO 4UBUF

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

25

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

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

08056356325

D E C E M B E R

S & P INDEX

2 2 , 2 0 2 1

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OBB

14.00%

CALL

4%

INDEX LEVEL

565.29%

1/4 TO DATE

6.06%

N412.08/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

14.50%

1-MONTH

6%

1-DAY

–0.11%

YEAR TO DATE

– 15.66%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.41%

Experts Calls for Expansion of Nigeria’s Energy Mix to Enhance Economic Growth

Emma Okonji Electrical and Electronic engineers, under the auspices of the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE), have called for the expansion of Nigeria’s energy mix, into an all encompassing energy mix that will drive faster economic growth across sectors.

The institute is worried that Nigeria has coal and hydro power resources in abundance but chose to concentrate on oil and gas with

hydro as her only energy mix, thus abandoning coal and small hydro plants, which its members said was a wrong choice of energy mix on the part of the federal government. The engineers insisted that such choice has kept the country behind her contemporaries like Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Malaysia, China and India, in energy generation, transmission and distribution in rural and urban areas.

NIEEE made the call during its 10th Fellowship Conferment

Ceremony, which held in Abuja, as a hybrid forum, with the theme: “Expansion of the Energy Mix for National Economic Growth-The Nigeria Experience.

The National Chairman/ Chairman-in-Council of NIEEE, Kings Adeyemi, in his opening remarks, called on the federal government to expand the country’s energy mix for grater economic growth.

“From 2015 to 2020, NIEEE has conferred 127 Fellows on its members, while 83 professionals

were conferred with fellowship status in 2021 alone. The Fellowship status of the institute is the highest honour given to those that have demonstrated wealth of experience, commitment and contribution to the advancement of electrical engineering practice in the country.

The objective of the Fellowship Awards is to honour achievements and inspire future innovations, and recognition of professional legends for their significant contributions to the achievement of electrical/

electronics engineering practice and the economy,” Adeyemi said.

The keynote speaker, Prof.

Christopher Ahiakwo, from the Faculty of Engineering, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, identified several energy resources that Nigeria has, which comprise of coal, gas, oil, large hydro, solar, wind, small hydro and biomass.

He therefore stressed that harnessing them with proper energy mix would improve electric power accessibility, create job opportunities,

accelerate economic development and reduce over dependent on importation of goods and services.

In his lead paper presentation, Ahiakwo proposed energy mix of 20 per cent for renewables such as solar, wind, biomass and small hydro and 80 per cent for non- renewables such as mainly fossil and large hydro-power to achieve electricity accessibility from 75 per cent to 90 per cent by 2030.

Continued on page 28

Analyst Tasks APCON on Price-fixing Behaviour in Advertising Ma r k e t Raheem Akingbolu Few days to the official adoption of the Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP), an Economist and founder of ValueFronteria, a business data-backed research institute, Prof.

Martin Ike-Muonso, has urged the Advertising Practitioners Council of

Nigeria (APCON) to bend backwards and reconsider “the dangerous steps it is taking in these early stages by interfering in the free functioning of the market,” In a special review of the advertising spending across various platforms in the last few years and the likely consequence of Price-Fixing

Behaviour in the Nigerian Advertising Market due to the new APCON’s regulatory stance, Prof. Ike-Muonso, though admitted that the industry will do much better ‘ceteris paribus’, if it follows through with some of the measures APCON has put in place but observed that for this outcome expectation to be a thorough reality, the

regulator may need to pay attention to three elements in the AISOP document.

According to his review, which was made available to THISDAY, these three factors include; the horizontal price-fixing of pitch fee, which he claimed has enormous anti-competition and market shrinking consequences.

Another concern raised was the double

charging of advertisers using a system of a primary pitch fee and a secondary rejection fee which when combined in a single transaction over bloat advertising transaction costs. Finally the expert also expressed his worry over APCON’s planned interference in the setting up of the terms and conditions defining contracts between

market participants.

“To demonstrate the damaging effects of the horizontal price-fixing behaviour in the advertising industry, we have used a simple model that captures the overcharging size at the primary pitch fee level. The model Continued on page 26

ATA AASS AT AT WWEEDDNNEESSDDAY, AY,DAEUCGE UMSBTE R 1 12, 22, 022012 MMAARRKKEETT DDATA ONNDDSS FFGGNN BBO DESCRIPTION 11.668 FGNSB 9.091 FGNSB 15-AUG-2021 11-DEC-2021 10.301 FGNSB 13.402 16-AUG-2021 12-DEC-2021 11.150 FGNSB 7.144 FGNSB 11-SEP-2021 15-JAN-2022 12.364 FGNSB 13.125 12-SEP-2021 16-JAN-2022 12.175 FGNSB 16.39 27-JAN10-OCT-2021 2022

BILLS

OTC FX F U T U R E S

100.09 100.28

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Change Change (%) (%) 0.00

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AUG29 252021 2021 421.18 420.93 NGUS DEC

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DEC 27 29 2022 2021 426.89 426.73 NGUS APR

CCPs Ps MATURITY

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MREP CP XXXI MTNN IV 1713-AUG-21 DEC-21 UNCPCP CPIIII 27FDHC 17AUG-21 DEC-21 VAAGCP CPIII 27PARP 30AUG-21 DEC-21 TTNG CP IIXVI 31CMBL AUG-21 7-JAN-22 SIBPCP CPII102-SEPCTIL 21 JAN-22

9.02 7.31

9.03 7.32

0.00 0.00

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

ANALYST TASKS APCON ON PRICE-FIXING BEHAVIOUR IN ADVERTISING MARKET

shows, albeit retrospectively, what the magnitude of damage would have been to the volume of above-the-line advertising expenditure in the last seven years if this policy was in operation.

The review also touched on the Media Monitoring Services data and performances since 2014, which showed that the total above the line [ATL] expenditure exceeded N100 billion in 2020. “The closest it was to this reference line in the past seven years was in 2015. The ATL advertising expenditure that year was approximately N97.9 billion.

It, however, dropped consistently afterwards, to N79.9 billion in 2019.

See figure 1.

Perhaps, the troubling half-a-decade persistent decline in the volume of ATL advertising expenditure might have contributed to the regulator’s

decision to inject morsels of market sanitizing measures to improve its efficiency. Second, it is pretty evident from the data that the potentials of the advertising industry are sub-optimized and goes back to justify the recent actions of the regulator,” He gave a consideration of the breakdown of media channels, which shows that the television medium remains dominant and accounts for more than 50% of the expenditure in 2020. The average share of the TV channel in the overall ATL expenditure was approximately 37% until 2019. The sudden jump to 52% in 2020 was perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic that seems to have considerably improved people’s choice of television more than radio, outdoor advertising and the press.

Under a subheading ‘Advertising, national economic growth and

diversification’ the expert stated that through its expansion of consumer choices, advertising pushes the frontiers of aggregate demand and production in an economy. “But this role is reciprocally reinforcing as economic growth propels further advertising activities. The exact process leads to economic diversification when the advertising industry becomes more competitive and innovative. Enhanced competition and consequently innovation and growth drive down advertising costs and prices, leading to the increased consumption of advertising services.

That is one of the areas where the regulator steps in. Its role in this process beyond the regulation of fraudulent and deceptive messages is to promote better functioning of the market. This expectation is inconsistent with every regulatory

attempt to tamper with the market determination of prices and contractual understanding between participants in the market,” While looking at the simplified model of damages caused by pricefixing,Ike-Muonso said “Economists, development experts and competition specialists have long recognized the destructive impacts of price-fixing in the market. To demonstrate this, we asked a fundamental question: how much damage to the ATL advertising spend since 2014 would have taken place if APCON implemented the currently suggested horizontal pricefixing arrangement over those years.

To conduct this simplified estimation, we collected data on the average pitch fees paid by the twenty largest firms across five sectors since 2013. These prices constitute our reference prices or pitch fees.

The core of the estimation is to determine the size of the overcharge, which is essentially the difference between the paid fee minus the reference fee. This difference is then multiplied by the quantity demanded. For simplicity and to determine the effect on the size of advert spend, we assumed that each billion Naira of spending an advert is equal to 500 units of advertising service consumed. To keep the model as simple as possible, we refrained from calculating the deadweight effects based on the consumer surplus and the added adverse impact of double charging.

Table 2 summarises the minimum damage size done to ATL advertising services consumption,” He also pointed out that if the N2 million pitch fee were in effect in 2014, the ATL segment of the industry

would have lost N58.1 billion in damaged value. The damage size would also have been N67 billion in 2020. It would have also been N13.4 billion if the pitch fee was N1 million in the same year. Imagine the size of these Naira losses if we include APCON’s recommended double charge for pitch rejection in this simplistic model.

In driving home his point, he explained that regulators in all progressive societies and markets consider this infringement retrogressive. “On the contrary, the focus is on ensuring that the market system enjoys tremendous data availability for quick and robust decision-making by the participants in the marketplace. This market promoting route is the pathway that we suggest the regulator urgently takes,” he stated.

Report Identifies MTN, Airtel as Top Viable Telecoms Companies in Nigeria Nosa Alekhuogie MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (MTNN) and Airtel Africa Plc (AIRTELAFRI) has topped the list of most viable telecommunication companies in Nigeria, according to a recent report by MERISTEM Securities Limited, a member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Titled: ‘Nigerian Telecommunications Sector Update’, the report explained that the value per share was put at N203.09k for MTNN and N1,213.41 for AIRTELAFRI. Recording a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent in 2020, MTN Nigeria has retained the lead telecommunication company as it recorded a ground breaking increase of 23.65 per cent in it’s revenue gathered at the end of the third quarter of 2021, the report said. It added that the sum was gathered across the company’s entire business chain with revenue from it’s voice calls, data, financial technology services and digital services respectively.

The South African brand whose entrant into the Nigerian

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

Communications industry in 2001 with the license to operate as the first GSM 900MHz and GSM 1,800MHz licenses, has maintained it’s leadership position by taking advantage of opportunities in the financial services sector with the birth of the Mobile Money (MoMo) platform and consolidating it’s internet broadband lead with over 69.20 per cent 4G network coverage across Nigeria making it the Mobile Network Operator with the highest 4G subscriber base in the Nigerian

Telecommunications industry.

Airtel Africa Plc’s (AIRTELAFRI) annual customer growth rate of 9.84% which raised the number of users from 76.73 million in 2016 to 122.70 million in 2021 has put the company as a brand to watch in the telecommunications industry, the report said.

With it’s business spanning fourteen African countries in East, Central and West Africa, the firm is the second largest telecommunication company in Africa. Having 81.80 per

cent of its sites in Nigeria presently on 4G, Airtel is the Telco with the highest 4G coverage in the country, according to the report.

Airtel’s ‘Win with’ business growth model aims to deliver value in its products and to customers by strengthening its distribution network and enhancing customer experience, through simplified Know Your Customer (KYC) process.

With investment spanning voice, data and digital services, Airtel’s stake in the Payment

Service Bank (PSB) sector with it’s contemporary, MTN, is in line with federal government decision to create a more inclusive banking economy to accommodate Africa’s largest economic group- small and medium scale enterprises.

The license, which was granted to the Telcos in August 2020 is expected to improve the scope of telecommunications giants to accommodate Nigeria’s teeming population which had a huge propensity of carrying bulk cash

around.

According to the report, the diversification of the telcos’ operations into the Fintech industry, improved their financial status by 4.17 per cent year on year and 11.40 per cent to total revenue from 3.32 per cent and 9.97 per cent in the last one year of it’s operation.

The projections for brands according to MERISTEM, is that the telcos hold immense financial prospects as deduced from it’s financial track record in recent years.

Ventures Platform Secures First Close of $40m Pan-African Fund Emma Okonji

Ventures Platform, the early-stage discovery venture capital fund, championing the next generation of African entrepreneurs, has announced the first close of its new $40 million Pan-African, early-stage fund to invest in market-creating innovations.

With the close led by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), the new fund features participation from existing investors and some new leading names across Africa’s corporate and tech ecosystems, including UAC Nigeria, VFD Group, Gbenga Oyebode, Shola Akinlade (Paystack),

and global investors like; Michael Seibel (Y Combinator) and Adam Draper, a second close of the fund is due to take place in early 2022 and will feature investment from select global Institutional Investors and Development Financial Institutions (DFI’s).

Building upon its stellar reputation as one of the most active early-stage investors in African tech, Ventures Platform will significantly deepen its long-standing presence in Nigeria and West Africa while also investing in select opportunities in East, North and Francophone Africa that have the potential to expand into West Africa’s key markets.

The fund’s latest capital injection

also firmly positions it to double down on existing investments in its category-leading portfolio via subsequent rounds.

Since its launch in 2016, Ventures Platform has acted as a key partner and conduit for international funds and stakeholders seeking a reliable and experienced partner to do business in Africa. With on the ground presence on the continent and its experience with corporate partnerships, talent, growth, regulation and operations, the new fund introduces the benefit of strong local participation and strengthens Ventures Platform’s ability to institutionalise its track record of collaborating with investors

from North America, Europe and Asia, who need a reliable partner to work alongside when investing in the African technology space.

As part of a move to further deepen its expertise, Ventures Platform has also onboarded leading figures across African tech as Venture Partners, including; Seni Sulyman (ex-VP at Andela, ex-COO at Bellhop, Founder at Black Ops.) Founder and General Partner at Ventures Platform, Kola Aina, said: “Over the last six years, we’ve backed close to 70 of Africa’s most compelling tech companies, building a robust portfolio which has featured one of the largest exits our sector witnessed to date

through Paystack last year. As the incredible momentum in African tech continues to build, it’s attracting unprecedented attention globally amongst traditional and institutional investors, and we’re delighted to welcome aboard some world-class, strategic stakeholders to our fund.”

“As operators ourselves, we know what it takes to build a successful business on the continent, and we have spent years partnering with visionary founders effectively tackling some of Africa’s hardest problems - now is the time to go even further.

We are fully maximising our deep expertise navigating the nuances of the African market, and as we move ahead,” Aina said.

NCC, SMEDAN Collaborate on Digital Scheme for SMEs Emma Okonji The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has partnered the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to establish an SME Digital Academy.

The SME Digital Academy is a public-private partnership initiative being driven by the NCC, SMEDAN, and Sapphital Learning Limited, a leading digital learning platform, essentially to provide micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) owners with digital skills to enhance their entrepreneurial skills.

The partnership also aims to equip entrepreneurs and start-ups with the necessary digital skills required to navigate the increasingly digitised world.

Speaking at the launch, which took place at the NEXIM House in Abuja recently, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the setting up of the scheme was based on the realisation that in today’s global economy, a borderless educational and economic system would be the next stage of the digital economy.

Represented at the launch by the NCC’s Director, Digital Economy,

Dr. Austin Nwaulune, the NCC boss noted that, while the collaboration between the NCC and SMEDAN was a step towards economic diversification, digital technologies were key in the implementation of this initiative.

He said the NCC had continued to work towards providing information and communications technology (ICT) support to various sectors in the country. He noted that with over 41 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria, proper empowerment of entrepreneurs would create an extremely-powerful impacts on

the nation’s economic growth.

Danbatta said SMEs’ empowerment would also help in providing employment, lessening societal vices, developing the economy, increasing foreign exchange as well as improving the general well-being of Nigerians.

Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of SMEDAN, Dr. Dikko Radda, who was represented by the Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion at the agency, Moses Ewans, expressed delight at the partnership with the NCC, and declared that over 41.5 million MSME were domiciled in

Nigeria.

Citing a recent survey, Radda noted that the entrepreneurs had contributed 49.78 per cent The Group Chief Executive Officer, Sapphital Learning Limited, Amu Ogbeide, in his opening remarks, said his company was excited to be working with SMEDAN on the ongoing efforts to empower entrepreneurs and start-ups in the country. He also said through working with SMEDAN, Sapphital had been instrumental to the digitisation of SMEDAN’s entrepreneurial digital literacy journey.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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E-BUSINESS

Sustaining Women Involvement in the Technology Sector Nosa Alekhuogie in this report writes about the increasing involvement of young women in the technology space and their resilience in competing with their male counterparts

D

espite the rapid growth in Nigeria’s technology sector, only very few women have the opportunity to participate as founders/owners or employees of technology businesses.

As such, bridging the gap between male and female participation in the technology sector remains a huge challenge for the stakeholders.

However, in recent times, there has been increase in the involvement of females in the technology space.

WOMEN’S INVOLVEMENT Regardless of the disparity in accessing opportunities, women are beginning to create innovations and to spearhead change through technology in their immediate environments.

Gradually, things are changing as younger women are showing interest in the sector.

As the world is constantly changing to meet new demands of modernisation, technocrats have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of human life. From seamless methods of paying for goods and services, to delivery of the same goods across a wide range of industries, with the pandemic, the use of technology has also created a boisterous new world online for connecting people to their loved ones, facilitating trade and serving as a tool to keep people connected to their religious affiliations. The traditional definition of work, which was previously tied to particular locations have become more flexible to accommodate remote workers. With companies like Google (Alphabet), Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft leading the pace as the top five largest technology stock in the world, all owned by males, female tech founders have been trailing the path by contributing their skills to making the world better.

