MONDAY 17TH FEB, 2020

Emefiele Seeks Structures to Insulate Economy from Oil Shocks Says CBN will continue to push private sector credit Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has stressed the need to urgently diversify the economy and “create

institutional structures that will insulate the economy from oil shocks.”

Emefiele also warned that a potential fall in oil prices could debilitate the economy and adversely impact exchange

rate and heighten inflationary pressure.

The CBN governor said this in his personal comment at the January Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, obtained at the weekend.

The benchmark Brent crude price stood at $56.78 per barrel as at Saturday, $3.22 below the $60 oil benchmark for the 2020 budget.

“I reiterate that even as economic recovery stayed

fragile, effective anchoring of inflation expectations remain fundamental.

“Besides, potential fall in oil prices could debilitate the economy and adversely impact the exchange rate with

ramifications for inflation.

“It remains urgently imperative to diversify the economy and create institutional structures that Continued on page 10

Buhari Condemns Katsina Attacks, Masari Commiserates with Victims...

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Sylva Calls for Calm, Apologises to Buhari over APC’s Loss of Bayelsa Party writes INEC, demands fresh election Ejiofor Alike

CELEBRATING OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE...

L-R: General Manager, Refinery, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, Mr. Abdul Isa; Executive Director, Mr. Peter Ekhaesomhi; Vice Chairman, Mr. Danjuma Saleh; MD/CEO, Mr. Chikezie Nwosu; Chairman, Mr. AbdulRazaq Isa; External /Government Affairs Manager, Mrs. Eriye Onagoruwa and Director, Mr. Osten Olorunsola, at the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS 2020), where Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited won two awards - Refinery Project of the Year and Future Industry Leader, in Abuja... recently

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has called for calm and restraint over the nullification of the election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Mr. David Lyon, by the Supreme Court and the swearing in of Senator Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governor.

In a statement he personally signed, Sylva, who is the Continued on page 10

Intrigues as A’Court President, Bulkachuwa, Retires March 6 Pressure on next-in-line to move to Supreme Court

Alex Enumah in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

As the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, retires on March 6 when she attains the mandatory retirement age of 70 years, there have been behind-the-scene manoeuvres

by certain forces both within and outside the National Judicial Council (NJC) to influence the choice of her replacement, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

THISDAY gathered that though it is a tradition for the next most senior justice in the Court of Appeal to be

appointed as president once there is a vacancy, there are attempts to stop another female judge, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, who is next to Bulkachuwa in hierarchy, from succeeding her as the president of the appellate court.

Justice Dongban-Mensem,

daughter of a retired Court of Appeal judge, Justice M. B. Douglas-Mensem, is from the Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State and current presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, Jos Division.

THISDAY learnt that there were pressures on Justice Dongban-Mensen to agree to

be elevated to the Supreme Court so as to pave the way for Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, who is the next to her in seniority, to succeed Justice Bulkachuwa.

Justice Garba, who is the presiding justice of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, was the presiding

judge of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal for the 2019 election.

The tribunal upheld the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential poll, which was also upheld by Continued on page 10

Savings Accounts Not Exempted from Stamp Duty Charges, Says FG... Page 8

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

Buhari Condemns Katsina Attacks, Masari Commiserates with Victims

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend condemned the latest round of reprisals on farmers by bandits in Damkar and Tsanwa villages in Batsari Local Government

Area of Katsina State.

The president, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, described reprisals under whatever guise as unacceptable.

Buhari was reacting to the attacks in which at least 30

IMF: Coronavirus Could Damage Global Growth in 2020

The Coronavirus epidemic could damage global economic growth this year, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, said yesterday.

She was, however, optimistic that a sharp and rapid economic rebound could follow.

“There may be a cut that we are still hoping would be in the 0.1-0.2 percentage space,” Georgieva told the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai.

She said the full impact of the spreading disease that has already killed more than 1,600 people would depend on how quickly it was contained.

“I advise everybody not to jump to premature conclusions.

There is still a great deal of uncertainty. We operate with scenarios, not yet with projections, ask me in 10 days,” Georgieva said.

