FRIDAY 25TH DECEMBER 2020

CBN Revokes Licences of Eight Payment Service Providers Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licences of seven payment service providers and one payment switching firm.

The affected firms are

Easifuel Limited, Transaction Processing System (TPS), Grand Towers Limited, Paymaster Limited, E-Revenue Gateway Limited, Eartholeum Network Limited and Globasure Limited.

Also, the payment switch licence of 3Line Card

Management Limited was revoked.

The CBN, in an official gazette signed by its Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, a copy of which was posted on its website yesterday, said the decision was taken because the seven firms ceased to carry on,

in Nigeria, the type of business for which their licences were issued, for a continuous period of six months.

In addition, they were said to have breached the conditions for their licensing.

They were also said to have failed to comply with

the obligations imposed upon them by the central bank in accordance with the provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) Cap B3, Laws of the Federations of Nigeria, 2004.

“Now, therefore, I, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, Governor of

the Central Bank of Nigeria, in exercise of the powers conferred on the Central Bank of Nigeria under Section 60 and 62 of BOFIA, Cap B3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, hereby revoke the licences of the payment Continued on page 9

COVID-19, High Goods' Prices, Fail to Dampen Urge for Christmas Celebration... Page 5 Friday/Saturday 25-26 December, 2020 Vol 25. No 9391/9392. Price: N250

www.thisdaylive.com TR

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FG Allays Concerns over New COVID-19 Strain Imposes fresh requirements on UK, S'Africa travellers

Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja, Eromosele Abiodun and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos The federal government yesterday allayed fears over

the discovery of a new variant of COVID-19 virus in Nigeria.

A senior official of the Federal Ministry Health told THISDAY that the new COVID-19 variant has not yet become a major threat.

Also, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, has said that the PTF is in touch with Professor Christian Happi, who alongside Ify Aniebo

Africa CDC: Nigeria’s variant different from UK, S'Africa's led a group to carry out a study, where they found that the United Kingdom’s ‘lineage B.1.1.7,’ a mutant variant of the virus, has been existing in Nigeria for months.

However, the Director

General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said the federal government will commence the first tranche of COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide in the first quarter

of 2021.

He also said it has not been confirmed if the strain discovered in the United Kingdom and other countries Continued on page 41

At Christmas, Buhari Commits to Providing Security for All Laments security crisis, schoolchildren's abduction Cancels homage by govt officials, others Jonathan, Atiku, Lawan, Gbajabiamila, preach love, tolerance, sacrifice Omololu Ogunmade, Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale, Udora Orizu in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday sought to appease Nigerians worried by his perceived poor handling of security crisis plaguing the country, saying he could not in good conscience shirk his responsibility to secure lives.

The president, in his Christmas message to Nigerians in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, said the provision of security for all remains his article of faith, describing it "as a vital segment of this administration's three-point agenda right from inception, and we must follow through with it."

Buhari’s predecessor, Dr. Continued on page 9

THE RETURN OF SANWO-OLU...

L-R: Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo; the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso and Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, during a news conference by SanwoOlu after recovering from COVID-19 infection, in Lagos...yesterday nan

To our readers: In keeping with our tradition of observing Christmas Day, THISDAY, your favourite newspaper of record, will not be on the newsstands on Saturday, December 26, 2020, but will be back on Sunday, December 27, 2020. We wish our readers a very Merry Christmas. – Editor

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

COVID-19, High Goods' Prices, Fail to Dampen Urge for Christmas Celebration Aircraft scarcity leads to hike in fares

Chiemelie Ezeobi, Chinedu Eze, Rebecca Ejifoma, Chiamaka Ozulumba and Oluwabunmi Fache Nigerians thronged shopping malls, markets and motor parks yesterday in last-minute preparations to celebrate Christmas today with the rest of the global community.

THISDAY checks showed that they were undeterred by the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and high costs of goods, occasioned by rising inflation, in their quest to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

THISDAY checks revealed that traders, transporters, including airlines, cashed in on the occasion to hike prices with the cost of airfare for economy class overshooting the N100,000 mark in some cases.

In Lagos, visits to different markets across the state showed the influx of shoppers who huddled together as they bargained for clothes, shoes, foodstuffs and poultry.

At the Balogun Market in Lagos Island, the mammoth crowd defied the COVID-19 protocol as they haggled for prices. The scenario was not different at other markets on the Lagos Mainland.

However, the shoppers have to contend with the steep prices of goods, which tempered their buying spree.

Mrs. Chika Ukaegbu, a shopper at the Ikorodu Garage Market, told THISDAY that she shopped late because of the demands of work, and lamented that the last-minute decision backfired as prices went up higher.

She said: "My office closed late and I couldn't shop on time that's why I'm shopping now.

I thought everything would be relatively cheap but the price of commodities are still high, even pepper is very expensive and scarce.

“Even a bottle of palm oil has gone up from N2,900 to N3,300. With the high cost of live chicken, I settled for frozen foods because live chickens like the broiler went up to N6,000 from N2,500 while cockerel went up to N6,000 from N3,000.

“For consumers, things are really hard in this country. It is as if there is nothing to celebrate with the current economic situation.”

Also, visits to some motor parks showed a surge in passenger traffic as people trooped in on their way to joining family and friends outside Lagos State to mark Christmas Checks by THISDAY revealed that most passengers relied mostly on the online booking platforms offered by most transport companies, although the offline traditional bookings still experienced the usual crowd.

For the online booking, seats have been fully booked for December 24, 25 and 26 either day or night trips, with December 27 to 31 open with a few slots.

At the parks visited in Ikorodu, Ejigbo, Cele, Jakande, Yaba, Jibowu and Mazamaza, destinations like Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Imo and Ebonyi States, had more passengers more than those going to Edo, Delta States, and Abuja.

"Travellers didn’t decrease this period, as many would envisage," an elderly man stationed behind the counter at the Young Shall Grow Motors in Jibowu told THISDAY. Unlike what was witnessed in the past years, the cost of travelling to the East did not skyrocket until the federal government issued another COVID-19 guidelines, especially in relation to social distancing protocol.

With the guidelines, the fares shot up from N8,000 to 15,000 and N18,000, as the transport companies were forced to reduce the number of passengers per seat.

But companies like The Young Shall Grow Transport still pegged their price at N10,100 for their luxury buses for either night and day trips while a seat on their Sienna bus cost N12,900.

For God is Good Motors, the fare increased to N13,800 while that of Petite Transport company’s luxury bus was pegged at N10,000 while the Sienna was N13,000.

A visit to Peace Mass Transit Park revealed that the fare from Lagos to Onitsha was N18,000, which was the same for ANIDS (Anambra transportation company), Libra Motors and some other transport companies.

However, there was abysmal adherence to the COVID-19 protocols, as some transporters not only increased fares, they disregarded the federal

government’s directive to reduce the number of passengers per a vehicle. Many of the passengers did not wear facemasks.

One of the travellers at Mazamaza park, when asked why he didn’t wear a mask, said: “COVID-19 where? It can’t stop us from travelling.

We are travelling this afternoon.

Nothing has changed.”

Aircraft Scarcity Leads to Hike in Fares Domestic airlines in the country have increased their airfares owing to high volume of passenger traffic.

Compared to previous years, passenger traffic in this year’s Christmas season could be described as low, but due to few aircraft seats, the airlines were unable to meet passengers' demand.

THISDAY investigations revealed that this gave rise to flight cancellations, flight delays with some airlines having to operate late into the night and early morning on the popular Abuja-Lagos route.

Also compared to previous years, industry observers said the airfares were higher due to the low value of the naira compared to the dollar and high demand of tickets and few supply of

aircraft seats.

Industry analysts also observed that a percentage of air travellers were those who previously travelled by road but due to the insecurity chose to now travel by air.

THISDAY checks at the domestic airport terminals of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos; MMA2 and the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) showed that that was high passenger movement in the morning and in the evening than in the afternoon, which differed from the previous years when passengers thronged the airport all day from December 21 to after Christmas.

THISDAY spoke to protocol officials at the domestic terminal, MMA2 who reviewed the airfares in 2019 and 2018 and compared it to this year's, saying that airfares were high this year compared to the previous years.

“This year’s passenger traffic is much because all the airlines are fully booked till December 29, 2020, especially Eastern destinations of Owerri, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Calabar and Uyo. Airfares are up with minimum tickets sold at N50,500

by Dana Air. Air Peace minimum economy ticket is N61,500. Arik Air sold Lagos to Jos ticket for N118,000 for economy class.

“Airfares were relatively cheaper last year. By December 24, we were still getting tickets at N35,000 because there were more operating aircraft last year than this year; and this year, Warri airport is not operating so there are no Lagos-Warri; Abuja-Warri flights. Because of inadequate aircraft, airlines now operate late nights, especially their Abuja-Lagos flights. Yesterday (December 23) Dana Air operated Abuja- Lagos flight by 11:30 pm and Air Peace even operated till early morning,” said one of the protocol officials.

The Chief Executive Officer, Aero Contractors, Capt Aso Sanusi, said: "Passenger traffic has increased tremendously by 20 per cent and has exceeded aircraft capacity by 25 per cent. This has given rise to high demand, which invariably has given rise to air fares. But Air Peace deployed high capacity aircraft (Boeing 777) and airlifted high number of the passengers. We give thanks to them. This lack of capacity will continue into next year and air fares will continue to increase until the airlines will have enough aircraft that will meet passengers demand."

THISDAY also learnt that due to paucity of aircraft, many of the domestic carriers had to reschedule their flights to the chagrin of passengers and some

of the flights were cancelled outright.

Explaining why airfares were high this year, spokesman of Arik Air, Adebanji Ola, attributed the steep airfares to the rise in the value of the dollar, adding that in airline business, everything is denominated in dollars.

Head of Communication of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, told THISDAY that the average airfares for economy class by the airline was about N50, 500 because in the airline’s style, it ensures that its air fares are lower than the average fares offered by other operators.

Ezenwa said there is high demand of tickets to the extent that in the next few days, all domestic airlines may not have tickets because all the aircraft seats have been sold.

“Passengers are flying. The airports are full with passengers.

All the seats for flights going to Port Harcourt, Owerri and Enugu have been sold out. No airline has seats to these destinations.

We are expecting to receive two aircraft from maintenance so we have started taking care of the backlog gradually and by today (December 24) till tomorrow, we will finish the backlog.

Our airfares are relatively low because of our style; so you get something in the neighbourhood of N50,000-N45,000.

ENHANCING AIR FORCE'S COMBAT READINESS...

L-R: Minister of Defence, Maj.-Gen Bashir Magashi (rtd) and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, during the induction of a newly-acquired Mi-171E helicopter and reactivated L-39ZA aircraft, in Kaduna...yesterday nan

S'West Govs Push for Establishment of Development Commission James Sowole in Akure Governors of the six states in the South-west have endorsed the recommendation of a committee they set up for the establishment of the South-west Development Commission (SWDC).

The Technical Committee, set up towards the realisation of the commission, while submitting a memorandum for the establishment of the body to the Ondo State Governor and Chairman of the Southwest Governors‘ Forum, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), urged the governors to use their political clout to ensure the passage of a bill to give a legal backing to the reification of the idea.

Already, the Senate has passed

the bill, sponsored by a former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and introduced in November 2019, for second reading.

The Bill for an Act to establish the South-west Development Commission is expected to act as a catalyst to develop the commercial and industrial potential of the South-west, receive and manage funds from allocation from the federation for the agricultural and industrial development of the region and address any other related security and development challenges and other connected matters.

The memorandum was presented to Akeredolu by the Chairman of the Technical Committee and Chief of Staff to the Governor of Osun State,

Dr. Charles Diji Akinola.

The committee has as members, the attorneys-general of the states and one other nominated person each from the six states.

The attorneys-general are Sir Charles Titiloye (Ondo), Mr. Femi Akande(Osun), Prof.

Oyewo Oyelowo, SAN (Oyo), Mr. Gbolahan Adeniran (Ogun), Mr. Olawale Fapohunda (Ekiti) and Mr. Moyo Onigbanjo, SAN (Lagos).

Other members are: Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor (Political) Hon. Babatunde Odunyoye, Ogun State Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, Chairman, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko Governing Council, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, Ekiti

State Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Akin Oyebode and former Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi.

Presenting the report, Akinola said the memorandum comprised an expanded report, which looked at the different provisions of the bill for the proposed South-west Development Commission and the observations and comments that have been made around it.

Akinola said: “What we are presenting today is a joint memorandum, which is the resolution that has been adopted by all the technical committee members as the outcome of this committee’s deliberation for future consideration at your level as governors.”

He highlighted some

grey areas, which have been deliberated upon and the recommendations made for the governors, adding that two committees and seven other sub-committees have been recommended.

Receiving the report, Akeredolu commended the efforts of members of the technical committee at arriving at the memorandum, stressing that their choice by the governors was justifiable.

Akeredolu promised that at the level of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, the highlighted issues such as the headquarters of the commission and the rest would be carefully looked into and deliberated upon for the good of the people of the region.

He thanked the committee on their position on the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) stating that DAWN will continue to exist as a think- tank just as the SWDC will provide the needed support base.

On the issue of dual membership by Ondo State given its inclusion in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which was raised by the committee, Akeredolu said: “You raised the issue of Ondo State and NDDC. I can assure you, Ondo State is part of South-west. You can’t exclude Ondo from the South-west. This is about our region and not about Ondo State already belonging to another commission like the NDDC."

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Report Links Katsina Pupils’ Abduction to Farmers, Herdsmen’s Feud

Rescue operations enhanced by intelligence, professionalism, says DHQ

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The abduction of 344 Katsina schoolboys was triggered by feud between Hausa farmers and Fulani herdsmen and not extremism, four Katsina and Zamfara government officials have said.

The pupils, who were kidnapped from Government Science School, Kankara, Katsina

State, were rescued after one week in captivity by a combined team of personnel from the police, military and intelligence agencies.

This is coming as the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said yesterday that the rescue of the Katsina pupils was enhanced by the "fussion of intelligence", technology and professionalism.

Briefing newsmen in

Ex-NERC Chair Calls for Regionalisation of Power Grid Says sector problems political, managerial Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi, yesterday advocated the regionalisation of power grid as part of the ways to solve the current problems in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

Amadi, who spoke when he appeared on The Morning Show, a breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS Channel, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, explained that the development will engender competition among the grid operators who will thrive to outdo one another.

According to him, though the regionalisation may create disparity in the quality of power supply across regions, eventually some of the region’s will catch up and become efficient.

He stated that the problems with the sector were multi-faceted, including managerial and political issues , misalignments as well as investment challenges.

He said: “There is acute and comprehensive shortages and there are issues of geography like in the North where you have sparsely populated and dispersed areas, which require long lines of network.

“If that is not looped, then total losses will be very high.

We have shortage of quality of transmission network, shortage of generation, meaning that we don't even have capacity. Some 4,000mw, potentially available and sometimes 2,300mw.

“We have distribution network problems. There's low tolerance level in the sense that if something snaps, something quickly takes it up. There's also poor managerial capability and maintenance culture, which means that we have not done any maintenance, oversight etc for a long time. They are old problems.

“But in solving them, we think there's disruptive, disjointed approach in terms of reforms, (they) privatise this, privatise that instead of a gradual incremental managerial improvement on the managerial side and investment and project management will get underway.

“If you privatise the grid, like you have with the distribution companies, where you have scarcity, a market that's almost non-existent, then you can be sure who comes to the market and have the managerial and financial capacity to make the kind of needed investment.”

In solving the problems, he said decentralisation could play a positive role, adding that as it

is currently constituted, much of the financing in the sector goes into funding the bureaucracy as represented by the power minister and across the entire strata.

“We talk about decentralisation, we probably need to be thinking about it on the national grid. But one outcome is that there will be significant improvement in some grids and grid loss in some.

“Again, the problem is political; we get our power based on sharing formula. Not based on use. If I have control over the usage formula, Lagos zone will get much more power than Yola that is quite distant and removed from source of supply.

“Primarily, regionalisation will improve our supply, improve local competencies, give some gap for some people to catch up and grow. Technology is changing, moving from large scale to modular capacity in terms of embedded generation, isolated distribution network, convergence in transmission network.

“We need to rethink the grid. But the primary problem is elementary, managerial, capacity and investment and how much goes into the sector problem instead of financing the bureaucracy that's wasteful and incompetent.

“Look at the leadership structure of the electricity market today, from minister downwards. Let's have some incremental improvement before disruptive things. "Regionalising the grid could be a way to take the large-scale inefficiency away from the system,” he added.

He described the Siemens deal as a good move, but lamented that NERC was sidelined throughout the process, making it fail to exercise some prudency checks in it the execution.

Amadi said Nigeria should have commercialised, rather than privatise the power sector, like Egypt did, adding that the sector cannot move from N20 to N40 without commensurate improvement in quality of service.

"The Discos have failed in their duty because they are not able to improve services.

They are not engaging their customers. We need a lot of communication," he stated.

He said those who invested in the sector deployed short term or ‘hot funds' into an industry that requires long-term returns, noting that they are now desperate to make quick returns on their investment because of the nature of the monies put into the business.

Abuja, the Coordinator of the Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Major General John Enenche, said the rescue operation succeeded as a result of cooperation from the parties involved and the absence of "conspiracy of silence."

But four government and security officials familiar with negotiations that secured the boys’ release told Reuters the attack was a result of intercommunal feuding over cattle theft, grazing rights and water access, not spreading extremism.

Officials in Katsina State and neighbouring Zamfara State, where the boys were released after six days, said the attack was carried out by a gang of mostly semi-nomadic ethnic Fulanis, including former herders who turned to crime after losing their cows to cattle rustlers.

"They have local conflicts that they want to be settled, and they decided to use this (kidnapping) as a bargaining tool," said Ibrahim Ahmad, a security adviser to the Katsina State Government who took part in the negotiations through intermediaries.

The report said such groups are known more for armed robberies and small-scale kidnappings for ransom.

Cattle herders in the Northwest are mainly Fulani, whereas farmers are mostly Hausa.

For years, farmers have complained of herders letting their cows stray on to their land to graze while herdsmen have complained their cows are being stolen.

Officials in both states told Reuters they established contact with the kidnappers through their clan, a cattle breeders' association and former gang members who participated in a Zamfara amnesty programme.

The intermediaries met the kidnappers in Ruga forest on several occasions before they agreed to release the boys, according to Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle and security sources, including Ahmad.

The gang accused vigilante groups, set up to defend farming communities against banditry, of killing Fulani herders and stealing their cows, Matawalle and Ahmad said.

They also made similar accusations against members of a Katsina State committee set up to investigate cattle theft, Ahmad added.

He said he was not aware of any such incidents, but said a police investigation had been launched. No ransom was paid for the boys' release, according to officials in both states.

However, his claim that no ransom was paid, which is consistent with official narrative on how the 344 pupils were rescued, conflicted with accounts of three of the victims who spoke with Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a newspaper based in the United States.

The WSJ, in a publication on Wednesday, had reported the pupils as saying that the bandits insisted on collecting N1 million ransom for each of the abductees.

Reuters could not reach the gang for comment, but a spokesman for the herders’ association, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders' Association of Nigeria, declined to discuss the negotiations.

The day after the boys were

returned to their families in Kankara and other towns, another gang briefly abducted some 80 pupils who were returning from a trip organised by an Islamic school.

The kidnappers released the children after a gunfight with police and a local vigilante group, state police said.

"All the bandits were Fulanis and are over 100 in number," Abdullahi Sada, who led the vigilantes, told Reuters.

Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters has said that the successful rescue operation was the result of a combined operation of the military, police and intelligence agencies in what it described as "a fussion of intelligence".

"This is the age of information technology. It was a fussion of intelligence management.

"It was also professionalism that boosted the operation and the children came out alive. There was cooperation and no conspiracy of silence", Enenche said, while noting that the vigilante groups and the locals cooperated with the operation.

IN THE SPIRIT OF YULETIDE...

L-R: Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Paul Emeziem; Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Anthony J. V. Obinna; Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, and his wife, Chioma, at a Christmas carol and state's thanksgiving, in Owerri...yesterday

FG Assures Nigerians of Adequate Fuel Supply Beyond Yuletide Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government yesterday assured Nigerians of adequate fuel supply throughout the holiday season and beyond, saying that it currently has over 2.2 billion in its reserves to last about 40 days.

Aside petrol, the government stated that it has enough diesel and aviation fuel supply reserves projected to last for 45 days and 34 days respectively.

A statement in Abuja by the Executive Director, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Mr Abdulkadir Saidu, warned marketers against market manipulation so as not to plunge the country into difficulties.

“The PPPRA assures Nigerians of availability of

petroleum products throughout the yuletide period. The average stock of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol, for both inland and marine between 12th and 18th December 2020 stood at 2,230,400,000 litres.

This translates to 39.83 days sufficiency.

“The country also has a total average volume of 623,080,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel with 44.51 days’ sufficiency, which signals good news for luxury buses that are expected to dominate long travels during the festive season.

“In addition to petrol and diesel availability, Nigeria has 25 days sufficiency of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) with a total of 75,780,000 litres and 34.18 days sufficiency with

a total of 25,293,200 litres of Household Kerosene (HHK) for domestic use.

“The PPPRA advises marketers to operate within the confines of the rules guiding operations in the downstream and shun unwholesome practices that could cause Nigerians untold hardship during the festive period and beyond,” the statement said.

The PPPRA reiterated that when fully operational, the recent deployment of the autogas scheme will ensure that cheaper and cleaner fuels are available to Nigerians.

It added: “The federal government remains intensely focused on executing the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP); its gas masterplan that will result in

many fuel retail outlets being able to dispense gas to motorists in the new year.

“The NGEP autogas rollout of 1st December, 2020 and the ongoing motor vehicle tank conversion exercise at various centres, will herald the proliferation of a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petrol for Nigerians.

“With growing investor confidence in the country’s petroleum downstream catalysed by the deregulation policy and concerted efforts in actualising the ‘Year of Gas’, the PPPRA would like to, once again, assure all stakeholders that the vision for a vibrant, self-sustaining downstream sector remains a priority and we are working tirelessly to achieve this.”

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PAGE NINE CBN REVOKES LICENCES OF EIGHT PAYMENT SERVICE PROVIDERS service providers listed in Schedule 1 and the switch licence of payment service providers listed in Schedule 11 attached hereto. Given under my hand at Abuja this 30th day of November, 2020.”

The CBN recently announced new capital requirement and licence categorisation for payment service providers.

The CBN, in a circular signed by its Director, Payment System Management Department, CBN, Mr. Musa

Jimoh, had put the new capital requirement for mobile money operations as well as switching and processing companies at N2 billion respectively. The minimum capital requirement for Payment Solution Services (PSS) was pegged at N250 million while that of superagents is now N50 million.

Also, Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSP) and Payment Solutions Service Providers (PSSP) are required to have the same minimum

capital requirement of N100 million.

The CBN had said the move was in line with its commitment to promote a strong and credible payment system.

“The new licensing framework offers clarity for new and existing market participants given the significant evolution and innovation in the Nigerian payment system,” it added.

According to the CBN, payment system licensing has been streamlined into four

broad categories.

These are switching and processing; Mobile Money Operations (MMOs); PSS and Regulatory Sandbox.

“Only MMOs are permitted to hold customer funds.

Companies with licences within any of the other categories are not permitted to hold customers’ fund. Companies seeking to combine activities under switching and MMO categories are strongly permitted to operate under a holding

company structure with the subsidiary entities delineated to prevent co-mingling.

“Payment system companies in the PSS category may hold any of PSSP, PTSP and super-agent licence or a combination of the licences thereof. All licensed payment service providers in any of the categories covered by this framework holding or seeking any other CBN issued licences are required to obtain a no-objection from the

Payment System Management Department.

“The object clauses in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of Payment Service Providers shall be limited to the permissible activities under their licensing authorisations.

Collaboration between licensed payment companies, banks and other financial institutions in respect of products and services are subject to CBN’s prior approval,” the CBN had stated.

many countries to ramp up health safety protocols at a time when people traditionally gather to share love in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

He added that aside from the global health emergency of COVID-19, Nigeria also faces security and economic challenges.

Lawan, however, expressed confidence that the resilience and positive attitudes of Nigerians would not only help the country to prevail against the challenges but also ensure that their strains do not stop a merry and responsible celebration of Christmas in the country.

According to him, as Nigerians celebrate Christmas, people of faith should remember the country in their prayers, especially for divine guidance for the government in its efforts to improve national security and strengthen the economy .

"I celebrate with the Christian faithful and enjoin all of us to remember the essence of the august occasion.

"In the true spirit of the season, let's show love to our neighbours, kindness to the less-privileged and vulnerable, and tolerance to one another across the lines of faith, politics and ethnicity; in the spirit of the unique sacrifice and teachings of Jesus Christ.

"With the prayers of the faithful and our continued support for the government, I am confident that Nigeria will surmount its challenges, attain its manifest destiny of greatness and become the pride of its citizens and the entire Black World," Lawan said.

He urged Nigerians to celebrate the festival responsibly by adhering strictly to the public health protocols as announced by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to curtail the spread of the virus.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Nigerians to imbibe the true essence of Christmas by giving a helping hand to those in need and give succour to the vulnerable.

The Secretary of the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John Akpanudoedehe, in a statement yesterday, said as every country affected by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria is poised to exit the current recession within a short time considering several measures lined up by the federal government.

It added that during this festivities, Nigerians must all stay safe by adhering to official public health directives by avoiding non-essential trips, large gatherings, wearing facemasks and washing hands regularly to halt the virus spread.

AT CHRISTMAS, BUHARI COMMITS TO PROVIDING SECURITY FOR ALL Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in their own Christmas messages, urged Nigerians to allow the virtues of love, tolerance and sacrifice Jesus Christ was known for to be their guiding principles.

The president said the symbol of joy, peace, hope, love, goodwill and imminent salvation, which Christmas represents, is much needed in Nigeria now as the country battles a range of crises, including security challenges, economic recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buhari who said he's always distressed when the youth, particularly pupils, become victims of insecurity, added that such situations make him feel the similar emotional torture and agony that parents and guardians go through.

He appealed to citizens to cooperate with the military and other security agencies in the battle against insecurity by volunteering intelligence on activities of criminals with a view to combating insecurity.

According to him, the security crisis bedeviling the country is complex and he pledged to remain focused in tackling it.

He stated that Nigerians reserve the right to live in an atmosphere of peace, which he described as recipe for economic growth.

"For me, providing security for all residents in the country remains an article of faith. It formed a vital segment of this administration's three-point agenda right from inception, and we must follow through with it.

"I cannot in good conscience shirk this cardinal responsibility to secure lives and property. I feel pained each time a breach of peace and security occurs in any part of the nation. I am even more distressed when our youths, especially schoolchildren, are the targets and victims of mindless and malevolent elements in the society. As a parent, I share the emotional torture and agony parents and guardians go through whenever their children and wards fall into the cruel hands of these enemies of decency and good society," he said.

According to him, the solutions to Nigeria’s insecurity go beyond what he labelled as "the simplistic options being bandied around."

"We shall remain focused on following the complex, multidimensional route to reducing the incidents of insecurity to the barest minimum. Our people must be free to live and move without let or hindrance. This is crucial not only to enthroning an atmosphere of calm and social cohesion, but for the economy to grow.

"Let us use this season of goodwill and joy to renew our faith in the ability of this administration to make a lasting difference in the lives of our hard-working people. "Our social intervention measures and other economic policies are already yielding positive results even at modest rates," he said.

The president who promised

to support security agencies within the resources available, commended the security forces for what he described as their efforts in confronting the worsening insecurity in the country, particularly in the North.

He said the tactful display of the security agencies, which resulted in the release of abducted schoolboys of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, would remain a milestone in the history of the country.

He said: "Under my watch, the federal government will continue to provide the needed support within available resources to the gallant members of our armed forces and security agencies as they confront threats to our citizens.

"While I commend them for their efforts so far, I urge them to do more to checkmate increasing incidents of security threats, especially in the northern parts of the country as well as the entire nation in varying degrees. Their display of tact, camaraderie and expertise that led to the recent return of abducted schoolboys of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, will remain a milestone in the annals of the country," he added.

Buhari who advised Nigerians to maximise this season of Christmas celebration to make a difference, said deliberate moves would be undertaken to ensure that youngsters did not become agents of civil disobedience that could lead to destruction of lives and property.

He said whereas freedom of association and peaceful protest is guaranteed in the country's extant laws, his government would not condone protests which degenerate into destruction of security agents, national and private assets.

According to him, stipulations in the economic sustainability plan (ESP) designed to support micro-small businesses are being implemented.

He listed beneficiaries of the policy as artisans, transporters, traders and farmers, adding that succour would continuously be provided for the vulnerable in the society following the harsh economy orchestrated by the outbreak of COVID-19.

Buhari said in the face of meagre revenues caused by COVID-19, the 2021 budget was yet to be fully implemented as he expressed hope that the country would exit the current recession soon.

"Let us use this season of goodwill and joy to renew our faith in the ability of this administration to make a lasting difference in the lives of our hard-working people. Our social intervention measures and other economic policies are already yielding positive results even at modest rates," he stated.

On COVID-19, the president said Nigeria seemed to be going through the second wave of the pandemic.

He appealed to citizens that as they celebrate Christmas, they should observe COVID-19 advisories conceived to contain the spread of the disease.