The task of bridging the gender gap and

sustaining female participation in the tech space has become a subject of formal discourse.

A recent study of Women in Technology

by Price Waterhouse Coppers (PwC), showed that only 16 per cent of females at pre-university level have had tech careers suggested to them with only 3 per cent originally intending to pursue careers in technology.

According to the TrustRadius 2021 Women in Tech Report, 72 per cent of women in tech

SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH TECH

capacity to contribute to the world progress from revitalising small and medium scale businesses in Nigeria using digital technologies and innovation to deliver creative solutions to different problems to creating an avenue to ensure visibility for artisans in Kenya and opening platforms for investment and also, tightening the noose around food wastage in America

With the disproportionate number of women in the tech space around the world, the female gender has shown tremendous

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

say they are outnumbered by men 2-to-1 or more; 26 per cent (more than a fourth).

As technology continues to dictate the pathway for the future of work and life, the need for a more inclusive participation of the female gender has become imminent.

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

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INTERVIEW

‘Internet Penetration, Digital Adoption Key to African Tech Innovation’ Executive Director of AfriLabs, Anna Ekeledo, speaks on the need for African government to deepen internet penetration in order to drive digital adoption, and about what AfriLabs is doing to promote technology hubs in Africa, Nigeria inclusive. Emma Okonji presents the excerpts: brought regular income. Despite these challenges, we leveraged the power of technology in driving inclusion and participation for all stakeholders. During the pandemic, we adopted a virtual and hybrid approach for most of our activities including our workshops and Annual Gathering, which was held in Abuja, Nigeria. We also saw an increased uptake in tech solutions such as Healthtech, EdTech, Logistics tech and e-Commerce. In addition, we rolled out programmes such as EdTech and COVID Action, which involved identifying innovative solutions to tackle the effects of COVID-19. We had to leverage local scouts within our community to directly interact with communities and innovators in rural areas. We also saw firsthand the importance of technology access to every segment of the African population and this has increased our drive to prioritise advocating for technology inclusion and affordable accessible broadband connectivity.

Tell us about AfriLabs and its operations across Africa since its inception? friLabs is a network organisation that supports the growth of technology hubs and their community to raise high potential entrepreneurs that will stimulate economic growth and social development in Africa. Founded in 2011 with five hubs across four African countries, we have grown exponentially in the last 10 years, and currently stand at over 300 member hubs across 51 African countries. These hubs serve as centres that provide support to African entrepreneurs, innovators, developers and youths, by providing physical co-working and dedicated office space, training, business, legal and financial support, helping to raise successful entrepreneurs that will create jobs and develop innovative solutions to African problems. At AfriLabs, we envision a thriving innovation economy in Africa, driven by the power of our community and we achieve this through capacity building, financing, networking, policy advocacy, and providing insightful, reliable data.

A

How will you describe the growth of the African tech ecosystem in the last 10 years, and how has AfriLabs impacted that growth?

As you know, the African tech ecosystem has witnessed increased levels of growth in the past few years and the continued rise of internet penetration and digital adoption in Africa has ushered in an impressive boom of innovation across the continent.

Sectors such as trade, e-commerce, banking/finance, communications, health and more are few of the areas that have been highly impacted by technology and innovation. However, this growth did not happen in a vacuum. It is largely attributed to the innovation community, particularly tech/innovation hubs who have played a crucial role in nurturing successful entrepreneurial systems. These hubs provide them with access to funding, capacity building, networking and knowledge sharing. Looking back to the 90s and early 2000s, only few would have associated sub-Saharan Africa with technological innovation due to the continent’s increased level of infrastructural deficit, low knowledge transfer and lack of an enabling environment for innovators to thrive. However, the emergence of support systems like AfriLabs have been pivotal to the growth of a thriving and inspiring innovation economy in Africa.

What are the key benefits that innovation hubs offer in raising high potential entrepreneurs?

Technology and innovation hubs within the AfriLabs network provide convening spaces for innovators, entrepreneurs, developers and start-ups to come together to create, innovate and collaborate with other stakeholders such as corporates, development agencies, government and investors to achieve their goals of building innovative products and businesses.

They also provide incubation and acceleration support services, including product development, business, legal, financial and operations support. Hubs also link start-ups to a larger network of investors, mentors and links to markets.

AfriLabs has over 300 member hubs across 51 African countries, that’s some sensational growth from five hubs across four countries in 2011. What would you say have been the key factors driving this growth?

I would say three key factors have influenced this growth, including community, value and impact. In terms of community, we are very strong on community building and we are a family at AfriLabs. In addition, we constantly work with and for our hub members and their community members to create and deliver value to them. Finally, we are impact driven and focus on not only supporting hubs directly but also on taking a multistakeholder approach to build and impact the African continent through the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

Tell us about some milestones you have been able to accomplish both within the organisation and as an individual?

In the past five years, I have successfully established

Ekeledo the AfriLabs Secretariat (HQ) in Abuja Nigeria and built a strong team in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. As an organisation, we have grown significantly from 5 hubs across four countries in 2011 to 40 hubs across 20 African countries in 2016, to 320 hubs across over 51 African countries and the Diaspora, with a broader community of over one million entrepreneurs, innovators, developers and creatives. Every year since 2016, we have also consistently held the largest gathering of the innovation players, with a different African location hosting each year.

These gatherings have been previously held in Ghana, Egypt, Tanzania, Ethiopia in partnership with the African Union and this year in Nigeria, where we celebrated our 10th anniversary. As an organisation and a community, we have actively worked with other groups to influence policies across Africa.

Building on our consistent support to hubs through Capacity building activities and programmes with strong partners, we’ve recently launched the AfriLabs Hub Academy, which will host the first of its kind Hub Management Curriculum with content, toolkits and other forms of resources for African hubs. Developed

by Africans and co-certified by a top African institution, Strathmore University in Kenya and AfriLabs. Finally, we just launched the African Union Digital and Innovation Fellowship Programme, supported by GIZ and implemented

by AfriLabs, a Fellowship focused on identifying tech fellows across Africa and deploying them to various African Union organs. Over the years, we’ve celebrated collaborations and long term agreements with development and multilateral and organisations the African Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UNDP Accelerator Labs, the Nigerian, Kenyan and Ghanaian National Hub Networks, GIZ and the African Union.

Technology hubs and tech start-ups in

Nigeria and in most African countries, lack the necessary funding for expansion. How will AfriLabs address such challenges?

We understand the importance of funding for a more sustainable African Startup Ecosystem and collaborate with like-minded bodies to provide funding for our network and their community. A recent initiative we are super proud of is Catalytic Africa, a joint initiative by the African Business Angel Network (ABAN) which is a matching fund for African startups, with an innovative model that will significantly increase the amount of investment that goes into African startups, increase the number of angel investors investing, increase the support system for startups through hubs and provide data for better decision making by hubs, startups, investors and institutional investors.This pool serves as a matching or co-investment fund to encourage investment in viable AfriLabs-affiliated start-ups by verified angel investors. The success of this initiative will lead to a hive of advantages including more African start-ups that are better funded and are better monitored; Hubs that are able to attract and retain quality start-ups and a viable hub sustainability model; Angel investors who are able to invest in a larger portfolio, de-risked significantly by the monitoring and reporting from the hubs; Better visibility, transparency and objective impact reporting for the funders and Overall stronger, more sustainable African startup ecosystem.

What are some of the challenges you have faced during this pandemic and what lessons would you say you have learnt going forward?

During the pandemic, we had to redesign most of our planned activities that involve physical engagements with our community members across Africa. In 2020, we canceled all our physical workshops and our planned annual gathering and made it all virtual. Our community members also suffered economic losses from a loss of clients and physical activities, which

Gender inequality prevails in Africa in the acquisition of technology skills. What could be done to address the imbalance?

We need to invest in more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and startups owned and headed by women and provide them with the right capacity building, mentorship and market opportunities. As society grows its digital economy, it is critical that we position women to be successful within this economy.

This includes creating access and opportunity for girls to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) study and career pathways and encouraging and expecting girls to join the STEM workforce. First, through the education system, we need to get all girls in school. Also, STEM subjects should be compulsory in the early years of primary and first half of secondary school. Schools also need to show the range of opportunities available by deliberately infusing stories of women’s contributions in the STEM fields and how it benefits girls to pursue advanced coursework in this area. This helps students see themselves in such fields and gives them a chance to find the right fit for themselves.

In few words, how will you describe Anna Ekeledo?

Anna is the Executive Director of AfriLabs, a Network Organisation of over 300 technology innovation hubs spread across 49 African countries; leading AfriLabs to develop programmes and building partnerships that support African innovation hubs and other stakeholders to raise high potential entrepreneurs that stimulus economic growth and social development in Africa.

Anna is an International Speaker, Trainer, Innovation Ecosystem Builder and Mentor. She is also an advisor; among several advisory roles; a member of the Advisory Board at African Europe Innovation Partnership, an initiative supported by the European Commission, she also chairs the Working Party on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Negotiations, eCommerce Forum Africa (EFA) and is a mentor on Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa for Entrepreneurs.

She is the Regional Innovation Lead Africa, at the EdTech Hub – the world’s largest education technology research and innovation project which seeks to drive research and adoption of evidencebased education technology in developing countries supported by the World Bank, FCDO and Bill and Melinda Gates.

Prior to joining AfriLabs, Anna was involved in pioneering various impact-driven projects and new business units with organisations such as the Visiola Foundation, Wild Fusion Digital Centre, Google, Lagos Business School – Nigeria and Ingenico – a French global financial technology company.

Anna is a member of the Africa-Europe Foundation Digital Strategy Task Force, she is also engaged at a High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation working group AU-EU Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

Anna has a first-class degree in Psychology from Covenant University, Nigeria and an M.Sc. International Marketing Management from Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, UK.

EXPERTS CALLS FOR EXPANSION OF NIGERIA’S ENERGY MIX TO ENHANCE ECONOMIC GROWTH This development if attained, will foster economic growth, improve social and commercial activities of the nation, Ahiakwo said, adding that economic growth of a nation depends on the country’s access to adequate supply and consumption of energy.

Speaking on the importance of energy to a nation, Ahiakwo said: “Energy stimulates economic growth of any nation. It determines the standard of living of a

country. Energy availability and consumption increases gross domestic product (GDP) of a nation. It increases industrial, commercial and social activities of a nation, while, non-availability of it or restricted access reduces economic growth. This eventually leads to lack of infrastructural development and decay. Most poor countries are either having restricted access to energy or lack of proper management of their

energy resources.”

Ahiakwo who listed the challenges associated with energy generation, transmission and distribution in Nigeria, said in the area of power generation, “Nigeria is faced with inadequate and obsolete facilities in the system as well as insufficient funding for maintenance and procurement of equipment.”

In the area of transmission, he said: “The Nigerian power

transmission lines are weak and obsolete. Network coverage is very limited and many rural communities are not covered by the network. Some of the rural communities are fed from scheme known as rural electrification scheme which is outside the national grid system.”

In the area of distribution and marketing, Ahiakwo said: “Most service transformers and feeder pillars are very old and have

their fuse compartment bridged permanently with metal conductor in place of fuses. Some of the distribution lines are sagged beyond permissible limits and are almost getting to the reach of man.”

He however said improving on electricity would require strong policy on energy mix, and suggested the need for government to incorporat coal and renewables like solar, wind, small hydro and

bio-mass to the power generation mix of the nation.

He also said states with potential in hydro, solar, wind or biomass should be encouraged to develop them, while states with oil and gas should also be encouraged to develop small thermal plants and inject them to the national grid.

He advised that government’s approvals for energy installation facilities in urban areas should include installation of solar panels.

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NEWS

FairMoney to Enhance Financial Inclusion with Agency Banking Emma Okonji FairMoney Microfinance Bank, which recently scaled up its operations from a lending app platform to a Microfinance Bank, has lined up its activities for 2022, which include developing its agent banking platform to deepen financial inclusion across the country.

FairMoney, which recently obtained license to operate as Microfinance Bank, said it would be partnering with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on data gathering and usage, and would also grow its agent banking platform to serve the underserved and unserved in the financial sector by next year.

Co-Founder/CEO, FairMoney, Mr. Laurin Hainy, who disclosed the information during a media briefing in Lagos recently, said: “FairMoney is positioned to support our customers across their various financial service needs even as we work to maintain our current position as the leading digital bank in Nigeria. Our mission has always

been to serve the needs of as many Nigerians as possible.

Our approach to doing this involves providing millions of Nigerians with loans and capital to meet their immediate needs and in some cases, to grow their businesses, and so far, we have disbursed over N117 billion loans since inception.”

Stemmed from a burning desire to bridge the lag between developing African countries Nigeria inclusive, and the new age of banking enjoyed in developed countries, FairMoney was founded with an overarching vision to be the leading digital bank driving financial inclusion for the average Nigerian.

According to Hainy, “With a strategy premised on catering to the majority, FairMoney was birthed to cater to the predominant needs of the Nigerian market, small and medium scale enterprises, through quick and seamless loans. Following this strategy over the past four years of operation, FairMoney MFB has grown its customer base to over 5 million users, and 2 million bank accounts

by relentlessly positioning as the New Bank for the masses.”

Hainy further said: “Our goal ultimately is to use technology to bank the 60 million Nigerians currently excluded from the financial ecosystem. We have also introduced secure and innovative technology processes to improve our lending operations, as well as a strong privacy protection policy, and a comprehensive loan collection policy which has been successfully deployed in the last four years.”

With millions benefiting from it’s numerous financial services and features, FairMoney has finely niched a reputation as a leading driver for financial inclusion in Nigeria through its strong lending service offerings which avails customers the opportunity to secure loans without collateral in as little as five minutes, free debit cards and free inter-bank transfers to continually support SMEs and MSMEs by alleviating common expenses issued by traditional banks through account maintenance charges.

Rack Centre’s Data Centre Expansion Gets Recognition

Nosa Alekhuogie

Rack Centre, a carrier neutral data centre colocation provider in West Africa, has emerged the winner at the Data Centre Dynamics (DCD) global award, the first for the Middle East and Africa Data Centre Development Award category.

The recognition was accorded to its LGS1 data centre doubling expansion project at its Lagos, Nigeria Campus, further serving cloud providers, content providers, and enterprise customers with expansion to 1.5 MW of IT load, the largest and most connected carrier neutral in

data centre colocation provider in West Africa..

The award winning LGS1 data centre expansion project, offers the most comprehensive interconnection and peering platform with its ecosystem of over 40 carriers, ISP and Content Delivery networks.

It provides two redundant, independent, and diverse meet-me rooms, three fibre entry routes into the facility and an open access mast for connectivity providers and customer connectivity resiliency.

The DCD judges selected Rack Centre LGS1 capacity doubling project over other entrants in the

Middle East and Africa naming the project as the largest carrier neutral data centre deployment in West Africa.

The DCD, attesting to the complexity involved in construction and completion of the expansion of the LGS1, said Rack Centre had within the Middle East and Africa regions, “pushed the boundaries of design and construction in the context of specific local requirements and challenges, hence the decision to give the ‘Data Centre Development Award’ to Rack Centre LGS1, West Africa’s largest Carrier Neutral Data Centre.”

Nigeria Gets First Country Chief Data Officer Ambassador Emma Okonji With the recent hosting of the first International Country Chief Data Officer (CDO) Ambassador Symposium in Nigeria, by the Institute of Information Management (IIM) Africa in Abuja recently, Nigeria has gotten its first CDO Ambassador.

The CEO of IIM, Dr. Oyedokun Oyewole, becomes Nigeria’s first country Chief Data Officer Ambassador.

The MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality Symposium (MIT CDOIQ), now in its 15th year, is one of the key events where attendees along with government and academia share best practices, experiences and exchange cutting edge ideas, content and discussions.

MIT CDOIQ Symposium

Co-Director, Robert Lutton, said: “The Country Chief Data Officers Ambassador Program is created to empower Ambassadors in each country and help them to build, champion and be the voice of data to the C Suite and data community.”

It was created by three founding organisations that share the same goal of advancing knowledge and accelerating the adoption of the role of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) in all industries across the geographical countries. They include: CDOIQ, the International Society of Chief Data Officers and the CDO Magazine According to Lutton, “In establishing the Country CDO Ambassador program, we define the following purpose and mission: To enrich the global

community with the Country CDO Ambassador successes. To develop a champion of the region, who facilitates a bi-directional communication between Country CDO Ambassadors and their community, providing a vehicle for promoting successes, and providing education, while mobilising efforts for the community. The CDO Ambassador strengthens local community ties, serving as the focal point and providing support, assistance and guidance to each other when needed. Also to collaborate with academic, business, and government as well as partners. To leverage all knowledge from all sources and to celebrate successes, and achievement of community members, where everyone can be recognised.”