In its January update to the World Economic Outlook, the IMF lowered global economic growth forecast in 2020 by a 0.1 percentage point to 3.3 per cent, following a 2.9 per cent growth the previous year, the lowest in a decade.

Georgieva said it was “too early” to assess the full impact of the epidemic but acknowledged that it had already affected sectors such as tourism and

transportation.

“It is too early to say because we don’t yet quite know what is the nature of this virus. We don’t know how quickly China will be able to contain it. We don’t know whether it will spread to the rest of the world,” she said.

If the disease is “contained rapidly, there can be a sharp drop and a very rapid rebound”, in what is known as the V-shaped impact, she added.

Compared to the impact of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002, she said China’s economy then made up just 8.0 per cent of the global economy. Now, that figure is 19 per cent.

She said the trade agreement between the United States and China, the world’s first and second economies, had reduced the disease’s impact on the global economy.

But the world should be concerned “about sluggish growth” impacted by uncertainty, said the IMF chief.

“We are now stuck with low productivity growth, low economic growth, low-interest rates and low inflation,” she told the Dubai forum, also attended by US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and former British Prime Minister Theresa May.

people were killed and many homesteads razed.

Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, on his part, commiserated with the victims of the banditry in the state.

The president warned that “no one in the country has a right to take laws into his hands by the way of self-help or revenge."

He added: "Local communities that catch bandits should hand over the suspects to law enforcement authorities instead of meting out capital punishment, leading to a cycle of revenge and counter revenge.”

Buhari urged community leaders and local authorities to sustain efforts in partnering with law enforcement agencies,

which bring the bandits to surrender, resulting in peace between farmers and herders.

“The authorities must be allowed to investigate and deal with any breach that occurs. There is no place for violence in a decent society,” he said.

He prayed God to comfort the bereaved families and for the repose of the souls of the victims.

Masari also commiserated with the victims of the banditry.

Masari, who was speaking yesterday in Malumfashi during the disbursement of empowerment items to residents of Funtua senatorial zone, assured the people that his administration will continually frustrate the

operations of bandits and end banditry.

He said both the state and federal governments were determined and working assiduously to end the carnage by the bandits.

The governor added that strategic measures were being taken to curb banditry and urged members of the communities to assist security agencies with valuable information about miscreants and their informants.

He called on the National Assembly to strengthen national security by enacting relevant laws that will provide security operatives with working tools to end security challenges facing the nation.

The governor commiserated with the bereaved families

and prayed to God to give them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

Masari reaffirmed that the commitment of his administration to protect the lives and property of the people will not be derailed by the indiscriminate violence against innocent people orchestrated by bandits.

He said: "I want to seize this opportunity and commiserate with the people of Batsari Local Government over the attack that led to the death of about 27 people.

"And I think we need to look at a better security structure for this country for the betterment of Nigerians.

I therefore appeal to the Senate to strengthen national security."

IN THE LORD’S PRESENCE...

L-R: Chairman, Lagos branch, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Apostle Alexander Bamigbola; CAN President, Rev. Supo Ayokunle; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his wife, Ibijoke and wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, at CAN interdenominational service, in Lagos… weekend

Your Appeal to S’Court Baseless, Unwarranted, Uzodinma, APC Tell Ihedioha Alex Enumah in Abuja Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, that his request for the Supreme Court to review its judgment voiding his electoral victory is at best an academic exercise, which would yield nothing fruitful.

They described the appeal as baseless and unwarranted.

Uzodinma and the APC who are respondents in the application by Ihedioha asking the apex court to set aside its earlier order, which removed him from office, noted that by the provisions of the law and public policy, there ought to be an end to litigation.

Ihedioha, who was sworn in last May as governor of Imo State was on January 14, 2020 removed as governor on the grounds that he did not win majority of lawful votes cast

at the March 9 governorship election before he was declared winner of the poll.

According to the apex court, the failure of INEC to include votes from 388 polling units robbed Uzodinma of victory at the poll.

But Ihedioha, displeased with the judgment of the Supreme Court, had approached the court with an application to set aside its decision on the grounds that the apex court judgment was a nullity because it was a product of fraud, adding that the court was also misled in arriving at its judgment.