He added that as both the state and national authorities do their best to contain the disease,

individuals should also accept responsibility by playing their own roles to forestall the spread of the disease.

He appealed to Nigerians to be vigilant this Christmas season as many travel to different destinations for the celebration.

He urged them to bear in mind the necessity to survive COVID-19 so that they can yet be part of future celebrations.

"There is every indication that our country is already experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 infection. As we celebrate Christmas with families and friends, I urge all citizens and residents to adhere strictly to the non-pharmaceutical prevention guidelines of regular hand-washing, wearing masks and social/physical distancing with a view to mitigating the spread of this devastating virus.

"While national and state institutions are trying their best, we must take individual responsibility and resist the strong temptation of compliance-fatigue by followin the recommended protocols put in place by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and beat the ravaging pandemic.

"I have absolute confidence in the spirit of resilience of our people to do the needful and remain vigilant even as this festive season witnesses increased travels and celebrations. Staying alive to enjoy future festivals should be the watchword.

I wish all Nigerians divine protection and Merry Christmas," Buhari added.

The president said he rejoiced with Nigerians, particularly Christians, on what he described as this joyous occasion of 2020 Christmas celebration, describing Christmas season as a period of joy, peace, hope, love, goodwill and imminent salvation.

He said these qualities are much needed in Nigeria now as the country battles a range of crises, including security challenges such as armed banditry, kidnappings, insurgency, economic recession as well as a spike in COVID-19 infections.

The president has, however, banned visits to him by religious and community leaders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the Christmas celebration.

Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, tweeted yesterday that the decision is in line with the prevailing protocol put in place by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, restricting large gatherings.

He said: "The president urges all citizens to, in line with the prescribed protocol, observe social distancing, use face masks, wash hands frequently and avoid overcrowding of public spaces, markets, shopping centres, offices and places of worship.

"President Buhari equally appeals to citizens to discourage all non-essential travels during the holiday season.

"He wishes everyone a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year ahead."

Jonathan Preaches Love, Peace In his Christmas message, former President Goodluck Jonathan

urged Nigerians to show love to one another, adding that the spirit of Christmas requires people of the world to rededicate themselves to friendship, kindness and compassion.

The former president, in a statement, said: "Christmas is the day, in the calendar of Christendom, that marks the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a commemoration that connects the world to love, selflessness, sacrifice and solidarity; which are the virtues that Christ unambiguously propagated.

"Jesus' message of salvation speaks to the essence of both spiritual deliverance and earthly redemption. It is a constant reminder that humanity will have a more peaceful existence if people of the world rededicate themselves to friendship, kindness and compassion.

"People have been through so much in 2020, including navigating the snares of the deadly novel COVID-19 pandemic. At Christmas, the world needs love. This is the spirit we have to imbibe to heal all that is broken in our world."

Atiku Felicitates With Christians Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged Christians and all Nigerians to rededicate themselves and remain steadfast in prayers, which he said have an immense impact on the peace, security, unity and stability of the nation.

In his Christmas message released in Abuja by his Media Office, and signed by Paul Ibe, Atiku said it is important for Nigerians to show love to their neighbours and be intentional in thinking good thoughts and showing even better actions to make Nigeria better.

He said: “On this significant occasion of Christmas, I felicitate with all Nigerians, particularly the Christian faithful, on the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is a time of love, therefore, I call on all Nigerians to emulate the essence of this season and unite for the greater good of our dear country.

“This period reminds us of the need to uphold the virtues of love, selflessness and tolerance. I call on all Nigerians to reflect on the lessons of the season, which presents an opportunity to love and share.”

Atiku urged Nigerians to also remember their fellow citizens, the men and women of the armed forces, some of whom lost their lives this year fighting to protect the people from terrorist attacks, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity.

Let's Remember the Essence of Christmas, Says Lawan President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, called on Nigerians not to to forget the reason for the season as they celebrate Christmas.

Lawan noted that this year's celebration comes at a time when the world is combatting the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced

Pray for Nigeria, Imbibe Teachings of Jesus Christ, Gbajabiamila Tells Christians The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has called on Christians to use this period of Christmas to pray for continuous peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.

The speaker, in his Christmas message to the nation, urged the people to pray for the country to overcome the challenges facing it, especially insecurity.

He called on them to imbibe the teachings of Jesus Christ, whom he described as a role model to all.

Gbajabiamila noted that Nigerians should also use the period to pray for their leaders for God's guidance.

He said periods like this call for sober reflection, noting that Nigerians must be their brothers' keepers at all times.

He also said Nigerians, irrespective of where they come from, must work towards achieving the dreams of the country’s founding fathers, who made a lot of sacrifices for the nation to be one.

APC Urges Nigerians to Give to Needy

PDP Urges Hope, Prayers for Nigeria The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday urged Nigerians to use the Christmas and Yuletide celebrations to rekindle hope and trust in God’s divine intervention in the affairs of the nation.

The PDP added that though the manifest failures of the current administration have led to economic hardship and worsened insecurity across the country, Christmas rekindles faith that all hope is not lost for Nigeria .

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, lamented that under the prevailing circumstances, most families have nothing to celebrate with, while many are mourning their losses from escalated insecurity due to the failure of those entrusted with the leadership of the nation.

"Nevertheless, we must keep hope alive and find strength in God’s unfailing intervention as demonstrated with the gift of salvation in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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COMMENT

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

A SENSE OF OPTIMISM TOWARD 2021

The United States is committed to a new year of engagement and partnership with Nigeria, writes Mary Beth Leonard

I

was proud to arrive in Nigeria and begin my third ambassadorial posting last November. 2020 will long be remembered as the year of the pandemic COVID-19, and we will look back and honor the lives of the more than 1.5 million people worldwide who lost their lives to this vicious pandemic. 2020 also marked 60 years of bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Nigeria, and much has been accomplished over the course of that time as democracy and a free and open business environment continue to grow. Allow me to provide a bit more detail about accomplishments achieved with our Nigerian partners.

The international community came together in times of a health crisis. Over 60 members of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria - from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), USAID, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research - stood side by side with Nigerian counterparts at the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, Presidential Task Force and Nigerian military to strategize, plan, and effectively implement treatment of Nigerian citizens over the past nine months. In 2020, the United States provided more than $73 million in assistance for the COVID-19 response. This includes the delivery of 200 ventilators pledged during a conversation between Presidents Buhari and Trump in April, epidemiological COVID detection surveys, technical assistance, and service plans.

I whole-heartedly congratulated Nigeria in August for attaining a wild polio virus-free status and recognized that no country could have achieved this great feat without the support of its partners. This effort, buttressed by the Centers for Disease Control and USAID investments of approximately $220 million dollars combined over the last eight years, demonstrated the dynamism of state and local activities to strengthen surveillance, join in polio campaigns, create polio outbreak response plans, and encourage routine immunization.

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) enrolled its one millionth Nigerian patient this year. Our team has been engaged in a year-long surge activity that is now enrolling 6,000 new patients per week across the country. The National AIDS Indicator Survey (NAIIS) armed us with the data we needed to target the disease more effectively. We are doing just that with our partners at the Nigerian AIDS Control Agency, state governors, health commissioners, and State AIDS Control Agencies, and the Ministry of Health. Together, we are identifying patients, providing them life-saving treatment, and suppressing their viral loads to levels which can no longer transmit the disease. We are within reach of an AIDS free generation after 20 years of sustained commitment.

Two-way trade between our great nations has expanded to a value of over $9 billion. The United States is proud to be one of the largest foreign investors in Nigeria. Programs offered through our Foreign Commercial and Agricultural Services, like Prosper Africa and the West African Trade Hub, will continue to facilitate business that benefits both our countries. During a U.S. Chamber of Commerce December, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy shared that Nigeria’s digital economy contributed more than 17 percent to the national GDP in 2020.

Broadband penetration increased by 10 percent this year and as

THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES – INCLUDING VISA RESTRICTIONS – FOR INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBLE FOR UNDERMINING THE NIGERIAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS OR FOR ORGANIZING ELECTION-RELATED VIOLENCE

more Nigerians engage in secure and reliable online banking and retail, small and medium enterprises will be able to expand their online platforms and services. The United States actively supports the expansion of internet infrastructure in Nigeria, with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency this year providing over $3.6 million in project preparation assistance aimed at expanding reliable broadband connectivity to thousands of Nigerians. In 2021, we expect to see additional opportunities to reduce the digital divide. President Buhari recently signed the U.S.-Nigeria Open Skies agreement that will permit increased aviation links, generating new two-way trade and commercial opportunities. With the right policy environment, these trends will lead to even greater business and employment opportunities in 2021.

The United States is a steadfast supporter of Nigerian democracy. Nigerian youth mobilized and brought international attention to police abuse and successfully called for police reforms. We will seek opportunities in 2021 to contribute technical assistance in the national and state-level efforts to follow-through on #EndSARS commitments. In November, we welcomed Counselor Brechbühl’s delegation who came to raise U.S. government concerns about ongoing violence in Nigeria, human rights, and religious freedom, and to enhance U.S.-Nigerian cooperation in preventing atrocities. This past year we encouraged all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, and security services, to make significant improvements to electoral processes. We congratulate INEC and the Nigerian people for the credible and largely peaceful Edo and Ondo State elections where voters felt their votes counted. We support public monitoring groups, such as YIAGA, to build public confidence in election results. Moving forward, the United States will continue to consider consequences – including visa restrictions – for individuals responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process or for organizing election-related violence.

Finally, no country can advance the well-being of its people without peace and security. Our ongoing U.S. security cooperation programs with Nigeria include equipment sales, grants, education, and training programs. Countering Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa remain top priorities for both of our nations.

Maritime security cooperation, through joint exercises such as Obangame Express, demonstrate the strength of our partnership to end piracy and encourage economic activity in the Gulf of Guinea.

We look forward to Nigeria hosting the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission in 2021. The Commission remains a premiere platform of engagement for our governments to expand cooperation and advance shared goals, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, development, good governance, and security cooperation.

With our 60 years young relationship, there is much to look forward to in 2021. We wish the Nigerian people quality moments with loved ones over the holidays, and time to rejuvenate the spirit as we welcome a new year of engagement and partnership. rLeonard is U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria

A BALANCE VIEW OF THE CHARMING PRINCE

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any things make this book a compelling read, chief among which is the author’s life’s story covering his forays into journalism, politics and business.

The book under review, Otunba Bayo Osiyemi’s autobiography, The Charming Prince (in Journalism and Politics) is a moving story of Nigeria’s eventful Second Republic and the Army – led polity that truncated it. This story covers the 70 – year life of the Otunba himself and the reproduction of his weekly column in the Nation newspaper between July 22, 2017 and November 2, 2019.

Thus, the author presents his own life story in the first half of the 530 – page book, and the compilation of his columns in the second.

This arrangement gives us a balanced view of his life and work as a journalist, politician, business man, church man and Yoruba chieftain.

The fascinating thing about this book is the author’s narrative of the landmark events of the Second Republic and authoritative details of the roles of the dramatis personae of the civilian government like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi, Lateef Jakande, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, President Mohammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, etc.

However, let’s begin the review from the beginning. Veteran Journalist, Mr. Felix Adenaike wrote the foreword to this book, which tells us something about the author’s standing in the media. In the first six chapters, the author tells the story of his origins: his birthplace, childhood days, education, and parentage, which shows he’s blue – blooded.

We didn’t get to know much about his royal heritage in his early journalism years until much later when he began to be addressed as Prince Bayo Osiyemi. Born on February 4, 1950, to the families of Sisu and Arowosugbo of Ijebu Igbo, the largest

Ladi Ayodeji reviews the autobiography of Bayo Osiyemi

town in Ogun State, he took his blue blood from his mother’s lineage; the Arowosugbo dynasty. In four short chapters, we read about his early years and his education. The narrative is gripping! It contains general twists and turns, anecdotes and escapades you’d expect from a man who grew up in sub – urban centers.

A true child of destiny, Otunba was actually born into a Muslim family and was named Abdul – Lateef. His traditional name, Omopeninu (child stayed long in the womb), speaks of delayed pregnancy which reportedly lasted three years, four months!

As Otunba reveals, the trajectory of his faith changed when he went to live with his maternal grandmother who was a Christian.

This set the stage for his ultimate full conversion to Christianity as a committed member of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC). This is very important because his worldview and actions are shaped by his religious philosophy as a child of God. The hand of God is seen in his appointment as The Press Secretary to the first civilian Governor of Lagos State, Alh. Lateef Jakande, in 1979. This was the great leap into the public sphere that defined the destiny of Otunba Osiyemi and opened the doors of his upward mobility in politics and business.

If his name resonates with us today, it is because of his step into the corridors of power at the young age of 29, and the part he played in the governments of Nigeria.

Otunba’s autobiography is worth reading because, of his 70 long years on earth, he has spent 41 and still counting in the thick of the nation’s politics, if we add his years in journalism, the prince would have spent half a century or thereabout in public focus, which clearly makes him a senior statesman.

Unfortunately, his first public service career was terminated after a little over four years, when the military toppled the Shehu Shagari government in December 1983. The story of that coup and its aftermath is the core of this book, and that makes it a must – read for

those who are interested in the evolution our great country.

The passages dealing with the coup, and the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, his annulment of the June 12 election, and Gen. Sani Abacha’s regime read like a thriller. We cannot thank the author enough for giving us an eye witness account of episodes that have shaped the nation’s polity. If not for this book, we would not have known the truth about the approval given by the acclaimed winner of the June 12 presidential election, Chief M.K.O. Abiola to Yoruba leaders like Alh. Jakande to participate in the Abacha regime. Abiola, according to the author, urged him to appeal to Jakande, his former boss, to accept the ministerial appointment Abacha offered him, when the ex – Lagos governor wasn’t forth coming. The author gave us detailed analysis of the June 12 annulment, the officers behind it, etc.

However, it was the callous treatment meted out by the Buhari – Idiagbon regime to LKJ, despite his reputation as the best performing governor of the Second Republic without army blemish to his reputation, that irked the author the most. The Otunba worked hard to get the Babangida regime to release Jakande, though his moves were a concerted effort with Chief Obafemi Awolowo himself, playing a major role behind.

Throughout the travails of LKJ in detention, Otunba demonstrated unwavering loyalty.

Worthy of note was his rejection of an offer

by Jakande’s successor, Group Captain Gbolahan Mudashiru, who wanted Osiyemi to continue his job as the press secretary, in his government. But Osiyemi rejected the offer out of hand.

Perhaps, LKJ knew his ward’s disposition toward him, even in those dark days of his political career. Whilst in detention, Jakande charged Osiyemi with the task of running John West Publication, the ex – governors publishing outfit. The Otunba and another colleague helped midwife a daily afternoon, newspaper, Lagos News, and a Sunday paper

on the stable of John West.

This was the second career landmark of Osiyemi after his appointment as press secretary, and he ran the paper proficiently and profitably, thanks to his connection in high places in government. This project became a fall back for LKJ, a veteran journalist himself when he eventually returned from detention.

One of the important life achievements of Otunba was his two – year tenure as the Chairman of Muslim local government.

All the intrigues, political skirmishes and his achievements as the chairman of that strategic local government council are well documented and it’s worth reading because the administrative acumen he displayed is still an unbeaten record. That experience now serves him well as a Special Adviser to Lagos State the Gov. Babajide Sanwo – Olu on Chieftaincy Affairs.

It would be remiss not to mention the collection of articles reprinted from his weekly column in the Nation newspapers, which forms the second part of this book. Frank, brilliant and written in a breezy, lucid style, these articles addressed several topical issues of the day.

The author’s penchant for using Yoruba proverbs and idioms from the hit songs of popular Yoruba social musicians, Haruna Ishola, Ebenezer Obey, Sikiru Ayinde Berrister, King Sunny Ade, etc., adds much spice to his writings. This points to his sentimental attachment to his Yoruba heritage.

From his narrative, we see that prince, a true child of destiny, owes his success in life to divine favour. He has to, because for God’s loving kindness, how could he have been born safely after nearly 40 months in the womb? His survival of two accidents abroad; one of which took the life of his beloved first wife, Esther, and miraculous escape from two assassination attempts, which sent him on a seven – year self - exile in London, are reasons for him to glorify God.

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EDITORIAL

MERRY CHRISTMAS! We will overcome our challenges

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he celebration of Christmas acquires a special tone this year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of almost two million people across the world and has rendered the economies of many countries prostrate. Indeed, given all that we have been through this year as individuals and as a nation, this Christmas should compel deep reflection by many Nigerians. But amid the gloom, Pope Francis has appealed to all not to lose hope while urging Christians to recall the true meaning of Christmas — the birth of Jesus — and lend a hand to the needy and the CHRISTMASTIME IS A poor in society.

SEASON OF JOY. IT IS A No pandemic or PERIOD FOR FAMILY TO STAY crisis, he added, TOGETHER. IT IS A TIME TO can extinguish love for our REGAIN OUR LAUGHTER neighbours in a AND SENSE OF HUMOUR. message that will AND IT IS A PERIOD WE serve true followers of Christ at MUST ALL SHARE this season.

In specific terms, this season is a reminder of that historical event which took place more than 2000 years ago, when Christ was born in the relatively humble town of Bethlehem.

That birth, as well as the mission of salvation connected with it, was at once a promise of redemption from spiritual death, a declaration of an end to the reign of darkness and a call to mankind to embrace the light of God. Besides, Christ, after whom Christians ought to model themselves, was an embodiment of humility and service to others--enduring virtues that are in short supply in the world we live in today.

As we therefore mark Christmas, the privileged in our society must take into account the fact there are many for whom this season is just another reminder of their woes. In our country today, the plight of the under-privileged is steadily worsening and many go to bed with

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NOW THAT THE BOYS ARE BACK!

O

n 11 December, 2020, Kankara town in Katsina State was visited with a terrible tragedy as more than 300 boys at the Government Secondary School were abducted. The incident coincided with President Muhammadu Buhari’s weeklong personal visit to the state. What was more tragic was the fact that the abductors were unknown and termed as ‘unknown gunmen’. Not until a video was released by the leader of the Jama’atul Ahli Sunnah Lid-Da’wah Wal Jihad a.k.a. Boko Haram claiming to be responsible for the abduction.

At that moment, many feared that the fate of the abducted schoolboys could be same as that of the Chibok girls abducted in 2014 many of whom are still incarcerated after more than six years of the incident.

Against all odds, the fate of the Kankara schoolboys is not similar to that of the Chibok schoolgirls. This time, the students were quickly rescued from their abductors and returned to their families and loved ones.

Now that the boys are back, can we call this the end of an ordeal to the boys or does danger still lie ahead?

Since the news of the incident and the rescue, many thoughts had run through my mind which include: where were security personnel when the boys were abducted and ferried from Katsina State to another state without any obstruction? How many children were abducted? And now that the boys are back, who facilitated their release? Was there an exchange of prisoners between the government and the abductors?

Was ransom paid before the boys were released? Now

less than a survival diet. The unemployment crisis has created a lost generation of graduates who cannot find jobs. Many of them are exasperated. Public officials at all levels should therefore pay serious attention to the challenge of those who cannot celebrate this season because they have no means to do so.

This Christmas once again affords our leaders the opportunity for sober reflection on what they must do to make a difference. If Jesus Christ came to serve and not to be served, our leaders should learn to bring light to the dark land; hope to the hopeless; justice to the oppressed and integrity to the wasteland. On the spiritual front, Christmas gives the believer a unique opportunity to re-examine himself/ herself. Unfortunately, the death on the cross, which is an invitation to put the seal on one’s conviction at all times, is now replaced by a Christianity that seems eager to dispense with the cross in pursuit of wealth and personal pleasure, most often at the expense of the larger society.

To re-live the exemplary virtues that featured at the first Christmas, we must truly love our fellow human beings and that must reflect in our service. This is a lesson that will serve us today given the difficulty most Nigerians experience. We must eschew hatred, rancour, greed and avarice. We must build an ethic of human solidarity aimed at promoting the common good and the welfare of fellow men and women.

Finally, Christmastime is a season of joy. It is a period for family to stay together. It is a time to regain our laughter and sense of humour.

And it is a period we must all share. The ultimate lesson is that while life may sometimes be cruel, our optimism must never wane. The life of Christ to whom this season is dedicated is a demonstration that no odds are too high to surmount. So as individuals and as a nation, we must hold on to the hope that we will overcome our challenges.

We wish all our readers a joyful and peaceful Christmas.

that the boys are back, is the government prepared enough to prevent the reoccurrence of abductions in the country? These and many other questions are begging for answers.

No responsible government will seek commendation for its rescue of schoolboys. We are all dismayed by how the Nigerian government solicits for hymn from Nigerians after the release of the boys despite the fact that the primary responsibility of every government is to provide security of lives and property. However, the federal government claimed that it was behind the release of the schoolboys; Katsina State government also claimed that it was behind their release, as Zamfara State also came forward with its own narrative claiming to be responsible for facilitating the schoolboys’ release. The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force all joined in seeking for praise and commendation for the successful return of the schoolboys.

Is the government ignorant of its responsibility of securing lives and property and at the same time ignorant of the fact that the widespread insecurity devastating the country is as a result of a complete failure on the part of the government to provide the much-needed security in the nation? While we acknowledge the important role they have played in the schoolboys release, it will be wise on their part to acknowledge the fact that they are only discharging the constitutional responsibility thrust on them as our leaders. r*CSBIJN .VTB "CVKB

NOT ALL COLUMNS ARE IN THE NEWS

T

he President has signed another Executive Order (Executive Order 13967 of December 18, 2020, Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture) which basically says that all new Federal buildings must be beautiful which seems to suggest that they will be built in a Greek or Roman style and there will be a lot of columns. This is probably, but might not be, the most stupid executive order ever signed.

Yes, Roman building as pretty but the best known, the Coliseum is starting to lose its glamour and a lot of bricks.

A look at recent Executive order shows that there are a few challenges for the most odd ones including the use of trustworthy A.I. (Executive Order 13960 of December 3, 2020, Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government). This could be a goer as there seems to be little natural intelligence and not everyone there is trusted by the President.

One that seems a bit silly is the concern with TikTok (Executive Order 13942 of August 6, 2020, addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok) where the main danger seems to be the number of videos that satirize President Trump. This fad will soon disappear, not TikTok but satirizing President Trump.

We all look forward to Jan 20 and the New President and less strange proclamations.

Merry Xmas. r%FOOJT 'JU[HFSBME .FMCPVSOF "VTUSBMJB

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

18

POLITICS

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

Time For Dialogue on Religious Insurgency Magnus Onyibe, a former member of the Delta State executive council calls for a change in strategy in the battle against insurgents

I

n desperate search for how to get rid of the demon strafing our country, Nigeria, I recently, re-read the epic novel by the renown author, China Achebe, “The Trouble With Nigeria” Reading through the book the first time , l saw that the conclusion is that the trouble with Nigeria is the leadership. When l read it the second time, l realized that the trouble with Nigeria is not just with the leaders, but the real trouble is with the leadership of Nigeria that fails to live up to the expectations of their country men and women in such a manner that they would be regarded as patriots.

In exasperation , you may exclaim, what’s the difference between leaders, leadership and patriots? Same difference , you would conclude.

Well, it is not quite as simple as you might have thought or may be thinking.

That’s because there is an explanation for blaming the trouble with Nigeria on the leaders and leadership that are not patriots.

And that presupposes that it’s only leaders that engender or manifest great leadership that can be identified as patriots.

Here is how Achebe, the master of African story telling puts it: “Nigerians are what they are only because their leaders are not what they should be.”

He continued.

“A true patriot will always demand the highest standards of his country and accept nothing but the best for and from his people. He will be outspoken in condemnation of their short-coming without giving way to superiority, despair or cynicism.

That is my idea of a patriot.”

By blaming the leadership for Nigeria’s inability to become what it has potentials to be, Achebe was referring to the absence of patriotic Nigerians in various leadership positions including our roles as parents.

So it is not just about the leadership in the presidency, but the leadership that Achebe was referring to would include the legislature, judiciary and even the fourth estate of the realm, the media, civil society, including faith leaders and traditional rulers and as well as parents in our homes.

That’s the whole gamut of the leadership of the respective arms of government and the media, civil society as well as the clergy in the church, mosque and traditional rulers who are the custodians of our cultural heritage, including as fathers and mothers .

At this juncture, allow me crave your indulgence to play the devil’s advocate by arguing that we are all collectively guilty for allowing some of our actions and inactions perceived as injustice to others fester and drive the less patient ones amongst us into engaging in anti-social behaviors like religious insurgency, terrorism banditry, cultism, kidnapping and ritual killings etc.

Owing to space constraints, l will be focusing only on religious insurgency in this essay.

While taking cognizance of the wise crack , a fish starts rotting from the head, Nigeria cannot continue to be likened to a fish which has been the most convenient analogy of the trouble with our country.

Alternatively, let’s liken our country to a river. And as we are well aware, when a river is polluted from the source or fountain, the pollution finds its way down the entire course of the river as it cascades.

And in this instance, our home, where we were born or grew up and the society are the source.

Given the scenario described above , it would be obvious that the trouble with Nigeria is not only with our leaders, but also with us the followers as well, simply because the so-called leaders that we often like to blame, emerge from amongst us.

In other words , the religious insurgents, terrorists, bandits, cultists , kidnappers

and ritualist who are members of society that have gone rogue , also evolved from amongst us the followers. Going by that logic , both the leaders and the outlaws or deviants are the products of the same

system-troubled homes and society at large.

The difference between the law abiding members of society and most of the radicalized ones is that they are aggrieved

Putting 2023 and Fayemi in Perspective Femi Odere weighs into critics of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s supposed presidential ambition, while exposing their veiled hatred for the governor

P

erhaps, one of the perplexing paradoxes about the Nigerian condition is the inordinate, if not pathological fixation of the country’s political elites on politics as the only process that matters in interrogating the “National Question.” It increasingly looks like it is the only process they’re adept at in finding enduring solutions to what bedevils us as a people. Politics, in our clime, is the tail that wags the dog. It is the end-all and be-all pedestal on which all the other indices of development must find their sustenance.

And since it (politics) is the integer from which all other developmental indices are supposed to find their expressions, it then becomes the super agenda that sets every other agendas in the polity to which everyone must key into even when we feign our dislike for the business of politics and the politics of business.

Thus, the fact that 2023, which has two full years before it, is considered another watershed in the country’s seemingly hopeless journey to finding a true path to her manifest destiny (even when history has taught us that 2023, just like other landmark years, will come and go most likely without us finding any water or shed). It is a stark reminder of the unseriousness of our political elites as well as a manifestation of an unproductive, lackadaisical nature of a people with mutually annihilating socioeconomic and political interests. Aside its constitutional imperative in which there is a real possibility for societal transformation, 2023 will also double as the year of the long knife. This is because 2023 is bound to come and go with its own political casualties as it would see to it that the careers of some merchants of politics would come to grief while that of others would be permanently obliterated as they would have either dribbled themselves into the slaughter slab of the butcher or naively goaded into it.

And that stage is surreptitiously being set.

The duel in the South-west geopolitical region among its major patrons promises to be very deathly both in its intensity and ferocity, no thanks to what not a few people both within the region and, to a large extent, without, believe to be the region’s propensity----most probably rooted in the metaphysical----to almost always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory because of what seems to be their innate disdain for cohesion when politics is being played, which is a necessary condition to arriving at an ennobling collective political destiny on the one hand, and the fact that the region stands a better chance, more than the other two southern regions, to produce the country’s next president on the other.

Perhaps because of the aforesaid, the race to grab the ‘longest knife’ with which to intimidate, ward off, if not slaughter other major contenders in the South-west region even when the referee is yet to announce the rules of the game, by a motley crowd of acolytes of one of the region’s major political tendencies has started in earnest.

While it is within the right of any potential contender in the South-west geopolitical region to determine when to join the 2023 presidential contest, what should, and must not be conceded to anyone is the right to engage in political subterfuge by weaving another insidious, callous and utterly reprehensible anti-Yoruba narrative around Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State as it is currently being done just because of some misguided perception that he may be interested in joining the 2023 presidential slugfest. This is patently crass, juvenile and unacceptable and must be resisted.

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

and have therefore taken the laws into their hands. But what’s the cause of their grievances, one may wonder?

Search no more, because it is most likely a collection or series of misdeeds, let downs, and other insensitive and inequitable actions taken by leaders that have hurt the follower-ship and which the leadership might have failed to recognize and must have not addressed or corrected, more so because they are not patriots.

Let’s take a cursory look at the aforementioned categories of leaders starting from the bottom to the top to determine how and where they might have gone wrong and the consequences of which is the formation of the vicious and virulent insurgency groups now waging unconventional and devastating war against society.

With the foregoing as a backdrop, it can be argued that it is failure on the part of some of our parents that did not inculcate the right ethos in their children through adequate parental care that made some of the outlaws susceptible to rebellion and deviancy. By the same token, it is as a result of the traditional rulers and institutions not playing their critical role of good character building that our fellow citizens who are bereft of positive morals have constituted themselves into religious insurgents and outlaws. Were our leaders that are the custodians of our culture and values up and doing by inculcating rich cultural values in our children, husbands and fathers that now function by their own rules, based on extreme interpretation of religion, the menace of insurgency might not have arisen.

In the same vein, the faith leaders are also not absolved. The rebellion of former faithfuls against the clergy to the extent that the rebels would resolve to form their own sects based on their extreme beliefs is also a failure of the leaders of faith to manage their flock in a manner that they could have imbibed piety and chastity that would restrain them from going rogue .