Zinox Boss Donates N50m to NCS Innovation Fund Emma Okonji Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh has donated the sum of N50 million to the Innovation and Development Fund if the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS).

Ekeh had announced the donation on behalf of Zinox during the 2021 National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA), which held at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos in November.

The N50 million cheque was presented recently at the corporate

headquarters of Zinox located in Gbagada, Lagos.

Ekeh was honored in 2011 with the pioneer IT Personality award of the association for his incisive entrepreneurship and positive disruption in the tech sector.

The Innovation and Development Fund, set up by the NCS, the umbrella organisation of all Information Technology professionals, interest groups and stakeholders in Nigeria, is geared at creating the muchneeded resources and backing to support research and innovation

in Information Technology.

Furthermore, the fund, which was officially launched at the NITMA awards, is to aid start-ups in transforming their ideas into working systems for national development. Speaking while announcing his donation, Ekeh, Chief Launcher at the event, commended the Executive Council of the NCS for birthing the idea of an innovation hub that would incubate start-ups and foster the spirit of creative genius which abounds in Nigeria’s increasingly tech-focused youths.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 23, 2021

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Delta Health Insurance as Model for Nigeria While it is taking ‘forever’ for the Nigerian government and most of the states, including its richest - Lagos, Kano and Rivers - to produce seamless health insurance schemes for their people, there appears to be a glimmer of hope in Delta with its consistent increase in universal health coverage to residents. Martins Ifijeh writes

Dr. Ben Nkechika

S

ixteen years after the Nigerian government launched its flagship universal health programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the country is still grappling with selling the idea to its 215 million citizens, resulting in the abysmally low number of persons it has so far enrolled into health coverage.

For clarity, the number of its enrollees have been on the decline since 10 years ago when it reached its peak of 5.6 million Nigerians. Some stakeholders believed as at today, not up to two million Nigerians are currently enrolled into the scheme across the nation; a figure that suggests that only about one per cent of the entire population are under the federal government’s health insurance coverage.

As a form of salvage, some states have at different times, established their own health insurance programmes. Although most states have not established any, majority of those who have launched theirs, are unfortunately battling with workable models that would ensure their residents benefit from health coverage under an insurance arrangement.

A study published in The Lancet, a medical journal, noted that more than 90 per cent of the Nigerian population do not have health insurance; meaning they pay out of pocket for their healthcare irrespective of whether they can afford it or not. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said all countries should have Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

According to reports, only a little over 10 million Nigerians are benefitting from health insurance either through NHIS, state governments or private organisations.

However, within this figure, not less than 1,019,461 are under the Delta State Contributory Health Scheme (DSCHC) alone, while the remaining nine million are scattered across NHIS, states and private organisations.

Of the over one million beneficiaries from Delta, 832,964 persons are Equity Health enrollees, 172,418 are Formal Health Plan enrollees, while 14,079 are Informal Health Plan enrollees. It is believed that beyond the enrollments, the state has moved past planning and consolidation phase of health insurance, and now on continuity phase of health insurance provision.

It is in ensuring that the Delta model is sustained, copied and implemented across the country that the DSCHC and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in a policy dialogue session held in Delta State recently, came up with a draft that highlights financial and programmatic steps towards extending reforms in health insurance arrangements at the sub-national level and its multiplier effects on wellbeing of Nigerians.

Speaking during the policy dialogue, the Director General, DSCHC, Dr. Ben Nkechika believes the state has made progress in health insurance because it developed a strategy that was bringing better outcomes, adding that political will from Governor Ifeanyi Okowa played.

He said DSCHC strategically engaged with all sectors, including formal, Informal, among others.

“For instance, we engaged labour at the conceptualisation stage of the scheme. Several meetings were held with

their leaders and at one such meeting; we got to know of their interest and ensured it was accommodated in our planning processes. Thus, labour got involved in our planning and made valuable input and when we were ready to start, resistance was low.

“The only resistance we got was their fear for quality of healthcare service delivery from government hospitals, which we overcame by enlisting their choice private hospitals into the scheme and enhancement of government hospital service delivery capacity.

“In view of that, UNICEF has taken interest in the achievements of the commission, done a research review on it, and most of our service delivery processes are comparable to safe delivery processes of other notable countries that have achieved universal health coverage. So, with that mindset, we know what has happened in Rwanda, Malaysia, the Philippines and other countries that have achieved universal health coverage,” he said.

Nkechika, who is a Harvard University trained health financing expert, said the state was continuously engaging the informal sector groups through their trade unions, cooperative societies, town unions, and premium payment incentives.

Adding that “lack of trust in service delivery from the local healthcare facilities and the assumed narrative

UNICEF has seen that Delta State is on a good pathway and a good trajectory towards achieving universal health coverage by the year 2030

that paying upfront for healthcare equates to wanting healthcare challenges, has been found to be among the reasons for informal sector unwillingness to pay for health insurance. We are tackling this by the day.

Nkechika said one of the strategy was that the programme was not only mandatory, but that it came with incentives and sanctions for non-compliance as well. “We also ensure we earmark public funds to pay premium for those unable to pay and a commensurate revitalisation of quality primary healthcare service across the board.”

He noted the workable systems and processes were what prompted the UNICEF to collaborate with it, adding that other nations, including Rwanda have at some point visited the state to share knowledge.

“UNICEF has seen that Delta State is on a good pathway and a good trajectory towards achieving universal health coverage by the year 2030. So, with that we came up with a position paper. UNICEF felt that before they take on the position paper as a model for expanding versatile universal health coverage in Nigeria that it was good they bring in expert policy makers, private sector, service providers under one roof to review, critique and analyse it,” he added.

The Chief Economic Advisor to the Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Dr. Kingsley Emu, emphasised the consequences of a bad health sector on a country, noting that Primary Health Care (PHC) was the most accessible healthcare in Delta State.

Emu called for a strong private sector partnership, noting that the government cannot do it alone. He encouraged religious leaders to be involved and invest in human capital development and that every single Nigerian must have access to PHC. Founding partner, Health Systems Consult Limited, Dr. Nkata Chukwu, who was present virtually, said it was time states, as well as the federal government look at health insurance that can be sold to the people.

T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 23, 2021

35

NEWS

New Report on COVID-19 in Africa Shows Willingness to get Vaccinated Yinka Olatunbosun As the Omicron variant puts Africa in the fourth wave of the $07*% QBOEFNJD B OFX SFTFBSDI GSPN UIF 1BSUOFSTIJQ GPS &WJEFODF #BTFE 3FTQPOTF UP $07*% 1&3$ JOEJDBUFT UIBU an increasing number of people JO "GSJDBO 6OJPO .FNCFS 4UBUFT are willing to get vaccinated.

"DSPTT DPVOUSJFT QFS DFOU PG QFPQMF TVSWFZFE CZ 1&3$ indicated that they had been or were willing to get vaccinated. %FTQJUF UIFJS XJMMJOHOFTT UP HFU WBDDJOBUFE MFTT UIBO PG the African continent has been WBDDJOBUFE BT BU /PWFNCFS This gap between acceptance and coverage demonstrates a substantial unmet need and underscores the importance of consistent and predictable vaccine supply as well as increased support for vaccination programs in Africa.

5IF MBUFTU 1&3$ SFQPSU DPOTJEers why global vaccination efforts have been plagued by inequity, as well as the logistical challenges to vaccinating the African continent.

The report further outlines the continued importance of preventive measures—particularly individual measures such as masking and social distancing—that minimize the social or economic harm that can occur when mobility, economic and social gathering restrictions are imposed.

“We must work urgently toward equitable access to safe and effective vaccines on the "GSJDBO DPOUJOFOU u TBJE %S +PIO /LFOHBTPOH %JSFDUPS PG UIF "GSJDB $FOUSF GPS %JTFBTF $POUSPM BOE 1SFWFOUJPO i5IF 1&3$ EBUB TIPX UIBU EFNBOE for vaccines is substantially higher than supply.”

"U QFS DFOU WBDDJOF BDceptance was higher than in the QSFWJPVT 1&3$ TVSWFZ àFMEFE

FBSMJFS UIJT ZFBS XIJDI may indicate the success of risk communication campaigns. In five surveyed countries—Guinea, Morocco, Mozambique, Tunisia and Zimbabwe—acceptance was QFS DFOU PS IJHIFS 7BDDJOF BDDFQUBODF XBT IJHI among both those who trusted their government’s pandemic response and those who felt $07*% QPTFE B QFSTPOBM risk to them or to their country.

Such high acceptance contradicts media reports suggesting that low vaccination rates across Africa are due to hesitancy.

Among the 20 per cent of respondents who expressed vaccine hesitancy, the top reasons were: low risk perception (24 QFS DFOU OPU IBWJOH FOPVHI information about vaccines (22 QFS DFOU BOE MBDL PG USVTU JO HPWFSONFOU QFS DFOU

The reasons for low risk perception are complex, but officials can take concrete action to address them by providing better informaUJPO UP QFPQMF BCPVU $07*% and vaccines through trusted sources, particularly health care providers, coupled with consistent and reliable vaccine supply, can further increase acceptance. In the report, respondents’ top information sources included local health centers, television and radio.

A number of bottlenecks have contributed to the failure to achieve higher vaccination coverBHF 6OQSFEJDUBCMF TVQQMZ JO terms of volume, timing and shelf life—threatens countries’ ability to meet demand. When offered, vaccination is frequently inconvenient, requiring people to travel far distances or visit vaccination sites at inopportune times.

“I am heartened by the efforts PG UIF "GSJDBO 7BDDJOF "DRVJTJUJPO 5SVTU "7"5 BOE UIF $07"9 facility to expand vaccine access,”

said Amanda McClelland, Senior 7JDF 1SFTJEFOU PG 1SFWFOU &QJEFNJDT BU 3FTPMWF UP 4BWF -JWFT BO JOJUJBUJWF PG 7JUBM 4USBUFHJFT “But there is still work to do.

7BDDJOF EPOBUJPOT TFOU UPP DMPTF to expiry dates, for example, leave countries unable to launch effective vaccination campaigns.” $07*% QSFWFOUJWF NFBTVSFT remain crucial to mitigate the IFBMUI JNQBDU PG UIF WJSVT 1&3$ researchers analyzed what influences support for and adherence to such measures and found that individual actions—handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing—all garnered support from BU MFBTU QFS DFOU PG TVSWFZ respondents.

Such high support suggests that these key measures can continue to be effective strateHJFT GPS SFEVDJOH $07*% transmission.

1SFWFOUJWF NFBTVSFT SFTUSJDUJOH gathering or movement received MFTT TVQQPSU 6OFNQMPZNFOU BOE food insecurity were widespread among survey respondents and made adherence to restrictive community measures a challenge.

1&3$ SFTFBSDIFST DPODMVEFE UIBU such measures should be targeted to specific, high-risk populations as needed to minimize harm.

Income loss also may have had an adverse impact on access to essential health services. Cost and affordability were cited as the primary obstacles to receiving DBSF %FDMJOFT JO UIF OVNCFS PG health visits have likely contributed to declines across key health JOEJDBUPST 1&3$ SFTFBSDIFST advocate for urgent investment to stabilize health systems and regain progress lost during the pandemic. i5IF 1&3$ EBUB FOBCMF QPMJcymakers to both save lives and minimize impacts on livelihoods,” TBJE %S 5PN 'SJFEFO 1SFTJEFOU BOE $&0 PG 3FTPMWF UP 4BWF -JWFT BO JOJUJBUJWF PG 7JUBM 4USBUFHJFT

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu Bemoans Death of 500,000 Women Due to Cervical Cancer Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË Wife of the Kebbi State (PWFSOPS %S ;BJOBC 4IJOLBà Bagudu has lamented what she described as unnecessary deaths of 500,000 women from cervical cancer every year.

She urged world leaders to turn their attention to health inequities with a particular focus on the lack PG BDDFTT UP )VNBO 1BQJMMPNB 7JSVT 7BDDJOF m B WBDDJOF UIBU DBO prevent the deaths from cervical cancer affliction.

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu spoke while recieving an award GSPN 3PZBM 4PDJFUZ PG .FEJDJOF London for her outstanding contributions to Healthcare for women and children on the African Continent.

She said that given the emergence of new coronavirus variants across the world, it is pertinent to use the platform to urge leaders, “to turn their attention to health inequities with a particular focus on the lack PG BDDFTT UP )VNBO 1BQJMMPNB 7JSVT 7BDDJOF m B WBDDJOF UIBU can prevent the unnecessary deaths of 500,000 women that are estimated to die from cervical cancer every year”.

She said the burden of this disease lies in African and other lower-middle-income-countries -.*$T &BSMJFS XIJMF QSFTFOUJOH the award to the Kebbi Governors wife, the organisers said that : “As the director and founder of UIF .FEJDBJE $BODFS 'PVOEBUJPO Shinkafi-Bagudu was recognised for leading an organisation that has become a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people in Nigeria”.

In a statement issued by the Corporate Communications .FEJDBJE $BODFS 'PVOEBUJPO )BEJ[B "SPNF TBJE i%S Shinkafi-Bagudu was also described as, “a one-of-a-kind health practitioner achieving results on a scale that can only be attained through hard work and sheer tenacity”.

Through her, we have been to Nigeria to train health workers on cancer survivorship. I am proud to call this remarkable woman a friend.” said Michel Coleman, 1SPGFTTPS PG &QJEFNJPMPHZ BU UIF London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine”.

In an emotionally laden docuNFOUBSZ IJHIMJHIUJOH UIF ZFBST PG .FEJDBJE $BODFS 'PVOEBUJPO T BEWPDBDZ %S 4IJOLBà #BHVEV

FERTILITY

With Dr. Kemi AILOJE drkemi@lifelinkfertility.com www.lifelinkfertility.com +2348033083580

SYPHILIS AND INFERTILITY (Part 2)

L

ast week, we started a topic on Syphilis and infertility. We discussed the risks, signs, symptoms and complications of syphilis.

This week, we will conclude with diagnosis, prevention, treatment and its effect on male and female fertility DIAGNOSIS OF SYPHILIS Syphilis can be diagnosed by testing of blood and spinal fluids.

Blood screening tests: Blood tests are used to detect the presence of antibodies that the body produces to fight infections. The antibodies to the syphilis-causing bacteria remain in your body for years, so these blood test can be used to determine a current or past infection. Some of these tests includes: r 7FOFSFBM %JTFBTF 3FTFBSDI -BCPSBUPSZ 7%3- 5FTU 5IF 7%3- UFTU JT VTFE UP TDSFFO the blood for an antibody produced in people with syphilis. This antibody is not produced as a reaction to syphilis alone, so the test result could be positive for reasons other than syphilis. t 3BQJE 1MBTNB 3FBHJO 313 5FTU The 313 UFTU BMTP IFMQT UP àOE TZQIJMJT BOUJCPEJFT in the blood. t 3BQJE *NNVOPDISPNBUPHSBQIJD 5FTU This test screens for antibodies that are specific to syphilis alone. $FSFCSPTQJOBM 'MVJE 4DSFFOJOH 5FTU Nervous system complications may require collection of a sample of cerebrospinal fluid through a lumbar puncture for syphilis screening.

TESTS TO CONFIRM SYPHILIS Tests used to confirm a syphilis infection include: t &O[ZNF JNNVOPBTTBZ &*" UFTU A positive EIA test should be confirmed with FJUIFS UIF 7%3- PS 313 UFTUT thanked her team in Nigeria who t 'MVPSFTDFOU USFQPOFNBM BOUJCPEZ were following the event via a BCTPSQUJPO '5" "#4 UFTU It can be used zoom as well as her friends who to find syphilis except during the first 3 to 4 were physically present at the weeks after exposure. The test can be done ceremony. on a sample of blood or spinal fluid.

“It is truly honour to be t 5SFQPOFNB QBMMJEVN QBSUJDMF BHHMVUJOB SFDPHOJTFE BU UIF 3PZBM 4PDJFUZ UJPO BTTBZ 511" It is used after another of Medicine today. I am standing method tests positive for syphilis. This test in a building where some of the is not done on spinal fluid. world’s greatest advancements t %BSLGJFME NJDSPTDPQZ This test in medicine were created. uses a special microscope to look for “Thank you to the entire team the syphilis germ in a sample of fluid BU UIF -POEPO 1PMJUJDBM 4VNNJU or tissue from an open sore. This test & Awards for your recognition is used mainly to diagnose syphilis in and thank you to the entire team an early stage.

BU .FEJDBJE $BODFS 'PVOEBUJPO t .JDSP IFNBHHMVUJOBUJPO BTTBZ because. Albeit we have come .)" 51 5IF .)" 51 JT VTFE UP along way, but we still have so confirm a syphilis infection after another much more to do. With the help test shows positive results for syphilis. of all those seated at this table I believe we can achieve it”.