But the two respondents in a reply to Ihedioha's motion, claimed that the request is nothing but a mere academic exercise and an affront to the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

In a 19-paragraph affidavit filed in opposition to Ihedioha's application, the governor and his party said the 60 days allowed for the Supreme Court

by the constitution has since lapsed.

"The undisputed facts relating to the respondents/ applicants’ motion hereinafter referred to as “the motion” are to the effect that the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on 21st September, 2019 while the one sought to be set aside was delivered on 14th January, 2020. Clearly, the 60 days allowed by Section 285(7) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for this Hon. Court to hear and determine appeal from the Court of Appeal in an election matter, lapsed on January 17, 2020. The motion to set aside was filed on February 5, 2020, 19 days after the time allowed by the Constitution.

"It is now a settled law that the 60 days’ time limit to determine and conclude litigation on election matters is sacrosanct and cannot be extended by any guise," they stated in the counter-affidavit filed on their behalf by their lawyer, Mr. Damian Dodo

(SAN).

In the counter-affidavit deposed to by one Mathew Mola, the two respondent said the apex court was not in the habit of sitting on appeal over its own judgment as being demanded by Ihedioha.

The respondents said since January 14 when the apex court delivered the landmark judgment that brought Uzodinma to power, the court had since ceased to have the constitutional power to adjudicate on the declaration of Uzodinma as the winner of the March 9, 2019, governorship election in Imo State.

The deponent averred that by the rule of the apex court, the court is prohibited from reviewing its own judgment once delivered except to correct clerical mistakes or accidental slips.

"As the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court jealously guides its process against abuse by litigants", he

said, "and does not indulge in academic exercise or answer by hypothetical questions".

The deponent said contrary to the claim of Ihedioha in his application, the scores of all the candidates in the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were clearly set out, adding that a petitioner whose votes were excluded from the declared results is entitled to compute the votes excluded in the presentation of his case.

The counter-affidavit denied the allegation that Uzodinma admitted that he allocated votes to himself or that the votes in the 388 polling units were in excess of the registered voters.

"I know as a fact that the issue of total number of votes cast exceeding the total number of accredited voters did not arise from the petition or the appeal considered and determined by the Supreme Court.

"I also know that the issue of the votes of 68 other candidates

not been reflected was never raised by Ihedioha in the appeal that led to the judgment now been challenged,” he added.

Describing Ihedioha's allegations as wild and baseless, the deponent said Uzodinma and APC did not mislead the Supreme Court to perpetrate any fraud in the appeal that brought them to power.

Uzodinma and APC in their joint preliminary objection prayed the Supreme Court to strike out the request for being baseless and unwarranted.

They argued that the application by Ihedioha constitutes a gross abuse of court process, exercise in futility and an attempt to force the apex court to sit on appeal in its own judgment.

They said by Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Supreme Court could no longer adjudicate in the matter having become statute-barred.

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Savings Accounts Not Exempted from Stamp Duty Charges, Says FG Dike Onwuamaeze The federal government has clarified that deposits into savings accounts that is up to N10,000 are not exempted from the payment of N50 stamp duty under the Finance Act of 2020.

Director General of Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Ben Akabueze, said in Lagos at the weekend that the Finance Act, 2020 did not make any distinction to that effect.

He spoke in Lagos at the weekend during the KPMG Nigeria’s Tax Breakfast Seminar on 2020 National Budget and Finance Act. “The Finance Act makes no distinction between savings and current accounts. So, if people are now planning to become owners of savings account, let them know that it won’t work,” Akabueze said.

Also at the occasion, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Mr.

Muhammad Nami, warned owners of businesses who would divert payments due to their businesses to their personal accounts, saying they should not get away with the unwholesome act as FIRS has the software to trace such diversions with account holders’ BVN. Nami also said filing of returns on goods and services consumed in 2019 but were paid for after the Finance Act of 2020 came into effect would be computed at the old Value Added Tax (VAT) rate of five per cent.

“I think that is the way to go for now. But for every service that was consumed from February 1, 2020, will be charged the new VAT rate of 7.5 per cent,” he said.

He added that the FIRS and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning would issue a public statement to clarify the confusion trailing the issue of taxation of a foreign business with

significant presence in Nigeria.