How about the fourth realm of the estate-media and to a larger extent , the civil society?

As the watch dogs of society, aberrant leaders are supposed to be called to order by exposing their misdeeds and seeking justice for their victims. But in a situation where the media and civil society by omission or commission sheik that responsibility by pandering to the whims and caprices of the oppressors in the society , the aggrieved is bound to resort to self preservation by adopting whatever methods are deemed necessary to achieve their objective . It is therefore a failure of media leadership that the victims of inequity may loss faith in the media as the conscience of society and defenders of the truth.

That leads me to the role of the judiciary.

The law court is generally believed to be the common man’s last bastion of hope .That’s because when the other members on the echelon of leadership fall short of expectations , the interpretative society is supposed to act in defense of the rights of the victims, when they seek redress in courts . But disappointingly, equitable justice has become a scarce commodity for the common man because these days, more often than not, ‘justice’ goes only to the highest bidder. Without justice ,peace can hardly reign. That’s simply because in the absence of justice, the aggrieved would engage in self help. When that happens, a failure on the part of the leadership of the judiciary can be said to be responsible for the emergence of agitators who quickly descend into the abysmal world of religious extremism.

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

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

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PERSPECTIVE

Bayelsa State: A Rainbow of Love and Harmony Benson Agadaga, Chief of Staff, Government House, Bayelsa State shares a well-placed optimism for more rewarding days ahead for Bayelsans

I

t is that most wonderful time of the year again. It is Christmas! It has been a rollercoaster of a year indeed, but to get to spend this season together with family, friends, neighbours and loved ones in as peaceful a state as our beloved Bayelsa, is the greatest of gifts for this topsy-turvy year. One can certainly feel the air of belief and hope for better and fruitful days ahead. In times like this, optimism is an essential quality to carry one through the seemingly mounting wave of challenges the year has thrown at humanity. Indeed, the Yuletide could not have come at a better time.

For the people of Bayelsa State, it is a season of excitement, reflection and appreciation for the message of collective prosperity, peace and development, under the benevolent leadership of His Excellency (Senator) Douye Diri. A society and people open to embrace a new mantra is a commendable one. As he joins in to felicitate with the good people of Bayelsa State in this season of love and joy, Gov. Diri has taken time out to offer his heartfelt appreciation to the people on the manner with which they have carried themselves in these challenging times.

And how they have shown solidarity with the visions of this administration and the hopes of a better life it assures all Bayelsans.

The Governor has been full of praise for the people and their adaptive ability and how they have cooperated to ensure the upholding of the peaceful environment, especially during the just concluded senatorial bye-elections in the state. He admitted that it was indeed an early Christmas gift for all. The peaceful process and conclusion of such an event capable of producing volatile outcomes, is a clear evidence that the people of Bayelsa have well and truly bought into the mantra of peace, love, tolerance and inclusiveness the Governor has preached right from the inauguration of this administration.

Governor Diri, like he has done often times, has made it clear that he seeks to run an all-inclusive government where the prosperity and development of Bayelsa State is put forward first, far ahead of any personal or political ambition. In agreement with the spirit of the season which is one of love, harmony and togetherness, he is still calling on everyone to come together, combine their skills, expertise, will, effort and minds to move the State forward.

It is definitely not a time to be held bound in the rigors of ancient duels, but a season that brings out the beauty and benefits of collaboration and advocacy for stronger ties, especially in some small unions. Bayelsa is a relatively small well-knit family, capable of achieving extraordinary things and the Governor has encouraged all stakeholders not to cause any form of disruption to this small family. He urges everyone, friends and foes alike to keep aside the ideas of rivalry and contentions and embrace the full package of what the Christmas season stands for. A season of harmony, solidarity and goodwill as we look forward to a prosperous New Year. Christmas should not be seen as a single day, neither merely as an event, but indeed a state of mind flourishing progress, and for good measure deliberately cultivated.

As Bayelsans look forward to the New Year, Governor Diri has encouraged the people to do so with hope and optimism for a better society, that will bring about development, opportunities and the betterment of all lives. It is rightly said that there are no office hours for great leaders, hence Bayelsans should enjoy the festivities, with the full assurance that the cogs motoring forward the aspirations of a better Bayelsa will never go to rest even in this holiday season. All hands must need be on deck to ensure the New

Year kicks off on a high note that will ultimately ensure the manifestation of the promises of a better life the administration proposes and still stands by.

The New Year will bring with it the implementation of an array of policies, programmes, projects and open investments opportunities aimed at fulfilling

the manifesto put forth upon the inauguration of this government. Governor Diri has enjoined the public to see the success attained so far even in such harsh global conditions as an indicator that they have at the helm, a servant leader. One that has made clear the goals of this administration and rolled up his sleeves to ensure

Serious Reflection on a Departed Beauty Queen Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, Publisher, Mode Men laments the dead of his mother, Morenike Olatorera Coker, a former beauty queen who passed on recently at 74 years

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y mother was born a queen in every sense of the word and she had the heart of an angel. Always giving, sharing and caring for others - and even strangers. She was a pillar of strength to many, especially me. She taught me to serve and love God, whole heartedly and depend on Him for everything, put my trust in Him and Him alone.

Morenike Olatorera Coker was born 7th February 1946 to Pa Akinwumi and Mrs Cecilia Idowu Coker (of the Jibowu Taiwo Family of Egbaland) in Nigeria.

She attended Ago-Ijaye Methodist ,Ebute Metta, then Methodist Girls High School, Yaba Lagos. She was a devoted Girls Guide member. Shortly after leaving secondary school, she lost her mother on the 25th of July 1963 (who was buried on the 27th July same year) leaving behind eight children - Morenike being the second child and the eldest girl, proceeded to the UK in 1965 and attended Continental College in St Leo’s-On-Sea, Hastings where she got a a Diploma is Secretarial Studies. She then worked as a Secretary to the Nigerian High Commissoner -Late Brig Ogundipe. While there, she was crowned Miss Nigeria and in 1969, attended the Miss World pageant representing Nigeria. Morenike got married to Mathew Afolabi Faribido on the 11th of Feb 1967 and the couple were blessed with two children -Yewande Olusola Faribido (1967) and Michael Adeniran Faribido (1968) . They moved to Nigeria in 1970 and later got divorced in 1973. Morenike worked as a single parent to raise her children as a Admin Secretary at Egypt Air and later Japan Petroleum. In July 1974 she gave birth

to another son for the Late Ambassador Balarabe Tafawa-Balewa. Morenike continued and flourished in business raising her children alone. She took her Christian faith seriously and this can be attested by those who knew her. Her children graduated from various universities and started work in the UK while her last remained in Nigeria. Yewande and Micheal currently live in the UK with their children, while Abubakar lives in Nigeria running his various businesses.

Morenike retired and usually travelled to see her children and family around the world annually. She was a devoted Christian and carried out charity works in her spare time.

Morenike spent the last 10-15 years of her life a strong devotee to God and the church, supporting her many adopted children financially, emotionally and spiritually. She died peacefully in her sleep on the 21st of December 2020.

that these goals, visions and aspirations are made tangibly manifest in the lives and livelihoods of Bayelsans.

It is the necessity of the actualization of these goals that has been fuelling the “voice in the wilderness” for everyone to brace up and commit themselves in all capacities. Governor Diri has made it clear that positive and effective contributions and ideas from all quarters is welcomed even from the opposition, as he has never entertained the mind-set of an insular administration that seeks to play partisan politics with the affairs of the state. All through the trying times of frivolous court cases put forth by aggrieved individuals, he has always made available a stretched forth hand of fellowship, irrespective of the clear and unwanted distraction such exercises had posed. He remained ever focused on the task at hand, preaching love all the way and the need to have a beneficial allinclusive government.

Having openly and often times declared his love for all in the state, the Governor is still using this season to continue to stretch forth that hand of fellowship and collaboration to all and sundry. He believes strongly that oneness and an environment free of rife with contentions is quintessential to achieving the Bayelsa we all dream of. Fully taking in the message of Christ this Christmas season, he is calling on everyone to look beyond political ties and divides and think: “Bayelsa First”. Two simple but powerful words that should develop into a belief system that fuels and propels the state to greater heights.

The Miracle Governor as he is fondly called, clearly understands the role of Divinity in the affairs of men and has called on Bayelsans to take full advantage of the divine implications of this season to intercede for the state. He has often called for prayers and intercessions for the state, knowing fully well that there is definitely a limit to the capabilities of man, outside the auspices of his Creator. It is a season of joy, sharing and care for who and what matters most to people.

The 21st century leadership style has evolved tremendously; effective leaders have transcended well beyond the “do as I say not as I do” mantra of old. Leadership by example or as we like to say, “body language” is now a benchmark for any leader who wants to leave an indelible mark. Christ, the reason for the season often times admonishes us to be doers of what we preach in no small measure.

Governor Diri has seemingly embraced this school of thought and has gone ahead to show examples in actions to back up his clamour for the erasure of all battle lines. The appointment into government positions of former direct opponents and individuals from various opposition parties is a testament to the fact that his cry out for true patriotism is genuine.

It further cements the idea that the growth and development of the state is paramount to him and non-negotiable on any terms. The task of attaining success is collective and should transcend any and every political or cultural interest.

Christmas is often a time to give back, sacrifice and remind ourselves that after all we are all in this journey of life together and that a hand or gesture of goodwill towards someone is felt in the reverse direction in multiple folds. So as we create magical moments that will be engraved in our hearts for years to come, Governor Diri has encouraged all to shun all manner of crimes, militancy, destructive criticism, bigotry and indeed every behaviour harmful to societal growth. Let us do so in the knowledge that no matter what we all have gone through this year, it has only widened our scope, built up our stamina and ultimately set us up to have the best year yet going forward.

20

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ BER 25, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 4.45 % 4.45 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

4% 4% 3%

D E C E M B E R S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

692.2 % -0.33 % -8.02 %

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

1 8 , 2 0 2 0 S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 10.45 % YEAR TO DATE 43.86 %

EXCHANGE RATE N379/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes

FAAN Assures Travellers of Safety

MEDIA BRIEFING

L-R: Head, Media Department, CFL Group, Ajibola Olarinoye; Group Managing Director/CE, Mr. Lai Omotola; and the Legal Officer, Mbaba E. Peter, at a media briefing on the company, the state of the economy and annual review of it’s performance, held in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

FG to Reconstitute New Task Team on Apapa Gridlock Eromosele Abiodun Following allegations of corruption and ineptitude by truckers, the federal government has announced that a new Task Team would be reconstituted to manage traffic on the port access road.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, disclosed this in Lagos during a meeting she held with stakeholders including officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), truck owners and representatives of shipping companies.

MARITIME The meeting, THISDAY learnt, was held to find solution to the perennial gridlock on the access road leading to the Tin Can Island Port Complex, Lagos in a renewed effort to check congestion at the nation’s second busiest seaport.

Ajani said the blockade of Tin Can Island Port by trucks due to the activities of different government officials, truck owners and drivers was no longer tolerable and must be dealt with decisively.

Before the deployment of an electronic call-up system by NPA in January 2021 to manage the movement of trucks on the port access road, she said urgent actions must be taken to address the gridlock, which has almost brought

cargo evacuation at the Tin Can Island Port Complex to a halt.

According to her, “We must have some form of orderliness.

Trucks must only get on the road when they are called to come in, and if that happens we shouldn’t have trucks on the road.”

She said: “We also want to plead with the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Police; enforcement is very key. Enforcing means don’t let people who should not be on the road come on the road, because if there are no trucks on the road, we won’t have the miscreants. There will not be anyone to coerce on the road. Who gives the miscreants access into the port when they are not supposed to be there?

“Before the electronic callup system starts, you’ve been operating for decades. How have you been calling up your trucks? Manual, I presume.

So, why can’t you get back to that and make sure that it is a functional call-up? Functional call-up is the word.

“We all have our roles to play, but the typical thing is that we want to show that we have authority somewhere, and everybody trying to show that they have authority somewhere is what has ended us where we are now,” Ajani added.

She said though instructions have been issued by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to, “open up the roads,” leading to Tin Can Island Port, this might Continued on page 22

Experts Seek Improved Welfare for Airport Workers Chinedu Eze Airport users and aviation security experts have expressed concern over illicit activities by persons employed as cleaners at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

THISDAY investigations revealed that the concessionaire to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which recruited the cleaners, allegedly pays them N15, 000 monthly and most often the payment is delayed.

So, the cleaners come to the airport and allegedly engage in other illicit activities in order to earn money and sustain themselves.

Industry security expert and the CEO of Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd), told THISDAY that allowing such persons who are poorly paid access to sensitive

AVIATION areas of the airport constitute security threat and could lead to serious security breach.

Ojikutu said the cleaners are a good example of what is referred to as insider threat in the security apparatus of the airport because they could be induced by terror organisation or terrorists and used to gain access to sensitive areas of the airport.

However, he said that FAAN could stop the potential threat by engaging with the concessionaire and make sure that the welfare of the cleaners is improved and also the agency should monitor their activities henceforth.

“There are a lot of things FAAN can do to stop this. FAAN should call the concessionaire and direct him to take care of the workers. It must ensure that 60 to 70 per cent of the money

paid to the concessionaire by FAAN goes to take care of those workers,” Ojikutu said.

He also suggested that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) must oversight FAAN and the concessionaire because safety issues are very critical so the regulatory authority must know what is happening at the airport to ensure pre-emptive prevention of possible security breach.

“NCAA must oversight whatever FAAN and the concessionaire are doing. These are what we call the insider threat. Even the FAAN workers at the airport could be a threat; that was why I recommended that they should be given incentives by improving their welfare. FAAN must know what the concessionaire gives to the cleaners.

“If FAAN is not satisfied it could stop the concessionaire and then make alternative ar-

rangement for the cleaning of the terminal,” Ojikutu also said.

An official of one of the foreign airlines that operates from the airport told THISDAY that beyond the cleaning job they do, the cleaners engage in many other things in which they are paid for by passengers.

“They help passengers with their luggage, they pick and deliver information for some people, they are used by some unscrupulous officials to sell government documents like yellow card and I heard that they help some travellers to take illegal goods like currency and even drugs to the airside.

“I have been working in this airport for many years and I know that if you don’t have your yellow card and you want to travel you can go to them and you will obtain it after payment.

Continued on page 22

As yuletide approaches, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has notified air travelers and other airport users that its airports across the country are fully prepared for the usual surge in passenger traffic.

“In preparation for the season and beyond, we have beefed up security at all our airports, especially the major international gateways in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.

“We have also put in place necessary infrastructure to aid compliance with stipulated protocols on Covid-19.

“In addition, we are intensifying our effort at improving facilities to ensure maximum comfort for all airport users. At the Nnamdi Azikiwe InternationalAirport,AbujaandPortHarcourtInternationalAirport,the new terminals are fully ready to play host to our esteemed passengers in safe, secure and very comfortable ambiences,” the agency said in a statement.

FAAN also said at its premier airport, the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos,theVIPloungehasbeenrenovatedtoenhancepassengercomfort andthecarouselsareworkingoptimally,amidstotherfacilitiesupgrade currently on going.

The stories are similar at all other airports, as the Authority has put in place facilities, procedures and systems to ensure maximum comfort, safety and security of airport users during this season and beyond.

“FAAN will like to use this opportunity to appeal to passengers to please get to the airports early to conclude all check-in procedures in good time, especially with the added protocols occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, so as to avoid the experience of missing their flights. This is important because of the heavy passenger traffic that is usually the experience around this time,” the statement said.

…Receives Wheel Chairs from Rotary Club

TheFederalAirportsAuthorityofNigeria(FAAN)hasreceived15wheel chairs from the Rotary Club of Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos. At a hand-over ceremony held in Lagos, the Managing Director of FAAN, who was represented by the General Manager, Environment, Mr. Nehemiah Auta, expressed appreciation to the club for their benevolence.

He noted that the Rotary club globally is known for a strong culture of corporate social responsibility wherever they are domicile, and also appealed to other corporate organisations and non-governmental organisationsaliketoemulatetheirkindact,assuringthattheAuthority will ensure that the chairs are put to good use.

The District Governor of the club, Rotarian Bola Oyebade, who presented the chairs to FAAN in company with the District President, Rotarian Peter Nwaochei, and other executives, promised that they will continue to partner with the Authority to ensure the delivery of good services at the Airports. He added that the gesture was part of the activities earmarked for the commemoration of their annual RC Falomo Family week.

Also present at the meeting were General Managers; Finance, Mrs. Funmilayo Olonisakin, Operations, Mrs. Olajumoke Oni, Special Duties, Mr. Kabir Muhammed, Commercial, Mrs. Francisca Sonaike, DGM Corporate Affairs, Mrs Christabel Eromosele, DGM Stores, Mrs. Oge Okponyia, among others.

Qatar Offers Passengers Booking Flexibility

Qatar Airways has announced that it would offer passengers unlimited date changes and fee-free refunds for all tickets issued before 30 April 2021 for travel completed by 31 December 2021.

The airline’s latest enhancement to its flexible booking policy was designed to continue providing customers with peace of mind that they can change their plans with ease.

The airline is also making the option to exchange tickets for a travel voucher with 10 per cent additional value a permanent feature for all customers booking travel via qatarairways.com. The process for redeeming a travel voucher is quick and easy – passengers apply online and receive the voucher within 48 hours.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Throughout 2020, we have provided customers the ability to modify travel without penalties as a result of the disruption to global travel caused by COVID-19.

“As we look forward to the possibilities of travelling again next year, Qatar Airways will continue to be by our passengers’ side, offering continued flexibility throughout 2021 as the airline they can rely on.”

The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 100 destinations increasing to 126 by March 2021.

“Interest rate is very high; so it is difficult to borrow money on that rate” Chief Operating Officer, Dana Air,

Obi Mbanuzuo

22

T H I S D AY ˾ BER 25, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD FG TO RECONSTITUTE NEW TASK TEAM ON APAPA GRIDLOCK not solve the gridlock until trucks that have no immediate business at the port are taken off the road.

“The issue of Presidential Task Force or no Presidential Task Force, I threw up that question on Tuesday to the Vice President and he said ‘Madam Perm Sec, that has been disbanded’. I have been trying to get a written document because I clearly stated that I don’t have a written document.

“If I have the communication as a Ministry, then we should be able to do the needful. So I have requested that we get the communication both to the Ministry and to all the institutions – Lagos State, the Police, all the parastatals; NPA, NSC, are all part of the transportation.”

EXPERTS SEEK IMPROVED WELFARE FOR AIRPORT WORKERS Anyone can go and confirm this.

Sometimes people sympathise with them, knowing that they are paid poorly,” the official told THISDAY. THISDAY spoke to the General Manager, Corporate Communication of FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu who said FAAN is aware of the situation of the cleaners, had held meetings over their issues and last year, it reviewed the cleaning contract given to the concessionaire and insisted on improved minimum wage for the cleaners.

She also said Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel of FAAN monitor the activities of the cleaners and control their movement when necessary.

“Honestly, FAAN is actively working daily to ensure that compromises are done away with. The airport management and operating structure also reflects this through the terminal duty officers and environment officers and of course, AVSEC officers who directly monitor and initiate corrective action when needed.

“Management reviewed upwards cleaning contractors cost last year and inserted a new clause in the contracts to assure that a minimum wage cost for cleaners to protect them against possible exploitation by employers. It is the financial effect of the global pandemic COVID-19 that has delayed the implementation of this review,” she said.

Group Business Editor

ÌÓØØË ÒÓ×Ë Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

Comms/e-Business Editor

××Ë ÕÙØÔÓ Senior Correspondent

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

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ß×Ï ÕÏÑÒÏ (Money Market) ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) ÏÞÏÜ äÙÒÙ (Energy)

NEWS

Amaechi Inaugurates APMT’s Operation Command Centre Eromosele Abiodun The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has inaugurated a new Operation Command Centre built by APM Terminals Apapa to boost efficiency and service delivery at the terminal.

The Minister visited the terminal in company with the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT), Dr. Magdalene Ajani; Director, Rail and Transport Services, FMOT, Muhammad Baba-Kobi; Chairman of the Governing Board, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Ibrahim Alhassan Musa; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman and the Managing Director of NRC, Fidelis Okhiria.

The Nigeria Country Manager of APM Terminals, Klaus Laursen, received him at the terminal in the Lagos Port Complex.

In his speech, Laursen said the new Operation Command Centre would, among other benefits, strengthen exchange of information and coordination in the movement of containers out of the port.

This, he added, will enhance

operational efficiency and provide a better work environment at the terminal.

He said: “The centre is the brain of the business. It is about day-to-day execution where information is exchanged. This is where we decide which box to put where, at which time and the equipment to pick it

up so that everything works together.

“It will help locate containers whether to go on a truck or barge at the right time. It will also help you to know where a container is and allocate a piece of equipment to lift the container. That is what the centre will help do.”

He added: “With the type of terminal of this size and with this equipment, we should be able to put around 40 to 45 moves per hour across the quay.

It will improve productivity.

“What we try to do is to raise the standard and if we raise the standard, we believe that we can also raise the reliability of our

operations. More importantly is that you will get service at the time when you need them.

“It gives virtually a better opportunity to collaborate and will help in information sharing among staff. It will also provide space for social distancing and there will be every opportunity for communication.”

HONOUR WELL DESERVED

L-R: National Marketing Manager, Seven Up Bottling Company (SBC) Limited, Mr. Segun Ogunleye; Chief Executive Officer, West African Vocational Education (WAVE), Mrs. Molade Adeniyi; Communication Coordinator, WAVE, Mr. Kelvin Bob-Manuel, and Brand Manager, Lipton Ice Tea, Seven Up Bottling Company Ltd, Mr. Justin Essien, during the donation of $10,000 Global Peace Prize Won by Lipton Ice Tea Nigeria to WAVE in Lagos…recently

Insurance Brokers Condemn Rising Incidence of Killings, Kidnapping Ebere Nwoji The Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) has condemned rising incidence of killings, kidnapping and other social vices bedeviling Nigeria.

NCRIB President, Bola Onigbogi, while addressing the December 2020, Members’ Evening of the association, held in Lagos, said it was pathetic that some unscrupulous elements, under whichever guise,

seem to have determined to make Nigeria unlivable.

According to Onigbogi, it was so disheartening when the news of gruesome murder of 43 rice farmers at Kwashebe allegedly perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State filtered into the air.

She said while the country was still mourning the sad incident, the unfortunate news of kidnapping of about 333 children of All-Boys Govern-

ment Science Secondary School in Northwestern Katsina State was aired.

She, however, said she was elated to hear that all the children have been rescued.

She said some other unnoticed and unreported cases of killings, kidnapping and rape go on within the society, adding that such crime among others negate all human principles and moral values.

“As a mother, I am deeply touched by the state of the kid-

napped children and the family left behind by the rice farmers killed in their farms. Killing in the name of any religion or tribe is totally condemnable, and such act should not be condoned within the society.

“We, therefore, urge all the security apparatuses to swing into action, first of all, to rescue the kidnapped children. We also urge the federal government to up its game to ensure that security of lives and properties is paramount to the govern-

ment.

“It is through this that all the strides of government in reflating the nation’s economy could become a reality.” she added.

On the activities of the brokers’ umbrella body, she informed that the Council was in process of admitting more members into its Society of Fellows, adding, “as you are aware, the Fellowship Award is the highest and most prestigious award from the Council.”

Hajj Savings Scheme Game Changer for Muslim Pilgrimage, Says Jaiz MD James Emejo in Abuja The Managing Director/Chief Executive, Jaiz Bank Plc, Mr. Hassan Usman has said the commencement of savings initiative for the hajj is a dream come true for Muslim pilgrims who desire to visit the Holy Land.

Speaking at the launch of the Hajj Savings Scheme in Lagos, Usman said the initia-

tive represented a significant milestone for all stakeholders in the hajj ecosystem in the country.

He said beginning from the planning, funding to actual operations, the scheme had the potentials to positively affect every act and actor in the process.

He said: “With such a scheme in place, intending pilgrims that do not have the wherewithal

can gradually plan and actualise their dream without stress by saving gradually.

“Even those who may not live to witness the completion of their savings may by Allah’s infinite mercy receive the reward for hajj because they are pilgrims by intention (niyyat) and action (amal) together.”

In a statement, Usman said: “As this scheme grows over time, NAHCON and the various

State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards can have the liquid funds required to effectively plan hajj operations early, thereby securing better bargain for accommodation and other services for their pilgrims. The scheme can also be the key to making them highly self-sustaining in the long run.

“On our part as a bank, we are committed to this journey and we are ready to support it with best-in-class technol-

ogy infrastructure as well as safe investment management practice.”

Also, speaking at the launch, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu urged the Muslims in the state to embrace the scheme in order to benefit in all forms while his deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, described the scheme as a milestone adding that the government will ensure its success at all level.

Expert Harps on Mindset Change for Fraud Prevention Funmi Ogundare A fellow of the Institute for Fraud Management and Prevention, Dr. Ranti Odebode has stressed the need for Nigerians to begin to change their orientation towards ensuring a fraud-free society.

Odebode, who made this known, recently, during the launch of her book titled, ‘Fraud Management: Prevention, Detection and Control’,

said organisations should put in place measures that would help strengthen their control mechanisms to prevent fraud.

According to her, “ If you have an organisation and you don’t put preventive measures in place, people will just behave the way they like and at the end of the day, they will mess up the organisation, so prevention itself is better than cure.

“So, if you put measures in place even in setting up an organisation, there will be

accountability.”

She said fraud in the context of moral and financial management trickles down to the younger generation, adding that if parents train up their children the proper way, they would have prevented that child from identifying the wrong steps that he shouldn’t follow.

“In the home front and everywhere, we should stop accusing people in Aso Rock, we can all prevent and control it by introducing techniques

that would allow us detect it rather than shying away from it, “ she said.

Odebode said she was inspired to write the book during the COVID-19 period when she enrolled at the institute, to correct the narrative on fraud especially during this season.

“We have heard about COVID-19 missing funds, we track the funds if we genuinely want to. If the Nigeria Police Force wants to genuinely track fraudsters,

they do it.

“It is not as if they don’t have the tools or necessary information or knowledge, but we have to be interested in doing it. Look at the #EndSars investigation, I would rather put groups in place to teach this. But I believe that if our orientation can change, then so many things will change.”

In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Tunji Caulcrick, said the current state of the nation, has a direct correlation with fraud.

23

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͳ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

Air Peace Operates Direct, Nonstop Flight to Jamaica Stories by Chinedu Eze Air Peace recently embarked on a direct, non-stop 11 hours flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos to the Island country of Jamaica.

The airline deployed one of its three Boeing 777 aircraft with registration number 5N-BVE for the historic flight, which departed at 17:00hrs conveying 132 passengers on board and has since arrived Montego Bay, Jamaica. The aircraft will fly into Montego Bay again on December 27, 2020 for the return flight the next day.

Disclosing this to newsmen, the Spokesperson of Air Peace, Stanley Olisa stated that it was a special

charter flight and was the airline’s maiden flight to the Island country.

He said the flight further accentuates the airline’s capability to operate flights to any destination in the world, adding that “Air Peace has the aircraft and the requisite manpower to do this”.

Air Peace has operated international flights to multiple destinations such as China, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Israel, United Kingdom, Thailand, Indonesia and recently launched scheduled direct flights to Johannesburg, South Africa, providing respite to travelers on the LagosJohannesburg-Lagos route and connecting the two

giant African countries at affordable fares.

Chief Operating Officer of the airline, Mrs. Toyin Olajide said Air Peace commitment to excellence and determination to reduce the air travel burden of Africans by employing dynamics that are peculiar to the African people, has proudly earned it the title of the biggest airline in West and Central Africa.

She said the airline has recorded a lot of milestones in less than a decade of its existence and now services sixteen domestic routes, five regional routes and two international destinations, including the United Arab Emirates, which we launched in July 2019.

Hi-tech CEO Upgrades School with Science Equipment The Managing Director/ CEO, Engineering Automation Technology Limited (EATECH), Dr. Emmanuel Okon has offered to upgrade one of the oldest schools in Abak, Akwa Ibom state with science equipment.

The move is to encourage the study of science and technology in the college.

St. Mary’s Science College Abak was established in 1953 as the first science secondary school in that part of the state.

Okon who attended the College has also called for collaboration between exstudents of the school and the Akwa Ibom government in the resuscitation of decayed infrastructure in secondary schools in the state.

Okon who lamented the rot in critical infrastructure in the state’s foremost science secondary school, said the failure by private and public sectors to partner to commit huge funds into science and technology education at primary and post-primary

levels amounted to a deliberate decision to kill the state’s future given the role ICT plays in the growth and prosperity of the the contemporary society.

Okon who was chairman of the fundraising event for the renovation of the science college held in Uyo recently said he would fund the renovation and equipping of one of the abandoned school’s science laboratories and upgrade it to meet international standard.

“This school founded in 1953 has produced the best of science, technology and medical professionals achieving feats within the country and globally, particularly in the last 33 years, and we must assist in restoring it to its lost glory,” Okon said.

“As a product of the school, I am deeply concerned about the current state of rot in infrastructure.

I think we will require at least N200 million to fix things and get the school to operate at the shape,

quality and pride it once held and I appeal to alumni and government to support this worthy cause so that by 2021 students sitting for their final exams would operate under conditions and ambience better than the current obsolete and rotten state,” he added.

Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Aniekan Bassey and Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ini Ememobong, both alumni of the school, pledged to partner with the newly inaugurated old students association to renovate the school.

Longest serving principal of the school, Mr. Christiansus Asuka, lauded ex-students for the initiative to resuscitate infrastructure in the school even as he appealed to alumni in top government position to ensure the best teachers are posted to the school. He also called for sustainable science education in Nigeria from primary to university level.

Airbus Recognises Ethiopian’s Role in COVID-19 Fight Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced that Airbus, the largest aircraft manufacturer, has recognised it for the resilience it displayed amid the COVID-19 global crisis.

Reacting to the award, Ethiopian Group CEO, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam said, “We at Ethiopian are immensely delighted that one of the top companies in the world, Airbus, has recognized the efforts of the management and employees of Ethiopian Airlines unique agility and resilience amid the COVID 19 global crisis.

“We were there when the world needed us most.

I would like to express my gratitude to the over 17 Thousand hardworking Ethiopian employees and management team.”

Airbus Vice President

Sales Africa and Levant Customer Affairs, Mr. Hadi Akoum, on his part said, “This is to express the admiration of Airbus executive management and Airbus whole employees for the unbelievable achievement of Ethiopian Airlines in this unprecedented epidemic.

“While other airlines were just trying to figure out what to do, Ethiopia Airlines was aggressively pressing ahead finding solution, creating solution converting their passenger aircraft to freighters. Ethiopian Airlines is the first one to do it on Airbus A350 and continue to fly and create even new business.

“This is something unique all over the world. Today, Ethiopian Airlines is able to maintain the operation of all fleet where others are at 10

percent of their capability, and many airlines have just simply gone bankrupt and people have lost their jobs.

“This has been done because of the visionary leadership, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam. Ethiopian Airlines today is showing the example to the whole world in resilience and visionary thinking of the leadership.

Thank you very much, it is a real admiration that we express at Airbus for your leadership and for Ethiopian Airlines Employees.”

Ethiopian Airlines is the first global airline that converted A350 passenger aircraft to cargo to transport the much-needed medical supplies to combat the spread of COVID 19. The Airline is now operating 16 A350 aircraft in its network.

Protests over Delayed Flights

Passengers boarding Dana Air flight Chinedu Eze Earlier in the week a video was circulating where a passenger became violent when Nigeria’s carrier, Dana Air delayed its flight from Abuja to Lagos.

This is one of the series of incidents that occur when flights are cancelled or delayed.

There were occasions passengers had to beat up airline officials when their luggage was delayed and in 2018 December, some passengers tried to stop Turkish Airlines flight from taking off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja because the airline did not bring back the luggage of the passengers in the same flight. On this occasion, they had matched into the tarmac and wanted to stop the aircraft from taking off, an action that led to the suspension of the head of Aviation Security (AVSEC) at the airport.

So the Dana Air incident is one of many air rage incidents that take place at the nation’s airports.

The video that has gone viral over the incident showed a physically challenged passenger, Dr. Chike Okogwu who was in wheelchair and was shown destroying computers and other office equipment that belonged to the airline at the Abuja airport.

What prompted the action of Okogwu was his denial to fly by the airline after it rescheduled its Abuja to Lagos flight, which the airline had issued a statement apologising to passengers.

The airline had explained in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, that on Friday 18, and Saturday 19, December 2020, two of “our aircraft became unserviceable in Lagos and Abuja respectively, compelling us to ground both aircraft in line with our strict safety standards and global best Practices “This is really not a good time for disruptions having increased our flights recently to meet the expectations of our guests and ensure no one is left stranded without a flight this Yuletide, but we had no option than to ground both aircraft in the interest of the safety of our crew and guests while our other serviceable aircraft continue to operate as scheduled,” the statement said.

They had matched into the tarmac and wanted to stop the aircraft from taking off, an action that led to the suspension of the head of Aviation Security (AVSEC) at the airport

Reacting to Dana Air’s response to Okogwu, the Association of Lawyers with disabilities in Nigeria (ALDIN) said it was horrified by the alleged discriminatory conduct of Dana Air against members of its community, in the person of Dr Chike Okogwu.

“The facts and evidence available to ALDIN is that Dr. Chike Okogwu had boarded a 7:20pm flight from Abuja to Lagos on December 20, 2020, which was rescheduled by Dana Air to 9:05pm. At the time of Boarding, Dr. Chike Okogwu was told that he could not travel along with the others because he was a wheelchair user.

“Note that there was no previous warning to this shocking turn of event. It was Dana Air that rescheduled the flight of Dr. Chike Okogwu to night and then again turned around to say they cannot fly him at night because he was a special person - the airline is precluded from approbating and reprobating at the same time.

“The intentional discriminatory measures and breach of contract against passengers with disabilities by DANA Air is manifestly reprehensible,” the association said.

But Dana Air spokesman further explained, “Our attention has been drawn to a violent conduct by a passenger named Dr. Chike Okogwu, on our staff and booking systems at our Abuja station yesterday the 20th of December, 2020 “To put the issue into proper perspective, the said passenger (a PWD Person With Disability) who we regard as Special Passengers at Dana Air, got to our counter yesterday, 20th December 2020 at about 8pm for his flight and when our Duty Manager noticed him in the midst of the upsurge of passengers, approached him and politely explained to him that as a matter of policy, comfort and safety of our guests, we do not carry Special Passengers at night while offering to check him in first, on the 7am flight the next day.

“The said passenger blatantly refused the offer and went violent on the Duty Manager causing her injuries in the process. This same passenger also went further to destroy our check-in systems, chairs, Covid-19 Protective glass shields and weighing machines at our counter in Abuja. (We have our video evidence).”

An official of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) who did not wish to be identified because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, told THISDAY that the body would soon take action on the attitude of passengers becoming violent as a way to protest against disagreements with airlines.

“We are going to take action and this may include blacklisting passengers who destroy airline property because such violent outburst never solves any problem and after destroying the airline’s working tools, what will it use to process your boarding? We have also found out that this happens only in Nigeria and most often the passengers react that way against Nigerian carriers,” he said.

24

T H I S D AY ˾ BER 25, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Boost for Nigeria’s Image Last week Air Peace operated its inaugural flight to Johannesburg and resumed another direct connection between Nigeria and South Africa. Chinedu Eze writes that the airline provided relief to Nigerians who wished to return home for the Yuletide

S

hortly before the lockdown around March 2020, South Africa Airways stopped its daily operations to Nigeria and thus ended direct commercial flight between two Africa’s largest economies.

Nigerian carrier, Arik Air had stopped flights to Johannesburg in February 2017, so after South Africa Airways stopped its direct flight operations, travellers wishing to travel to either Nigeria or South Africa had to connect through other countries.

But on Thursday, December 17, 2020, Air Peace reconnected the two countries and this was celebrated by Nigerians that have yearned to travel to their motherland without hassles.

Many of the Nigerian passengers who spoke to THISDAY during the JohannesburgLagos flight said that they were happy that a Nigerian airline was taking them home and recalled how Air Peace evacuated Nigerians during the xenophobic attacks and also during the novel coronavirus lockdown.

“Since then we fell in love with Air Peace.

So when many of us heard that Air Peace would start operation to South Africa, we cancelled our flight with another airline (name withheld) and bought Air Peace ticket, which will take us directly to Lagos. So this is the time to pay back to our airline through patronage,” a passenger who simply identified himself as Desmond, said.

Promise Kept The Chairman of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema who spoke to journalists shortly before take-off of the flight to Johannesburg said that the management of the airline was happy that it has restored the direct connection between Nigeria and South Africa and noted that it was in fulfillment of the promise the airline made to Nigerians that it would not only provide flight service to domestic destinations but also to international destinations.

“We promised Nigerians six years ago when we started Air Peace that we are not only going to connect cities in Nigeria and communities in Nigeria but also that we will connect this country with other nations of the world and gradually we are getting there,” he said.

He also stated that Air Peace envisaged that the route would become competitive and the only way the airline would sustain its operations on the route is to provide efficient service, which the Nigerian carrier was poised to do.

“Well, we don’t want to kid ourselves that we are the only one on the route for now, some other people also will want to come there. So for us to sustain the tempo of whatever we are doing we have to be pragmatic; we have to be strategic too in our planning. And, like I said, we have been following our business plan since 2014; we started meticulously. Everything we said we would do since 2014, by the grace of God Almighty, we have been able to achieve them. And we believe we can do more with articulate planning,” the Chairman said, adding that direct connection between South Africa and Nigeria would improve relations and enhance stronger economic cooperation between the two major nations in the continent.

Economic Partners The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air Peace, Mrs. Toyin Olajide during the inaugural dinner in Johannesburg said flights between Nigeria and South Africa would reinforce the economic cooperation between the West African nation and the Mandela country.

“To me and indeed the entire management of the airline, this flight is more than just a commencement of scheduled flight into Johannesburg; it is the solidification of the economy and commercial ties between these two giant African countries – Nigerian and South Africa. It is the exemplification and reflection of a mutually beneficial relationship.

It is an implementation of our bilateral air

Air Peace COO, Mrs. Toyin Olajide cuts the cake to mark the airline’s inaugural flight to Johannesburg agreement and furtherance of the progress of Nigerian and South Africa, and the promotion of unity between the citizens of South Africa and Nigeria.

“I recall that we flew into this country on September 11th, 2019 and evacuated 503 Nigerians in two separate flights. Even though the circumstances were somewhat auspicious, that incident heightened the airline’s desire to kick off scheduled flight into the country.

“And today marks the accomplishment of that ambition. Also, on June 26, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, we flew into South Africa to evacuate 167 Nigerians.

“Against this backdrop, you will be very correct to say that we are acquainted with the South African terrain. We see it as an opportunity to connect both countries directly and we seized it. We are glad this is happening and we believe both countries will benefit immensely from the areas of employment creation, promotion of tourism, and facilitation of a seamless carriage of people, which is a prerequisite for economic development and other forms of value to be created along the chain,” she said.

During an interview with local media in Johannesburg, Mrs. Olajide acknowledged that the COVID-19 has devastated the aviation industry but noted that it is due to resilience and determination that airlines like Air Peace are able to sustain their operations.

“So it is understandable when people ask, how come you are able to start a flight and be stable? I mean, this is one question I have been asked several times, people are just wondering why we are able to build a standard flight.

“And I say to them that we have the vision to connect African countries. We try to provide seamless connectivity across the African cities. And for us to have been able to start during this season, it wasn’t something that we just woke up and then decided to do it.

“As I told you earlier, we wanted to commence this flight like two years ago, but plans have actually been in place, we have been putting in place all the necessary resources, all the parameters to ensure that the equipment, our Boeing 777 aircraft were ready, to ensure we have backup, to ensure we have the right personnel, the right resources.

And when we accomplished these we knew were ready.

“Many Nigerians both in Nigeria and

overseas, especially South Africa have yearned for Air Peace to start this operation. We know we have the capability, we know we have the resources and we are able to do this.

“And then we looked in house, we checked our business plan, we looked at all our parameters and we saw that this is the right time to go. And that is why we are here today,” Olajide said.

She said the priority of Air Peace is efficiency and customer service, remarking that the airline is satisfied when the need of its customers are met.

“Now for Air Peace, one thing that sets us apart is the superior services that we provide for our customers.

“So we give all customers the same service, because they have a reason why they patronise us, we understand that much. And we know that we have to listen to them, they are very important to us.

“So we do not joke with the services that we provide to our customers. With Air Peace on this South African route, the first thing you are even going to benefit from now is safety and of course, because this period is a very delicate period; the airline ensures that it is compliant with the COVID-19 procedures, the cockpit crew, the cabin crew, they are all in compliance; they understood the procedures regarding this COVID-19.

“And before you can even board our airplane, you have to have a negative COVID-19 result from approved laboratory,” the COO said.

Olajide said even under the high season of the Yuletide period, Air Peace still introduced promo fare, selling tickets at a very affordable rate and operating a very beautiful aircraft, Boeing 777.

“When we were coming from Lagos to Johannesburg I had passengers onboard, one of them came to me, a white guy, and he said, Madam, you don’t know what you have done for us,” she said.

Also speaking during the inaugural dinner, the Minister, Consulate of Nigeria, Mr.Ezenwa Nwobiala who represented the Consulate General of Nigeria, said that Nigerians and the Consulate were pleased to have Air Peace operate to Johannesburg.

“We are so proud of today being a day we are launching our best airline to South Africa.

We see this as an opportunity to deepen that strong relation between Nigeria and South Africa. As you are all aware, Nigeria and South Africa are the two powerhouses of the African continent. Wherever the two of

us agree a lot of things work out for good and it is our hope that with the entry of Air Peace to the South Africa route, it is going to provide opportunities for our two countries.

And I want to say that this airline – Air Peace has been tested and proven.

“Right from 2019 when this airline started emergency operation to South Africa route, it has been a successful one. We as a nation have been so proud of the airline and we are so happy because a lot of people have been waiting for this day. I want to say congratulations to the airline, the management of the airline for making this a possibility.

“In fact, a lot of Nigerians have been waiting for today, they have been asking us this question, is it going to work out?

And we said let us see, that this is going to be, because with what they did during the evacuation flights put a lot of confidence on this airline. And I want to thank them again for all that they have done and I pray that this is going to be the best of all entrances to the South African route,” he said.

A director in Air Peace, Mohammed Danjuma, said the introduction of flights to Johannesburg is a growth trajectory that is in tandem with the airline’s long term plans to connect Nigeria to the rest of the world.

“Air Peace’s flight to South Africa is a growth trajectory in line with the expansion plan that the airline has. Safe for COVID-19, which had put a pause globally on everybody, I think by now we would have been celebrating a lot more destinations not just the South African destination that we have just launched today. But be that as it may, the airline is not deterred, we are hopeful and looking up despite all of the challenges that are being faced globally. We hope to continue to grow the airline, discovering more destinations and reaching new continents, taking Nigerians and others as well.

“South Africa is home not just to Air Peace but to Nigerians. As you know there is a very large Nigerian community here and they enjoy a lot of bilateral relationship. So I think this is a huge turning point not just for the airline but for the two nations as well. Because this is another gateway that has opened that will further strengthen our relationship and boost trade among the two countries, and not just the two countries but between West Africa and South Africa as it were,” Danjuma said.

The sky looks brighter for the Nigerian carrier, which is boosting the image of the most populous country in Africa.

25

T H I S D AY ˾ BER 25, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Maritime Sector in 2020 Most of the problems that bedeviled the Nigerian maritime industry in 2020 predates the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak that shut down the global economy. However, some agencies distinguished themselves despite the challenges, writes EromoseleAbiodun

Amaechi

I

t is no longer news that the global economy was highly disrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Nigeria also took a hit and is still struggling to contain the consequence of lockdowns as a result of the pandemic. There seems to be no respite as the second wave of the dreaded pandemic has forced governments around to world to take drastic measures, which include some levels of lockdown and other restrictions like public gathering. While most sectors of the economy were in a total lockdown, the maritime sector, especially shipping and related sectors operated, even at the peak of the outbreak but with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

However, while other nations of the world maximised their opportunity given the situation that the world faced, Nigeria’s case or failures in the sector were man-made. With the land bothers shut by the federal government, the ports in Lagos were flooded with imported goods and exposed the under belly of Nigeria.

While ports in Ivory Coast, Cotonou were smiling to the bank, Nigerians who lived and worked in Apapa, a once thriving port city had stories of death, accidents (if containers falling on innocent motorist can be seen as one), and hours on traffic. Shippers were slammed with unimaginable charges by shipping companies, container stripping became the norm and bounded terminals in collaboration with shipping companies terrorised Nigerians, shippers and customs agents.

The situation was not helped by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). Promises to provide scanners were never met.

To make things worse, a presidential task team sent by government to restore law and order in Apapa became the problem. Generally, allegedly corrupt and notorious for bribe taking, the task team turned the unfortunate Apapa tragedy into an enterprise.

Nobody explained the ugly situation better than the Managing Director of Port & Cargo Handling Services, John Jenkins, who said that for the five years he worked in Ghana, not one day was there a gridlock on port access road.

He expressed frustration over the near total collapse of cargo delivery along the Mile 2/ Tin Can Island port access road.

He said: “Transfer of containers by road is almost not in existence because the road is blocked and you can’t get containers out.

The problem is the road. If the problem of the road is solved, the problem inside the port will be solved.

“Before we never had block stack containers because the cargo used to move freely but not anymore now. There are in excess of 40 vessels at anchorage. At Port & Cargo, we could only bring seven alongside now. Last month, we kept one of the MSC vessels there for four days because they could not discharge and this month, we have kept vessels for more

Bala-Usman

than two days already because we don’t know where to put the containers.

“I have worked in this port industry all my life, I have never seen roads like this.

We could form a palliative solution. We are not happy, we got people losing their means of livelihood every day because of the poor condition of the road.”

As exclusively reported by THISDAY, the failure by the federal government to find solution to the intractable Apapa gridlock took the problem to a crisis point with cost of shipping containers into Nigeria going by 600 per cent.

As a result of the blockage of the roads, millions of containers are trapped in the ports and shipping companies have had to stay at several anchorages for between three to four months incurring all manner of surcharges.

On average, 100,000 containers carrying various cargos are discharged in Lagos ports monthly, with shipping companies now charging $6000 to sip a container to Nigeria, it costs shippers in Nigeria $600 million (N234 billion) every month to transport 100,000 containers to Nigeria.

Numbers obtained by THISDAY revealed that in the first half of this year, it cost $1,000 to ship a 20-foot container to Nigeria from the Far East.

But the cost charged by shipping lines for the same service is between $5,500 and $6,000.

Also, haulage cost from Tin Can to any other part of Lagos has risen by more than 1000 per cent from about N100,000 to about N1.2 million Due to the massive congestion at Tin Can and Apapa ports, many shipping lines are diverting Nigeria-bound cargoes to neighboring ports in Cotonou and Ivory Coast.

Unfulfilled promises The year 2020 started with uncertainty as to when the land borders would reopen and as the border closure began to tell on the ports, terminal operator were pressed to investment in cargo handling equipment to enhance efficiency.

That did not solve the problem, ships were stranded at sea because of lack of space to discharge cargo and shippers paid through their nose to get cargo out of the ports. The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) did all it could to stop arbitrary charges, paid several

visits to terminals, shipping companies, held countless stakeholders engagements. All the promise to get the shipping companies, who obviously took advantage of the situation, failed.

The NCS’ promise to provide scanners never materialised, rather, the agency was involved in yet another controversy about customs modernisation contract. The contract, which is said to be done for the agency to migrate to electronic operation was said to be in direct contrast to the NICS11, an existing electronic service the agency had in the past said boosted its revenue generation targets.

Perhaps the worst of them all in 2020 was the so-called Blue Economy Project. A project initiated to put an end to pirates attacks and maritime crime. After several postponements, the project was to kick off in the first quarter of the year. While government was pussyfooting, pirates took over Nigerian waters and attack became a daily affair.

Worst still, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, sent a memo to the federal executive council seeking a whopping $22.99 million from the federal government to hire fast intervention vessels to check insecurity in Nigeria’s waters.

This came when the $195 million maritime security contract approved for the same purpose by the government in 2017 was yet to be executed by the same minister.

The federal government had in 2017 approved a $195 million maritime security contract with an Israeli firm, HLS International Limited under the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project.

The contract was in line with efforts to curb increasing criminal activities such as piracy, sea robbery, kidnapping, oil theft, illegal bunkering, smuggling and illegal trafficking in drugs and persons within the Gulf of Guinea, especially Nigeria.

Under the initiative, the government was supposed to have commenced the deployment of security assets first week of January this year to curb maritime criminality.

In a memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) dated July 22, 2020, Amaechi asked for the government’s approval for the renewal of lease of fast intervention security vessels for a period of one year, claiming the $195 million already approved for the same purpose has

I have worked in this port industry all my life, I have never seen roads like this. We could form a palliative solution. We are not happy, we got people losing their means of livelihood every day because of the poor condition of the road

been put on hold due to COVID-19.

Modest achievements Like in every situation in life, there were some remarkable achievements by some agencies in the sector in the outgoing year. Apart from its effort to end the unjust and punitive business practices by shipping companies, the NSC also played its role as the nation’s port economic regulators commendably. The Executive Secretary of the NSC was tireless in his efforts to sanitize the industry and ensure fair trade.

Following clearing agents outcry against the imposition of demurrage on cargoes that were trapped at the ports during the EndSARS protests, the NSC, called on shipping companies to ease the hardship on importers.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) also recorded landmark achievements during the year. The successful transition from its former Director General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside to its new head, Dr Bahir Jamoh, was quickly followed with the prosecution of pirates on the back of the signing of anti piracy law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Three men became the first to be convicted under Nigeria’s piracy law on August 11, 2020.

However, security experts maintain that the lenient sentencing will do little to deter or decrease the ever-growing piracy numbers in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

A court in the Port of Harcout, had fined three men N20 million ($52,000) each under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act for the hijacking of tanker Elobey VI on 21 March, off Equitorial Guinea, and subsequent ransom of the crew for $200,000.

Most importantly, the agency received the coveted commendation by the International Maritime organization (IMO) for its renewed anti piracy war.

In the same vein, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), distinguished itself in 2020. From the beginning of the year up till now, the NPA on monthly basis recorded outstanding performance that baffled industry stakeholders.

Prominent among the many achievements are the berthing of one of the biggest gearless Maerskline vessel at Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT), Onne in Rivers State, N1 trillion revenue, partnership with a private firm to deploy N7 billion electronic call up system to end Apapa traffic and suspension of all applicable terminal storage fees on consignments, also known as demurrage for an initial period of 21 days during the COVID-19 lockdown among others. The NPA’ improved revenue generation was particularly applauded by all. The NPA improved revenue generation despite COVID-19, towards the end of the third quarter of 2020, it announced that it generated a revenue of N1.02 trillion in the space of three years under the tenure of its current Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman.

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 •T H I S D AY

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 08038901925

A Season of Sharing: ‘Five Days of Love’

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COVER

A Season of Sharing: ‘Five Days of Love’ The Christmas season is not just for making merry but also a time of sharing and giving, especially to the less privileged. Aligning with this, Airtel Nigeria, a telecommunications services provider, recently kept faith with over five thousand persons in five Internally Displaced Persons camps in the country. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the program, which is in its sixth year, was themed ‘Five Days of Love’

L-R:AreaSalesManager(ASM),AirtelNigeria,ChijiokeIheoguneme;ZonalBusinessManager(ZBM)AirtelNigeria,ClintonAlimi;CampManager,AlugaComfort,andDaudacampofficial,TsenunguAondoaver,presenting1,000foodpalliativepackstoDauda1-3 campinBenuestateduringtheFive-DaysofLoveyuletideprogram

A

nchored on the pedestal of ‘reinventing global fashion’, the 2020 ARISE Fashion Week recently held in Lagos.

This year, the famous ARISE Fashion Week, known for breaking records, raised the ante even further by celebrating a new brand of designers ‘30 under 30’ with a cash prize of $500,000 shared amongst the winners.

The weeklong event hosted 30 fashion designers who contended for the prize money. The list which includes designers from not only Nigeria but other parts of Africa and Europe, boasted of fresh talents alongside some acclaimed international names in fashion.

The ARISE Fashion Week event kicked off on a Tuesday with an exclusive press brunch with stakeholders in the industry, followed by a welcoof weavers local to Lagos. Ize is also influencing the creative arts curriculum in local schools to create traditional fashion.

His brand he says is Although the year has been ravaged by COVID-19 pandemic, the Christmas season evokes excitement whether for children or adults. Often characterised by abundance of food, snacks, drinks and, of course, gifts the Yuletide is indeed a season to make merry and also a time of sharing.

Aligning with this ethos of giving, Airtel Nigeria, a telecommunications services provider, recently kept faith with over five thousand persons across five Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the country.

This year, the telecommunication company took an unprecedented approach in a bid to empower the vulnerable, who have been disproportionately hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

over a period of 5 days.

Currently in its sixth year, the 2020 edition of the ‘5 Days of Love’ initiative kicked off in Benue state on Friday, December 18, 2020 at the Daudu IDP camp and moved to Edo State on Tuesday, December 22, at the International Christian Centre, Benin City as well as in Borno State at the Teacher’s village same day.

On Wednesday, December 23, the distribution was concluded at the Abbari YBC Camp in Yobe State, and likewise in Kaduna State at the Sabin Tasha Camp, just in time for Christmas.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya

‘Five Days of Love’Yuletide Initiative At the launch, when Airtel Nigeria, announced the commencement of the 2020 edition of its annual ‘5 Days of Love’ Yuletide initiative, with a focus on providing palliative packs to 5,000 persons across five IDP camps in the country, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, said despite the pandemic and a difficult year, Airtel will continue its long standing tradition of celebrating and empowering the vulnerable and underprivileged during Yuletide.

He said: “Our resolve to Nigeria and Nigerians is unshakeable. Despite a difficult year, we are committed to making lives better for many Nigerians and we will

not rest on our laurels as we will continue to create opportunities for underprivileged Nigerians.

“We believe little things can make a difference and as we continue to support the vulnerable and the underprivileged in our society, events will take a positive turn.

At Airtel, we believe that to be great, we must first be good. It is in this spirit that we have chosen to celebrate this Yuletide with underprivileged and underserved persons across the country.”

Airtel says it will be distributing food palliative packs to 5,000 vulnerable families in IDP camps across the country. 1,000 palliative packs will be distributed to select IDP camps in 5 cities across the country

Campaign against COVID-19 Ogunsanya also assured that Airtel will continue to collaborate and partner the government in the ongoing fight against COVID-19, noting that the fight against the dreaded virus is not over yet. He also highlighted some definitive steps Airtel had taken to curtail the spread of the virus.

He said: “Although I do not like throwing figures, we expended over N1.97billion providing relief for Nigerians during the lockdown and at the height of the pandemic. My colleagues, from their pockets, donated N20million to provide relief materials for indigent persons during the lockdown.

“We also donated N50million each to the Lagos State government and the Ogun State government in their fight against COVID-19. We are currently renovating an Infectious Disease Centre at the Lagos State University and we have committed N200m to the project.

“Airtel further committed various sums and support in kind covering donations to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Ministry of Health and Port Health Authority, State Governments, the Federal Governments just as we also reached out to our dear customers by offering free Short Message Service (SMS) worth over N1.2billion.”

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Stakeholders Call for Good Governance, Inclusive Development Stories by Mary Nnah The transition to a democratic system of governance in Nigeria has been characterised by a lack of development; sadly, 21 years down the line and not much has changed.

The #EndSars protests and its effects bear credence to the stunted development of the nation since democracy.

Much more than the dehumanising treatment of youths by the now-defunct unit, the protests were spurred by the pent-up anger over the maladministration, injustice, high fuel and energy prices, hunger, and dehumanising policies of the government.

This and many other crucial issues were discussed at the launch of the book “Nigeria: Democracy without Development. How to fix it”, written by Dr. Omano Edigheji.

In his address, the chairman of the event, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by Senator OlubunmiAdetunmbi; Ekiti North Senatorial District, asserted that only development can drive democracy.

He decried the obvious lack of development, consensus, as well the biting poverty has made it difficult to mention democracy in the same breath with development in this part of the world.

Igbo Bu Otu members in a celebration mood

Igbo Bu Otu Celebrates Yuletide L-R: Journalist & Broadcaster, Mrs Maupe Ogun-Yusuf; CEO, Centre for Value in Leadership, Pat Utomi; Author, Dr Omano Edigheji; Sen Olubunmi Adetunmbi and publisher of the book, Ms Emilia Asim-Ita at the event

According to him, democracy can only be sustained when people are happy and can foresee a future for themselves and their children.

He, therefore, urged the federal government to invest more in solving the nation’s developmental deficits for democracy to flourish.

“Without development, it is difficult to sustain democracy because democracy presupposes that people are interested in enforcing freedom and participation in governance through the contribution of representation. But how do you do this while the majority of the people are not even able to put food on their table?”

One of the panellists, Prof.

Pat Utomi, asserted that public policy is not what one pronounces or constructs; it is

what people consider as necessary to change their lives for the better.

He stated those who run political parties run them like private companies, making it difficult for any political evolution.

In response to claims by Pat Utomi that political parties do not exist in Nigeria, Senator Adebumi Olutunbi stated that the existence of a thing cannot be denied simply because it doesn’t exist in the form one expects.

However, Senator Uba Sabi argued that it hasn’t solely been a tale of doom and gloom for the nation. According to him, Nigeria has made considerable progress despite the myriad of challenges she still confronts.

“This is too sweeping. It is also incorrect. In all indices of

development, we have made progress but huge challenges remain. There have been missed opportunities. Transparency and accountability is a major challenge.

“I agree with the author that the inability of leaders to meet the expectations of the governed has created a wide gulf between the citizens and governments at all levels. A large segment of the population has disengaged from the electoral process. The situation is worrisome but it can be fixed,” Sani said while speaking at the event.

Rounding off the event, Emilia Asim-Ita, Founder/ Practice Director, A’Lime Media Limited, publishers of the book, thanked participants for gracing the event with their presence.