PREVENTION OF SYPHILIS Among those that attended the 5IFSF JT OP WBDDJOF GPS TZQIJMJT The ceremony were notable figures only way to completely avoid getting within the global health and can- syphilis is abstinence. The following can cer community, including Mark also help reduce the risk of infections: Lodge (Convener, London Global r )BWJOH POMZ POF NPOPHBNPVT TFYVBM $BODFS 8FFL .JDIFM $PMFNBO partner.

1SPGFTTPS PG &QJEFNJPMPHZ BOE r 6TJOH DPOEPNT EVSJOH TFYVBM BDUJWJUZ 7JUBM 4UBUJTUJDT BU UIF -POEPO r "WPJEJOH BMDPIPM BOE SFDSFBUJPOBM School of Hygiene & Tropical drugs (which can compromise your .FEJDJOF %S ,BMV 0HCVSFLF KVEHNFOU MFBEJOH UP VOTBGF TFYVBM QSBDUJDFT

1BFEJBUSJD $POTVMUBOU -PSE +PIO 5BZMPS #BSPO 5BZMPS PG 8BSXJDL

TREATMENT OF SYPHILIS and Alexander Wright (Global There are no home remedies or over-the)FBE BU $BODFS 3FTFBSDI 6, counter drugs that will cure syphilis, but

syphilis is easy to cure in its early stages.

1FOJDJMMJO JT POF PG UIF NPTU XJEFMZ VTFE antibiotics and is usually effective in treating QSJNBSZ BOE TFDPOEBSZ TZQIJMJT JOGFDUJPO 1FPQMF who are allergic to penicillin will likely be treated with a different antibiotic, such as: r %PYZDZDMJOF PSBM UBCMFUT r "[JUISPNZDJO PSBM UBCMFUT r $FGUSJBYPOF Neurosyphilis can also be treated by taking daily doses of penicillin intravenously. This will often require a brief admission in the IPTQJUBM 6OGPSUVOBUFMZ UIF EBNBHF DBVTFE CZ late syphilis cannot be reversed. The bacteria can be killed, but treatment will most likely focus on easing pain and discomfort.

1FOJDJMMJO JT UIF POMZ SFDPNNFOEFE USFBUNFOU for pregnant women with syphilis. Women who are allergic to penicillin can undergo a desensitization process that may allow them to take penicillin. %VSJOH USFBUNFOU TFYVBM BDUJWJUJFT TIPVME CF avoided until all sores are completely healed.

If you’re sexually active, your partner should CF USFBUFE BT XFMM %PO U SFTVNF TFYVBM BDUJWJUZ until you and your partner have completed treatment.

EFFECTS OF SYPHILIS ON FERTILITY .BMF JOGFSUJMJUZ Although, a direct effect of syphilis on male fertility has not been reported, complications of syphilis can affect male fertility. Syphilis can also cause epididymitis (blockage in the FQJEJEZNJT 1SPMPOHFE TZQIJMJT JOGFDUJPO may also lead on the development of Tabes %PSTBMJT XIJDI JT XIFO UIF EJTFBTF TUBSUT to cause nerve degeneration. One of the consequences of late-stage syphilis in male JT &SFDUJMF %ZTGVODUJPO 'FNBMF JOGFSUJMJUZ 4ZQIJMJT DBO DBVTF 1FMWJD *OáBNNBUPSZ %JTFBTFT 1*% XIJDI DBO MFBE UP FOEPNFUSJBM damage. This damage causes the endometrium to thicken thereby causing reduced endometrial receptivity (the ability of the uterus to hold BO FNCSZP SFTVMUJOH JO JOGFSUJMJUZ Syphilis may also lead to devastating effects on pregnancy and the newborn. SpontanePVT BCPSUJPO BOE TUJMM CJSUI PDDVS JO of pregnancies, with mortality of infected JOGBOUT CFJOH PWFS Before proceeding with any form of fertility treatment, it is imperative that both partners should be tested for syphilis and treated when indicated.

CONCLUSIONS Syphilis is a bacterial infection usually spread by sexual contact. The disease starts as a painless sore, typically on the genitals, rectum or mouth. Syphilis spreads from person to person via skin or mucous membrane contact with these sores. After the initial infection, the syphilis bacteria can remain inactive in the body for decades before becoming active again. Early syphilis can be cured, sometimes with a single TIPU JOKFDUJPO PG QFOJDJMMJO CVU XJUIPVU treatment, syphilis can severely damage the heart, brain or other organs, and can also threaten fertility. Syphilis can also be passed from mothers to unborn children.

If you think you might have syphilis, It is advisable to follow safe sex practices, such as using a condom in cases where abstinence is a challenge, it is best to avoid sex until you and your partner have been treated.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ DECEMBER 23, 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Islamic Dev. Bank Ploughs $55.5m into FCT Agro-Processing Zones Olawale Ajimotokan ÓØ ÌßÔË The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has committed about $55.5m towards the development of Special Agro-Processing Zones (SAPZ) in the territory.

The Mandate Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat in the FCT, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim disclosed this at a media briefing on the activities of the secretariat.

The FCTA is expected to provide the framework for the take-off of the AfDB and IsDB supported Special AgroIndustrial Processing Zones projects in which the FCT will

be developing the livestock sub-sector.

The project is to unlock the country’s agriculture sector potential and promote industrialisation through the development of strategic crops and livestock.

“I am happy to note that the Boards of the AfDB, IFAD and the ISDB, have all approved the Nigeria SAPZ Project on the 13th, 16th and 18th December, 2021, respectively. In the first phase, the ISDB is investing a minimum of $55.47m in the FCT SAPZ. We are committed to making this a resounding success and shall provide the needed counterpart

contribution to complement this investment”, he said.

The FCT Administration has also stated it is keying into the programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by engaging the Agro-Rangers squad of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in providing security for farmers in the territory against threats posed by bandits fleeing into its fringes from contiguous states.

The Director Agric-Services, Mrs Francisca Ihekandu said the engagement will take care of security challenges in the FCT in the agro sector.

Edo Govt Loans LGAs N850m to Pay December Salaries The Edo State Government has said it has advanced local government areas in the state a loan to the tune of N850 million to clear salaries of council workers in the month of December in lieu of the release of Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations to the councils.

Due to its prudent management of public resources, the state had settled salaries and pension of state workers since December 14 from its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

However, local governments in the state have been unable to

pay December salaries and pension to workers and pensioners due to delay in the release of their FAAC allocation.

The government said the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, at an Executive Council (EXCO) on Wednesday approved the release of N850million to the councils to enable them clear their salary obligations for the month of December.

FAAC allocation is distributed between the Federal, State and Local Governments in the state after the monthly statutory FAAC meeting in

the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

However, since the virtual FAAC meeting of December 18, where N675.9billion was shared among the three tiers of government, local governments in the state have been unable to access their funds thereby putting them in dire straits.

Realizing, however, that local government workers would be hard hit by the delay during the festive season, the Edo State Government decided to advance the 18 local councils in the state a bailout to enable them clear the salaries of their workers.

May and Baker Records N8.1bn Revenue Growth Ugo Aliogo May and Baker has recorded a total revenue growth of N8.1billion for the nine months ended September 30 2021as against N6.4billion recorded in the comparable period of 2020, represented about 25 per cent increase.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos, during the company’s media luncheon, the Managing Director, Mr. Patrick Ajah, said as part of measures to scale growth in 2021, they made effective use of improved production capacity and increasingly efficient cost management to mitigate the tough operating environment.

He also stated that the company’s profit before tax rose to N1.3B in 2021 as against N1.0B recorded in the corresponding period of 2020 representing 30 per cent growth.

He further explained that although the fourth quarter has been very challenging with an even worsening forex crisis, which meant that they sometimes must resort to the parallel market to source forex (we know what the rates have been).

“We are optimistic to close the year with final figures not so far from the trends seen in the last three quarters. The preliminary figures at the end of November also point in that direction,” he said. Ajah expressed confidence that by the end of the year, the company would have crossed N10 billion in revenue for the first time and possibly achieved a profit before tax higher than they have done in recent times.

Speaking ahead of 2022, he stated that their business plan for 2022 also points towards that vision, bringing to bear some of the initiatives that would lay the foundation for the achievement of that vision.

According to him, “As mentioned by my predecessor last year, we have completed our state-of-the-art herbal/nutraceutical products facility within our Pharmacentre. This facility will significantly increase our capacity in the manufacture and commercialization of our herbal medicine for the management of sickle cell anaemia; Niclovix.

This is a product of research from the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and

Development (NIPRD) which we partnered with them to commercialize.

“More importantly, this facility will enable collaborations with other research institutes and professionals in Nigeria to have their products brought to limelight as we still have enough capacity for possibly five more of these herbal products, with enough support for research and development as might be needed.

“The challenges of the economy are daunting. From the increase in petroleum products prices, shortage of foreign exchange (forex), the consequential high exchange rates, and of-course let’s not forget the lingering global social disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. This has significantly impacted every aspect of our operations. With huge increases in the cost or raw materials; some more than 100%, significant delays and high costs of shipment and even custom duties, a seemingly worsening security situation of the country that has made many locations inaccessible, managing business in Nigeria this year has been a herculean task.”

Ogun Holds Business Clinic for MSMEs, Provides Loans at Single Digit Dike Onwuamaeze Ogun State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe, has called on entrepreneurs in the state to take advantage of the ongoing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) business clinics to grow their businesses and have opportunity to access commercial loans at single digit interest rate.

Longe made the call while declaring open the Ogun State MSMEs Business Clinic for the Ijebu Zone, which was held at the Daniel Akintonde Hall,

Ijebu-Ode. She stated that the business clinic would help entrepreneurs address challenges affecting their businesses and provide participants the opportunity to benefit from single digit interest loans, capacity building as well as address the challenges posed by the need to get approvals and certification for their products.

The commissioner added that the state government would be establishing industrial clusters with special MSMEs Park for the growth of small businesses as well as a digital market place which would help facilitate

market access for businesses.

She also called on entrepreneurs to ensure they register their business Premises Permit for free via businesspermit. ogunstate.gov.ng before the free window closes on the 31st of December, 2021.

Speaking earlier, Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, said that the state government is organising the business clinic to build the production capacity of MSMEs in order to improve their production and financial management.

FAIRMONEY MFB MEDIA PARLEY

L – R: Head of Compliance at FairMoney MFB, James Edeh; VP, Capital Markets, Henry Obiekea; Head, Marketing and Branding, Nengi Akinola; Head of Operations, Kingsley Ishiguzo and Head, Retail Banking, David Nwosu, at the FairMoney MFB media parley, which held in Lagos...recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͵

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

37

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Vetiva Research: AFTCA to Drive Investors’ Renewed Enthusiasm in Manufacturing Sector Kayode Tokede Analyst at Vetiva Research (Vetiva) yesterday said Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is expected to drive investors’ renewed enthusiasm for manufacturing sector in Africa.

Vetiva in its Consumer Goods sector outlook report “Vetivaexamined”, noted that the current impact of the AfCFTA on the manufacturing sector, rising prices on consumer wallets and

the overall rebound journey of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) in the year.

Looking at the AfCFTA, the Consumer Goods analyst, Chinma Ukadike noted that whilst some positives are being gleaned from the intra-African trade agreement - especially in terms of volume – trade volumes are significantly low in comparison to 2019.

Although she attributed this to the pandemic’s effect on

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

trading activities, stressing that the AfCFTA could however be responsible for investors’ renewed enthusiasm in the manufacturing sector, citing improved investment announcements so far in 2021.

Speaking on consumer spending, she mentioned that with consumer wallets still reeling from heightened inflationary pressures, consumer spending has remained weak.

She also highlighted the slow pace of minimum wage

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

implementation as a significant challenge to increased consumer spending, especially given cost realities. However, she expects the improving vaccination progress and increased government spending in the coming pre-election year to revive spending in 2022.

Furthermore, she believed that rising commodity costs across the Food, Sugar and Brewery subsectors, would pressure margins in the next year, noting that commodities like wheat and

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

sugar are reaching 10-year highs in international markets amid supply chain fragilities, she expects the added challenge of FX sourcing to limit companies’ profitability.

Speaking on pricing however, she sees room for improvement within the food space, but expects sugar and brewery players to largely maintain price points.

The report considers the proposed implementation of carbonated tax in the next year

O F

to be a key factor in brewers’ operations in 2022, specifically in the malt segment.

Although the report expects the tax to affect malt producers in varying capacity in line with the size of their malt portfolios, she opined that these players would largely maintain current price levels, given the precedent response to the increased excise duty on alcohol in 2018 and the price increases already implemented in 2021.

2 2 / 1 2 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

38

THURSDAY, ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

Thursday, December 23, 2021

dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ĨĞůů ďLJ ϭϰďƉƐ dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ůŽƐƚ Ϭ͘ϯй dŚĞ dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ ϭϰďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ dŚĞ dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ĨĞůů ϯϯďƉƐ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

Ăƚ ϭ͕ϲϳϰ͘ϴϵ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůůͲƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ŽŶ E/d, ;ͲϬ͘ϲйͿ͕ ϭ͕ϴϱϭ͘ϳϵ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ŽŶ E/d, t W K h ĂŶĚ ;ͲϬ͘ϳйͿ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ;Ͳϯ͘ϴйͿ͘ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂͲ ;Ͳϭ͘ϬйͿ͕ ;Ͳϭ͘ϯйͿ͕ DdEE ĂŶĚ ;Ͳϭ͘ϯйͿ͕ t W K dŚĞƐĞ

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

ƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϯ͘Ϯй͘ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϰ͘ϴй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘

^/ ƵƉ ϭϭďƉƐ ĂƐ E' D 'ĂŝŶƐ ϯ͘ϯй >ŽĐĂů ŽƵƌƐĞ ^ƵƐƚĂŝŶƐ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͘​͘​͘ ^/ ĚŽǁŶ

WƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ Ϭ͘ϯй

ĚĂLJ͕

ƉƌŝĐĞ

ƵƉƟĐŬ

ŝŶ

,KEz&>KhZ

;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ & E, ;нϬ͘ϳйͿ ďŽůͲ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ĚŽŵĞƐƟĐ ĞƋƵŝƟĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ŝƚƐ ƐƚĞƌĞĚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůůͲ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůůͲ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ĚŝƉƉĞĚ ^ŚĂƌĞ ŝŶĚĞdž ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ϯϰďƉƐ ƚŽ ϰϮ͕Ϯϰϰ͘ϮϮ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ŝŶ DdEE ;Ͳ ϭϭďƉƐ ƚŽ ϯϵ͕ϱϱϬ͘ϯϲ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ zd ůŽƐƐ ŝŵͲ ϭ͘ϯйͿ͕ t W K ;Ͳϯ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;Ͳϭ͘ϬйͿ͘ ĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐͲ ƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ͳϭ͘ϴй ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ůLJ͕ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƐŚĞĚ േϳϱ͘ϯďŶ ƚŽ േϮϮ͘ϭƚŶ േϮϯ͘ϰďŶ ƚŽ േϮϬ͘ϲƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚŽ ϰ͘ϵй ĨƌŽŵ ϱ͘ϯй͘ dƌĂĚͲ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ Ϯϭ͘ϲй ƚŽ ϭϭϬ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ ŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ϴϴ͘ϱй ƚŽ േϯ͘ϭďŶ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ϭϴ͘ϴй ĂŶĚ ϯϮ͘ϱй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ƚŽ ϮϮϰ͘Ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ dZ E^ KZW ;ϭϭ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ & E, ;ϭϭ͘ϭŵ ĂŶĚ േϮ͘ϳďŶ͘ h E ;ϳϳ͘ϰŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ D E &/d ;ϭϱ͘Ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ĂŶĚ K E K ;ϳ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E ^d> ;േϮ͘ϮďŶͿ͕ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ^KsZ E/E^ ;ϭϮ͘Ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ E' D ;േϭϰϱ͘ϬŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;േϭϯϰ͘ϴŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘ ǁŚŝůĞ h E ;േϲϵϲ͘ϱŵͿ͕ E ^d> ;േϲϯϴ͘ϵŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ DdEE

;േϯϭϵ͘ϴŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ

ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůŽƐƚ͕ ϭ ŝŶĚĞdž ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ &ZͲ/ d ĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ŽƵƌ ƉƵƌǀŝĞǁ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŽƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵͲ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůŽƐƚ ǁŚŝůĞ Ϯ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ͘ dŽƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ Ğƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϰ͘ϲй ĂŶĚ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐΖ ĐŚĂƌƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž ůŽƐƚ ϭ͘Ϭй ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ϭ͘Ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŽĮƚͲƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ E ^d> ;Ͳ

ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ E/d, ;Ͳϭ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ & E, ;Ͳϭ͘ϲйͿ͘ dƌĂŝůŝŶŐ͕ ϵ͘ϭйͿ͕ ŝŶ hE/> s Z ;Ͳϯ͘ϱйͿ͕ >/E< ^^hZ ;Ͳϲ͘ϰйͿ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ &ZͲ/ d ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƐŚĞĚ Ϭ͘ϴй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϳй ĂŶĚ D E^ Z ;ͲϮ͘ϮйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬͲ

ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ŝŶ K E K ;Ͳϰ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ ŝŶŐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĨĞůů ďLJ Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϮďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůůͲ DdEE ;Ͳϭ͘ϯйͿ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ǀĞŝŶ͕ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ŽŶ t WͲ ŽīƐ ŝŶ K E K ;ͲϬ͘ϴйͿ͕ E/d, ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͘

Current Price

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

1,851.79

-0.33%

955.00

0.0%

33.7%

74.50

0.0%

10.4%

25.90

0.4%

7.1%

1 Airtel Africa PLC 2 BUA Cement Plc 3 Guaranty Trust Holding Co PLC 4 Zenith Bank PLC 5 Dangote Cement PLC 6 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC 7 Nestle Nigeria PLC

Price Change Index to Date

ROE

ROA

P/E

4.9x

P/BV

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

26.2%

85.2%

15.0%

3.5%

12.1%

12.1%

14.7%

5.2%

0.7x

5.3%

17.3%

-3.7%

-3.7%

19.1%

11.2%

35.8x

6.7x

-19.9%

-19.9%

24.8%

3.9%

3.9x

1.0x

11.6%

25.5% 30.2%

1.9% 2.8%

24.40

-1.0%

6.3%

-1.6%

-1.6%

20.9%

2.8%

3.3x

0.6x

12.3%

256.50

0.0%

6.1%

4.7%

4.7%

40.4%

16.7%

12.7x

4.9x

6.4%

7.8%

183.50

-1.3%

5.0%

8.0%

8.0%

179.2%

14.1%

13.2x

20.1x

5.7%

7.6%

1,415.00

1.4%

3.6%

-6.0%

-6.0%

106.8%

15.6%

27.5x

32.3x

4.3%

3.6%

23.10

-3.8%

3.5%

9.7%

9.7%

11.6%

8.4%

8.6x

1.0x

4.3%

11.6%

9.00

0.0%

2.9%

6.5%

6.5%

17.0%

1.4%

2.5x

0.4x

9.4%

39.6%

7.85

-1.3%

2.3%

-9.2%

-9.2%

2.0x

0.4x

7.0%

50.7%

12.00

-1.6%

3.9%

67.8%

67.8%

3.7%

14.1%

48.00

0.0%

1.7%

-14.3%

36.00

0.0%

1.8%

-4.7%

8 Lafarge Africa PLC 9 Access Bank PLC 10 United Bank for Africa PLC 11 FBN Holdings Plc 12 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC 14 International Brew eries PLC 15 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 16 SEPLAT Energy PLC 17 11 PLC 18 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

8.4%

0.8%

7.1x

0.6x

-14.3%

5.3%

1.9%

44.2x

2.3x

2.3%

2.3%

-4.7%

15.4%

2.0%

8.3x

1.3x

11.3%

12.1%

-10.3%

-3.9%

4.75

-2.1%

1.2%

-20.2%

-20.2%

28.30

0.0%

1.1%

8.8%

8.8%

650.00

0.0%

1.6%

61.6%

61.6%

3.4%

0.9x

-12.0%

4.4x

0.7x

5.8%

22.9%

1.9%

15.0x

0.5x

6.3%

6.7%

0.0%

19 Fidelity Bank PLC 20 Ecobank Transnational Inc 21 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 22 FCMB Group Plc 23 Sterling Bank PLC 24 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 25 Transnational Corp of Nigeria 26 Presco PLC 27 Unilever Nigeria PLC 28 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC 29 United Capital PLC 30 Guinness Nigeria PLC 31 Custodian and Allied Insurance 32 AIICO Insurance PLC 33 TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeri 34 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC 35 Wema Bank PLC 36 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC 37 Oando PLC

142.00

0.0%

1.2%

56.0%

56.0%

38.8%

25.2%

9.7x

3.4x

5.2%

10.3%

2.55

0.4%

0.7%

1.2%

1.2%

12.0%

1.1%

2.3x

0.3x

8.6%

44.4%

8.90

0.0%

1.0%

48.3%

48.3%

14.8%

0.9%

2.5x

0.3x

17.00

0.0%

0.5%

-3.4%

-3.4%

#VALUE!

#VALUE!

40.8%

1.7x

8.8%

2.87

-4.3%

0.4%

-13.8%

-13.8%

1.50

0.0%

0.3%

-26.5%

-26.5%

10.1%

0.9%

3.3x

0.3x

3.3%

13.20

0.0%

0.3%

-9.0%

-9.0%

21.3%

6.9%

12.4x

2.5x

3.0%

8.1%

0.98

1.0%

0.4%

8.9%

8.9%

11.1%

2.3%

5.2x

0.5x

1.0%

19.2%

87.80

0.0%

0.3%

23.7%

23.7%

2.1x

1.2%

13.35

0.0%

0.2%

-4.0%

-4.0%

-1.3%

-0.8%

6.25

0.0%

0.2%

17.9%

17.9%

5.2%

1.2x

30.7%

-1.1% 4.0%

10.00

0.0%

0.4%

112.3%

112.3%

2.2x

7.0%

39.00

0.0%

0.4%

105.3%

105.3%

8.1%

3.8%

13.9x

1.1x

1.2%

7.2%

7.80

0.0%

0.2%

33.3%

33.3%

24.7%

7.5%

3.8x

0.9x

7.1%

26.0%

0.70

1.4%

0.3%

44.5%

45.8%

7.2%

1.1%

388.9x

0.7x

221.90

0.0%

0.3%

70.7%

70.7%

1.9%

19.8%

24.80

0.0%

0.2%

40.7%

40.7%

20.7%

2.5%

4.3x

0.8x

1.8%

23.1%

0.79

-1.3%

0.1%

14.5%

14.5%

13.7%

0.8%

3.7x

0.5x

5.1%

26.8%

-5.2%

0.0%

7.1%

0.8%

5.2x

0.5x

5.4%

-4.0%

0.1%

18.1%

14.5%

2.6%

1.9x

0.3x

4.7x

0.6x

4.37

38 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 39 Beta Glass PLC 40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

K ;Ͳϯ͘ϴйͿ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ĚŽǁŶ ďLJ ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶͲ Ϭ͘Ϯй͘ KŶ ϭ͘ϴй ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ďLJ ƚŚĞ Ğƌ͕ ƵƉ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ƉƌŝĐĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂͲ

Previous Price Current Price Change Weighting Change YTD

Ticker

18.1%

0.3%

5.0x

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

-41.3%

-9.2%

52.95

0.0%

0.1%

-4.4%

-4.4%

14.8%

10.1%

5.38

0.0%

0.0%

49.4%

49.4%

19.3% 53.1%

2.3x

-20.3% 2.0%

21.4%

0.9x T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T o p 10 G a in e r s P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

M EYER

0.46

9.5%

UA C N

75.9

-0.5%

C H IP LC

0.59

9.3%

FB NH

68.6

0.0%

CA P

19.45

6.9%

UB A

16.7

-0.6%

;нϯ͘ϱйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ // K ;нϭ͘ϱйͿ͘ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ

A C A D EM Y

0.50

6.4%

ST A N B IC

13.3

0.0%

1.10

5.8%

C OUR T VILLE

7.1

2.7%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ

SOVR EN IN S

0.25

4.2%

M B EN EF IT

6.9

3.6%

C H A M P ION

2.44

3.8%

Z EN IT H B A N K

6.8

-0.8% 4.2%

ƟŽŶ ŝŶ E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͘ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ Ϭ͘ϲй ĂƉŝĞĐĞ ĨŽůͲ ůŽǁŝŶŐ ďƵLJ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ E ^d> ;нϭ͘ϰйͿ͕ D E &/d

;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ͕ ƐĞƩůŝŶŐ Ăƚ ϭ͘ϲdž /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ tĂŶĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘ϯdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϰ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ϭϱ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ DZ^ ;нϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ D zͲ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ǁĂŶĞĚ ƚŽ ϭ͘Ϯdž ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘ϰdž ĂƐ < Z ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ,KEz&>KhZ ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ϭϳ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ϭϰ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ůŽƐƚ͘ hd/y ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͕ ǁŚŝůĞ dZ E^ ;Ͳϴ͘ϯйͿ͕ > ^ K ;Ͳϲ͘ϳйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ >/s Ͳ D z < Z ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ hW ;нϳ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ^dK < ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ůŽƐĞƌƐ͘ WƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĚĂLJ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ǁŚŝůĞ ZKz > y ;Ͳϲ͘ϳйͿ͕ > ^ K ;Ͳϲ͘ϰйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ h E ;Ͳ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŵŝdžĞĚ͕ ĂƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ ϱ͘ϮйͿ ůĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ tĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƚŽ ƚƌĞŶĚ ŐƌĂĚƵĂůůLJ ǁŝŶĚƐ ƵƉ͘ ƐŽƵƚŚǁĂƌĚƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͕ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ

ǁĞĂŬ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͘

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

T ic k er

LA SA C O

M B EN EF IT

0.29

3.6%

SOVR EN IN S

5.5

N GXGR OUP

18.80

3.0%

GT C O

4.7

0.0%

C OUR T VILLE

0.38

2.7%

C H IP LC

4.5

9.3%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er ET ER N A

P ric e 5.00

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

-9.9%

FB NH

836.4

P ric e C hg % 0.0%

UA C N

720.8

-0.5%

M RS

12.35

-9.9%

J A P A ULGOLD

0.36

-7.7%

N EST LE

528.5

0.0%

LEA R N A F R C A

1.17

-7.1%

ST A N B IC

478.7

0.0%

CHA M S

0.20

-4.8%

M TNN

314.9

0.1%

F T N C OC OA

0.40

-4.8%

Z EN IT H B A N K

168.5

-0.8%

UN IT YB N K

0.45

-4.3%

UB A

133.8

-0.6%

GLA XOSM IT H

6.00

-3.2%

GT C O

121.6

0.0%

R EGA LIN S

0.43

-2.3%

SEP LA T

93.2

0.0%

N EIM ET H

1.75

-2.2%

B UA C EM EN T

83.0

0.0%

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com Taiwo Ogundipe | togundipe@afrinvest.com

Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com

Damilare Asimiyu| dasimiyu@afrinvest.com

39

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021• T H I S DAY

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

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

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

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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

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

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 21Dec-2021, unless otherwise stated.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS

MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS

AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 163.52 164.95 1.02% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 9.06% Nigeria International Debt Fund 318.41 318.41 -17.90% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 101.26 102.41 -7.55% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.03% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.44 3.60 1.06% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 7.78% info@anchoriaam.com Anchoria Equity Fund 136.82 138.48 2.86% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.15 1.15 -13.59% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 19.99 20.59 10.21% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 446.65 460.12 11.56% ARM Ethical Fund 39.20 40.38 16.27% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.08 1.08 -1.61% ARM Fixed Income Fund 0.99 1.00 -5.31% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.25% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 107.78 107.78 5.97% AVA GAM Fixed Income Naira Fund 1,064.52 1,064.52 6.45% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.05 2.05 -2.74% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.20 2.24 1.37% mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com ; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund Paramount Equity Fund Women's Investment Fund CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Cordros Money Market Fund Cordros Milestone Fund Cordros Dollar Fund ($) CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Coronation Money Market Fund Coronation Balanced Fund Coronation Fixed Income Fund EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-assetmanagement-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Emerging Africa Money Market Fund Emerging Africa Bond Fund

Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn N/A N/A N/A investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Bid Price 100.00 17.03 139.85

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 100.00 9.72% 17.35 6.51% 141.44 5.08% assetmgtteam@cordros.com

Bid Price 100.00 131.61 110.37

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 100.00 8.32% 132.44 12.25% 110.37 5.84% investment@coronationam.com

Bid Price 1.00 1.25 1.42

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 1.00 8.16% 1.26 3.94% 1.42 -10.26% mutualfundng@ecobank.com

Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 100.00 100.00 7.63% 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 8.64% 1,178.28 1,203.21 2.56% assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com

Bid Price 1.00 1.04

Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.12 Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 104.50 FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price FBN Bond Fund 1,388.34 FBN Balanced Fund 173.94 FBN Halal Fund 115.34 FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Money Market Fund Legacy Debt Fund Legacy Equity Fund Legacy USD Bond Fund

122.19 148.00 Bid Price 1.00 4.00 1.72 1.20

Offer Price 1.00 1.04

Yield / T-Rtn 7.93% 3.92%

1.12 10.92% 104.50 4.45% invest@fbnquest.com Offer Price 1,388.34 175.11 115.34 100.00

Yield / T-Rtn 11.26% 4.26% 9.31% 9.38%

122.19 3.95% 150.00 12.08% fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Offer Price 1.00 4.00 1.75 1.20

Yield / T-Rtn 7.52% 3.42% 12.85% 6.07%

FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.54% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.81 2.88 -1.45% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 156.00 156.28 0.32% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.26 1.30 -0.05% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.07 1.07 4.14% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.49 1.51 9.03% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,158.57 1,158.57 8.53% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 11.58 11.67 10.87% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.23% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 101.69 101.70 7.65% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 10.23% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM EuroBond Fund N/A N/A N/A SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 127.38 129.74 6.89% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.08 1.08 10.05% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,380.13 3,412.52 5.19% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 235.40 235.40 4.69% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.25 1.27 6.78% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 312.64 312.64 6.10% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 235.56 239.44 8.02% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.71% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,987.88 11,147.37 4.72% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.29 1.29 5.24% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 116.81 116.81 5.16% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 106.17 106.17 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.95 1.95 6.60% United Capital Bond Fund 0.94 0.92 14.95% United Capital Equity Fund 1.00 1.00 9.39% United Capital Money Market Fund 122.16 122.16 6.69% United Capital Eurobond Fund 1.08 1.09 5.56% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.07 1.07 7.22% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.07 1.07 7.21% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.06 13.18 10.08% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 14.50 14.65 9.83% Zenith Income Fund 24.84 24.84 3.49% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.99%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

124.98 54.46

10.62% 7.74%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

13.61 128.09 101.60 17.46 21.56

13.71 131.27 103.84 17.56 21.66

5.78% 6.52% 2.41% -5.17% 17.07%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

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

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.90 5.46 17.53 1.00 20.78 157.59

4.00 5.56 17.73 1.00 20.98 159.59

4.02% -3.86% 8.26% 0.00% 1.26% -15.11%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.28

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

40

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

TRIBUTE

Dr Agbai Eke Agbai

For Agbai, a Worthy Elder

By Eniola Bello

O

ur paths first crossed when he was Abia State Commissioner for Information, sometime between 2000 and 2003. In my Eni-B column on the back page of THISDAY, I had written a scathing article on his principal Orji Uzor Kalu, at the time the Abia State governor. Barely two weeks after, Dr Agbai Eke Agbai walked into my office at THISDAY corporate headquarters, Apapa Lagos, to personally invite me (he could easily have sent the Invite which he came with) to a lecture Kalu was to deliver at The Apapa Club. We hit it off

as if we’ve known each other for years. Although I was a member of The Apapa Club then, the lecture was not on my schedule on account of the choice of guest speaker. With Agbai’s visit, however, I decided to attend the lecture. I was surprised that he did not, as other information managers of politicians/public officials were (still are) wont, write, or commission others to write, abusive rejoinders. And on meeting me for the first time at the lecture venue, Kalu, perhaps to ease any likely tension between us, made light of my column with a self-deprecating joke.

Agbai and I thereafter became buddies, a close friendship that has survived his stint in the Abia cabinet and has lasted some 20 years. A scholar perpetually on a quest, Agbai would, at the initial stage of our friendship, always call on reading my column; we would discuss the issues of the day, exchange important information and examine different perspectives.

Since he is constantly on the move from the United States where he has his family, to the United Kingdom where he regularly passes through, to the numerous other countries the privilege of being on the entourage of

former President Olusegun Obasanjo takes him, we usually seize every opportunity whenever he is in Lagos, or sometimes when both of us happen to be in Abuja, to meet over lunch or dinner. An intellectual sparring partner, our lunch or dinner meetings go beyond revelling in good food and fine wine, they are veritable grounds to debate global issues of the day, and ultimately, we would return to Nigeria, its peoples and its leadership challenges.

Despite the challenges of Nigeria always evoking feelings of disappointment and anger, we usually move the luggage of our discussion on the conveyor belt of passion and hope. At the of the day, we leave such meetings sated, enriched, recharged.

Indeed, Agbai loves life and living. For him, every occasion involving family or friend creates an opportunity for celebration.

He luxuriates in putting together small groups for such celebration, and in the process connecting or reconnecting people, and widening one’s social network. He comes alive at such events, partly playing the personable host, warmly welcoming every guest and easing them into the social environment; partly playing the bartender, ensuring no guest is without a glass of one drink or the other; partly playing the toastmaster, introducing the guests and generally managing the ceremony; partly playing the comedian, narrating funny stories that crack everybody up; and partly playing the moderator, co-ordinating discussion of issues, asking the questions and picking the speakers. He is a master of surprises, always doing the unusual and, like a magician, springing the unexpected.