The statement, according to him, would be ready once the agencies are through with their deliberation on the subject.

“We have a very competent team that is working on that and in a very short while you will get the public notice.

“We cannot hope to see any improvement in the delivery of public services if we don’t increase tax revenues. The good thing about paying taxes is that it awakens the citizens to hold their government more

accountable,” he said.

Akabueze also stated that there was no going back on the payment of minimum taxes by businesses whether they make profit or not.

“The truth is that a business imposes demand on government budget whether it is running at a loss or not because it uses public infrastructure provided and maintained by public revenue. That is why we need to push back the insinuation against the imposition of minimum tax obligations on companies.

Otherwise we will not make a head way in improving

government services,” he said.

However, the Chairman of KPMG Africa, Mr. Kunle Elebute, advised the government to introduce reforms that would catalyse Nigeria’s economic growth rate and enhance activities for firms so that they would earn more taxable income.

“We need to see more robust growth in this economy for the government to register higher tax revenues. We need to see growth in the housing sector by having long term mortgage market for 20 to 25 years on a single digit

interest rate. This will enable the housing sector to drive most businesses,” Elebute said, adding that the Finance Act would bring clarity in government fiscal policy.

The Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Mr. Austin Avuru, in his speech, said: “Let me say that every operator wants to make as high a taxable margin as possible. Because government will collect high tax and he will collect high profit. There is none of us that will want his tax margin room to be low. It doesn’t pay us anything.”

Lawan: N’Assembly Remains Resolute in Finding Solutions to Insecurity Deji Elumoye in Abuja The President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, yesterday said that the National Assembly would continue to work with President Muhammadu Buhari to find lasting solutions to the current insecurity in the country.

This is coming as the 18man Ad-hoc committee on security set up by the Senate to interface with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the three service chiefs on the security challenges facing the country has failed to meet the two-week deadline given to it to submit its report.

Lawan stated this while at Malumfashi in Katsina State, at the Constituency Empowerment programme sponsored by Senator Bello Mandiya representing Funtua Senatorial District in the Senate.

According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant (Press) to the President of the Senate, Mr. Ezrel Tabiowo, the Senate president also commiserated with the people of Katsina State over the recent deadly attacks in the state by the bandits.

"I want to assure you that we are going to continue to work with President Buhari till we are able to find lasting solutions to this problem of insecurity in our country.

"We will also ensure that government provides infrastructure across the country that makes life meaningful for Nigerians," Lawan said.

The occasion which drew a large crowd of party faithful and supporters was also attended by Governor Aminu

Bello Masari of Katsina State.

Lawan applauded Senator Mandiya for his initiative in empowering his constituents and assured him of his support.

"Today, we are supporting a young man, who has been supported by the people of Funtua zone. Senator Bello Mandiya has been a very loyal, committed and reliable senator.

"I want to inform you, his senatorial district, that you have found a worthy successor to Senator Abu Ibrahim in Senator Mandiya.

"They say the young shall grow. This young senator will grow very rapidly because he has very good hands taking care of him.

"For me, I remain committed to making sure Senator Bello Mandiya succeeds and he grows and mature into a great Senator," Lawan said.

The Senate president said the constituency project is so badly misconstrued by many.

"This (constituency project) is what we call the empowerment of the most ordinary Nigerians that otherwise wouldn’t have been remembered when you’re talking about the national budget.

"But because members of the National Assembly are so close to the ordinary man, we try to look for those issues that make a difference in their individual and collective lives.

"So for those who would today receive the motorcycles, the water pumps for irrigation and other items here, I want to congratulate you and assure you that this is just the beginning," Lawan said.

SETTING THE BALL ROLLING...

L-R: Former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie; Chancellor/Founder, Gregory University, Uturu, Prof. Gregory Iyke Ibe, and Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, at the laying of foundation for the Transport and Logistics Institute at the university in Uturu, Abia State... weekend

Again, W’Africa’s Ministers Meet over Nigeria’s Border Closure Ejiofor Alike with agency reports Less than one week after the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government constituted a committee, headed by President Roch Kabore of Burkina Faso, to study and make a full report on Nigeria’s land border closure with her neighbours, West African ministers met at the weekend in Burkina Faso´s capital, Ouagadougou, to search for solutions to Nigeria’s decision to close its borders.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been at loggerheads with Nigeria since it shut its land frontiers with Niger and Benin to curb smuggling of rice and other commodities.