Xmas:ThreeCrownsExcitesMumswith“GiveYourHeartOut”Campaign Celebration is already in the air and it is thickening with the excitement that usually greets the Christmas season across the world, despite fallouts of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Nigerians, like millions of other nationals across the globe, are gearing up for fun-filled Christmas and New Year festivities.

Three Crowns milk, the iconic low cholesterol, heart friendly brand from the stable of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, in its unique way, is raising the bar of consumers’ excitement at this festive season with a “Give Your Heart Out” campaign which is aimed at making consumers, especially mothers, who are the hearts of the homes, and their families,

Three Crowns excites moms with “Give Your Heart Out” campaign

to celebrate and bond more.

The campaign focuses on gifting ‘Mums’ whom the brand recognizes and celebrates as good hearts, to show appreciation for and recognition of their efforts for being the ‘Heart of the Home’ all through the year.

In so doing, the brand is making December special for mothers and mother figures.

This will make mothers feel appreciated for their year-round efforts. For Three Crowns, this must be a December to remember for mums and other

consumers.

Explaining the details of the campaign, the Marketing Manager, Three Crowns, Omolara Banjoko, disclosed that the campaign would be executed mostly digitally on OOH (Out Of Home), Radio and TV; during the campaign, lucky mothers and mother figures nationwide would receive mouth-watering Christmas gifts from the brand plus personalised messages from their nominators.

According to Banjoko, participants would nominate a mum to be gifted on the website as well as write a personalized note, which would be uploaded on the website and will accompany her gift if she wins.

EbonyLife in Collaboration with Lagos State Launches Academy The EbonyLife Creative Academy (ELCA) has been formally opened for registration on www.ebonylifecreativeacademy.com.

This groundbreaking initiative is supported by the Lagos State government through Lagos State Creative Industries Initiative (LACI), under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

ELCA offers free, practical short courses covering all aspects of filmmaking and media content production, including acting, directing, producing, editing, sound, and lighting.

Designed by local and foreign industry experts, the courses are designed to help working film professionals improve their skills and make them globally competitive, and to equip beginners with the skills they need to launch their careers on a sound footing.

ELCA was conceived by EbonyLife CEO, Mo Abudu in

Mo Abudu

response to the growing shortage of industry professionals, as Nollywood continues to expand.

“EbonyLife Creative Academy is meant to fill that gap and make world-class training available. Thankfully, the governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, understood our vision and gave us the support we needed to establish the academy here

in Lagos, the hub of Nigerian filmmaking,” she said.

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Sanwo-Olu said, “We are very excited about this development because it is in line with two of the development pillars of our THEMES agenda – education & technology and entertainment & tourism.

“By training our people to use the latest technology, we will continue to enhance the quality of our entertainment content and attract production crews from the rest of Africa and around the world.”

“With Nollywood being the world’s third largest film industry in terms of volume, ELCA is the first step towards creating a value chain built on international best practice in production quality.”

Situated in the heart of Victoria Island, ELCA features state-of-the art lecture rooms with projection and sound facilities, studio workshop spaces, and post-production

facilities fitted with all the latest technology. Students will have everything they need to excel in their chosen field if they put in the work required.

The academy’s short courses and programmes are designed to provide both seasoned professionals and beginners with the essential technical, creative and practical skills for the film and TV industry.

According to Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, Hon. Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, ELCA is exactly what Lagos needs at this time. “As we begin to emerge from the shadow of this global pandemic, it is heartening that we can look forward to an increase in activity in the movie industry, which provides so many jobs and supports so many small businesses. EbonyLife Creative Academy will be a catalyst for growth in this sector”.

Held at Arepo, Ijoko, Ogun State, the end of the year party organised by Igbo Bu Otu Welfare Association Arepo, Ijoko, Ogun State, last weekend, was basically to appreciate God for His goodness and sustenance all through the year.

The Chairman of the Association, Mazi Chukwuemeka Orie, said the aim of the association is to gather all the Igbo people in Ijoko and its environ together so as to assist one another in any given way, as well as to help the community they are living in to develop and bring progress to the area.

Orie noted however that the end of the year gathering was also to thank God for His numerous provisions and protection all through the year, especially during the pandemic and uproars witnessed in the nation.

He also added that highlight of the end of the year event will be the inauguration of new exco members who are to see to the successful running of the activities of the association in the next couple of months.

“Igbo Bu Otu has been in existence ever before I relocated to Arepo. So, I came in here to join them likewise others who have also relocated to this end recently.

“Since I took over the chairmanship of the association in March this year, one thing I have been able to achieve is the registration of the association formally with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja so that we can have all the legal backing required.”

He advised members to maintain peace and order amongst themselves and also to co-exist peacefully in the environments they live in.

Leader of the women group of Igbo Bu Otu, Mrs. Christiana Amamba, who said the gathering was also to inaugurate the association as well as to launch the women’s new uniform, expressed joy over the divine enablement they had to gather at the end of the year in order to appreciate God for His protection and provisions all through despite how tough the year has been.

Although she expressed dissatisfaction over the recent activities in the association, revealing that her late husband who was the founder of the association tried all he could to sustain it while he was alive, she said however that after her husband’s demise, things have not been really working like it was envisioned by her late husband.

Kirikiri Correctional Center Inmates Receive Gift Items From Pastor Adeboye Inmates of correctional facilities Kirikiri, in Lagos received various gift items from the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor E.A. Adeboye. This has become a yearly tradition for him as an outreach to the inmates, and also to mark the yuletide in the state.

A delegation of the church representing the General Overseer paid a visit to the prison with food items, toiletries, medicine, musical instruments and copies of the Bible.

Items donated include 100 cartons of bath soap, 50 cartons of toothpaste, 20 dozens of slippers, 50 packs of tissues, 250 boxers, 250 singlets, cooked food, raw rice, medicine and musical instruments.

The church said they presented food and gift items to the inmates and emphasised the need for them to rededicate themselves to God and embrace a new life.

“In RCCG, such visit is usually part of our Christian Social Responsibility (CSR) and it is in line with the instruction Christ gave to the church on earth which is a continual phenomenon that should never end.

“We are here primarily to reach out to the inmates physically and spiritually in order to give them hope and encouragement in life, which is to have Jesus Christ as their Saviour.”

Receiving the items, Prince Mike Okorie, the Deputy Controller of Corrections of the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, thanked the church for their kind gesture and promised to utilise the gift items judiciously for the effective running of the correctional facility.

RCCG members presenting the items at Kirikiri Correctional Centre

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E-TRENDS

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

…Your weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

Ten Iconic Days with Laycon Vanessa Obioha chronicles the exciting moments and surprises of GOtv Iconic Tour with Laycon

F

or the iconic fans of Big Brother Naija Lockdown edition winner and new GOtv ambassador, Laycon, these past few days have been nothing short of awesomeness. From his hometown Abeokuta to the bustling Abakpa Nike market in Enugu, fans of the witty lyricist came out in droves to celebrate and identify with the iconic winner as he toured different parts of the country with GOtv. The campaign tour was to promote the festive season offer from Nigeria’s leading terrestrial television platform GOtv. New customers on GOtv can now get the Jolli package for only N8,400 – which comes with a decoder, GOtennae and 1-month GOtv Jolli subscription. The tour saw Laycon visiting Abeokuta, Uyo, Enugu Abuja and capping it in Lagos.

Since he emerged winner of the most popular TV reality show in Africa, Laycon has been riding the crest of newfound stardom. Born Olamilekan Agbeleshe, the young star was unknown until he entered the competition, stunning both viewers and fellow competitors with his wittiness and rap skills. Shortly after he was crowned the winner of the show, he was announced as the new face of GOtv. “We could have picked anybody,”said the Chief Customer Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria Martin Mabutho during the announcement, hinting at the tight race between those considered for an ambassadorial role.“We are a brand that is at the centre of families, we cannot be associated with brand ambassadors that cannot live up to our core values.”

Laycon assumed his ambassadorial role with the ‘GOtv Five-City Iconic Tour with Laycon’ which kicked off on November 26.

The first stop for the 27-year-old was Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he spent two days granting media rounds and connecting with fans in different areas of the iconic town such

Laycon on tour in Uyo

as the popular Kuto garage and market, the bustling Oke Ilewo Street and Sapon market.

To show that fame has not eroded his cultural values, the young entertainer stopped by the ‘amala halaga’ joint in Pansheke where he thanked the locals for their support during his time in the BBNaija House.

Before he departed the town, he had a special meet and greet with fans and GOtv customers at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library where he talked about the GOtv Jolli offer and the content line-up this festive season.

By December 3, Laycon landed on Uyo, Akwa Ibom where he received a warm welcome at Akwa Ibom airport upon arrival.

He proceeded to pay a courtesy visit to the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong at

the Ministry’s Headquarters in Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat, Uyo. This visit was to inform the commissioner of his presence in the state.

In Uyo, Laycon’s tour was lined up with fun activities as well as visits to iconic places in the serene city. For instance, he made a special appearance at the opening ceremony of the ChristmasVillage which is the biggest trade centre for the city during the Christmas holiday season.The cheering crowd presented him with a welcome cake and a personalised artwork.

His tour availed fans from the state and surrounding environs to know him more.

His interviews in top media houses granted fans an opportunity to know his lifestyle as he talked about his humble beginnings, rise to stardom and future projects which include

Kaptain Thrills Guests At ‘Love Ship’ Erica Pays Courtesy Visit to Ikpeazu Following the two-day operations in the state, stating EP Release Party

Kaptain

For his new EP ‘Love Ship’ Afro-rap fusion artiste, Kaptain hosted an exclusive listening party in Lagos where he thrilled guests with dazzling performances.

The event had special guests likeVector TheViper, top media personalities, music business professionals, pop culture influencers and fans, some of whom flew in from different parts of the country in attendance.

Kaptain, whose real name is Etuk Favour Monday is a young music act whose style of music is a fusion of Rap and Afrobeats. With ‘Love Ship’ which consists of two tracks,

Kaptain is continuing this rise to mainstream popularity.

The EP is a follow up to the acclaimed successful KAPACITY EP released in March, as Kaptain aims to close 2020 on a high note. Both songs are produced by Mikaba and Wonder Beatz respectively.

Reaching over eight million streams across digital platforms with ‘KAPACITY’, Kaptain has also been spotted in different locations across the country performing back to back shows for his teeming fans.

The‘Love Ship’is now available for streaming across all distribution platforms.

HomecomingTour in Umuahia, Abia State, Legend Extra Stout, and brand ambassador, Erica Nlewedim paid a courtesy visit to the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu at the State Government House.

This comes barely a month after Erica was officially announced as the new face of Legend and Star Radler during the unveiling of the new look for both brands.

With the homecoming tour, Erica reconnected with her roots as she basked in the splendour of the Igbo culture while the brand deepened its connection and engagement with consumers in the eastern region. During her stint on the reality show, the brand ambassador had revealed that she was yet to visit her hometown.

The Nigerian Breweries team, led by the company’s Sales Director, Uche Unigwe, expressed gratitude for the continued support of the Abia state government towards Nigerian Breweries’business

that one of the key messages of the brand’s relaunch is authenticity.“This is a virtue that resonates well with the people of Abia state as they are known for their creative ingenuity. This runs true with the commercialization of ‘Made in Aba’ products in Nigeria and overseas.

Your administration has also made substantial investments in championing the promotion of said ingenuity through entrepreneurship.

These amongst several other reasons are what endeared us to bring the Homecoming tour to Abia state.”

Ikpeazu indicated the state’s interest in partnering with the brand. “One of which is your deep sense of industry, resilience, innovation, and handwork. These are some of the virtues that lay in our DNA here in Abia state. I want to commit on behalf of myself and the government that we will do everything to make sure you remain at the top in the beverage industry in Nigeria”.

the first Showmax Nigerian original reality show ‘I am Laycon’. He also talked about the GOtv Jolli offer and how the brand is offering them a jolly Christmas with the sales discount and content lineup.

In each part of the city he stormed, Laycon caused a frenzy. His fans were ecstatic to show off their skills to him.Thus, there were freestyle rap battles, fun dance competitions, presentation of gifts by elated icons as well as rewards for fans. Other places the rising star visited include Ikot Ekpene Road and Abak Road where he made stops at the Mfonkachi and Eastland MultiChoice Dealer offices.

For the third leg of the tour, Laycon visited the Federal CapitalTerritory, Abuja.The twoday campaign tour commenced on December 10, with media rounds at top radio stations.

This was followed by a town storm at the business district, Maraba/Nyanya Axis where fans came out in multiple droves to felicitate with their iconic idol. A special meet and greet with fans and GOtv subscribers held at Casa Mexicana, Ceddi Plaza,Tafawa Balewa Way, where again, he intimated them on his upcoming projects, what keeps him motivated and his intention to influence others who share his passion for music.

The five-city tour with Laycon continued in Enugu state on December 12 with radio interviews and roadshows at the bustling Abakpa Nike market and Nowas, Trans Ekulu. The ambassador made a courtesy visit to the office of the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuwanyi, who expressed his delight at having the winner of the BBNaija Lockdown edition in the state.

The following day witnessed another meet and greet session with fans at the Polo Park Mall where he talked about the GOtv Jolli Offer and content line-up for the festive season.

Wrapping up his tour in Lagos, Laycon went on media rounds, connecting with fans as he encouraged them to subscribe to the GOtv Jolli package for exciting offers in the yuletide season.

Tope Alabi Ministers at American Polytechnic Carol Service In a colourful event at the newly registered American Polytechnic of Nigeria (APN), gospel music sensation, EvangelistTope Alabi thrilled eminent personalities at the Christmas Carol Service organised by the institution.

Known for her powerful vocals and soul-lifting songs Alabi led other top gospel artistes to sing different carols, eliciting a Christmas cheer that is badly needed in a pandemic-driven era.

Her performance added colour and vibrance to the event that also doubled as a grand opening of the institution.

In his opening remarks, the founder Dare Akande in the company of his wife, Nay’marie, gave a brief history about the institution and talked about how he identified the vast knowledge gap as one of the major problems facing the continent of Africa, which, according to him, made African youths so

Tope Alabi

vulnerable.

“Given the recent industrial revolution, I agree with the general notion that the future is now and the simplest way to name a future is to make yourself. There is a little margin of error in the life of many Nigerian and African children who are left behind in every aspect of the economy’s progress.”

He added that this informed the urgency about equipping Nigeria young adults with current knowledge to solve socialeconomic problems in this era of fast-paced technological advancement.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͳ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

Foundation Intensifies Efforts to Break Poverty Cycle in Abia Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia Connak Foundation has intensified its efforts to break the cycle of poverty in Abia State by supporting youths to start new businesses and grow already existing ones.

Already many youths have become entrepreneurs after taking advantage of the training and startup capital provided by the foundation over the years.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Connak Foundation, Mrs. Carole Emeka Sunday made this known at the annual review and press briefing held at the foundation’s resource plcentre at Afugiri, Umuahia.

She said Connak has through its job creation and entrepreneurship programme trained 463 youths thereby making it possible for them to realise their dreams of becoming owners of startup businesses.

According to her, Connak Foundation has given out N63 million as grants to support 75 businesses that emerged winners in a business plan competition organised by the foundation in Abia to nurture startup businesses and provide funds to support already existing ones.

She explained that the grants given out for startup businesses were on trust that the beneficiaries would make good use of the money having been exposed to mentorship and “trained well enough to become successful entrepreneurs”.

Mrs. Sunday stated that the foundation was also engaged in training of youths in ICT skills with 224 beneficiaries already graduated in the nine- month programme and supported with

Connak CEO briefing the press

laptops and printers as startup kits.

She noted that the 435 youths, who were admitted into the ICT programme in 2020, including 200 youths admitted at the newly established resource centre at Aba, were still in training due to the disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

The CEO emphasised the central role of ICT in every aspect of life in this 21st century hence “if you empower youths in ICT, you empower them for tomorrow”.

“Our strategy to achieve economic empowerment has been to engage our children, youths and women in capacity building programmes

such as educational development, ICT training. entrepreneurship development as well as vocational training and skill acquisitions,” the CEO said.

To further achieve its objectives of empowering people and creating jobs Connak, according to the CEO, also partners organisations with similar goals, citing its partnership with Rotary Club of Umuahia which led to empowerment of 50 girls and women with vocational skills and also supported with startup capital.

She pointed out that the ultimate goal of Connak Foundation in its interventions is “to create opportunities for value addition and end

poverty cycle in our communities”.

To this end, the CEO said the foundation has broadened its scope and widened its teach to impact more people hence its activities have since gone beyond Ohuhu land, which was originally its catchment area.

“Our immense contributions, in the last eight years, to sustainable development in Abia State and the nation at large have produced laudable achievements resulting from strategic planning and meticulous execution of activities that were carefully budgeted for after due consultations with key stakeholders, sponsors and our international partners,” she said.

Barge Operators Hold AGM, Chart Way Forward Mary Ovie To round off the year, the Barge Operation Association Of Nigeria, recently held their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos where challenges faced were tackled while they charted a way forward for the coming year.

At the AGM, the President, Edema Kelikume, commenced sitting with commendation for the agencies and regulatory bodies they work with,

including the Nigerian PortsAuthority (NPA) for the support rendered the association during the year.

Lamenting the poor financial commitments, which leaves the burden of shouldering the association on the leadership, it was however resolved that members should spread the payments monthly instead of yearly.

The house further ruminated on other means of revenue generation and it was agreed to explore other avenues like printing stickers, receipts,

task force team (tasking badge on the water), creating tellers one can pay with, levies on movements of the barge and implementing jetty fees.

In addition, they noted that revenues can also be generated from the ports, penalties and sanctions, which can be put in place to deal with offenders and a two-man committee was set up to this effect.

Furthermore, they agreed to create a formidable body that will monitor the activities of barges, just as they

resolved to get a license from the NPA so as to get a window (centralising windows). Stating that a table that will contain all the barge operators names will be created, they charged terminals not to interfere with the barge operators to obtain a window.

Meanwhile, other issues discussed were insurance bond and benefits, getting BEC, trainings for captains, crew members and staff, getting radios and life jackets as a group to get better discounts, as well as having a

comprehensive membership database of all the barge association (BOWAN).

Most importantly, safety and security issues were tackled and chiefly, was that there should be navigation lights around the roads to increase the level of safety and security, just as they agreed on getting few boats to do patrol on a consistent basis for safety.

While a member volunteered his boat, the house suggested implementation of shifts so as make the patrols more effective.

Revisiting the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill Since 2008, there has been an effort in Nigeria to introduce a new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to replace the existing collection of 16 laws and regulations. The Joint PIB was submitted in March 2020 and updated in September 2020, and the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the National Assembly (NASS) aim to pass the bill in the first quarter of 2021.

The PIB covers four key areas: Governance, Administration, Host Communities, and Fiscals. While the Petroleum Industry Governance focuses on the Restructuring of industry governance framework (e.g. Commercialisation of NNPC), the Administration focuses on Administration/ regulation of the industry (e.g. stipulates license/ lease requirements, terms, administration).

The Petroleum Host Communities Development aspect talks about the establishment and funding of Trusts for oil and gas Host Communities, while the Petroleum Fiscal framework focuses on introduction of new fiscal terms governing the industry (e.g. taxes, royalties, allowances).

The oil & gas industry (Industry) is the main pillar of Nigeria’s economy. The Industry contributed 65 per cent of all revenues for the Government of Nigeria and 88 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange as of 2018.

Several enabled projects created job opportunities for over 600,000 Nigerians in the last decade, improving the conditions of many people. The Industry has shaped Nigeria into the largest oil producer in Africa and the 5th

largest LNG producer in the world.

The desire is that the Nigerian oil and gas industry grows, however, growth requires capital and capital goes where it is competitive and investor confidence resides.

Capital available globally to the oil and gas industry is also decreasing because of increased focus on carbon management and renewables over the long term and independence from oil & gas.

Unlike historical cyclical trends where capital was temporarily redirected away from the sector during low commodity pricing but eventually returned when pricing recovers, the Industry is now seeing an increase in capital being redirected permanently away from the sector and unlikely to return.

2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated this impact where commodity pricing for oil & gas will remain lower for longer due to global supply and demand competition.

Over the past several years, a shrinking oil & gas demand is now being further exacerbated by a larger pool of supply made possible through the technology boom.

The world (Africa in particular) is seeing new countries, previously unheard of in this sector, now emerge and be increasingly more effective to attract capital away from Nigeria.

Many countries dependent on oil & gas resources are also not remaining still by aggressively pursuing competitive reforms to see their own resources are developed sooner and in support of their policies of energy

independency from foreign supply.

Analysts believe that the right PIB will provide an opportunity to position Nigeria to attract capital by addressing two principles.

The first is keeping total government take (i.e. tax, royalty, and NNPC’s share of deepwater profit oil) at globally-competitive rates; and the second is reducing the costof-doing-business in Nigeria.

The Nigerian oil and gas industry continues to suffer the highest project and operating costs relative to the rest of the world. Industry studies show that in 2016, Nigeria costs for new projects was 69 per cent higher than the global average and operating costs were 42 per cent higher than the global average.

This is attributable to high security costs,significant administrative costs associated to overlapping government department oversight and duplicity of demands, approval delays, and the inability to allow Industry to optimise.

Additionally, the Industry has been increasingly burdened with a plethora of fees, taxes, and levies which amount to ~10 per cent cost increases.

A PIB which drives down the cost-ofdoing businessalone would increase the pool of value available to both Industry and government such that even at lower government takes, government would realize higher incomes attributable to cutting waste and increasing growth by attracting capital.

However, industry watchers maintain that the current 2020 draft PIB does not improve the investment environment for new project FIDs to be taken.

As it is currently, government take on Nigeria’s pre-final investment decision Joint Venture (JV) oil projects is among the highest in the world. Also according to analysts, the PIB terms for Deepwater could lead to Nigeria foregoing over 30 per cent of its production potential in 2030.

Moreover, multiple issues along the gas value chain need to be addressed to maximize gas potential (e.gs. competitive gas terms, resolution of gas investment/ revenue currency-mismatch, free market prices, infrastructure availability, adherence to contractual obligations, among others).

While analysts posit that the PIB does present several strengths which the Government should be commended for, they argue that as proposed, the bill does not improve Nigeria’s global competitiveness nor improve investor confidence.

Industry players recommend that the PIB should preserve base businesses, earned benefits, and contractual rights; percentage; ensure legislation which drives down Nigeria’s high cost premium, enable gas development by deregulating pricing, and simplify the tax system and administration to ensure clarity, and include a dispute resolution mechanism.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͳ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

METRO

…Your city life in print

In Honour of Prof. Kamaldeen AbdulAzeez Balogun, Reviewed

By Saheed Ahmad Rufai

E

dited by Kehinde E. Obasola, Olatundun A. Oderinde and Akeem A. Akanni, this 529-page Festschrift comprises a collection of wellarranged chapters by authors from diverse academic backgrounds. Its six sections contain thirty-four chapters of varying quality contributed by forty-five prolific scholars from twenty institutions of higher learning covering all but two of the six-geopolitical zones of Nigeria. It is remarkable that only fourteen of these forty-five contributors are affiliated with Olabisi Onabanjo University, where the subject of the Festschrift is based.

In its first paragraph, the Foreword, written by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde, leaves no one in doubt over the worthy nature of the Festschrift (p.iii). In Section One which comprises five chapters, Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5 shall be reviewed in reverse order in the conclusion owing to their peculiarities.

Afolorunso Dairo and Fornatus Alabi, in Chapter 4, see peace building as ‘usually an aftermath of conflict…which takes critical and tactical analysis of issues by those who because of their positions in the society are respected by the populace’ (p.

47). The authors engage with the hazards of leadership in peace building (p. 56) but fail to distinguish between the roles of key stakeholders identified in the chapter who, in most cases, lack the expertise required for the ‘critical and tactical analysis of issues’ (p.47) assigned to them which, in the scholarship of Security Studies, is the job of technical stakeholders who are security experts.

In Section Two which also comprises five chapters, Dauda Egbeolowo in Chapter 7, appraises the practice of polygyny and in Chapter 8, Muinat Agbabiaka-Mustapha enumerates the functions of the family in Islam while Bashir Olanrewaju, in Chapter 9, focusses on Women in Islam. Chapter 10, by Babawale Taiwo, Segun Olulowo, and Oke Moses, discusses the importance of revelation to healthy marriage.

Of the eight chapters in Section Three, six are peace-focussed. These are Chapters 11, 12, 13, 15, 17 and 18 respectively contributed

by Ismail Odeniyi, Ahmed Arikewuyo, Auwal Mohammed, Oyekolade Oyesanya, Sunday Emuze and Kehinde Obasola, as well as Afolorunsho Dairo and Adeniyi Abodunrin. Rematkably, Section Four is entirely peace-focussed with eight chapters (19-26) respectively contributed by Olatundun Oderinde and Julius Ademola, Marian Alarape and AbdulGafar Fahm, Ogbenekevwe Jibromah, Samuel Alamu, Muhsin Balogun, Ahmadu Folami and Majeed Musolihu, Jacob Babalola and Samuel Oladiran, Victor Akerele and Babajide Dasaolu, as well as Oluwaseyi Shogunle.

Section Five is the most diverse and covers Sufism, Literature, History and Civilization, and Religion. In Chapter 27, Dauda Yusuf makes a case for sufism in the realization of ethical and spiritual values in Nigeria and examines various sufi concepts (pp. 400-404). In Chapter 28, Rafiu Surakat examines the concept and typology of feminism (pp. 410-415). What is conspicuously missing in this excellent chapter is what makes al-Kansa a feminist poet. The author identifies her courage and perseverance as instrumental to her attainment of eminence but fails to demonstrate

that any of these qualifies her as a feminist poet. It is a good chapter though the Arabic version of the quoted Al-Khansa’s poem was inaccurately captured (pp. 416-417) and the very verse that launched al-Khansa into prominence is missing: ‘Sunrise reminds me of Sakhr ’!

In Chapter 29, Aminu Taofiki and Ayinla Akanni identify the historical sites in the Sokoto Caliphate which include Maratta, where Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo was born, Degel, where Abdullah Danfodiyo was born, Gudu to which the Shehu migrated. But for its omission of the present Sultan’s Palace in Kawunri, this chapter would probably have passed for an exhaustive list of historical sites in Sokoto. Lawrence Abiola, in Chapter 30, identifies visits to Makkah and Madina by many Nupe indigenes as a positive impact of Islam on them and reduction in the number of the traditional religious festivals as a negative impact whereas AbdulGaniy Hashimi’s chapter, the thirty-first, sees the spread of Islam from its earliest days as the beginning of both the theological and cultural crisis between the people of the West and East (p. 465).

Section Six comprises three chapters. In the first, Chapter 32, Olalekan Arikewuyo examines the development of Islamic universities in Nigeria. Obviously the shortest in the section, the chapter identifies three categories of private universities in Nigeria

and also identifies Al-Hikmah, Al-Qalam, Crescent, Fountain, and Summit as ‘Islamic universities’ (pp. 483-484). How accurate is it to characterize all these universities as ‘Islamic’? Are they truly ‘Islamic’ or merely ‘Muslim’ universities? Are there no distinctions between a ‘Muslim’ university and an ‘Islamic’ university? These are some of the salient questions that should have guided this interesting chapter.

Chapter 33, by Rasheed Adeleke examines the evolution of Islamic Education in Nigeria while Chapter 34, by Sulaiman Adua which is highly commendable, erroneously employs the terms Islamic Studies and Islamic Education interchangeably whereas Islamic Studies is a body of knowledge constituting the discipline while Islamic Education is all-encompassing as it applies to the totality of learning activities involved in schooling.

The ‘Family as a Bedrock for CorruptionFree Nation’ by Kabir Paramole and Siddiq Uthman is the only non-peace related chapter in Section Two. The chapter should be appreciated for relying on appropriate authorities though often cited with imprecisions. It is perhaps the weakest chapter in the book on account of conceptual pitfalls, linguistic errors, imprecision in citations, unsystematic prose and arguably insufficient grasp of academic language. For instance, the authors incorrectly say ‘divorce

between the two couples’ for ‘ acouple’ (p. 76), ‘sucking the child’ for ‘suckling’ (p.76), ‘look inwardly’ for ‘inward’ (p. 86), ‘with references to…’ for ‘with reference’ (p. 87), ‘corrupt-free’ for ‘corruption-free’ and ‘Encyclopaedia America…argues’ for ‘Encyclopaedia Americana states’ (p. 74).

Yet, all these may not really suggest that the chapter lacks merit!

Chapters 14 and 16 are the only non-peace related chapters in Section Three. In Chapter 14, Akeem Akanni examines such salient concepts as strategic plan, orderliness, and development which he situates in the context of Islamic principles. Chapter 16, contributed by Sheriffdeen Tella and Mumeen Alabi, examines Islam’s provision for poverty reduction, Zakat for income redistribution and poverty alleviation.

Back to Section One where Chapter 5, by Tiwalola Falaye, analyses Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther’s leadership strategies in peace building and Chapter 3 where Fatimah Adesope and Taofeeq Salahudeen appraise the scholarship of Professor Fatimah Biade.

Chapters 1 and 2 are purposefully delayed owing to their significance. In Chapter 2, Asif Azeez, recalls how Professor Balogun called him concerning a Ph.D course. This happened while the Professor was on Sabbatical at Fountain University, Osogbo.

He was so concerned about the students that he arranged a visit for them to enable him teach them. The Professor, a kind but no-nonsense mentor queried them for being fifteen-minute late. Yet, from that moment to their departure from Osogbo, he not only taught them but also fed, accommodated and ‘spoilt’ them with his hospitality!