Talk of loyalty and friendship, Agbai continually strategizes on ways of supporting friends – either those in positions of authority, or those lost at critical moments.

I will cite three instances that concern me.

When my wife Helen passed on June 2019, Agbai, unable to abort a scheduled engagement, got his partner to fly into the UK from her US base to attend my wife’s funeral. Some years earlier, I had mentioned to him that the day we were to fly to Obudu Ranch, on his invitation, to attend the 25th wedding anniversary of another of his friends, was Helen’s birthday, Agbai had got the pilot, to our pleasant surprise, to announce my wife’s birthday and sing her a song midway into the flight.

And when I recently re-married, Agbai conspired with Dr Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke to put together a home-made post-wedding celebratory dinner at her Ikoyi residence.

All this is the essential Agbai – a friend in good and bad times.

It is therefore my pleasure and honour to write this testimony to the character of the man Dr Agbai as he joins the Elders Council.

Although a man of the world, Agbai is also immersed in the tradition, culture and mores of his people. I understand that the Ime Uche is not a Council of just anybody and everybody, that those admitted are men of character and learning, those imbued with courage, knowledge and wisdom. I also understand that the Ime Uche is the seventh of the rites of passage the Abiriba male child must successfully pass through.

For our friend Eke to have successfully navigated the Igba Nnunnu, Igba Ekpe, Ila Uche Oba, Izari Efa, Igwa Mang and Iburu Omu makes his admittance to the Ime Uche indeed worthy of celebration.

The Elders’ Council has gained a worthy compatriot.

To my friend Dr Agbai, his immediate family and the entire Ikwu Umuotutu family, permit me a shout out: ikele!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr Agbai Eke Agbai is alive, NOT late.

In this tribute published yesterday on page 36 of THISDAY Newspaper, we erroneously prefixed Dr Agbai Eke Agbai’s picture as “late Agbai”. Please note that Dr Agbai is very much alive and strong. The tribute was actually to honour Eke on his admittance to the Ime Uche or the Elder’s Council of his community in Abriba, Imo State.

We apologise to Dr Agbai for this grave error and regret the embarrassment this may have caused him, his family and friends.

We have therefore decided to republish the tribute in his honour.

Once again, the mix-up is regretted.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

41

42

THURSDAY, ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

ANALYSIS

Wigwe

Odogwu

N50bn Judgment Debt: Why Dodgy Debtors Must Avoid Access Bank Facilities!

By Louis Achi

S

ignificantly, a fact that many don’t know is that Access Bank Plc which acquired Diamond Bank some years ago takes no prisoners. It is a strict, law abiding, disciplined organisation and top-draw industry player that will deploy all requisite legal means to recover what is due to it.

It is highly unconscionable to borrow depositors’ money from a bank, to ostensibly enhance business growth but only to conceive strategies to evade repayment on the terms agreed. What is really in the DNA of folks or organisations which draw loans only to deliberately default in repayment? A new industry study suggests that borrowers who default on loan repayment terms may actually have no reputation to protect in the first instance.

It’s then not surprising that with gloves off, the no-nonsense managers of Access Bank Plc, led by its proactive CEO/Group Managing Director Hubert Wigwe, last week, went after the properties of late Chief Sunny Odogwu, over a judgement debt of over N50 billion.

The judgment debt in the bank’s favour was against late Odogwu and two of his companies - Robert Dyson & Diket Limited and SIO Property Limited - in respect of a property situated on No. 31-35, Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos State, known as Luxury Collection Hotels and Apartments (formerly Le Meridien Grand Towers).

The property owned by SIO Property Limited of which the late Odogwu was the majority shareholder, was financed with a loan from the then Diamond Bank, now acquired by Access Bank. Curiously, the Odogwu family which had apparently opted for a game of hide and seek with Access Bank has now woken to the sheer folly of that course in the face of the bank’s resolute and principled footing.

It could be recalled that Justice Saliu Saidu of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court in suit number: FHC/L/CS/1633/14, in November 3, 2015, found the late Odogwu and his companies guilty of breach of BankCustomer Relationship and consequently ordered the sale of the property used as collateral for the loan sum of N26,229,943,035.22.

However, with a 20 per cent interest on the

N26 billion judgment debt in the last six years the judgment was delivered, the total debt has now risen to over N50 billion.

The bank had in 2014, commenced legal action against the defendants at a Federal High Court, Lagos, following the failure of the defendants to meet their loan obligations granted in the financing of the Le Meridien Grand Towers, known as Luxury Collection Hotels and Apartments.

While Access Bank was the sole plaintiff; Robert Dyson & Diket Limited, SIO Property Limited, Odogwu, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) the Registrar of Title Federal Land Registry and Leadway Trustee Limited were the first to sixth defendants respectively.

Plaintiff in arguing its case had placed glut of evidence before the court on how it granted various credit facilities to the 1st and 2nd defendants to finance the construction of the Luxury Collection Hotels and Apartments.

Significantly, in sync with valued corporate tradition, the various facilities were at various times restructured to ease the repayment of the loan facility but the 1st to 3rd defendants continue to refused or failed to meet their obligations, stating that the project site located at 31-35 Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos and the Personal Guarantee of the late Chief Sonny Odogwu were used as collaterals for the facility.

Among the 20 reliefs sought by Access Bank then was that whether having regards to her colossal investment/financing of the sum of N26 billion in the 1st to 3rd defendants project and by the various agreements entered between plaintiff and the 1st to 3rd defendants to create a legal mortgage in favour of the plaintiff, a beneficial owner of the property on No 31-35 Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos State, and the breach of the terms of the agreement by the 1st to 3rd defendants, the plaintiff is entitled to leave of court to foreclose and sell the affected property.

Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Saidu held that the first to third defendants were in fundamental breach of the contract for the financing of the construction of the Luxury Collection Hotels and Apartments,

having admitted “Indebtedness to the plaintiff in the sum of N10, 252,315,567.28 on the project finance facility as at December 20, 2011.”

More, the judge stated that where there was an admission of indebtedness by a party, the court could make an order for the sum admitted to be paid. “The following is very clear from the totality of evidence before me; that there are facilities granted and disbursed….the facts of these facilities were admitted in paragraphs 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 of the counter affidavit.

“I have not seen anywhere in the pleadings of the 1st to 3rd defendants that they did not enter the contract as shown in exhibit DB3 with the agreed collateral being a third-party legal mortgage on the parcel of land located at No 31-35 Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos State”, the court held.

Additionally, the learned trial judge held the first to third defendants have not produced before the court any evidence that any of the conditions for the grant of the facility was waived or demonstrated to the court how they liquidated their indebtedness.

His words: “With all the facts before me, I am satisfied that the first to third defendants who have admitted indebtedness has not shown how the indebtedness was liquidated.

“There are four probable methods of answering an allegation of indebtedness which are to admit the debt, deny the debt, to counter-claim against the debt and to set off against the debt. From all the facts before me the 1st to 3rd defendants have only admitted the debt but have not shown how the admitted indebtedness was liquidated. This court therefore has the power to grant an equitable relief of specific performance against the 1st to 3rd defendants to do what they have agreed to do by the contract.”

Flowing from these grounds laid out, Justice Saidu made the following consequential order: “Judgment is entered in the sum of N26, 229,943,035.22 jointly and severally against the 1st to 3rd defendants being the outstanding sum as at September 30, 2014 advanced by the plaintiff for the

1st to 3rd defendants project which sum has remained unpaid despite several demands.

“That leave is granted to the plaintiff to foreclose and sell the said property situated at 31-35 Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos and to deposit the proceed of the sales into the 1st defendant’s account kept with the plaintiff towards the partial satisfaction of the judgment sum against the 1st to 3rd defendants.

“That leave is granted the plaintiff with the supervision of the Court’s Registrar to sell property situated at No 31-35 Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos being the security for the sum of N26, 229,943,035.22 advanced by the plaintiff to the 1st to 3rd defendants for the development of the project called Luxury Collections Hotels and Apartments, the repayment of which facility, the 1st to 3rd defendants have failed, refuse otherwise neglected to make despite several demands.”

It could be regretfully recalled that defunct Diamond Bank Plc, an iconic bank comparable to Eastern Nigeria’s African Continental Bank (ACB), went under because of the recalcitrance of borrowers. After its formal merger with mid-tier rival Diamond Bank Plc., in April 2019, following due regulatory approval, Access Bank Plc. acquired all the assets and liabilities of the defunct banking entity. This positioned Access Bank to pursue recovery of all outstanding debts. It is certainly not shirking this crucial responsibility.

Recalcitrant debtors negatively impact the critical banking sector and defeat the essence of granting such facilities to aid business growth.

For Access Bank, the lender in this instance, it is a costly project. The cost covers time for debt recovery and the need to make greater loan provisioning, which reduces profitability and capital resources for lending.

Clearly, banking remains a relationships business. For ages, banks have tried to leverage that relationship to grow and maximize shareholder return. Because of her emphasis on the long term, Access Bank Group, one of Africa’s largest retail banks by retail customer base with proven risk management and capital management capabilities have deployed both organisational cultural transformation to be ahead of completion.

This is why dodgy debtors must steer clear of accessing facilities from ACCESS Bank!

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THURSDAY, ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

NUGA “TORCH OF UNITY”...

L-R: Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Mr. Sola Aiyepeku; Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Segun Dawodu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Pro Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lanre Tejuoso and Vice Chancellor, UNILAG, Prof. Toyin Ogundipe, during the presentation of the Nigerian University Games Association, NUGA “Torch of Unity” to the Governor, at Lagos House, Marina, Lagos ...yesterday

Military Chiefs Demand Loyalty from Newly Promoted 235 Senior Officers Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Military service chiefs, yesterday, directed newly promoted senior officers to remain loyal to the constitution and the president, in the discharge of the responsibilities expected of their new ranks.

The military high command had approved the promotion of 235 senior officers to the next higher rank.

The Army Council, Tuesday, approved the promotion of senior officers to the ranks of Major General and Brigadier General respectively.

A total of 41 Brigadier Generals were promoted on merit to the enviable rank of Major General, while 76 Colonels were also elevated to the rank of Brigadier General.

Among those promoted to the rank of Major General were

the Acting Director of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Brigadier-General Bernard Onyeuko; Brigadier General CU Onwunle, Director, Directorate of Army Data Processing Lagos; Brigadier General M Danmadami, Research Fellow/ Subject Expert.

Also here were Indian SubContinental at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre Abuja, Brigadier General OJ Akpor; Director Military Training Nigerian Defence Academy, Brigadier General UT Musa of the Department of Administration Army Headquarters Abuja, Brigadier General AA Eyitayo; Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division/JTF NE Operation Hadin Kai, Maiduguri, Borno State.

Others were Brigadier General V Ebhaleme of Defence Space Administration Abuja, Brigadier General LT Omoniyi of Department

Miss Nigeria: Kano Hisbah to Question Shatu’s Parents over Her Participation Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano State Hisbah has revealed plan to invite Miss Nigeria, Shatu Garko’s parents for questioning on her participation in the beauty contest.

The State commandant of the Sharia police known as 'Hisbah', Haruna Ibn-Sina yesterday in Kano that Garko’s parents would be invited to answer questions about their daughter’s actions.

“We (Hisbah) has confirmed that Shatu Garko is a Muslim from Kano state and her parents come from Garko LGA. Kano is a Sharia state and this is why we will not allow the matter to die like that.

“We will invite the parents to talk to them about the actions of their daughter and the fact that what she did is illegal in Islam.

This is to make them know that she cannot continue that path and also stop other girls from copying her.”

Ibn-Sina cited different instances from the Quran to explain his point on why Garko’s participation in the Miss Nigeria pageant

is un-Islamic.

He said participating in Miss Nigeria was un-Islamic, saying her actions might encourage other ladies.

THISDAY gathered that the 44th Miss Nigeria, Garko’s victory had raised eyebrows from the Kano Hisbah board.

Garko became the first Hijabi to win the Miss Nigeria crown since the beauty pageant’s inception.

The hisbah chief noted that it had been confirmed that Garko is a Muslim from Kano, a Sharia state and that they would not let her actions pass by without questions.

“In Islam, it is forbidden for anyone to participate in a beauty contest. A lot of things happen in such contest which is against Islam. For instance, there are usually a lot of people who usually expose themselves during the event while such contests teach girls not to be shy and reserved,” he added.

According to the Kano Hisbah commandant, organisers of such beauty pageants risked facing the wrath of God.

of Civil Military Affairs Abuja and Brigadier General NU Muktar Acting Director of Procurement at the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, Army Headquarters Abuja amongst others.

Those promoted to Brigadier General include, Colonel O Adegbe, Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command Minna, Colonel AA Babalola Headquarters 3 Division, Colonel NN Orok of Defence Headquarters, Colonel MO Ibrahim Army War College Nigeria, Col BO Omopariola Commander 25 Task Force Brigade, Colonel UV Unachukwu Army War College Nigeria, Colonel OAO Ojo Headquarters Nigerian Army Signals Lagos and Col HI Dasuki of the Forward Operating Base, Ngamdu, Borno State amongst others.

"The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, congratulates all the promoted officers and their families, and urges them to redouble their effort to justify the confidence reposed in them by the Nigerian Army," a statement by Army Spokesman,

Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said.

The Air Force Council (AFC) also approved the promotion of a total of 60 senior officers comprising 29 Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) and 31 Air Commodores (Air Cdres) to the next higher ranks in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

A statement by the Air Force said the council also approved the concessional commission of an Air Warrant Officer (AWO) and 5 Master Warrant Officers (MWO) to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

Concessional commission is usually reserved for Senior NonCommissioned Officers (SNCOs) at the twilight of their career years in reward for hard work and in recognition of meritorious service to the nation.

The senior officers promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal include Air Cdres Precious Amadi, Nnamdi Ananaba, Abubakar Abdulkadir, Anthony Ndace, Usman Abdullahi, Eneobong Effiom, Iboro Etukudo, Abubakar Abdullahi, Sunday Aneke, Nnaemeka Ilo, Adeniyi Amesinlola, Ebimobo

Ebiowe, Micheal Onyebashi, Emmanuel Shobande, Sayo Olatunde, Francis Edosa, Ahmed Shinkafi, Bashiru Mamman and Halim Adebowale.

Others are Ahmed Bakari, Framah Batnah, Adeniran Ademuwagun, Lanre Oluwatoyin, Titus Dauda, Olufemi Ogunsina, Paul Masiyer, Nkem Aguiyi, Abidemi Marquis and Oluwafemi Ogunmola.

Those promoted from the rank of Group Captain to Air Commodore are Group Capts Chukwuedo Illoh, Bamidele Amuda, Samson Adelakun, Hadi Ahmed, Abiodun Oyekunle, Caleb Olayera, Idorenyin Bassey, Philip Kwasau, Mohammed Omar, Ayodele Akinbuwa, Emeng Imoke, Luqman Lawal, Shaibu Buhari and Ehimen Ejodame.

Others include Mohammed Lawal, Idowu Ayo, Emmanuel Ola and Ewejide Akintunde.

Also promoted were Elisha Bindul, Dogo Gani, Edmond Oluokun, Akeem Adebomehin, George Akinyimika, Mohammed Garba, Oladimeji Almaroof, Gowon

Sule, Ifeanyi Azubuike, Hamisu Usman, Adebanjo Adeosun, Sabir Adeyanju and Halima Musa, the only female officer on the list.

The SNCOs granted concessional Commission to the rank of Flight Lieutenant include Air Warrant Officer Adole Abraham, Master Warrant Officers Liman Musa, Akinwale Olayinka, Akpabio Josephine, Nwojiji Okemini and Isa-Kaita Aminu.

"The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, on behalf of officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, heartily congratulates the newly promoted senior officers and SNCOs, while urging them to see the elevation as an impetus to re-dedicate themselves towards effective and efficient service delivery, especially, in today's era of joint force employment.

"The newly promoted senior officers will be decorated with their new ranks at a later date", an air force statement said.

Continued online

BUHARI: NIGERIA REQUIRES N348TRN FOR REALISTIC 5-YEAR NATIONAL DEVT PLAN and the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. (Mrs) Zainab Ahmed. ‘‘Apart from the NSC the institutional arrangement for the preparation of the Plan also included; the Central Working Group (CWG), the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and a strong Secretariat that supported the process. ‘‘The process adopted for the preparation of the Plan was not only participatory and consultative but also inclusive; involving all segments of the society such as; Key Political Parties; Government Agencies; Labour Unions; Youth Organizations; Civil Society Organizations; Women Society; Farmers’ Association; ALGON; Traditional and Religious Leaders and Representatives of People with Special Needs; and Development Partners."

According to him, the broad objectives of the Plan include the establishing a strong foundation for a concentric diversified economy with robust MSME growth and a more resilient business environment as well as investing in critical, physical, financial digital and innovation infrastructure.