The move “strikes at the roots of our grouping — the

free circulation of people and goods”, said Niger´s army chief, Gen. Salou Djibo, from the conference in Burkina Faso´s capital Ouagadougou.

“The unilateral closure of the borders goes against all the commercial and free movement treaties signed by Nigeria in the framework of ECOWAS,” he said.

Nigeria’s decision drew the ire of its neighbours, particularly Benin, which shares an economically vital land border and where many citizens thrive from exporting to Nigeria.

The border has become a port of entry for tonnes of rice into Nigeria, which it has banned to boost local production.

Nigeria has also accused Benin of benefiting from the illegal importation of subsidised oil, costing the government billions of dollars

in subsidy.

Last Sunday, the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government constituted a committee, headed by President Roch Kabore of Burkina Faso, to study and make a full report on Nigeria’s land border closure with her neighbours.

The decision to set up the committee was agreed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at an extraordinary session of ECOWAS leaders convened on the margins of the 33rd AU Summit to discuss the issue and other pressing regional matters.

Nigeria closed its land borders last August mainly to check smuggling of agricultural and petroleum products.

The federal government said the border closure has been positive for the economy as local production of food

such as rice increased while local consumption of petrol has also reduced.

Nigeria has vowed to continue the border closure until Benin, Niger and Chad ensure they properly regulate their sides of the borders.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, had told journalists after the threehour closed door ECOWAS session that ‘‘The President of Burkina Faso is charged with undertaking a full study of the situation, make a report and then we take it from there.’’

Asked when the report will be presented to ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, the Nigerian minister replied: ‘‘As soon as possible, there are no timelines. But he is supposed to start very quickly, study the situation from all the affected countries and present his report.’’

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PAGE TEN INTRIGUES AS A’COURT PRESIDENT, BULKACHUWA, RETIRES MARCH 6 the Supreme Court.

On her part, DongbanMensem, in 2015, headed a fiveman appeal panel that upheld the ruling of the governorship election petition tribunal in Rivers State, which sacked Governor Nyesom Wike and ordered a rerun within 90 days.

The verdict was, however, upturned by the apex court.

A source privy to the intrigues told THISDAY that when Justice Donghan-Mensen was consulted that she would be nominated for elevation to the Supreme Court, she declined the offer.

The source said she was consulted to avoid a repeat of the crisis that occurred when a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, declined his nomination to the Supreme Court after his name had been sent to the National Judicial Council (NJC) without his knowledge.

It was learnt that the pressures were so much on her that those close to her were also contacted to prevail on her to accept the elevation, all to no avail.

The source said it took the intervention of a high-ranking member of the NJC for those

plotting to scheme her out to back out of the plot.

THISDAY gathered that the NJC member who is from the South-west, pointedly told his colleagues behind the plot that “since her Lordship has expressed her preference to be left alone at the Court of Appeal, putting pressures on her to accept the nomination of elevation to the Supreme Court is uncalled for.”

"It took the intervention of the senior member of the NJC for her to be left alone. Those behind the scheming are out to ensure that a Northern Muslim succeeds Justice Bulkachuwa as the President, Court of Appeal," the source added.

Section 238 of the Constitution states that for a person to be appointed as the President of the Court of Appeal, the NJC must recommend him or her to the President of the country for appointment.

THISDAY gathered that though the NJC members who wanted to stop DongbamMensen may have given up, there are still forces outside the NJC who have not given up.

The spokesman of the NJC, Mr. Soji Oye, however, told

THISDAY that the process for the appointment of the next President of the Court of Appeal has not started.

Speaking to THISDAY on the process for the appointment, a constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Sebastine Hon, said although it is traditional for the next most senior justice in the Court of Appeal to be appointed as president, Buhari could appoint any qualified person he so chooses.

"Normally under the constitution anybody who has practised law for the past 15 years is qualified to be appointed a justice of the Court of Appeal and he also can be appointed the president of the court of appeal.