In Chapter 1, Samuwilu Owoyemi similarly examines the Professor’s strategies in building symbiotic relationship between the town and the gown, and his enviable record as an academic leader and university administrator. Aside the author’s imprecise translation of Rihlaul-Bahth as ‘Drama in Arabic’ instead of ‘Voyage of Research’ and inaccurate translation of Arba’un Qissah as ‘Short Stories in Arabic’ instead of ‘Forty Stories’, the chapter would probably have been a perfect piece.

May I congratulate all those involved in this Festschrift especially the editors for providing us a unique book whose title does not promise more than it can hold as is often experienced in academic publishing. I shall not comment on typos and minor linguistic errors which are not numerically sufficient to mar the quality of the sophisticated book, as such errors and related queries will receive appropriate attention before another edition of the book is out. But for the editors’ erroneous claim on the back cover that the book contains thirty-three papers, whereas it contains thirty-four, the cover page would have been its strongest selling point. Even the Vice-Chancellor confirms in his Foreword (page iv) that the papers are thirty-four!

The picture on the front cover was carefully selected to say, ‘here is a towering academic figure whose immense learning, exemplary character, and uncommon religiosity are probably best described as conjoined triplets of human excellence’.

The book is invaluable for those within and outside the field of Religious Studies, and I hereby say, as the Vice-Chancellor says in his Foreword, ‘I recommend the book to all and sundry, from policy makers to individuals, as there are useful excerpts for everyone in the Festschrift’.

-Saheed Ahmad Rufai, immediate past Dean, Faculty of Education, Sokoto State University.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͳ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

POLSCOPE

áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

Judiciary and the Future of Our Democracy t+VEHFT -JLF $BUIPMJD 1SJFTUT

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nowing some of the operational canons that govern the conduct and carriage of judges, I have always wondered how some people will knowingly elect to be judges.

They approximate, to me, Catholic priests, who have sworn to live a life of denials, sacrifice, celibacy and devoid of all such other worldly warts. In a sense therefore, I perceive Judges as social celibates. It is for them, I think, the word hallowed should be exclusively ascribed. Their genre in the practice of law is truly hallowed, a sacred judicial calling. They have sworn to be impartial adjudicators on all matters pertaining to human affairs. They can therefore not be seen to have moral wrinkles or character patches. Like Ceaser’s wife, they must be manifestly above board. In a way, they are the measure of truth, the guage of uprightness and fairness; a breed of human folk fitted with moral rampart to fearlessly straighten the crookedness of humanity. ….Judges Like Assistant Gods To be able to discharge this onerous task (if not burden), Judges are not expected to be seen “anyhow”. They are rare faces at social gatherings.

They attend no parties or at best sparingly. Not even gigs. They are exclusive beings. They do not mix with the rest of society, so their sanity and sense of uprightness is neither compromised nor tainted by the ill-laden portfolio of the rest of humanity.

In a way, they are members of a sacred order.

What the Latin language describes as sanctumsanctorum.

Indeed, if there was any organogram about all things created by God, Judges, should rank next to God. It would appear that after God, Judges come next. Little wonder they are addressed as “My Lord” in the court rooms.

That is the height Judges are mounted in a sane society. Like demi–gods, they petch at their exalted seats watching how the rest of humanity work and play. They noiselessly wait till they are invited to decide who played roughly or rightly. And their verdict is it! ….Judges as Social Recluses I had a colleague and friend who decided to sign up with the Bench, after many years of practice as a lawyer. It is unimaginable to know that the once-chummy relationship we had terminated abruptly the day she was sworn-in as a Judge.

We spoke probably only once afterwards. And for seven years now, we have neither seen nor spoken to each other. In fact, she changed her line. She’s been completely separated from us, the ‘vileful folks’. From her case, I realized that Judges are also not expected to be seen on social media. They just should be heard (in courts only) and not seen. Not even after they have retired, do they dabble into the public square to run open commentaries on socio-political matters.

Such is the awe in which Judges are held. Their pronouncements must be obeyed peremptorily.

And choicelessly too. Not even the President of a country has such awesome powers. …. But they have no Moral Immunity It thus stings the conscience of right-thinking members of the public when this same Judge, seen like an “assistant God” exhibits the frailty and vices of ordinary men. It is the fear that there could be such character/moral slips among judges that the Nigerian Judical Council (NJC) is established to check and judge erring judges.

And many are they. The rank of erring judges have been on the rise. Most times, the judges play on the fact that their judicial pronouncements, especially at the apex court is unchallengeable, and thus dish out awkward and sometimes illogical verdicts that truly stand justice on its head. We cannot forget all the judicial shenanigans of justices like Justice Egbo-Egbo, Justice Ikpeme (with her midnight judgements). ….Judges in the Political Square Over the years, politicians have established a nexus between their desperation to get power and the susceptibility of vulnerable Judges.

This nexus it was, that Senator Francis Arthur Nzeribe exploited to scuttle the June 12, 1993 presidential election, using the platform of the notorious Association of Better Nigeria (ABN).

CJN ... Ibrahim Tanko

The late Justice Ikpeme had at about 9pm given a court order in Benin-city, stopping the holding of the June 12 presidential election. All the maverick military president, Gen Ibrahim Babangida needed was the straw provided by the Judiciary to, among other factors, annul the election.

The judiciary came under very ludicrous and embarrassing show when different judges in various regions of the country, kept granting conflicting orders on the same issues, all to betray the fact that ethics aside, judges are also human!

So, it can be syllogically argued that the foundation for the failure of the third republic was laid by the Judiciary.

We have since been seeing the human content reflect strongly in the judgement of many judges, especially when it is on political matters.

Gradually and steadily, for instance, the Judiciary is almost ‘electing” more governors today than the bona fide electorate. If you doubt me, ask Govs Douye Diri of Baye;sa State, Hope Uzondinma of Imo State, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State etc.

Some crafty politicians have perfected how to loaf about all year round and merely wait at the door post of the judiciary to get power. And quite often, money is the over-riding factor.

Perhaps most quaintly put was the summation of then Lt Gen Oladipo Diya, as the Chief of General Staff, in the 90’s, when he delivered the keynote address of the NBA at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs; where he lampooned the commercialization of justice as he spoke of Judges coming to court with two contrasting judgements, in either pocket, on the same case. And that the Judge would deliver any of the judgements, depending on which party that settled better.

The judges have become very conscious of this “judi-political” powers and have been giving verdicts that interrogate common sense or even casuistic arguments of complex jurisprudence.

How, for instance, is it explained that in the Imo State governorship election tribunal, the man who initially won was thrown out only to settle for the man who came fourth in the number of votes garnered, as the winner?

Just few weeks ago, in that same Imo State, All Progressive Congress (APC) was declared winner

by INEC, without a candidate.

In 2019, Nigerians were shocked when Rivers State High Court barred the APC from fielding any candidate in any of the local government, state or federal elections because it failed to conduct the party primary in a particular manner. How could denying the entire APC members in Rivers State a participation in the electoral contest be a punishment for not adopting a particular type of primary? Not a few thought (and still think) that it was an extreme procured judgement that anchored on an irredeemable berth.

A similar court also nullified the concluded election in Zamfara State . And in both cases, the APC lost out thus paving the way for the PDP to effortlessly emerge.

This unholy amity between Judges and politicians was also responsible for the unceremonial

Governor Wike

exit of Justice Ayo Salami, then President of the Appeal Court, from service. He was accused of hobnobbing with some politicians including Bola Ahmed Tinubu, even though he denied the charge. …. Judges Fighting Back?

In fact, some political commentators have inferred that the “harsh and irredeemable” judgements of the Supreme Court against the APC are clearly in furtherance of the vengeful whip of the judiciary against the ruling party for what they described as the humiliation of the bench when in 2016 the homes of many Judges of high courts and supreme courts like Justice Sylvester Ngwuta and co, were raided by security operatives on the suspicion that they were blatantly corrupt.

Perhaps the method of enforcing a saner judiciary was too brash. But what about the findings? Who has been able to intelligently explain the volume of cash--in foreign and local currency—found in the homes of the judges? Why did the judges avoid saving those monies in the bank if they were genuinely earned?

For the records, the sum of $800,000; 645,200 British Pounds, and lots of other hard currencies and local currency were found in the homes of some of these Judges.

For crying out loud, they are still Civil servants.

How did civil servants land such mega fortunes?

Nobody explained, four full years after.

NJC was astonished or so it appeared at the break of the scandal. NJC suspended the accused judges while they were arraigned on a 15-count charge of fraud. Not unexpectedly, after some judicial circus, many of the judges were acquitted of the charges againstthem.Andmanyofthemarebacktothebench.

It is the fear that the supposed sacrosanct mind of the Justices is no longer assured that many Nigerians are worried sore that if not tamed, the Judges would be veritable threats to the growth and development of the nation’s democracy especially as we inch nearer 2023. ….Wike and Judicial Conjugation Some who have expressed this fear cite the brazen romance between the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and his state’s Judicial officers.

Few months ago, the news was all over the place of how Gov Wike bought 41 Landrover Discovery SUVs to the judges in the state’s High court and Customary courts, allegedly in fulfillment of his promise to improve their welfare. Really? Four years earlier, he had also bought 35 Porsche Ford Explorers for the Judges in his state.

This same year, he had also built 24 Duplexes and given to Judges.

On the surface, it looks a great and thoughtful venture by the governor. But hey, whoever sets a trap with a goat knows what he is expecting to catch. How can one arm of government be so overtly benevolent to another arm without an ulterior motive?

If Gov Wike was so concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of the said Judges, why did he not fit the cost of the SUVs into the budget of the state’s

judiciary? Why did he have to overplay his father Christmas status to Judges, who literally hold the knife and the yam of his (Wike’s) political career?

Were it not so, why was Wike soliciting the “cooperation and collaboration” of the Judges at the presentation of the vehicles? Pray, “co-operation and collaboration” on what matters?

Indeed, which of the Judges, going forward, will ever give a ruling that will not favour Gov Wike, no matter what the facts of the case may be?

I dare any of the recipients of these gestures to give a judgement that will be unfavourable directly or indirectly to Gov Wike’s interest.

It is like asking the police to arrest and prosecute the community rich man who built, furnished and donated a police station to the community.

To argue to the contrary would be mere academic exercise that will be easier said than done.

Or is anyone still wondering why the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has gone mute in the face of all the affronts on education in Nigeria? How can NANS yet be vibrant when the same Federal Government it is supposed to tackle has bought Mercedes 350 ML to NANS officials?

Are the arms of government truly independent of one another? And where is the ground for oversight function with this filial affinity between the Judiciary and Executive arms in Rivers State? It is remarkable that this is the same state where we have witnessed rather wild and gawky judicial pronouncements. ….Are Courts Tools in Politicians’ Hands?

Already, the courts are being used in playing the spoiler in the same Rivers State APC with the gale of suspensions and counter-suspensions, with the courts being bombarded with a litany of litigations.

Political actors in Rivers State are already trading technical tackles between the existing factions in the state and are waiting to use the courts to achieve what they want.

And as an aside, the story was told of the scramble of many of the Supreme Court Justices who were literally falling over themselves to endorse the form of Justice Eberechi Suzzette Wike, (the wife of the Rivers State governor) who is being elevated from the Rivers State High Court to the Appeal Court.

Question is: why were the revered “my Lords” so enthusiasticinendorsingMrsWike’sform? Coulditbe that because Gov Wike has been so” nice and friendly” with the Judiciary? …Enters New S’Court Judges It is instructive that eight new Justices were recently appointedinto the Supreme Court. Nigerians expect that they will chart a new path aimed at restoring the revered character portrait of Judges. More importantly, they should discharge their duties in ways that manifestly support the growth and development of the nation’s democracy. The judiciary cannot afford to be the cog in the wheel of the nation’s democratic progress.

In all, let the fear of God and the NJC be the ultimate check to guide the operations and services of the Judges.

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͳ˜ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Manufacturing Index Contracts in December The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 49.6 index points in December, indicating a contraction from the expansionary level recorded in the month of November 2020. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed this in its PMI report for December 2020 posted on its website.

According to the report, of the 14 surveyed sub-sectors, four sub-sectors reported expansion (above 50% threshold) in the review month in the following order: Transportation equipment, Non-metallic mineral products, paper products and food, beverage and tobacco products.

Others were textile, apparel, leather and footwear sub-sector remained stationary.

On the other hand, the remain-

ing nine sub-sectors reported contractions in the following order: primary metal, petroleum and coal products; cement, electrical equipment, fabricated metal products, printing and related support activities, plastics and rubber products; chemical and pharmaceutical products and furniture and related products.

Also, the December 2020 production level index for the manufacturing sector stood at 51.6 points, indicating expansion for two consecutive months.

The report showed that of the 14 sub-sectors surveyed, six sub-sectors recorded increased production level, four sub-sectors reported stationary level of production, while four sub-sectors recorded declines in production in December 2020.

“The new orders expanded for the third consecutive months in the month of December. The index stood at 50.2 points in December 2020.

“Five sub-sectors reported expansion in new orders, two sub-sectors remained stationary while the remaining seven recorded contraction in the review month.

“The manufacturing supplier delivery time index stood at 51.2 points in December 2020, this indicates that supplier delivery time was faster for the eighth consecutive months.

“Eight of the 14 sub-sectors recorded improved suppliers’ delivery time, three sub-sectors remained stationary, while three sub-sectors recorded slower delivery time,” the report stated.

CITN Seeks Review of Tax Incentives Omolabake Fasogbon The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, (CITN) has advised the federal government to consider a more holistic review of tax incentives regime in the country.

The institute stated this at its 2020 dinner & award ceremony, held in Lagos recently.

The President of CITN, Olajumoke Simplice, while commending government for being consistent with tax law reviews, also harped on the need for effective structure of tax incentives. She said, “CITN is delighted that the federal government has sustained the review of the tax laws as an annual affair. This attests to

government’s seriousness in addressing the revenue challenges that we face as a nation.

“We therefore advise that tax incentives be properly structured towards achieving its intended objectives. “Knee jerk approach or actions that are not objectively assessed will do more harm than good to the national economy” Simplice added that the institute had been forthcoming with its roles and public expectations, despite the turbulent year.

She also acknowledged the input of stakeholders that made the year a successful one for the institute.

“CITN has continued to feature prominently as a strong voice in the areas like: Tax enlightenment and advocacy; providing quality

manpower for the Nigerian tax system and promoting discourse that seeks to enhance the place of taxation in national development, amongst others,” she added.

Earlier, the special guest of honour and Commissioner for Finance, Lagos State, Rabiu Olowo, also commended CITN for the role played in developing Nigeria’s tax system as well as that of Lagos state. Olowo, who was represented by Lagos state Accountant General, Abiodun Muritala, said,” No doubt, COVID-19 and other factors have affected crude oil proceeds , yet Lagos state has continued to record impressive performance in terms of revenue generation.

We can’t rule out the effort of CITN in this positive trends.”

IBEDCAssuresofQualityServices DuringYuletide Kemi Olaitan ÓØ ÌËÎËØ The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc has assured its customers of hitch-free services during the yuletide season.

The Chief Operating Officer of the distribution company, Mr. John Ayodele, in a statement made available to THISDAY in Ibadan, yesterday, wished all its customers and Nigerians a safe and enjoyable holiday season, stating that measures have been put in place to ensure network stability and smooth operations during the holidays.

According to him, “in anticipation of customers’ expectations during the holidays, we are fully equipped to ensure faults are cleared as fast as possible across our franchise to avoid unnecessary disruption of power supply.”

Ayodele, also urged customers and all Nigerians to demonstrate the virtues of love, compassion and peace which are the cardinal pillars of epitomised by Christmas.

He said although 2020 has been a year plagued by many challenges, IBEDC still demonstrated its commitment to excellent service delivery by creating more Customer Care Units across its

franchise for quicker resolutions of complaints and faults, upgraded and installed some major electrical infrastructure.

“We also introduced innovative ICT driven initiatives and policies to promote real time reading of our meters, distribution of bills and generally ensure a more efficient business operations,” he said.

Ayodele similarly advised customers to take advantage of its hassle-free payment channels to pay bills, such as Quick teller, etransact, PayArena, Jumia and ATM to avoid disconnection during the holidays.

Polaris Bank Rewards Customers A total of 30 customers of Polaris Bank across different business locations of the bank will be rewarded with shopping vouchers in the Polaris Bank – ‘MoneyGram for You’ Campaign.

A statement from the bank explained that the beneficiaries are customers of the bank who received transfers in Polaris Bank within the six weeks period of the campaign that ended December 6.

“Customers who receive at least two MoneyGram transac-

tions from a Polaris Bank branch every week within the six weeks period of the campaign will qualify to win Shoprite Vouchers valued at N5,000 each.

“Five of the customers with the highest cumulative value of transactions from those who meet the set criterion will win the vouchers. A total of 30 customers will be selected and rewarded accordingly.

“The campaign is aimed at encouraging increased patronage

of the services of the wire money transfer franchise and is specifically targeted at customers who receive their transfers in Polaris Bank,” it added. Three of the beneficiaries - Kareem Tomiwa Ademuyiwa from Dopemu branch, Mutiat Kosoko from Ketu Branch and Gloria John from Iwo Road branch, Ibadan, Oyo state were amongst the early winners who praised Polaris Bank for providing them the opportunity to win.

EKEDC Assures Customers of Stable Power Supply The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has felicitated with its customers and Christians across the country on this year’s Christmas celebration.

In a goodwill message signed by the Company’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Godwin

Idemudia, the company also assured customers of stable supply during the celebration and beyond.

Idemudia described Christmas as a time of good tidings, reflections and the demonstration of God’s love to mankind.

He noted that with Christmas comes the renewed assurances that with every challenge comes respite.

The statement read in part: “We felicitate with our customers and all Christian faithful across the country, on this year’s Christmas celebration.

District Manager West 1, International Breweries Plc, Ademola Akande (left) and winner of N1 million in the company’s ongoing Promo, Abdul Okunade, during a cheque presentation by Trophy Lager in Ijebu Ode… recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JULY 2020 Money Supply (M3)

36,822,751.47

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

3,476,121.25

Money Supply (M2)

33,346,630.22

-- Quasi Money

120,764,479.02

-- Narrow Money (M1)

12,582,151.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,002,026.89

---- Demand Deposits

10,580,124.31

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,637,137.23

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

29,185,614.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

39,711,115.95

---- Credit to Government (Net)

19,521,851.08

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-130,189,264.87

--Other Assets Net

3,472,017.70

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,421,827.07

--Currency in Circulation

2,395,917.03

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,025,910.04 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month Inter-Bank Call Rate

March 2018 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 AS AT THURSDAY, 17 DECEMBER 2020

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $50.78 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $50.12 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), 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) SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

39

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͳ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

Equities Market Records Marginal Fall on Profit Taking Goddy Egene The stock market recorded a marginal decline yesterday as some investors moved in to take profit after days of surge in prices of equities.

The sustained rally had on Wednesday pushed the market capitalisation to N20.281 trillion, the highest in the history of the local bourse.

However, the market declined to N20.279 billion, indicating a

margin fall of N2 billion, while the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) fell from 38.803.74 to 38,800.01. Although there more price gainers than losers, the absence of bellwethers such as Dangote Cement Plc, Airtel Africa Plc, MTN Nigeria Plc, BUA Cement Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, GTBank Plc among others gainers made the market to close negatively.

A total of 23 stocks appreciated, while only eight depreciated.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

Champion Breweries Plc led the price losers with 7.8 per cent, trailed by Lafarge Africa Plc and Jaiz Bank Plc with 4.7 per cent apeice. AIICO Insurance Plc shed 3.0 per cent, while May & Baker Nigeria Plc and Cutix Plc went down by 1.3 per cent 0.9 per cent respectively.

On the positive side, FTN Cocoa Processors Plc led the price gainers with 9.8 per cent followed by LASACO Assurance Plc with 9.6 per cent. Skyway Aviation Handling

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Company Plc and Japaul Gold and Ventures Plc gained 9.2 per cent and 9.0 per cent in that order.

Other top price gainers include: Oando Plc (9.0 per cent); AXA Mansard Insurance Plc (8.2 per cent); CAP Plc (7.6 per cent); Honeywell Flour Mills Plc (6.9 per cent); Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (5.0 per cent) and Chams Plc (4.5 per cent). Market analysts believe the rally will continue after the Christmas break till the end of the year. According to analysts

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

at InvestData Consulting, there have been positive sentiments for value, growth and highly capitalised stocks with attractive valuation, as investors reposition for year-end seasonal trends and the much expected economic recovery in 2021. “The bull run shows that smart money is still in the market. The ongoing Santa Claus rally is attributed to window dressing for year-end among institutional investors, even as bonuses are entering

O F

the market ahead of the New Year, as some investors are taking advantage of the tax code by selling positions they have taken losses at the end of December to buy-back in January,” they said.

They noted that although, the inflationary trend remains a source of serious concern across the country, the equity market has so far provided a safe haven, remaining the only investment window that has outperformed inflation.

2 4 / 1 2 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

40

FRIDAY/SATURDAY, ͺͽ̓ͺ;˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Juli Plc Records N349m Earnings, Reduces Loss N1.6 Million Goddy Egene

pharmaceutical and household sachet water, has recorded million for the year ended The audited results showed a consumer goods, production improvement in its performing December, 31, 2019, from N5.910 turnover of N349.308 million in 2019, compared with N474.832 Juli Plc, a company that sells and marketing of table and reducing its loss to N1.569 million in 2018.

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an ETF are bought by investors.

Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. investment vehicle that allows both small and Bid Price: The price at which Investors Investors with similar objectives buy units of the large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total that willl generate their desired return. investments. The assets are divided into shares that return an investor would have earned on An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. his investment. Money Market Funds report of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, Yield while others report Year- to-date Total bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, GUIDE TO DATA: Return. etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 23- NAV: Is value per share of the real estate shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the Dec-2020, unless otherwise stated. assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

million in 2018. However, cost cutting strategies assisted to reduce its loss to N1.569 million.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Dollar Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 1.05 1.07 16.81% ACAP Income Funds 0.86 0.86 11.49% 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 1.84% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.60 3.74 47.44% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 0.88% Anchoria Equity Fund 133.14 133.62 23.44% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.37 1.37 16.79% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 18.47 19.03 20.58% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 405.56 417.79 17.41% ARM Ethical Fund 34.39 35.43 18.26% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.21 1.21 21.04% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.11 1.11 10.86% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.01% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.52% Paramount Equity Fund 15.93 16.22 27.28% Women's Investment Fund 132.68 134.13 20.29% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.93% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 129.05 129.85 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 108.74 108.74 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 0.53% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.16 1.17 25.11% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.66 1.66 24.88% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 0.92% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 0.87% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,209.39 1,224.54 9.02% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,421.27 1,422.92 20.06% FBN Balanced Fund 185.88 187.28 26.60% FBN Halal Fund 110.08 110.10 10.08% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.17% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 121.27 121.65 7.41% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 121.44 121.81 7.02% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 149.98 152.25 15.25% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH Treasury Bills Fund N/A N/A N/A GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.44% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 127.23 127.76 18.15%

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.61% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.88 2.94 31.73% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 7.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 156.89 157.85 9.52% 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 1.43 1.45 26.63% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,152.57 1,152.57 10.74% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.61 1.64 30.61% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.15 12.26 7.91% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 1.82% PACAM Equity Fund 1.55 1.56 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.27 110.66 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 131.51 134.36 6.52% 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 1.02 1.02 9.15% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 24.98% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 6.48% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 28.33% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 7.50% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 34.06% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.33% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 26.82% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.22 1.22 5.53% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 110.98 110.98 6.50% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.36 1.39 14.18% United Capital Bond Fund 1.89 1.89 9.10% United Capital Equity Fund 0.87 0.89 23.27% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.99% United Capital Eurobond Fund 116.94 116.94 6.98% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.09 2.88% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.28 12.43 19.52% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.34 13.46 14.78% Zenith Income Fund 25.00 25.00 10.05% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.84%

REITS NAV Per Share

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

120.48

7.29%

52.22

0.33%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.53 120.24 94.13

12.63 120.24 95.89

48.30% 25.93% 25.31%

Union Homes REIT

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

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

4.08

4.12

18.80%

Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund

5.71

5.79

-3.41%

Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund

16.89 1.00 18.55

16.99 1.00 18.75

40.11% 0.52% 77.77%

208.55

210.55

11.63%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.71

13.11%

Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund

Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

41

FRIDAY/SATURDAY, ͺͽ̓ͺ;˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Buhari Charges Nda-Isaiah’s Family to Uphold Personal Legacy Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the good name left by the late publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah, is worth more than gold as he urged the family to do whatever it takes to uphold it.

The president, in a letter to the bereaved family, said he was still filled with shock and sadness over the death of Nda-Isaiah, whom he described as a friend and ally.

Nda-Isaiah, 58, a political columnist, pharmacist, entrepreneur and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives

Congress (APC), died last Friday.

Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement yesterday, quoted the president as saying that Nda-Isaiah's death filled left him speechless when the news reached him.

“He will be sorely missed

by me, his family, friends and associates as he was a massive fish gone out of the media ocean and the political arena, where he displayed rare candour and courage.

“I, therefore, condole with the Nda-Isaiah family, media fraternity and all who mourn this man of conviction, a

resolute and dogged believer in a better country. Nigeria has no doubt lost an exemplary gentleman.

“May God Almighty console Sam’s grieving family, friends and associates and grant his soul peaceful rest,” he stated.

Shehu said the president's

letter was delivered to the late publisher's younger brother and the head of the family, Abraham Nda-Isaiah by a delegation comprising him; Senior Special Assistant, Domestic and Social Affairs to the president, Sarki Abba, and the State Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Lawal Kazaure.

He added that over this weekend, the PTF will publish the first list of 100 Nigerian passport numbers that will be suspended for six months.

He explained that those affected have been contacted, having also confirmed that they have not had a COVID-19 PCR test.

“We will not be publishing names, but we will publish the passport numbers and we are asking from now on the people that are travelling to obey our protocol as there will be a repercussion if you don’t in terms of penalty.

"In addition to this, we will also be instituting the same penalty for people presenting fake COVID-19 PCR results at our airports when exiting or they are found to have presented fake COVID- 19 PCR result on arrival. For those that are exiting, we have codes that we have developed and we will be asking airlines to start using, which will entail entering a code for every result onto a website which will tell whether the result is fake,” Aliyu said.

Also at the briefing, Chairman of the PTF, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said the federal government would continue to evaluate the actions taken by various countries on South Africa and the UK, noting that some of the countries that initially banned flights from these high burden nations have now adopted the requirements already in place in Nigeria.

He added that the government has also weighed the security, economic and social implications of a full ban on UK and South African flights, especially the situation in neighboring countries and the ECOWAS region.

According to him, the PTF will increase measures pertaining to those high burden countries to scale down the possibilities of importation.

leadership of the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and of course the presidential task force giving us a broad leadership on this. To be honest, nothing is keeping us this year; our colleagues are working extremely hard on this.

“There are certain guarantee of pathways of delivery of the first set of vaccine, somewhere within the first quarter of next year, we would have guaranteed vaccines to cover 20 per cent of the Nigerian population, which is about 40 million people. That is lot of vaccine to start with. It would not cover the whole country, but remember we still have to distribute and vaccinate 40 million people. Even if we have the vaccine now, there is a huge logistical effort that has to happen.”

On which of the vaccines the government is looking to acquire, he said the government was yet to decide, adding that the decision would be announced as soon as it is confirmed.

He said: “We are not going to be able to use the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to scale. I am not saying that we would not procure any, our leaders are making those difficult decisions; but within the circumstances of Nigeria and the working assumptions not to use them to scale, there are other vaccines in the pipeline, but our leaders would make those decisions within the next few weeks to define what exactly and which vaccines we would be using and we are able to distribute effectively in Nigeria."

Speaking on the possibility of a new strain of the virus in Nigeria, Ihekweazu said it has not been confirmed if the strain discovered in the United Kingdom and other countries is in Nigeria.

He, however, stated that the virus is constantly mutating to create new strains. “Viruses change all the time, that viruses are mutating is what they do by their nature, some may change faster and some may change slower than others but this is new virus and we are still learning a lot about it.

“The critical question is if those changes lead to a difference in either transability, mortality and those it has an impact on outcome. The early data suggest that the new variant in the United Kingdom does have an impact on transmission and intensive studies are going on now to understand how much this is playing a role,” he said.

He added: “But there are other causes of intensive transmission. In the US for example, they are also looking at their data to study if it is from the new variant, which is the same in South Africa. While in Nigeria, to understand if we have a new variant or not, we have to do something called sequencing, which is breaking down the virus and studying each DNA and to understand where the mutations are and the impact it has. We did some earlier but it is a very complex process and there are only three public laboratories where it

can be done in the country.

We did some earlier and we are now doing a bit more to see if we can find that strain in the country.

“But having said that, a mutant strain alone is not enough to explain what is going on in Nigeria. A more likely explanation is that we simply dropped the ball, we thought this outbreak was over, we tried to return to life as normal, which I completely understand given the difficulty we had but we are paying the price for not doing the things we needed to do as a society to prevent an escalation. It is never too late to compose ourselves again and that see what the state governors are doing to reinvigorate our activities and enhance enforcement and compliance and give up some of those things we hold very dear at this time of the year in order to have a year to look forward to in 2021.”