The president added that the

Plan was also expected to build a solid framework to strengthen security and ensure good governance while also enabling a vibrant, educated and healthy population.

Presenting the Plan to the president, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the plan would focus on investing on massive infrastructure, ensure economic stability, enhance the investment environment, and improve on social indicators and living conditions of Nigerians, among other targets.

She further stated that the plan was a pointer to the type of Nigeria that all Nigerians desire, adding that it would encourage the use of science, technology and innovation to drive the growth being targeted.

“In order to have the future we all desire, the plan is developed to play a sizable role in the product complexity space internationally and adopts measures to ease constraints that have hindered the economy from attaining its potentials, particularly on the product mapping space.

“The plan provides for the implementation of major infrastructure and other development projects across the six geopolitical zones and opening up of opportunities

for the rural areas to ensure balanced development and increased competitiveness,” she added.

“The plan seeks to invest massively in infrastructure, ensure macroeconomic stability, enhance the investment environment, improve on social indicators and living conditions, tackle climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience strategies, among others,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has hailed the Buhari’s administration for the initiative that has created the series of economic development plans so far under its watch, noting that no administration, in Nigeria’s history, had been that inclusive.

The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by the Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, noted that the new NDP 2021-2025 was a product of collaboration and consultation between the federal and state governments.

According to him, "we congratulate Mr. President for launching the 2021-2025 Development Plan as ably introduced by the Minister of National Planning.

“We had an economic recovery

growth plan that expired in 2020, which has achieved the objective of, among others, helping Nigeria exit twice from the recession and now we have a plan in place for 2021-2025 that is further aimed principally at ensuring that the gains have been consolidated and Nigerians are being continuously included.

“This government, more than any other, has taken deliberate, active steps to include all economic groups and support them more than has ever been done in order that they achieve their economic objectives, in order that the country's economy continues to provide for all and we will witness more prosperity. We congratulate and I'm sure all of us in the 36 states and FCT are very happy.

“We have been consulted, some of us who are members of the various committees. It's a consultative programme and we appreciate both the President and the Vice President because under them, particularly the National Economic Council, which is the major economic decision-making body of the Federation, has been quite inclusive, it’s not a monologue, states are being given the pride of place”, he further said.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Arik Air Sacks 40 Pilots over Demand for Improved Welfare They breached the chain of command, says Receiver Manager

Chinedu Eze

The management of Arik Air has sacked 40 of its Nigerian pilots after they downed tools on Tuesday after their demand to meet the company’s Receiver Manager, Mr. Kamilu Omokide, to discuss their welfare and salary increase was allegedly rebuffed.

But Omokide who spoke to THISDAY, described their action as illegal, unfair and sabotage to the company.

THISDAY learnt that the pilots had in the past held several meetings with the company’s management and after every meeting the management would refer them to Omokide.

The pilots allegedly wrote to Omokide, requesting a meeting with him on December 20, and warned that if they didn’t meet with him on the said date, they would down tools.

On Tuesday, THISDAY learnt that the pilots downed tools when their demand for a meeting was rebuffed. Except for skeletal services, the airline operation was effectively grounded. By the evening of yesterday, the pilots started getting sack letters from the management, by late evening all 40 pilots had been relieved.

One of the pilots said the

Receiver Manager was peeved that the pilots gave him a deadline.

He was said to have accused them of abandoning their work.

“We requested to meet with the Receiver Manager. We did not ask

for increase in salary but wanted to meet with him to discuss our welfare. We said if he did not meet with us on December 20, we would stop work.

“It is not as if we suddenly

stopped working; we made our intentions known but we started receiving sack letters since Tuesday and we heard he was angry because we gave him a deadline and also he was angry,

accusing us of abandoning our duties,” the source said.

But the Receiver Manager told THISDAY that in the channel of command and according to the company’s procedures, the

pilots ought to have met with the CEO and by not doing that they breached the chain of command and agreeing to meet with them would be to further breach the structure.

TREE PLANTING EXERCISE…

L-R: Chairman, African Steel Mills, Mr. Raj Gupta; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Group Managing Director, African Steel Mills, Mr. Alok Gupta and Chairman, Tangerine Africa, Mr. Eric Idiahi, at the flag-off of the African Steel Evergreen Tree Planting event in Ikoyi, Lagos… yesterday ETOP UKUTT

Customs Intercepts 607kg Bandits Attack Kaduna Community, Kill One, Abduct 20 many and were well armed.

Affairs, but he didn’t pick my “They left with over 22 people.

John Shiklam in Kaduna of Cannabis Sativa Speaking in a telephone calls. I sent him a text message I don’t know the specific number The Nigeria Customs Service December 3), the unit made the A soldier has been killed while interview with THISDAY Tuesday but there was no response. of I am sure that over 20 people (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Lagos, has intercepted 607 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, otherwise known as Indian hemp. It also seized 7,059 bags of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice.

The Acting Controller of the unit, Deputy Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, made this known in a media conference in Lagos yesterday. He noted that the seized items, which have a duty paid value of N713, 663,355, were seized within three weeks.

Ejibunu said that 27 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the 1,800 seizures made.

He said the seizures were the result of unrelenting and uncompromising anti-smuggling activities by the unit aimed at enforcing government policies and protecting the nation’s economy.

“In just three weeks (from

following seizures: 7,059 bags of foreign parboiled rice 50kg each (about 14 trailers load); 607kg s of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp).

“Others are 537 kegs of PMS (petrol) at 25 litres each; 86 bales of second-hand clothing; 570 pieces of used brassieres; 4,467 pairs of used shoes; 280 cartons of frozen poultry products.

“Also among the seizures are 186 pieces of used bags, three used vehicles; 43 used motorcycles; 70 cartons of tomato paste and 39 used fridges,” he said.

On the legality of patrols and seizures by customs officers, Ejibunu explained that Section 147 of the Customs and Excise Management Act, 2004 , as amended, gives the service authority to enter any premises on suspicion of harbouring prohibited items, without warrant.

over 20 people were abducted by bandits in an attack on Angwan Gwari, a suburb in Sabon Tasha area in Kaduna metropolis.

The incident, according to a resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity, occurred at about 9pm on Tuesday.

He said the bandits who were dressed in military uniforms were

evening, he said: “It was at about 9pm when we heard gunshots.

“Initially we thought it was knock-out from the boys in the community until we realised that it was bandits that had invaded us and residents were alerted.

“I quickly called Samuel Aruwan, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home

“I then called my classmate who is a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) who is resident in Kaduna and he quickly acted by alerting the Commandant of the Strike Force.

“Unfortunately before the security personnel could come, a retired soldier was killed by the bandits.

were abducted.

“The security agencies could not come in time because of the bad roads in our area.

“You know in the whole of Sabon Tasha and its suburbs, there are no good roads, so that is also a serious challenge that we are facing in times of emergencies like this.”

Make Convention Date Public, APC Caretaker Committee Told Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Director General of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) Dr. Salihu Lukman has called on the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to make known the date of the national convention of the party in order not to give room for speculation.

The director-general made the call yesterday in Abuja during

the public presentation of his new book titled, “APC and Campaign for New Nigeria.”

He said the book basically appealed to the party leaders to prioritise internal negotiation, adding that the leaders have demonstrated very good capacity to make sacrifices and that is how the party was formed in the first place.

On the party’s convention slated for February, Lukman said he was happy from the information party members got

from the media that the Caretaker Committee has confirmed that the convention will take place in February.

He stated: “My appeal is for the Caretaker Committee to remain proactive; certain issues should not be allowed to go into speculation.

Information about the date of the convention, I think should be made public so that every party member knows when the convention is going to hold in February.

“We must commend the

leadership of H.E, Mai Mala Buni, for rising to that occasion and affirming that the February date is sacrosanct. So, party members should look forward to a specific date that will be announced by the Caretaker Committee.”

Lukman pointed out that his new book also appealed to party leaders again to prioritise the issue of relationship because the major challenge of politics in thee country today is poor management of relationship among party leaders.

Appropriation Committee, Mr. Mohammed Bashir Lokogoma, who presented the appropriation bill to the Committee of the Whole House on Tuesday, explained that the increase was based on the anticipation that the state would experience improved revenue generations, especially capital receipts, refunds, statutory allocation and

internally generated revenue in 2022.

The budget is made up of recurrent expenditure of N80 billion and N130 billion for capital estimates.

The committee’s report was overwhelmingly passed by the lawmakers, who asked the executive to ensure that the budget is implemented

in the interest of the overall development of the state.

Speaker of the House, Mr. Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, commended his colleagues for what he called “the painstaking efforts put into considering appropriation bill” and advised that same efforts should be put into overseeing the implementation of the budget.

Ijaw Youths Stop Pipeline Project for Non-inclusion Niger Assembly Passes 2022 Appropriation Bill, (trunk line) that will link the the Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Gbetiokin oil field to Adagbarasa Increases Budget Size by N13bn Youths of Ijaw extractions in Edo manifold.

State yesterday stopped work of the proposed trunk line between Gbetiokin field and Adagbarasa field, being undertaken by Elcrest over non-inclusion of their communities in the project.

Consequently, workers who were carrying out survey of the pipeline route were chased away by youths of the communities.

A representative of the youths, Mr. Andrew Adowei, described the action of the oil company as an affront on the people of the communities.

He said aside the need to inform the people of the proposed survey, none of those carrying out the survey are from the communities the pipeline will passed through.

He said: “We, youths of Ijaw communities within OML 40 have stopped a survey work for the preparation of a pipeline

“Our anger stem from the fact that we see the action of Elcrest as gross disrespect for these communities. Nobody has come to abreast us about the ongoing survey within our own territory.

“This is an unusual practice by oil companies to just come into host communities without prior information of the scope of work or what they are about doing.”

Adowei, however, stated that some months back, the company had intimated the communities of their plan and even engaged a youth from one of the community as Ijaw coordinator of the project.

“Prince Igbiriki Barakemiye who is the Ijaw coordinator of this project came down to the community to hint us about the scope of the job and even engaged some of our youths.

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State House of Assembly has passed the state’s 2022 Appropriation Bill that was sent to it in October by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.

The lawmakers increased the budget estimate from N198 billion to over N211 billion.

The Chairman of the

Alleged Murder: Police Arrest Four Suspected Internet Fraudsters James Sowole in Abeokuta Operatives of Ogun State Police Command have arrested four suspected internet fraudsters over the murder of a 20-year-old boy, Alexander Uzoma.

The suspects, according to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, were

arrested following the report lodged at Adigbe Divisional Headquarters by the mother of the victim, one Ogechi Alexander, who reported that her son Alexander left home on the 20th of November 2021 and did not return.

The woman was said have reported further that her son told her that he was going to

visit some of his friends whom she didn’t know.

Oyeyemi said: “A case of missing person was subsequently incidented at Adigbe Division, but when the whereabout of the victim remained a mystery after some days, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole directed that the case be transferred to State Criminal Investigation

and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.

“At the SCIID, the Police Officer, Nurudeen AbdulGafar led Modus Operandi Section, embarked on intelligence and technical investigation which led to identification of one Babatunde Owoseni as the person who was last seen with the victim, and he was promptly arrested.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Clark Writes Obasanjo, Accuses Him of Increasing Disdain against N’Delta People Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja Elder Statesman and Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of growing the disdain and insincerity for the people of Niger Delta.

Obasanjo, had at a recent event organised by the Global Peace Foundation in collaboration with Vision Africa, made utterances that were viewed to be against the Niger Delta region as regards resource control.

The former president had in his comments at the interactive session said oil found in the Niger Delta region does not belong to the people of the Niger Delta.

Clark in a personal letter to Obasanjo yesterday while expressing his disappointment, said the former president’s comment represent his unending arrogant stance and disposition against the Niger Delta Region.

While commending Obasanjo for finding time to visit him recently in his Abuja residence to check on his wellbeing and state of health, the former Federal Commissioner for Information assured him that the people of the Niger Delta will always rise to defend themselves and their

region.

The elder statesman also said that henceforth, together with other groups with whom they are working, the Afenifere of South West, the Middle Belt Forum, and the Ohaneze of the South-east,

they will take a critical look at any ‘hypocritical’ dialogue Obasanjo wants to invite them to, or co-chaired by him, until their rights under the Constitution, according to him, are recognised and respected.

He further said the ‘open letter’ also serves as notice that they have withdrawn from the communique issued by Obasanjo at the end of the two days’ meeting.

The letter entitled, ‘My

disappointment over your unprovoked outburst against the People of the Niger Delta region,’ read in part: “This is in spite of the environmental damages the region is suffering.

Your Excellency did not deem it

fit to empathise with the people of Nembe, Bayelsa State, in the recent pipeline explosion which has inflicted untold hardship on the people of the area and caused humungous damage to the area; the aquatic life is destroyed.”

SECURING EASTERN NIGERIA…

L-R: Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi and with the State Commander, Ebubeagu, Mr. Friday Ujor during the inauguration of Ebubeagu, the South East geopolitical zone security outfit, Ebonyi State Command in Abakaliki... yesterday

Yuletide: Anambra NSCDC Police Intimidation: ActionAid Wants Charges against Actor, Olatunji Dropped Deploys 2,077 Officers to Churches, Event Venues Michael Olugbode in Abuja

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) Anambra State Command has deployed 2,077 men to all parts of Anambra State, including churches and venues of celebration.

This, the command said is to curb any form of crime in the state, during the Christmas celebration.

A press statement by the spokesperson of the command, DSC Edwin Okadigbo, stated that the men deployed were drawn from various units of the corps, and would be manning areas of competence to ensure result.

The unit he said included: Conventional Civil Defenders, Chemical and Biological Unit , Counter Terrorism Unit, Disaster Management Unit , Special Female Squad, Operations Department, intelligence and Investigation Department and AntiVandalism squad of the Command.

Okadigbo said: “In view of the forthcoming Christmas and New Year celebration, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) Anambra State Command, is assuring the good people of Anambra State and residents alike of the Command’s readiness to perform its statutory responsibility.

The ActionAid Nigeria has called on the Nigerian Police Force to intensify actions against police intimidation, brutality and the gross violation of the rights of Nigerian citizens.

Speaking in Abuja, the Country Director, ActionAid

Nigeria, Ms. Ene Obi, said: “ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) is appalled by the actions of members of Oke-Odo and Area P Police Station in Abule Egba and Ayobo respectively, leading to the arrest of one of ActionAid Nigeria’s Social Justice Influencers, Actor and Director, Mr. Damola Olatunji and his assistant.

“We have been following the unfolding events with keen interest and it is important to state that the arrest and court charges against Olatunji are unnecessary and merely a show of force and power.”

Ms. Obi claimed that Olatunji was arrested for speaking against police intimidation and harassment of

a motorcycle rider, popularly called ‘Okada’ in Lagos.

Obi noted that policemen slapped Olatunji’s assistant, seized his phones and both were manhandled and arrested like common criminals.

She said both have now been charged to court, albeit, presently on bail of N500,000 each and two sureties.

Nasarawa Gov Swears in 14 New Commissioners, 18 Advisers Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, yesterday sworn in 14 new commissioners and 18 Special Advisers in the state.

The governor also commended members of the state House of Assembly for the accelerated screening and confirmation of the new members of his cabinet.

Sule said: “I commend the Honourable Speaker and

members of the state Assembly for the accelerated screening and confirmation of the nominees.

This is a demonstration of our collective commitment of providing purposeful leadership and delivery of service to our people.”

The governor, however, told the new appointees that they were coming at the most trying time of his administration because the people are yearning

for more dividends of democracy, and the administration was in the last lap of its first tenure.

While challenging his new political appointees, the governor said: “This has put heavy burden on you as new appointees. You must discharge your duties bearing in mind our principles of accountability, probity, loyalty and prudent management of public resources.

“You must be dedicated,

patriotic, as well as rise up to the challenges ahead. This is the only way we can leave a legacy that will stand the test of time.”

On the recent security breakdown in some parts of the state, Sule said he was appalled to observe some threats to the security and stability of some parts of the state occasioned by the activities of some disgruntled elements.

home and return January 11, 2022.

Following the developments, they (pregnant women) marched to the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to make their plights known to the public.

Spokesperson of the Women, Mrs. Happy Imafidon, said they were directed to come on January 11, 2021 after spending hours

unattended to.

“We got at the antenatal as we are scheduled today, December 22.

The nurses announced that from today, December 22, there will be no antenatal care because it has been closed till January 11.

“We asked what if anyone has issues, before January 11, they told us that we should go to private hospitals that it is an order from

above,” she said.

Reacting to this development, Edo State Commissioner for Heath, Professor Obehi Akoria, said there was a communication gap between the health workers and the patients.

Akoria pleaded with the women and assured them that the state government has made proper arrangements to take care of pregnant women.