"In accordance with tradition followed over time, the next most senior person is usually appointed the president of the Court of Appeal," he stated.

According to him, it has become a legal tradition to appoint the next in line to avoid friction and ensure smooth working of the system.

"There is also advantage there because everybody who works as a justice of the Court

of Appeal up to that level and having acquired that experience expects to become the president someday.

"So it is only natural and since it has been established as a practice or tradition. I hope and prayed that the next most senior person be made the president of the Court of Appeal.

"The process commences by the Federal Judicial Service Commission nominating and forwarding to the National Judicial Council (NJC) a candidate for the post, then the NJC would now recommend to the President of Nigeria for appointment.

"It can be done within two days, three days, one week but it is not late yet to do it", he said.

Another senior lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), noted that the shortlisted names by the Federal Judicial Service Commission are first filtered by the NJC before they are sent to the president who will now nominate for appointment and send to the Senate for confirmation.

"Once he is confirmed that is it", he said.

On the powers of the president to appoint, Raji stated that the

president could appoint anyone provided that the person meets the minimum requirement prescribed by the constitution and is eligible.

"The president can go to the Supreme Court to second somebody because the President of the Court of Appeal is on the same standing and status as a Supreme Court judge; they are at the same par in hierarchy. So, if he has issue with them at the Court of Appeal, somebody can come down from the Supreme Court.

"But before the appointment is made, if there is a vacancy, the president is obliged to appoint the most senior of the justices to act pending the substantive appointment.

"It is mandatory to appoint the most senior person to act, but when it comes to the substantive appointment, the president can choose anybody. He can pick from the academia; he can pick from the Supreme Court; he can pick any other justice of the court - the most senior does not necessarily have to have it.

For example, if the most senior is having just few months to reach retirement there is no point, just

bring somebody from below," he said.

Justice Dongbam -Mensem received both her LL.B and LL.M degrees from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

She is an authority on criminal and civil procedure law, taxation and international public finance, public international law, legislative drafting, constitutional and administrative law and international commercial transactions, according to her website.

She has a postgraduate diploma from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, Russel Square, London, and started as a registrar at the Plateau State High Court in 1979 and later became a magistrate of various grades up to chief magistrate between 1981 and 1990.

Between 1990 and 1993, she served as deputy chief registrar, superior courts and protocol affairs and was appointed judge, High Court of Justice, Plateau State Judiciary from 1993 to 1996.

On transfer from the former, she became the judge, Federal Capital Territory judiciary from 1997 to 2003.

Pereworinimi being declared and returned as winner of the election,’’ the letter reads.

“Our attention has been drawn to the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on February 14, 2020 in the pre-election appeal filed by the PDP and its governorship as well as deputy governorship,’’ Oshiomhole wrote. ‘‘In the said judgment of the Supreme Court, the candidature of our governorship and deputy governorship candidates were nullified and the commission was ordered to issue fresh certificate of returns with the highest number of votes and with the required geographical spread.

“It is however to be noted that the Supreme Court did not void the votes that our party polled at the election and the implication of this is that the votes of the APC must be reckoned with in determining whether any other candidate polled majority of lawful votes cast in one-quarter of at least two thirds majority of the state. ‘‘We have reviewed the judgment of the Supreme Court and we are of the firm opinion that the candidates of the PDP cannot be issued certificate of return and or sworn in as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State respectively. ‘‘We are aware of that section 179(1)(b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria mandatorily requires a candidate for an election to the office of governor of a state to have not

less than one quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two thirds of all the local government areas in the state before the candidate can be deemed to have been duly elected as the Governor of the State.

This mandatory requirement was affirmed by the supreme court in the judgment under reference.”

The letter highlighted that Bayelsa State has eight local government areas, hence the two thirds of at least eight local government areas will be approximated to six local government areas.

“From the results announced and duly published by the commission, it is clear that no candidates meet this mandatory constitutional requirement, including the candidates of the PDP who only managed to poll one quarter of the votes cast in only five local government areas,” the APC said.

The party said its position is fortified by the fact that there is a condition precedent to the winner being issued a certificate of return.