He explained that it had been discovered that the strains found in Nigeria in August and October were similar but not the same with that found in the UK. "So, they were actively independent evolved strains, which is what happened also in South Africa. It was found in two patients and the strain in two people is not enough to reach any conclusions. So, what we need to know in a new strain is how that new strain has displaced the other strains in circulation and therefore dominate the strains of the virus in circulation, therefore causing a disease that is slightly different either more severe or less severe than others.

“We don’t have the capacity like the UK to do this sequencing, so what we are doing is collecting a random collection of samples we already have and we are working with our colleagues in Redeemer’s University to identify whether this strain is mutating or not and what impact it has,” he stated.

On the prevalence of the pandemic test, he said: “We have started the analysis of that study. We have tested all the samples, so within the first couple of weeks in January, we would announce the early results. It would provide us a lot more insights extensively on the transmission in Nigeria.

So, give us few more weeks to tidy up the data so we can have confidence in the data.”

Ihekweazu called on Nigerians to take the pandemic seriously, stressing that there are more infections now than at the first peak.

“We are well into what people refer to as the second wave. The fact is that we are reporting more cases on single days than we did at the initial peak. Yesterday night, we had 1,133, which is our second daily highest number of cases per day. So, the reality is that this virus is very well with us and intensive community transmission is happening. We are seeing increases in in about 23 states across the country. So, this is widespread and it is more intensive in Lagos Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory," he added.

FG ALLAYS CONCERNS OVER NEW COVID-19 STRAIN is in Nigeria.

Earlier yesterday, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), John Nkengasong, had told reporters that the new variant of COVID-19 found in Nigeria was a separate lineage from the strains in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

The ministry official, who craved anonymity because he had no official clearance to speak on the matter, said since the variant was first spotted in Nigeria in August, it had not shown any kind of quick spread unlike the earlier version.

"We are taking measures to monitor the new COVID-19 variant. We are still in the process of indentifying the strains of the new virus. As you know that the variant that was noticed in the United Kingdom, was first spotted in the country in August, but there was no spike at that time," he added.

According to him, the government at the moment doesn't see the new COVID-19 strain as a major health threat.

"The new COVID-19 variant doesn't appear to pose any threat," he stated.

However, he said the federal government is not taking chances on the matter, adding that "measures have been taken by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre to Disease Control (NCDC) to monitor and track its occurrence and to report back for appropriate action."

Nigeria’s New Variant Different from UK, S'Africa Versions, Says CDC Announcing the discovery of the new virus variant at a press briefing in Nairobi, Kenya, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), John Nkengasong, told reporters it is of a different lineage from the UK and South Africa’s versions.

A report by Associated Press (AP) quoted Nkengasong as saying that the NCDC and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria will be analysing more samples.

The discovery could add to new alarm in the pandemic after similar variants were announced in Britain and South Africa, leading to the swift return of international travel restrictions and other measures just as the world enters a major holiday season.

“It’s a separate lineage from the UK and South Africa. Give us some time ... it’s still very early,” Nkengasong stated.

The alert about the apparent new variant was based on two or three genetic sequences, he said, but that and South Africa’s alert late last week were enough to prompt an emergency meeting of the Africa CDC this week.

The variant was found in two patient samples collected on August 3 and on October 9 in Osun State.

Unlike the variant seen in the UK, “we haven’t observed such rapid rise of the lineage

in Nigeria and do not have evidence to indicate that the P681H variant is contributing to increased transmission of the virus in Nigeria. However, the relative difference in scale of genomic surveillance in Nigeria vs the U.K. may imply a reduced power to detect such changes,” a document on the new variant said.

The new variant in South Africa is now the predominant one there, Nkengasong said, as confirmed infections in the country approach one million.

While the variant transmits quickly and viral loads are higher, it is not yet clear whether it leads to a more severe disease, he said.

“We believe this mutation will not have an effect” on the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines to the continent, he said of the South Africa variant.

FG Begin Talks with Scientists on New Variant The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, has said that the PTF is in touch with Professor Christian Happi, who alongside Ify Aniebo, led a group to carry out a study, where they found that the United Kingdom’s ‘lineage B.1.1.7,’ a mutant variant of the COVID-19 virus, has been existing in Nigeria for months.

Happi of the Redeemers University reported the collection of samples from Osun State in August and October, both of which showed the presence of the new variant.

“We have reached out to Professor Happi to seek additional clarifications with regards to this and we are also talking to NCDC. What is really vital at this stage is to immediately do sequencing,” Aliyu said when he appeared on ARISE News Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

“I know the sequencing that Professor Happi’s group have done in the past involved about 250 samples, so that’s really low. What we need to do and most of the things he did I think were in August or September, so we are much much further down the line now and what we need to do is to make sure that we sequence as many outlets as we have now,” he said.

According to him, the new COVID-19 variant found in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia is more transmissible based on grove studies, but there was, however, no human epidemiological link that suggests that the strain is more deadly.

“Just to allay public anxiety, the strain that has been described in the UK and also now in South Africa and in Australia and in some other countries, what has been shown is that it is more transmissible based on grove studies.

“But there’s no human epidemiological link that suggests that it is more deadly at the moment and certainly, with coronaviruses, they always tend to change, that’s why if

you catch a common cold for instance and you get better, the next day if you see someone with a cold, you are just as likely to go down with it.

“They are strains that continue to replicate very quickly, so it’s no surprise that we have a new strain that is being described at the moment.

But it’s still early days yet in terms of the science and even within the UK, there’s still a lot of debate as to how different it is from previous strains.

“We are not trying to say we should ignore the problem, we had a very long discussion yesterday at the PTF, a debate that lasted well over an hour with different aspects being looked at and we’ll continue to monitor this very closely.

We’ve already asked Professor Happy to provide us with additional clarification because they’ve been working for the NCDC as well,” Aliyu added.

Imposes Fresh Requirements on UK, S'Africa Travellers The federal government has imposed fresh requirements on travellers from the UK and South Africa, where variants of COVID-19 have been discovered.

It gave approval to port health authorities to pay special attention to flights originating from the two countries to ensure that that the passengers from there abide by the protocol on the post-arrival PCR Test.

The National Coordinator, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, at a PTF briefing in Abuja yesterday, said President Muhammadu Buhari gave the approval when the members of the task force presented their end of the year report to him on Tuesday.

He stated that effective from the midnight of December 28, it is the responsibility of passengers from the two countries to ensure they familiarise themselves with these rule while airlines will be notified accordingly.

The additional travel requirements followed report that many travellers were not abiding by the mandatory international protocol that expect travellers to do test seven days after arrival.

Besides, focus have been on the UK and South Africa because of the discovery of a new variant of COVID-19, which is considered to be more virulent, from the two countries.

In addition, Aliyu said passengers that failed to perform their mandatory day seven test by day 10, will automatically be placed on the suspension list and their travel passport suspended for a minimum period of six months.

“If you carry a foreign passport with a visa, we will revoke your visa and because it is easier to track smaller group of persons than large numbers of persons, we are able to enforce this specifically for passengers coming from these routes (South Africa and UK) until further notice,” he said.

FG to Commence COVID-19 Vaccinations Q1 2021 The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said that the federal government will commence the first tranche of COVID-19 vaccinations in the first quarter of 2021.

He added that the government plans to vaccinate 20 per cent of Nigeria’s projected population of 206 million people.

Ihekweazu said the government is currently working on plans surrounding distribution, logistics and implementation across Nigeria.

He spoke yesterday on The ‘Morning Show’ on ARISE NEWS Channel, the sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

Ihekweazu stated that data on the prevalence of COVID-19 and its impact on Nigeria would be released in January.

He said: “The vaccine effort is being led by a sister agency, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), under the

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FRIDAY/SATURDAY DECEMBER 25-26, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

CHRISTMAS MESSAGES...

CHRISTMAS MESSAGES...

Mark, Tinubu, Secondu Urge Nigerians to Embrace Peace and Unity Our Correspondents Former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, National Chairman of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus and the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives have urged Nigerians to be their brothers’ keeper in spite of the socio-economic and security challenges and let peace reign.

Mark in a goodwill message, issued by his media adviser, Paul Mumeh, canvassed for religious tolerance between and amongst faithful in a manner that gives every adherent freedom and liberty to worship.

He advised religious leaders across board to preach the message of peace, unity and good neighbourliness in order to make the country a safe haven.

On his part, Tinubu urged Nigerians to let kindness reign as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Tinubu, in a Christmas message yesterday in Lagos, also beseeched all to place in their hearts and minds the commitment to be more tolerant and less judgmental of their fellow being.

The APC leader urged all to help those who are without instead of blaming people for the situation in which they find themselves.

He said: “Give those who currently lack kindness not criticism; give them bread and meat, not bitterness and despair.”

Tinubu, while congratulating Christians, explained that Christmas is a day to be thankful for as Jesus Christ provided a precious gift unto us.

He urged all to act in the spirit and teachings of Jesus.

The former governor of Lagos urged Nigerians to celebrate in moderation and adhere to all COVID-19 protocols to limit spread of the disease.

“I must beseech you to forgo such large gatherings this year for the sake of our collective health.”

Tinubu noted that in normal times, Christmas offered Nigerians of all faiths an opportunity to gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Also, Secondus called on Nigerians to turn to God and seek His mercy for solution to our challenges.

He noted that in truth all o have fallen short before God and a period like Christmas provides ample opportunity to return to him in deep supplications.

In a statement from his media office signed by Ike Abonyi, Secondus noted that the birth of the messiah which akk celebrate at this time opens the window for all sinners to commune with God for restitution of the lost glory as a nation.

“This season is another opportunity to increase our acts of kindness, touch the less privileged in our society, appreciate God for the outgoing year and pray for a more prosperous new year.

“Therefore, this Christmas means so much more than just mere merriment. It is a veritable avenue to extend love to the underprivileged who are disadvantaged in several ways.”

Omo-Agege Preaches Tolerance The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has urged Nigerians to use the occasion of the Yuletide celebrations to renew their commitment to the promotion of values of tolerance, brotherhood and unity among all groups in the country.

In his Christmas message, Senator Omo-Agege also called on Christians to imbibe the virtues of humility and love which are the hallmarks of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Christmas celebration, he noted, offers Nigerians the opportunity to reflect on God’s love and compassion for man as epitomised in the gift of His only begotten son for man’s salvation.

Akeredolu Warns Residents against COVID-19 Protocols As Nigerians celebrates Christmas and the New Year festivities, Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, yesterday reminded the people of the state of the provision of the state Dangerous Infectious Diseases (COVID-19), Emergency Prevention Regulation” with stipulated punishment for any breach.

The Section 18 of the law, signed on 31st March, 2020. stipulates a fine of N20,000 or a jail term of three months or both as penalty for failure to

Inter-state commuter buses load passengers at Iyana Ipaja Park in Lagos ...yesterday comply with COVID-19 preventive measures.

The governor, in his address to the people of the state on the ocassion of Christmas and New Year festivities, advised them to celebrate safely and responsibly so as not to further increase the spread of the COVID-19 infection in the state.

Better Days Ahead, Diri Assures Bayelsans Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has charged citizens and residents of the state not to be discouraged by the effects of COVID-19 and the attendant economic challenges.

Diri, in his Christmas message to people of the state, expressed the optimism that despite the challenges of the moment, there are better days ahead.

He urged the people to reflect on the message of the birth of Jesus, which is about love, peace and hope.

Ugwuanyi Salutes Christians Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has called on Nigerians to utilise the significance of Christmas to offer sustained prayers for God’s divine intervention and abiding grace for the nation to surmount its various challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the second economic recession in five years.

In his message, Ugwuanyi felicitated with Christians, the good people of Enugu State and indeed all Nigerians, wishing them Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

The governor urged Nigerians not to lose faith in God in the face of adversity, but to remain committed to the Good News that Jesus Christ was born to bring salvation to mankind.

Obaseki Charges Nigerians to Show Love The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged Edo people and Nigerians in general to show love and reflect on the teachings of Jesus Christ, as they mark the Christmas celebration.

In a statement, the governor said, “On behalf of the government of Edo State, I celebrate with all Edo people, at home and in the Diaspora, as we mark Christmas.

“Christmas season is an auspicious occasion to show love and reflect on the life of Jesus Christ, whose birth we are commemorating. I urge you to accommodate one another and take personal responsibility to protect yourself and others amid the festivities in the wake of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.

Gombe Gov Urges Christians to Pray for Peace The Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has felicitated with the Christian community in the state as they join other faithful all over the world to mark this year’s Christmas, urging them to use the period to pray for peace, security and prosperity of the state as well as an end to the global pandemic of COVID-19.

The governor in a goodwill message issued by Ismaila Uba Misilli, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, charged Christians and the entire people of the state to rededicate themselves and remain steadfast in prayers against all the challenges bedevilling the state and humanity

in general.

Ihedioha Urges Love, Sober Reflection, Tolerance Former Governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has described Christmas as a season of love, appreciation, selflessness and tolerance towards one another.

In a message to mark the 2020 Christmas, he reminded Christians and indeed all persons of goodwill that the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ which the season represents, offers a unique opportunity to extend love to families, friends, neighbours and indeed all Nigerians from all works of life.

He harped on the need to eschew tendencies that promote hate, disunity and intolerance, noting that the need for sober reflection during Christmas is a timely opportunity for citizens to reflect on their lives and the state of the nation.

Abiodun Preaches Moderation, Thanksgiving As Christians across the world celebrate the Christmas and New Year season, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has enjoined Nigerians to make moderation and thanksgiving their watchwords during and beyond the festive period.

The governor, in a goodwill message to the residents of the state, conveyed through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kunle Somorin, maintained that as the Year 2020 had been a most challenging one, those fortunate enough to survive the vicissitudes of the year, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, must return glory to God and celebrate with moderation.

Okowa Lists Ways Nigeria can be Peaceful, United As Christians across the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday stated that Nigeria as well as the international community can be at peace if Christians practiced the virtues that Christ preached while on earth.

In a Christmas message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba yesterday, the governor said the virtues of Christ include peaceful coexistence, love, tolerance and sacrifice.

He noted that Christmas is a celebration to mark the birth anniversary of “our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” and therefore, called on Christians to strive and emulate wholly the ways of Christ.

Okowa stated that as true followers of Christ, Nigerians and the world must eschew communal and religious clashes, armed robbery, kidnapping, militancy, banditry, terrorism and other vices plaguing the country and other parts of the world.

AbdulRazaq Calls for Prayers to Overcome Nigeria’s Challenges Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has urged residents of the state to pray and work for peace, harmony and development of the state and the country at large.

AbdulRazaq, in a statement issued in Ilorin

yesterday and signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, congratulated the Christian community in the state on the Christmas festive season.

He prayed the Almighty God to make it a remarkably joyful one for all.

AbdulRazaq also urged all the residents of the to do their bits to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic” He reassured citizens of his commitment to continue to be fair to all in the discharge of his duties.

Ekweremadu Preaches Love at Christmas Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has called on Nigerians to imbibe the attitude of love, which he described as the core essence and message of Christmas.

Ekweremadu stated this yesterday during the 2020 edition of “Christmas With Widows”, an annual outreach to widows in the Enugu West Senatorial District by the Senator and his wife, Dr. Nwanneka Ekweremadu.

At the event that featured the presentation of gifts and support to 300 widows drawn from the senatorial district, the lawmaker stressed that in the absence of a functional social security system, it was important for Nigerians to be their brothers’ keeper.

He said: “On the occasion of Christmas, we must not lose sight of the crux of the season, which is God’s love for mankind in sending his only begotten son for our salvation.”

Adeola Asks Christians to Renew Their Faith in Jesus The Chairman of Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Solomon Adeola, has called on all Christians and Nigerians in general to use the occasion of the Christmas celebration to renew their faith in Jesus Christ and abide by all precautionary measures against the rampaging COVID-19 global pandemic.

Adeola, in a Christmas message to felicitate with Nigeria Christendom said Christmas symbolises the celebration of the birth of a new dawn for the salvation of souls for all humanity especially for the Christian believers.

Glo Urges Nigerians to Share Love at Christmas Leading telecommunications solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Nigerians on the occasion of Christmas, charging them to spread love, joy and peace which are the focal points of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

In a goodwill message released in Lagos yesterday, Globacom charged Christians to be exemplars of the true essence of Christmas, as demonstrated by the love of God for mankind through the birth of Jesus Christ.

“Christ came to the world in human form to show the love of God towards mankind. His love and concern for humanity are shown by the sacrifice He made by leading man back to God. Jesus made himself a perfect example of the values of love, humility, kindness, righteous living and fruits of the spirit which would guarantee eternal life”, Globacom said.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY DECEMBER 25-26, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

43

NEWS

Yultide: IG Orders Tight Security Nationwide Defence minister urges prayers against insecurity Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja As the nation celebrates Christmas today, the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, yesterday ordered a 24-hour patrol and tight security in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The IG gave the directive to all Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police in charge of zonal and state commands nationwide to ensure a peaceful celebration.

The order is coming as the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), urged Christians to take advantage of the remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ to pray for the country to overcome her security challenges.

The IG also directed the Commissioners of Police to ensure massive deployment of intelligence and other operational assets of the force particularly on major highways, airports, railway stations, recreational centres, motor parks, places of worship, financial institutions,

among others.

A statement issued by Force PRO and Commisioner of Police, Frank Mba, said the strategic officers were also directed to ensure that deployed personnel were adequately supervised for utmost professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

He warned that “acts bordering on indiscipline, extortion and intimidation of travellers and other road users will not be condoned”.

While congratulating Christians in the country as they join the faithful across the globe to celebrate the symbolic anniversary of the birth of Christ, the IG expressed profound appreciation to all Nigerians for their support to the police and other security agencies in the fight against crimes in the country.

He assured the nation of improved police service delivery and security generally in 2021.

Meanwhile, the IG enjoined Nigerians to take precautionary measures to reduce exposure to security risks and the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.

He stressed that citizens should avoid night travels, over-speeding, over-loading, stopping on lonely highways and unnecessary flaunting of personal details and wealth on social media.

“Citizens are also enjoined to voluntarily adhere to the COVID-19 prevention regulations and protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.

“The IG, on behalf of the entire officers of the force, wishes Nigerians a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year in advance”, it said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, Major General Magashi, has urged Christians to take advantage of the Christmas services and supplications to pray for the country to overcome her security challenges.

Magashi gave the charge in a statement felicitating with Christians on the occasion of Christmas celebration.

He urged them to be Christ-like in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ by showing compassion to fellow Nigerians irrespective of religeous differences and to pray for peace in the country.

The defence minister harped on the need for peaceful co-existence, unity and peace especially as the country is fighting insurgency, banditry and kidnapping among other criminal tendencies.

He said the season is the reason to turn to God in fervent prayer to crown the sacrifices of our fighting forces to attain maximum victory over the adversaries.

While giving kudos to the troops who by reason of their

call to duty which is primarily to defend the nation’s territorial integrity, would not be able to celebrate Christmas with their families and loved ones, assured them that the Commander-inChief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, would not allow their sacrifices to go unrewarded.

Magashi, therefore, noted that the least appreciation Nigerians could show to the nation’s gallant soldiers who are fighting patriotically so that “the citizens could sleep with their eyes closed even when they themselves can’t afford to sleep is to pray for them and be security conscious at this auspicious time”.

He thanked the leadership of the services and heads of security agencies and their civilian counterparts for the recent feat

attained in the timely rescue and return of the kidnapped students in Kankara, Katsina State.

The minister, in a statement, described the successful operation that culminated in bringing back the kidnapped children as unprecedented in denying the kidnappers freedom of action, saying that such victory over the adversaries was the most beautiful Christmas and New Year special gift to the nation.

The minister tasked the troops in various locations to be focused in invigorating their firing power and to hold the ground resolutely without allowing any crack on the walls of national defence adding that the support of all Nigerians was critical to the attainment of security for the country for a hitch-free yuletide celebration.

Gunmen Attack Council Chairman, Kill Three Policemen, Two Others George Okoh in Makurdi Gunmen yesterday attacked the residence of the Chairman of Katsina Ala Local Government Area, Mr. Alfred Atera, killing three policemen attached to him and two other men.

According to the chairman, who spoke to THISDAY on the phone, the gunmen besieged his house yesterday morning demanding to know his whereabouts.

He said luckily for him, he was in one of the visitors’ lodges detached from the main building when the assassins came into the compound.

“They asked my security guard were I was, and before he could reply, they shot him and others, and in the end, five people were killed and

several others wounded.

However, I narrowly escaped,” he narrated, adding that those who sustained injuries have been taken to the Katsina Ala General Hospital.

Meanwhile, the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, has condemned the attack on the chairman, describing it as unacceptable, and urged security operatives to bring the perpetrators to justice.

He assured the people of Sankera and other parts of the state that his administration would not relent in its collaboration with security agencies to curb criminal activities in the state.

Ortom commiserated with families of those who lost their lives in the attack on Atera’s house, adding that their killers will not escape justice.

Metuh Leaves Kuje Prison in High Spirit Chuks Okocha in Abuja Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Olisa Metuh, has left the Kuje Correctional Centre, following the court judgment of the Court of Appeal that upturned his conviction last week. THISDAY gathered that Metuh left the prison at about 16.46 p.m. yesterday.

The former PDP spokesman was joyful as one of his close aides who spoke to THISDAY after he left the correctional facility at Kuje where he had been held since February 25, 2020, said the former PDP spokesman was in good spirit.

The aide said: “Yes, Oga has just left about two minutes ago. He’s in good spirit. We thank God.” When THISDAY later called Metuh, he said: “Glory be to God.” When asked if he was in

good health, he responded thus: “I’m in sound health.

Glory be to God.” Metuh was seen off by the FCT Comptroller of Correctional Facilities and the head of Kuje Correctional Facility. The former party spokesman was sentenced

by Justice Okon Abang to seven years imprisonment over allegation of money laundering on February 25, 2020.

However, the Court of Appeal penultimate Wednesday overturned the conviction on the grounds of bias established against Justice Abang.

The court thus sent the case for retrial with the specific instruction that it should not be assigned to Justice Abang.

Metuh had in the course of his trial under Justice Abang repeatedly alleged bias against the judge but was ignored.

I COME IN PEACE…

I Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (left) and former Senator, Mr. Ayogu Eze, when the governor paid the former lawmaker a private visit in Umuida, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state…yesterday

Tension in Plateau as Military Takes over Bali’s Burial Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Langtang North and Langtang South Local Government Areas of Plateau State have been thrown into palpable tension following the alleged takeover of the burial arrangements of the late Ponzhi Tarok, Lt. Gen. Domkat Bali (rtd) by the military.

The former Chief of Defence Staff died recently and since his demise, there have been controversies surrounding his burial, with the latest being the alleged takeover of the burial by the military without involving the custodians of the culture of Tarok people.

But the people have insisted that considering that he was a

first class traditional chief before his death, Bali would not be buried by the military without the final traditional rites.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of the Taroh nation at the palace of the Ponzhi Taroh on yesterday, the Chairman of Langtang North, Dr. Joshua Ubandoma Laven and his counterpart from Langtang South LGA, Nimchak Rims, said the military may be inviting serious crisis and anarchy if it does not desist from the planned burial, as the Tarok people would resist it.

According to them, the burial arrangement must include Langtang North and Langtang South LGA, Join Traditional Council, the state

government, the military, the family of the deceased, and critical stakeholders from Taroh land.

Ubandoma explained that the chief priests of Tarok land came out in their numbers from the hills and marched to the palace to register their displeasure over the attempt to subvert the custom and tradition of the people.

The chairmen insisted that the military cannot take over the entire the burial because he was a first class chief.

They added that the people have vowed to resist any attempt by the military to desecrate their age-long custom with their blood.

Ubandoma appealed to the state and federal governments, to as a matter of urgency, intervene to avert the looming danger as the people have also resolved that their culture will not be jettisoned in the course of the burial.

Speaking in the same vein, the Acting Ponzhi Tarok, who is also the Ponzhi Zinni, Nimnan Langnim ,said Tarok land is facing a trying time that could degenerate into serious crisis if not properly managed.

He said the current events preceding the funeral rites of Bali are already a serious violation of the customs and tradition of the Taroh’s nation, and its unacceptable.

Matawalle: 2,000 Kidnapped Nigerians, Foreigners Rescued Says over 1,000 weapons recovered since he assumed office Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, has said 2, 000 kidnapped Nigerians and foreign nationals have been rescued and over 1,000 weapons recovered from bandits since his assumption of office.

The governor said that the feat was made possible by members of vigilante group operating in the state.

Matawalle said this while receiving the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Uche Secondus in Abuja to condole him on the loss of eight members of the Emir’s entourage.

He said that no ransom

was paid in the rescuing of kidnapped victims in the state, adding that logic and dialogue had always been deployed.

The governor stated that President Muhammadu Buhari was adequately briefed on every security measure undertaken to secure lives and properties.

Matawalle expressed his resolve to support security agencies in the state to win the war against insecurity, stressing that it was the reason behind his decision to operate an open-door policy with the agencies to enhance the free flow of communication.

According to him, “we have recovered a lot of dangerous weapons which was given to the

security agencies of Nigeria and we have rescued about 2,000 kidnapped victims including some foreign nationals.

“This includes people from China, Korea, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and even Central Africa who were kidnapped and taken to Zamfara state.

“All we are concerned with is to see our people go to sleep with their eyes closed and that is the responsibility of every government to provide security for the lives and properties of which we are doing,” the governor said.

Matawalle urged all state governors to put aside political differences and put a united front to rid the country of

all criminal elements and activities, especially banditry.

Secondus while speaking warned that in the absence of law and order there would be anarchy.

The PDP chair warned against the politicising of security and hunger which according to him, knows no party.

He described as an “uncommon feat” in the rescue of the over 300 students of Government Science Secondary abducted in Katsina State.

He added that PDP governors were the reason behind the sustainance of democracy in the country.

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FRIDAY/SATURDAY DECEMBER 25-26, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

Sanwo-Olu, Lalong out of Isolation, Test Negative for Covid-19 Lagos governor says Covid-19 is real Segun James in Lagos and Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Plateau State counterpart, Simon Lalong who have been in isolation in the past 14 days receiving treatment for COVID-19 are out of isolation, having tested negative.

Sanwo-Olu addressed the press at the Lagos House, Marina, Lagos yesterday thanking God for seeing him through.

The governor who said COVID-19 is real, also thanked the medical team for their care during the period and also Lagosians for their prayers and concern throughout the isolation period.

The governor said he experienced mostly moderate symptoms.

“It was an experience I am very glad to have put behind me. I received very dedicated and competent care from the Lagos State COVID-19 Treatment Team, and I am extremely proud of the work that they do. They are a big part of the success story of the Lagos State COVID-19 Response.

“I was fortunate to have had a relatively moderate COVID-19 experience. About one in every ten persons who contracts the disease in Lagos State is not so lucky; they have to go into intensive care, and some of them do not make it out alive. For this reason, my gratitude is deep and profound.

He said the best way to be lucky is not to get infected at all, “the cliché, prevention is better than cure, should be a watchword for each and every one of us at this moment in time,” he advised, saying that covid-19 is real and here with us and is not a respecter of anyone, or of social class, religious belief, or partisan affiliation.

“Not only is COVID-19 here with us, this second wave we are currently seeing is proving to be more ambitious than the first wave. We are seeing infection figures that are surpassing what we saw at the peak of the first wave, and, just like then, Lagos remains the epicenter.”

The governor appealed that gatherings, merriment and travelling which are all associated with the Christmas season contribute to the spread of the coronavirus.

“We must now seek to

Alleged Certificate Forgery: APC Opens Case against Obaseki Alex Enumah in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday opened its case of certificate forgery against the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, by calling its first witness, Professor Omoregie Edobor.

The APC is calling its first witness in the suit filed in July this year against Obaseki, who became the state governor in 2016 on its platform.

In the suit, which has barely 16 days before it lapses, the APC and one of its chieftains, Williams Edobor, are claiming that Obaseki allegedly forged his first degree certificate with

which he used in securing his candidacy in the last September governorship election, hence he should be disqualified.

The court in September 2020 after deciding that rulings in all applications as well as objections would be delivered alongside judgment, ordered the APC to call its witnesses to prove allegations made against Obaseki.

The court also last Tuesday fixed yesterday and December 29 for the plaintiffs to open their case after it declined Obaseki’s request to halt proceedings pending the determination of his appeal against the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Be Security Conscious, CAN Tells Churches Onyebuichi Ezigbo inAbuja

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has asked churches to be security conscious as they celebrate Christmas.

CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, gave the advice in a press statement yesterday titled, ‘The Power of His Presence, Our Hope of Tomorrow’.

He encouraged Christians not to be weighed down by the adversities experienced in the year 2020.

Ayokunle said, “Christmas is not a myth, not a tradition, not a dream. It is a glorious reality.

It is a time of joy. The fact of the cross illuminates Christmas day and hallows it.

“Christmas is also a season to advocate peace in the world that is full of wars, strives, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed

robbery and other criminalities.

“It is painful that many people are mourning due to the demise of their loved ones as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism, kidnappings and other criminalities. We should remember that Jesus was also born during the darkest time in Israel’s history.

Israel was under the tyrannical rule of the Romans. Yet the Angel announced the birth of Jesus as the glad tidings to the world.