Turntable End-of-Year Pregnant Women Protest against Closure of Antenatal Services in Edo Countdown Begins The TurnTable End-of-Year Countdown has begun and fans can look forward to following it live on everyone’s fave AI-powered music video app and talent discovery platform, Triller. According to the organizers, the round-up of Nigeria’s Top 20 songs for the year will be streaming live today, December 23, at 19h00 WAT and will be presented in collaboration with TurnTable Charts and Clout Africa. The show will be hosted by Blessing “BiBi” Oreunomhe – with support from Roviel.

In the run-up to the countdown, Triller will also be featuring an end-of-year roundtable, an industry forum that will review the country’s Top 20 songs of the year and report on everything that’s been happening on the Nigerian music scene in 2021.

The RoundTable will feature some of the biggest names in Nigerian music, including Chuka Obi, Fawehinmi “Foza” Oyinkansola, Daniel Owolabi, Titi Adesanya, Adeayo Adebiyi, Ini Baderinwa, Edwin Okolo, and Kolapo Oladapo.

Both the Roundtable and the Countdown will be featured prominently on the social media platforms of Triller, TurnTable Charts and Clout Africa, so fans will be able to view additional content and engage with one another as the countdown happens.

Commenting, Triller’s Africa Strategic Partnership Director, Joel Houenou, said: “This is a first-of-its-kind aggregate countdown of Nigeria’s most popular music.Together with our partners, we’re blazing a new trail and presenting a rich, multifaceted experience of the Nigerian music scene.”

Adibe EmenyonuinBeninCity

Scores of pregnant women yesterday protested against the alleged closure of antenatal care services at the Edo State owned Central Hospital, Benin City.

The women claimed that they were scheduled to attend antenatal care yesterday but upon getting to the clinic, were directed to go

Avoid Nationalising Political Parties in Electoral Act Amendments Bill, Govt Told The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, Emugoriade 1 has urged the federal government to avoid the nationalisation of political parties in the Electoral Act Amendments Bill that is awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari. The monarch stated during the 2021 International Security Conference

organised by the Institute of Security, Nigeria.

The two-day conference with the theme, “Enhancing Integrity and Security Solutions to Election Threats and Political Violence in Democratic Environment” took place at the University of Lagos recently.

The royal father noted that the conference is a good precursor

to the 2023 elections and it is expected that the outcome of the conference will go a long way in curbing electoral corruption, violence, and other unwholesome practices that are renowned with the electioneering process in Nigeria.

According to Oba Kasali, “factors responsible for fraudulent and violent elections include- bad

officials directly or indirectly engaged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the partisan position of security agencies during electioneering period; monetization of electoral processes; bad reportage by the media before and after elections and the nonprovision of a fair playing ground for those seeking electoral offices.”

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THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Pinnick: Super Eagles to Get

New Head Coach before AFCON

Duro Ikhazuagbe

The Super Eagles have been confirmed to get a new head coach before they kick off their campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to begin on January 9, in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Speaking at the inaugural Guide of Sports Editors forum in Lagos yesterday, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, confirmed that the federation was in discussions with three European coaches and that the selected gaffer will be unveiled before AFCON begins.

Although he admitted that the Portuguese recommended

by Jose Mourinho was indeed amongst the three, he however declined to say who has been selected to replace sacked Gernot Rohr.

“It is true that Jose Paseiro is one of the three coaches we are discussing with. At this stage of the selection process, it will be improper to announce here the top runner. What I can assure you and Nigerians is that Super Eagles will get a new head coach before the

AFCON begins. We are in the middle of getting that business done,” observed Pinnick who also doubles as CAF and FIFA executive committee member.

Former Serbia national team coach, Mladen Krstajic, was also in the running for the Super Eagles job before he was appointed as the head coach of Israeli Conference League side, Maccabi Tel Aviv, penultimate Thursday.

Pinnick admitted discussing Nigeria’s coaching matters with both Mourinho and former Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger who is now involved with FIFA. “Both Mourinho and Arsene remain amongst the very best in coaching business. I don’t see anything wrong in asking for their opinion for Nigeria to get the best replacement for Gernot Rohr.”

The NFF president hinted that given the circumstances leading to the exit of Rohr from the Eagles job, “ We are working hard to ensure that we have enough funds from our sponsors to pay whoever that is appointed as Nigeria’s new Head Coach.”

Pinnick also confirmed

promises by sponsors of the NFF to offset debts owed Rohr and other coaches in the employment of the federation within the next ten days.

Asked if the new manager was going to take charge of the Super Eagles at the AFCON in Cameroon, Pinnick said “ if the

new Coach will win the AFCON for us, why not?”

He was quick to add that in the event that it is interim coach Austin Eguavoen that leads the team to victory in Cameroon, “ then, we may have a rethink and perhaps, ask him to carry on. What we are looking for

is the coach that will deliver and make Nigerians happy in victory.”

As a top CAF member, Pinnick insists that the tournament will proceed as planned despite attempts by the European clubs body (ECA) to prevent African players from

participating in it. “ CAF is putting in place a top notch Covid testing facilities to prevent spread of the pandemic at the tournament. We are using the same top labor that handled the FIFA Arab Cup tournament in Qatar just last week,” revealed the CAF executive.

Iheanacho, Ndidi Knocked out of Carabao Cup with Leicester Both Super Eagles players, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho missed the chance of progressing with Leicester City into the semi final of the Carabao Cup at the expense of Liverpool last night.

Leicester lost the quarter final fixture 5-4 in a nail-biting penalty shootouts regulation time had deadlocked at 3-3. Leicester blew a 3-1 advantage at halftime as Liverpool were brought back to life at the death when Japanese

forward Takumi Minamino, equalized at the 90th minute to force the game into shootout.

Ndidi who played in the central defence role was partly to blame for Liverpool’s second goal.

Iheanacho however was one of the Leicester players who scored their penalty kicks while Diogo Jota scored the decisive spot kick to earn Liverpool the 5-4 win and the ticket to the last four.

Juventus, Man Utd, Chelsea Battle for Dembele ‘s Signature Juventus, Manchester United and Chelsea are all pushing to sign Barcelona’s winger Ousmane Dembele, Diario Sport reports Dembele's contract with the Blaugrana comes to an end in the summer of 2022, which has sparked plenty of debate around his future.

Barcelona have not given up on keeping the 24-year-old past this season, and there could be a short-term renewal that keeps him in Catalonia and allows more time to negotiate a longer deal.

But while Dembele is happy with his current role at Barcelona, his agent has stated that a move elsewhere could see him earn double what he does at Camp Nou while also having a chance of winning trophies.

Barcelona are attempting to combat that by offering Dembele a lower salary with various bonuses that could see him become one of the club's highest earners if he and the team perform well.

If they are not successful in

TRANSFER getting Dembele to sign before January, the club could offload four or five players to ensure they can sign two attacking recruits in the January window.

Liverpool fought back from 3-1 down in the Carabao Cup quarter final to tie the game 3-3 and eventually knocked out PHOTO: Reuters Leicester 5-4 in penalty shootouts last night.

Hero Lager Partners NPFL, Becomes Official Sponsor of Enyimba, Rangers, Others Sunday Okobi

Ousmane Dembele...wanted in England

Premium lager, Hero, has entered into a partnership with the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) to further promote the game of football in Nigeria.

Known as the preferred lager in the South-East and many parts of the country, Hero is a product of International Breweries Plc, a part of AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer with over 400 beer brands.

According to the management of the company, Nigerian Premier League elite clubs such as Enyimba Football Club of Aba, Heartland FC of Owerri,

Rangers United, Ifeanyi Uba FC, Abia Warriors FC, Rivers United FC and others in the east will enjoy the compliments of being officially sponsored by the premium lager.

This partnership with the NPFL is coming at a time when many clubs are struggling to stay afloat not just in the Nigerian Premier League, as a result of poor funding.

Speaking to journalists recently at a press conference to announce the partnership, Marketing Director, International Breweries Plc, Tolulope Adedeji, explained that as a culturally-inclined brand that always has the welfare of the people at the heart of its

campaigns and initiatives, Hero seeks to elevate the status of the round leather game in Nigeria.

Adedeji said: “Football is a game that brings people together no matter who they are or where they are located. In a football game, people celebrate as one and they share the win or loss of their team as one, and in this sense Hero Lager is much like the game of football because it unites people. Now that Hero lager is stepping up to promote local football, we should expect a lot more development in this area. Our ambition is to see our local players get more visibility, career development and love of our people”

Also, the Marketing Manager, Hero, Margaret Igabali, added that: “These clubs bring joy to many Nigerians across the country and should be supported just the way foreign brands support foreign clubs. Football teams go beyond the game, they are traditions,and we are happy to be the official sponsors of these great football traditions" The sponsorship deal between Hero and the football clubs in the Southeast will directly benefit the clubs, the NPFL, the players, and indirectly benefit the fans, the club's communities as their clubs can now focus on winning the league for them. The sponsorship contract takes immediate effect.

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ACF to Buhari/Northern Governors “The president and the northern governors are unwittingly creating the impression that only their lives, those of their immediate family members and their offices matter…the people affected by these savage attacks are thus left to think their lives don’t count”—Arewa Consultative Forum berating President Buhari and Northern governors for lack of empathy and inability to find appropriate response to the killings in the region by bandits and other criminal gangs.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Electoral Act and Aso Rock Game W ithin days of the passage of the 2021 Electoral Bill, it became obvious that the presidency was uncomfortable with the provision that makes it mandatory for political parties to nominate their candidates only through direct primaries.

What followed, however, was an outsourcing of responsibility rather than an attempt to find a solution. First, it was reported that the president had written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, seeking his advice. And then the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, or his agents leaked a memo he sent to the president asking him not to assent.

If these efforts were designed to insulate the president from the decision he eventually took, they did not help. If anything, they made the president look weak and the decision-making process at the highest level of government in our country rather tawdry. By withholding his assent to the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill, the president has exercised his veto power, a reactive instrument that blocks change rather than offer practical leadership on a serious issue. Yet, it is most unfortunate that this is the fifth time President Muhammadu Buhari has derailed the electoral act amendment process, despite mouthing platitudes about transparent elections.

Meanwhile, if the president was better served, the contentious amendment would not have been introduced in the first place. Section 87 of the electoral act 2010 (as amended) already provides for both direct and indirect primaries leaving the choice to the parties. What the House of Representatives did was to remove ‘indirect’ making it mandatory that party candidates be nominated by direct primaries. The Senate did not even see any need to alter the provision in their own version and only latched on to it after the harmonization conference between the two houses. So, all these arguments being canvassed by the presidency could easily have been dealt with at the stage when the joint committee of the two legislative houses were concluding on the bill. Since the current National Assembly leadership works closely with the presidency, I am sure a consensus could have been reached before its passage. And the veto that now endangers other provisions critical to transparent elections would not have been necessary.

For a man who came to power on the strength of the deployment of technology in the electoral process, it is difficult to defend President Buhari and the cynical manner he has handled the electoral act. On four different occasions in 2018, the President declined assent in a manner that was shameful. At that time, the insinuation was that he and his party felt uncomfortable with certain provisions such as the immediate transmission of voting results from polling units to collation centers and a mandate for INEC to utilize full biometric accreditation of voters with smart card readers and/or other technological devices.

The drama of that period is like what we are currently witnessing. The Senate had passed its version of the electoral act (amendment) bill in March 2017 while the House of Representatives came out with its own version in January 2018. Then, like now, it was the House version that was different.

Buhari

In that House bill, the National Assembly poll was scheduled to hold first while the presidential election would come last. What the honourable members did was to take away the constitutionally guaranteed powers

of INEC in pursuit of a self-serving agenda.

The argument then was that the only way for lawmakers to survive was to have their election held before that of the governors. The usurpation of the powers of INEC to fix an election timetable provided President Buhari the basis for rejecting the first bill in 2018.

However, when the sequence of elections was removed by the National Assembly, the president still rejected the second bill on grounds that the lawmakers had removed some clauses contained in the original bill, including provisions for the use of card readers.

Obviously, a clerical error. When a corrected copy of the bill was sent to the president, he treated it almost like a term paper submitted by erring students to a stern lecturer, invariably telling the National Assembly members that they don’t know their job. “Section 5 of the Bill, amending section 18 of the Principal Act should indicate the subsection to which the substitution of the figure ‘30’ for the figure ‘60’ is to be affected. Section 11 of the Bill, amending Section 36 should indicate the subsection in which the proviso is to be introduced,” the president wrote in his 6th December 2018 letter (more like lecture) to the lawmakers on why he was withholding assent. “Section 24 of the Bill which amends Section 85 (1) should be redrafted in full as the introduction of ‘electing’ to the sentence may be interpreted to mean that political parties may give 21 days’ notice of the intention to merge…The definition of the term ‘Ward Collection officer’ should be revised to reflect a more descriptive definition than the capitalised and undefined

Yewande Sadiku’s Vindication

M

s Yewande Sadiku left a to-die-for job as executive director at Stanbic IBTC to take up appointment as executive secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). The position was one she didn’t ask for nor was she even consulted before the public announcement.

She nonetheless accepted the offer as a call to national duty. Despite her best efforts to institute reforms and raise the profile and relevance of the critical federal government agency, Sadiku was smeared by damaging (but spurious) allegations in a country where people believe the worst of public officials.

When her tenure was coming to an end earlier this year, the social media was awash with stories of how Sadiku was ‘arrested’ when she simply voluntarily reported to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and other anti-corruption agencies to respond to allegations levelled against her.

Since those whose reputation are assailed in such manner are usually left to carry the stigma, even when they may be innocent, the whole idea was to leave a question mark on Sadiku’s integrity. It is therefore commendable that the ICPC has chosen to exhibit professionalism by releasing a statement on their findings. In a letter dated 16th December and addressed to the CEO of NIPC, the ICPC confirmed receiving a petition against Sadiku and other officials.

According to the ICPC, the allegations levelled against Sadiku could be summarised as “fraudulent abuse of office; waste and

mismanagement of public funds by the executive secretary of the NIPC through incessant tours and travels within and outside Nigeria without adding value to the commission”. She was also alleged to have “embarked on foreign trips without express approval of the governing council of the commission; used the commission’s fund to repair her damaged personal vehicle”, as well as received “illegal foreign leave allowance”.

Following investigation, according to Akeem Lawal, ICPC director of operations, “none of these allegations was established, and the striking out of suit No FAC/ABJ/ CS/249/2019 by his lordship, Hon. Justice A.R. Mohammed of the federal high court of Nigeria, Abuja division, brings the investigation to a close.”

It is noteworthy that Sadiku was subjected to various investigations, court cases and union actions. But the coordinated attacks to which she was subjected fall within a pattern and were intended not only to tar her but also to scare honest and dedicated professionals from our public service. Should that happen, Nigeria will be the loser.

It is, however, remarkable that Sadiku didn’t crack under the intense and painful attacks, but instead managed to institute a spectacular shift at the agency. This despite the constant distraction it took to clear her name. Which is why the vindication of Sadiku by ICPC goes beyond her. It is a vote for hope.

term ‘Registration Area Collation Officer.’”

Like obedient students, the lawmakers effected the corrections demanded of them, but despite all the rigmarole that lasted several weeks, the president eventually withheld assent “principally because I am concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general elections which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process.”

Now, we are back to Ground Zero! After some huffing and puffing and the drama of ‘collecting signatures’ to override the presidential veto, the Senate yesterday resolved to toe the line already taken by the House of Representatives and deferred further action on the bill till their resumption in the new year. While the current brouhaha is over clause 87, it must be noted that the only thing the National Assembly did was to remove ‘or indirect’ to make it compulsory for parties to use only direct primaries for the nomination of candidates. But whatever may be the misgivings over the mode of primaries, the more important clauses in the bill are Number 43 (on ballot boxes and voting devices), Number 52 (on conduct of poll by open secret ballot) and Number 63 (on counting of votes and forms). The challenge now is how to save these important clauses when the National Assembly eventually resumes in January. And the man who should be very concerned is President Buhari.

A week before the President was sworn in for a second term in May 2019, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said the preoccupation of his principal would be building up a legacy. “The second term is a term for legacy building. The President would do all that will stand in good stead in the memory of Nigerians as a President that came, that saw and that conquered,” Adesina said. But since legacies are forged in enduring policies and important legislations that directly impact the people, there is little evidence that the president is mindful of the judgement of history on all his signature promises. That he would dither on electoral reforms on his way out is even more tragic.

All said, the abiding consistency of President Buhari in his approach to electoral law amendments indicates a reluctance to allow positive change. What is particularly worrisome is the fact that all the amendments the president has vetoed have to do with provisions that strengthen democratic practices. The irony therefore remains that a president who came to power with a pledge to uphold and enhance democracy has ended up habitually blockading our democratic best intentions. I hope it is not too late for him to work towards a quick passage of the electoral act when the National Assembly resumes in January.

On Akande’s Memoir My column last week, ‘Akande, Tinubu, Buhari and 2023’, was a review of the memoir of former Osun State Governor and founding All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande. In a rejoinder, Mr Oyewole Akande, nephew to the author, explains the reason why the memoir was written and when it was finalized. Interested readers can check the piece on page 15.

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