“So, I urge those who are mourning to rejoice in hope that they too are still alive. I pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit for all those who lost their loved ones for one reason or the other.

“May the Lord help our governments to rise up competently and stop the menace of insecurity occasioned by the terrorists, killer herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers in Jesus’ name.

minimise as much of these activities as we can, at this time and going forward.”

He urged everyone to act responsibly and not to hide their status, adding that “you’re not doing only yourself a favour, you’re doing other people a favour, especially those among us who are elderly or medically vulnerable.”

The governor rolled out steps that must be taken by all and sundry during this Christmas period and into the New Year.

These include that, all persons feeling symptoms associated with the Coronavirus must

immediately isolate themselves and contact any of the Public Testing Facilities, where a Test will be arranged free of charge.

“Please do not assume that you have a case of malaria or other illness. The default position should be to test for Covid and rule this out, due to the easy transmissibility of the disease.”

Also, persons who have tested positive to the Coronavirus must be open and honest with anyone they may have interacted with while infected so that effective tracing can be done and exposed persons can take appropriate

measures to self-isolate and not further spread the disease.

Sanwo-Olu advised the suspension or cancellation of all non-essential travel plans, whether local or international at this time.

On his part, Lalong called on the citizens of the state to take the pandemic very seriously by observing all protocols for the prevention of infection and transmission of the virus.

The governor, who had been in isolation since December 17, 2020, appreciated God for healing him from the virus, and also thanked the people of the

state, as well as his friends and associates all over the country for praying for him.

Advising that “we must not hide our status from the people we have been in contact with,” he said the isolation centres have been activated again and that the medical personnel are on the ground and that there are thousands of home care packs for those who want to start their treatment regime from home.

The governor also said that the state is building oxygen camps in 10 locations for severe cases out of which six is ready and will be launched next week.

LET THERE BE LIGHT…

L-R: Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Energy, Mr. Lolu Adubifa; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Olatokunbo Talabi; and CEO, Viathan Engineering Limited, Mr. Habeeb Alebiosu, at the signing ceremony of a power expansion agreement between Viathan, owners and operators of Lisabi Power Limited and the state government in Abeokuta ….Wednesday

No Nigerian will Be Shortchanged in COVID-19 Vaccination, Says Lawan Chuks Okocha in Abuja President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has assured Nigerians that no citizen of the country would be shortchanged in the distribution and application of the COVID-19 vaccines when they arrive in the country.

The executive arm of the government has already presented a N400bn proposal before the National Assembly for the purpose of purchasing the vaccines to be administered free on Nigerians.

Lawan, in his Christmas message on Thursday, said “the National Assembly in consultation with the relevant agencies will ensure due diligence in the procurement and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine when they become available.”

He said, “This would ensure that all Nigerians have equitable access to inoculation against the stubborn virus.”

Lawan, and his colleagues in the upper chamber, in their separate statements, also urged Nigerians, especially Christians to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

The senators in their various messages, however, urged Nigerians to endure the situation as the pandemic would soon be a thing of the past.

Lawan, in a statement by his Media adviser, Ola Awoniyi, noted that this year’s celebration

comes at a time when the world was combatting the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the pandemic had forced many countries to ramp up health safety protocols at a time when people traditionally gather to share love in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Lawan, however, expressed confidence that the resilience and positive attitudes of Nigerians would not only help the country to prevail against the challenges.

He said adherence to the nonpharmaceutical protocols would ensure that their strains do not stop a merry and responsible celebration of Christmas in the country.

He said, “I celebrate with the Christian faithful and enjoin all of us to remember the essence of the august occasion.

“Given the fact of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, we should keep our guard up and comply fully with the non-pharmaceutical guidelines that have been put in place by the authorities.”

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Solomon Adeola, called on all Christians in particular and Nigerians in general to use the occasion of Christmas to renew their faith in Jesus Christ and abide by all precautionary measures against the rampaging COVID-19 global pandemic.

The senator called for caution in such display of

positive emotion in view of the prescribed precautionary measures to prevent and combat the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

He announced the cancellation of his annual end of year/ yuletide party which usually attracts many constituents and well-wishers for this year.

The Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Tolu Odebiyi, according to a statement by his media office, has reached out to the leaders and coordinators across all political wards in Ogun West with the provision of cash gifts.

The statement explained that the gift was “a morale booster to cushion the enormous effect of the economic downturn during this festive period.”

A former Governor of Enugu State and Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, urged Nigerians to use this period of yuletide to pray for unity, peace and security of Nigeria.

Nnamani noted that the unabating security situation; killings, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and other violent crimes now becoming the norm rather than the exception should give every right-thinking Nigerian a cause to worry.

Nnamani acknowledged the efforts of security operatives towards curbing the menace but expressed concern that the efforts have not yielded the desired results

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now wish to be known and addressed as ANIMASHAUN FUAD OMOGBOLAHAN. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

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FRIDAY/SATURDAY DECEMBER 25-26, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

I Resisted Pressure to Abandon PDP for APC, Says Wike Davidson Iriekpen

it into power in 2023”.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday revealed that he resisted many appeals from some quarters to abandon the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).Wike in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said he refused to yield to the pressure because he is a man of character. The governor spoke when he led the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to inaugurate the chief Orabule Adiele Road, Rumuolumeni, formerly known as Aker-Base Road in Rumuolumeni community of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.Wike said it was unimaginable to leave PDP, which he described as a party that “continues to hold the promise of good leadership for the country and remains the only hope for Nigerians who are also waiting to vote

Wike said he refused to be quiet over the alleged wrongs and inabilities of the ruling APC because of the need to strengthen the confidence of Nigerians in PDP. He said: “PDP is a party that Nigerians want. No matter all the intimidation, it will not work. We are men of character.

When we say something we stand by whatever we have said, not for pecuniary interest.

“If I was that kind of governor, I know how many times people have tried to woo us, we said no. We cannot be wooed. We are here. We started with PDP and will end up with PDP. “We have no other political party to join because the fate of this country, the hope of Nigerians, solely depends on our party. That is why when we talk about our party, we are not talking about any selfish interest. But it is to continue

to give Nigerians that hope that Nigeria is waiting for.

“So, when there is any mistake, we shout out.

Everybody is hoping that in 2023 PDP should take over the realms of power in this country. Rivers State is already secured for PDP.” The governor berated Senator James Akpanudoedehe, the National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of APC describing him as a political harlot, who lacked the character to talk about national issues without subjecting it to pecuniary interests.

He said: “The National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) said I am playing to the gallery, and that I am economical with the truth. That, after all, the federal government has been fighting insecurity and that they gave us bail-out money.

No Regret Making Sanusi Kano Emir, Kwankwaso Replies Ganduje Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano A former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, yesterday said he had “no regret” making a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano.

He also prayed to God Almighty to “save Kano State and indeed the whole country from the present quagmire that we found ourselves”.

According to him, the appointment and coronation of the Emir of Kano involved a consultative process that is

guided by law, adding that as the then Governor of Kano State, he knew the type of people to consult when it comes to such critical issues that centres around on lifelong appointments like the successor of the late Emir Ado Bayero.

The former Minister of Defence was responding to the comments by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje (his former Deputy), during the public presentation of a book entitled, ‘Dear President Goodluck Jonathan (An Open Letter),” written by a former Managing Editor of

the Daily Times Newspaper, Bonaventure Melah.

Ganduje had at the event held in Abuja, said he dethroned Sanusi in March 2020, to save the traditional institution from abuse, even though he was not the best among the contestants.

But Kwankwaso in a statement by his Principal Private Secretary, Muhammad Inuwa, entitled: ‘Ganduje and the blabbering of an impostor’, said he opted for the ex-CBN governors because he was looking for a progressive Emir that would succeed Ado Bayero.

Recovered Loot: FG Approves CSO to Monitor Project Execution

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The federal government has approved the engagement of a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) that will monitor the implementation of over $311million recovered in February 2020.

A statement by Dr Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said the purpose of the involvement of CSO was to increase transparency in the management of recovered funds.

The statement said the approval came after a presentation made by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN on the competitive bidding process involving 17 Nigeria and international CSOs and Businesses.

“The Federal Executive Council approved the award of the consultancy monitoring of the projects; 2nd Niger Bridge, Abuja to Kano Express Way and Lagos to Ibadan Expressway to CLEEN Foundation, a Nigerian based CSO.

“The selection process included the participation of the other two countries that signed the Tripartite Agreement for the return of the Abacha three stolen assets; United States of America and the Bailiwick of Jersey.

“This engagement is in line with President Buhari’s commitment to Open Government and the principles of The Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) as well as the UN Convention Against Corruption provisions on Asset Recovery”, the statement read in part.

Book on Life, Times of Obasanjo for Launch Monday A new book on former President Olusegun Obasanjo will be launched on Monday, December 28 in Lagos.

The book titled: “The Man, The General, The President”, written by a former aide of Obasanjo during his second term as president, Mr. Femmy Carrena, has been described as an eyewitness account of the seeming unknown sides of the former president.

According to the author

and the Obasanjo Presidential Library, who are organisers of the event, the founder and Chairman of Channels Television, Mr. John Momoh, will be the chairman of the event while business mogul, Chief Kessington Adebutu, is the Chief Launcher.

Governors Babajide SanwoOlu and Dapo Abiodun of Lagos and Ogun states are expected as Special Guests of honour at the event.

Also expected is the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia, among other dignitaries invited to the event, which will start by 11a.m.

According to Carrena: “The 10 chapter book took a look at Obasanjo from his childhood, his early days in Ibogun, his younger years in the military, his many roles as president and his other roles, either as a man, army General or a two-term president.”

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Jesus in Islam and Christmas

IslamiCity

Many Christians are unaware that the true spirit of reverence which Muslims display towards Jesus(AS) and his mother Mary spring from the fountainhead of their faith as prescribed in the Holy Quran. Most do not know that a Muslim does not take the name of Jesus(AS), without saying Eesa alai-hiss-salaam (AS) i.e.

(Jesus peace be upon him).

Jesus in the Quran Many Christians do not know that in the Holy Quran Jesus(AS) is mentioned by name twenty-five times. For example: … We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the holy spirit. .. Quran 2:87 Behold! the angels said: “O Mary! Allah gives thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.

Quran 3:45 … Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah .. Quran 4:171 And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him .. Quran 5:46 And Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of the righteous: Quran 6:85

The Quranic Titles of Jesus Though Jesus is mentioned by name in twenty-five places in the Holy Quran he is also addressed with respect as: “Ibne Maryam” - son of Mary; as Masi (Hebr) Messiah - translated as Christ; “Abd-ullah” servant of Allah; “Rasul -Ullah” - Messenger of Allah.

He is spoken of as “the word of God”, as “the spirit of God”, as a “Sign of God”, and numerous other epithets of honor spread over fifteen different chapters. The Holy Quran honors this great Messenger of God, and over the past fourteen hundred years Muslims continue to hold Jesus as a symbol of truth.

Christmas and 25th of December Jesus(AS) is commonly considered to have been born on the 25th of December. However, it is common knowledge among Christian scholars that he was not born on this day. It is well known that the first Christian churches held their festival in May, April, or January. Scholars of the first two centuries AD even differ in which year he was born. Some believing that he was born fully twenty years before the current accepted date. So how was the 25th of December selected as the birthday of Jesus(AS)?

Grolier’s encyclopedia says: “Christmas is the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25 ... Despite the beliefs about Christ that the birth stories expressed, the church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the event until the 4th century.... since 274, under the emperor Aurelian, Rome had celebrated the feast of the “Invincible Sun” on December 25. In the Eastern Church, January 6, a day also associated with the winter solstice, was initially preferred. In course of time, however, the West added the Eastern date as the Feast of the Epiphany, and the East added the Western date of Christmas”.

So who else celebrated the 25th of December as the birth day of their gods before it was agreed upon as the birth day of Jesus(AS)? In India there is the Hindu festival to honor the Hindu deity, Ganesha, where people rejoice, decorate their houses with garlands, and give presents to their friends on this day. The people of China also celebrate this day and close their shops. Buddha is believed to have been born on this day. The great savior and god of the Persians, Mithras, is also believed to have been born on the 25th of December long before the coming of Jesus(AS).

The Egyptians celebrated this day as the birth day of their great savior Horus, the Egyptian god of light and the son of the “virgin mother” and “queen of the heavens” Isis. Osiris, god of the dead and the underworld in Egypt, the son of “the holy virgin”, again was believed to have been born on the 25th of December.

The Greeks celebrated the 25th of December as the birthday of Hercules, the son of the

supreme god of the Greeks, Zeus, through the mortal woman Alcmene Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry among the Romans (known among the Greeks as Dionysus) was also born on this day.

Adonis, revered as a “dying-and-rising god” among the Greeks, miraculously was also born on the 25th of December. His worshipers held him a yearly festival representing his death and resurrection, in midsummer. The ceremonies of his birthday are recorded to have taken place in the same cave in Bethlehem which is claimed to have been the birth place of Jesus(AS).

The Scandinavians celebrated the 25th of December as the birthday of their god Freyr, the son of their supreme god of the heavens, Odin.

The Romans observed this day as the birthday of the god of the sun, Natalis Solis Invicti (“Birthday of Sol the invincible”). There was great rejoicing and all shops were closed. There was illumination and public games. Presents were exchanged, and the slaves were indulged in great liberties. These are the same Romans who would later preside over the council of Nicea (325 CE) which lead to the official Christian recognition of the “Trinity” as the “true” nature of God, and the “fact” that Jesus(AS) was born on the 25th of December too.

In Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon says: “The Roman Christians, ignorant of his (Christ’s) birth, fixed the solemn festival to the 25th of December, the Brumalia, or Winter Solstice, when the Pagans annually celebrated the birth of Sol “ vol. ii, p. 383.

Christians opposed to Christmas There are several Christian groups who are opposed to Christmas. For example, they take the verse from the Bible in Jeremiah 10:2-4 as an admonition against decorating Christmas trees.

The King James Version reads: “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen....

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”

In order to understand this subject, it is helpful to trace some of the history of Christmas avoidance, particularly its roots in Puritanism.

The Puritans believed that the first-century church modeled a Christianity that modern Christians should copy. They attempted to base their faith and practice solely on the New Testament, and their position on Christmas reflected their commitment to practice a pure, scriptural form of Christianity. Puritans argued that God reserved to himself the determination of all proper forms of worship, and that he disapproved of any human innovations - even innovations that celebrated the great events of salvation. The name Christmas also alienated many Puritans. Christmas, after all, meant “the mass of Christ.” The mass was despised as a Roman Catholic institution that undermined the Protestant concept of Christ, who offered himself once for all. The Puritans’ passionate avoidance of any practice that was associated with papal Rome caused them to overlook the fact that in many countries the name for the day had nothing to do with the Catholic mass, but focused instead on Jesus’ birth. The mass did not evolve into the form abhorred

by Protestants until long after Christmas was widely observed. The two customs had separate, though interconnected, histories.

As ardent Protestants, Puritans identified the embracing of Christianity by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the early 300s CE as the starting point of the degeneration and corruption of the church. They believed the corruption of the church was brought on by the interweaving of the church with the pagan Roman state.

To Puritans, Christmas was impure because it entered the Roman Church sometime in this period. No one knows the exact year or under what circumstances Roman Christians began to celebrate the birth of their Lord, but by the mid-300s CE, the practice was well established.

Islam requires Muslims to respect the faith of others Regardless of historical facts and theological differences that Christians may have among themselves or theological differences Muslims may have with Christianity we cannot disregard the sentiments of practicing Christians who use this occasion to revere Jesus(AS).

FRIDAY/SATURDAY DECEMBER 25-26, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Chelsea Set to Offload Victor Moses, Six Others in Summer Transfer Femi Solaja with agency report

Former Super Eagles forward, Victor Moses, is in his final months as a Chelsea player following the decision of the London club to offload him along with six other players in next summer transfer maket.

The current manager Frank Lampard has made it clear that the Nigerian player on loan at Inter Milan and the six other players have no future again at the club.

UK’s The Sun reported that Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Andreas

Christensen, Ross Barkley and Jorginho and Danny Drinkwater are all closer to the exit door at Stamford Bridge.

The London tabloid reported that the coach planned to reduce the squad to make way for the expected expensive signings in the coming major transfer market next June.

Moses has been a journeyman in the last four seasons after been loaned to several clubs in Europe including presentInter Milan, Liverpool, Stoke City, West Ham and Fenerbache.

It is still not clear if the

Nerrazuri would be willing to pay the £10million initial tag on the wing back when they meet with the parent

club at the end of the season.

Moses is currently been used sparingly by the

Italian club who are one point behind city rival, AC Milan on log and aiming to topple Juventus who

have won the title for nine consecutive seasons.

Victor Moses joined Chelsea way back in 2012.

Ahmed Musa Rejects MLS Offer, Insists His Future Lies in Europe Super Eagles Captain Ahmed Musa, 28, has turned down a chance to play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the USA because he believes he can still pull his weight in Europe.

The former Leicester player left Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr recently as a free agent, halfway through a four-year contract.

SCORENigeria reports that Ahmed Musa has been bombarded by offers from across the world because of his profile.

One of such offers was from the MLS, but he rejected it, saying he would rather play

in Europe.

“The MLS offer was good, but he said he would rather wait for something from Europe,” a source familiar with the transfer informed SCORENigeria He is now only five caps from reaching a century of appearances for the Super Eagles.

Ahmed Musa has been linked with several Premier League clubs as well as Turkish giants Galatasaray.

The winger has previously played in Holland, Russia and in the Premier League in England with Leicester City.

Adigun Excited over NOC Recognition for Bobsled & Skeleton Federation Technical Director of the Bobsled and Skeleton Federation of Nigeria, Seun Adigun, is excited with the official recognition of the association by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).

The NOC recently granted full recognition to the Federation from the conditional approval previously accorded the Federation.

“I am honored to know that the Nigerian Olympic Committee has officially recognized the Bobsled & Skeleton Federation of Nigeria (BSFN). We have truly come a long way as a federation and none of this would have been possible without the hard work and support of all the BSFN directors based in Lagos and in the United States ofAmerica.

“This is proof that our impact as a federation is a sign of hope and resilience

for the future of Nigerian youth”, said Adigun, who made history as Nigeria’s first ever Driver/Team Captain at the last Winter Olympics, in South Korea.

In addition, she described the feat as a mission far more than sport.

According to her: “It represents innovation, integrity, commitment, and community. It represents that anything is possible when you believe.

“This recognition is proof that when Nigeria shows support and believes in the capabilities of the youth, we are able to use our Godgiven talents to uplift the country and change the world.”

The Federation made a historic debut in Bobsled and Skeleton at the last Winter Olympics and is intensifying preparation for the next Winter Olympics, in Beijing.

Ahmed Musa...rejects offers from MLS

Nojimu Dominates at Maiden Vbank-Ebar Snooker Tourney Waliu Wale Nojimu has emerged winner of the maiden edition of the Vbank E-Bar Snooker Tournament held last Sunday.

The winner smiled home with a total of N320,000 – more than double the promised prize money.

Also, the first and second runners up positions went to Samuel Olumide and Dafe Agbah, both winning N220,000 and N85,000 in prize money, respectively.

The tournament sponsored by VBank, Nigeria’s foremost digital

bank, took place at E-Bar Metro on Admiralty Way in Lagos and featured 30 players.

It kicked off with a draw that produced the contenders on Friday, while the games proper began the following day with players aiming for the big prize.

According to sponsors of the event, snooker is a developmental game that should be encouraged.

“Snooker is not just a leisure sport. It can train the mind to focus and build determination which

becomes useful in every facet of life.

“As an organization, we identify with sport generally because of the inherent physical and mental benefits it provides to players, as well as the togetherness it fosters even among an audience of total strangers,” the Managing Director of VFD Microfinance bank, owners of Vbank Azubike Emodi said.

After a round of 32 games played on the opening day, 16 players moved to the knock-out stage on Sunday

leading to the emergence of three finalists- Waliu Wale Nojimu, Samuel Olumide and Dafe Agbah Finalists were initially promised N150,000, N100,000 and N50,000 for the first, second and third positions, respectively.

However, the audience was enthralled by the quality of play that they donated additional money to each finalist.

The organisers hope to make this a recurring tournament to grow the sport.

The winner of the Vbank tournament,Waliu Nojimu (centre) and flanked to the right by third placed Dafe Agbah and Sam Akanni to his left

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Kwankwaso to Ganduje

“If not for the colossal standing of Goodluck Jonathan, Ganduje’s presence at the event would have affected what is otherwise a fantastic gathering of respectful Nigerians. We were therefore not surprised, given Governor Ganduje’s reputation for shamelessness that he attended such an event merely to spread lies and mischief” – Former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, defending his appointment of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, as Emir of Kano.

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

Year 2020 According to Esu I

t is a platitude to characterise the year 2020 as significantly abnormal. In this characterisation, Nigeria and the United States of America are in a class by themselves. For the latter, keeping bad company is the exception but it is mostly the rule for the former. This is the difference that one individual can make in the life of society.

The peculiar lesson that Americans have come to learn in the past four years is that with a president like Donald Trump, that terribly abused country has no need of enemies especially Russia.

What the 45th democratically-elected president represented for American democracy is the equivalent of a one man demolition squad. Of late, hardly a day goes by without the president committing or contemplating a felony often of the treasonable genre. The most significant news regarding the Trump phenomenon is that he commands the blind and fanatical approbation of a third of the American electorate. And in the bubble of this blind adulation he has attained to personality cult figure with a charter to take impunity to rarefied heights. A uniquely valid and illuminating perspective within which we can understand and interpret the complexity of the year gone is the concept of the Esu divinity.

In Yoruba cosmology, the prevailing American context of Trump’s presidency and the deviant intra America self-destructive streak it has spawned is a typical Esu manifestation. The signature imprimatur of this dangerously mischievous divinity is written all over the bizarre turn America has taken in the past four years. Were Russia the custodian of Esu, it is hard to imagine a more efficient manner she could have deployed the messenger better than the one man wrecking crew of Donald Trump. Ifa proceeds from the premise that while embarking on any important course of action or venture, you are liable to the negative or positive intervention of Esu. Hence the need for Ifa divination to ascertain the disposition of the divinity and make consequential appeasement in the event of a negative portent. And the potential malevolent intervention of Esu cannot be rationally anticipated, it has to be spiritually discerned and disarmed.

Thus, America could not have anticipated that the far-fetched scenario of a perverse and destructive White House incumbent would sooner materialise in the four dimensional reality of Trump. Such improbability was what prompted the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to correlate his father-in-law with the black swan (according to the English dictionary, black swan is used to describe any phenomenon which occurs even though people think it impossible’). It is the reason why the American society was caught flatfooted in stupefication and bewilderment, when the unthinkable agent provocateur of Esu eventually showed up. Literarily buoyed by the luck of the devil, Trump stole in (in 2016) like a thief in the night. And there is no more appropriate allusion to the degenerate propensities of the American president than the character witness proffered by his otherwise reticent erstwhile chief of staff, General John Kelly. He is of the considered opinion that Trump is the most flawed individual he ever knew. Yet, this is a man reputed for the understatement of saying less than he intended to convey. Kelly was saying that there is hardly any earthly flaw or folly to which Trump is not irresistibly drawn-running the gamut of dishonest, delusional, inaccurate, pathological behaviour, evil, narcissism, scam, cancer on the American democracy….

Buhari The case of Nigeria can be likened to a crisis junky whose addiction thrives on keeping the revolving doors open for the endless procession of Nigerian Trumps. And none more typical than the current Nigerian Trump. In vintage Esu deployment, Nigeria was sold a dummy in the projection of Buhari as what he is not and he has spent the entire duration of his presidency proving this misfortune. Under him, Nigeria has increasingly become a grim and rapid turnover harvester of tragedies. Nigeria is now denominated by a vicious (chicken and egg) cycle of terrorism, nepotism and corruption.

It has been suggested that Nigerian military officers are making hay from the Boko Haram insurgency/business. If this is true, what then would be the motivation for such strategically placed individuals towards bringing a swift and expeditious end to the crisis? At the level of the larger Nigerian polity, how likely is it that the beneficiaries of the prevailing Buhari dispensation of brazen nepotism especially those assigned to so called ‘lucrative and juicy’ public offices would not view their posts as a charter and license for corrupt personal enrichment?

And as characteristic of the ill -disciplined Nigerian elite especially the nouveau rich, the beneficiaries of the ill gotten riches can be

relied upon to flaunt and stick it in the face of the downtrodden and impoverished masses.

Which in turn trigger and provoke the violent animus of many caught in the vicegrip of abject poverty. Which constitutes the most fertile ground for the cultivation and recruitment of terrorists, bandits, mercenaries and freelance criminals. The ensuing cyclical nature of this composite crisis of corruption, nepotism and terrorism is that one fuels the other and the other fuels another and vice versa. Nepotism fuels corruption and corruption fuels terrorism which fuels corruption and nepotism.

Following the precedents of Chibok and Dapchi, a reenactment was recently in the making in Kankara or so it seemed. Now, a measure of the free fall of Nigeria is that in any typical 24 hours timespan, one national tragedy would have crowded out another. Recall we were yet to come to terms with the macabre ritual of the mass decapitation of Borno farmers by a detachment of Boko Haram. Recall the insult upon injury presidential extenuation that the victims were paying the price of not seeking security clearance before embarking on their livelihood. The Kankara recurrence is, however, peculiar in many respects. It was matched with the arrival of President Buhari at Katsina State; and the sheer number of the targeted abductees was way too ambitious for any realistic chance of getting away with it.

Nonetheless and as speculated by Afenifere, it is not beyond the contemporary Nigerian dispensation that the whole episode is a scam.

By the same token, there is the possibility that the occurrence is indeed authentic- in the new Nigeria normal of reality imitating fiction.

Either way, it has a ring of tragicomedy to it all. Why would the office and authority of the president (as represented by Garba Shehu) get the approximate number of the kidnapped students so outlandishly wrong as to mistake ten for three hundred? How would the shepherding of three hundred children into the bush by foot and motorcycles defy the paraphernalia of Nigerian security forces within a few hours of notification? Why would the kidnappers compromise the success of their mission by encumbering themselves with such unwieldy crowd when a much more manageable size would have attracted the same attention?

Beyond America and Nigeria, Esu was starring globally as the harbinger of the Covid-19 pandemic- in his capacity as the arbiter that

In vintage Esu deployment, Nigeria was sold a dummy in the projection of Buhari as what he is not and he has spent the entire duration of his presidency proving this misfortune.

Under him, Nigeria has increasingly become a grim and rapid turnover harvester of tragedies. Nigeria is now denominated by a vicious (chicken and egg) cycle of terrorism, nepotism and corruption

separates us from the affliction of the malevolent spirits ie Ikú (death), òfò (poverty), òràn (danger), èpè (curse), èse(misdeed) àrùn, èwon, ègbà (sickness and disease). Esu has often been erroneously corresponded to the biblical Satan.

The essential difference between the two is that while Satan is unambiguously sold on evil, Esu can exercise himself for good or bad. As such he “is the neutral locus between good and evil as moral categories”. This ambiguous duality is demonstrated in the contradictory role Covid-19 has played in the contemporary American polity. More than any society with comparable scientific and technological capability, the United States stands out as disastrously impacted by the pandemic. To boot, it precipitated the near collapse of the American economy on whose buoyancy Trump had hoped to coast home to electoral victory in the November presidential election. While a better crisis manager might have converted the challenge of the pandemic to the opportunity for demonstrating elevated presidential leadership competence, it became for Trump an albatross for showcasing abject leadership failure. It is difficult to conceive a scenario in which Trump might have lost the election without the intervention of the pandemic force majeur. If, in the highly unfavourable circumstances of the 2020 presidential election, Trump could still garner a record 74 million votes, how would he have fared were there to be no compelling intervening variable of the order of Covid-19?. The rise and fall of the Trump presidency finds illustration in the ambiguous duality of Esu. Against the run of play, he was shockingly catapulted to the presidency on the currents of bigotry and spite (the wards of Esu) in 2016 and was brought down by another unique orchestration befitting of Esu. The 2020/2021 transition marked the exit of Trump and the deployment of the Covid-19 vaccine-and represents a positive momentum for America. Which begs the question of what does the same transition portends for Nigeria?

The Return of Tony Adefuye Talking of Esu and his malevolent messengers, here is one. The last we heard of him was the report by Chioma Gabriel that “I witnessed the beating given to some pro-democracy activists who betrayed the struggle. I was in Abiola’s house and personally witnessed the beating given to Tony Adefuye by Nigerian students.

He was stripped naked after the beating for betraying the struggle”.

The leopard that would not change its spots demonstrated the stuff he is made of by impressing his slave masters with this rogue infamy. “I believe in 2023, the APC will zone the presidential ticket to the South. When it comes to the South, then it will be narrowed down to the South-west because that is the only region that has not produced the President since 1999. Obasanjo is not a Yoruba man.

He is an Igbo man from the South-east. His father was from Anambra while his mother was a Yoruba woman”. Afenifere subsequently intervened to ensure that Esu and Adefuye do not have their day “That was a twisted and perverted logic. The South-west produced Nigeria’s president in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for eight years 1999-2007.

If anyone wants to be President, he should go ahead but not use the name of the highly sophisticated Yoruba race to push through a perverted logic to try to sell his candidacy.

Chief Obasanjo is a Yoruba.

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