“The candidate of the PDP or any other candidate whatsoever, none satisfies the requirement of one quarter of the votes cast in at least 2/3 of the local government areas in the state as required by the supreme court judgment further request that a fresh election be conducted by the commission for the office of the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State,” the letter highlighted.

SYLVA CALLS FOR CALM, APOLOGISES TO BUHARI OVER APC’S LOSS OF BAYELSA state leader of the party and a former governor of the state, also apologised to President Muhammadu Buhari for the disruption of his earlier scheduled visit to the state to witness the inauguration of Lyon as governor before the Supreme Court judgment.

The Supreme Court last Thursday had voided the election of Lyon, on the eve of his inauguration, over the qualification of his running mate and deputy governor-elect, Mr. Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo.

The court said Lyon's running mate presented false information and was, therefore, not eligible to run.

The apex court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue the political party and candidate with the second highest votes a certificate of return.

The PDP's Diri, who came second in the election, received the certificate of return on February 14 and was sworn in same day.

The Supreme Court judgment triggered a wave of protests and arsons by APC supporters who lit bonfires on major streets of Yenagoa, the state capital, and allegedly torched the homes of Diri and his predecessor, Hon. Seriake Dickson.

In his first statement since the Supreme Court aborted the dream of APC to take over Bayelsa, which has been PDP’s stronghold since 1999, Sylva urged the residents of the state

to "shun all acts of violence and lawlessness."

In apologising to Buhari, he said: "Also of great importance to me is to extend my profound apology to our President, HE (His Excellency) Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, over the avoidable disruption to his busy schedule, which was caused by the events of the moment. I am aware that Mr. President and his lovely wife, HE Aisha Buhari, had concluded arrangements to travel to Bayelsa to witness the inauguration of the APC governorship candidate as governor of Bayelsa State. I, therefore extend my apology to Mr. President and members of his entourage."

Sylva asked the people of Bayelsa State to apply "restraint at all times," adding that even though "the events of the last few days are as painful as they are regrettable, however tempting it might be for anyone to take the law into their hands, such temptation must be resisted in the greater interest of our state and the political stability of the country at large."

He said the APC leadership had directed its team of legal experts to "study the situation critically and proffer legal options available to the party accordingly."

"We should therefore all remain faithful to, and have confidence in, the wisdom and ability of the party leadership to provide direction at this very sensitive time," he added.

The minister urged the people, "irrespective of whatever

differences there may be to eschew violence and respect the security measures put in place by appropriate authorities."

He gave assurance that "despite this temporary setback, APC in Bayelsa remains strong and its members resolute in our support for the ideals of a greater and prosperous Nigeria as envisioned

by President Buhari.”

Following the violence that greeted the Supreme Court’s verdict, the Bayelsa Police Command had imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Usher Anozie, while briefing journalists on Friday in Yenagoa, had said the curfew was from 8 p.m to 6a.m., and from Friday to Sunday (yesterday).

“We are to brief on what happened today, where angry politicians stormed the streets of Yenagoa which went violent.

“The police have arrested about eight suspects in connection with the protest.

“In this process, the command has imposed dusk-to-dawn curfew in the state from 8p.m. to 6a.m.

“Members of the public should stay in their houses because the command is ready to arrest anybody. Avoid anything that can cause the breakdown of law,” he had said.

APC Writes INEC, Demands Fresh Governorship Election in Bayelsa

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded a fresh election in Bayelsa State.

The party said the swearing-in of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (APC) as governor was unconstitutional as he did not meet the mandatory constitutional requirement.

The National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, in a letter of appeal to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), affirmed the supremacy of the Supreme Court nullification of its governorship candidate’s victory, but argued that the sworn-in candidate, Duoye Diri, also failed to meet the mandatory requirement to become the governor.

The letter, which was forwarded to the national chairman of INEC, was titled, ‘Judgment in Appeal No: SC.1/2020 between Peoples Democratic Party Request for conduct of fresh governorship election in Bayelsa State’.

It said the court judgment did not void the votes that the APC polled at the election and the implication of this is that the votes of the party must be reckoned with. ‘’Kindly recall that the governorship election in Bayelsa State was conducted on November 16, 2019 and our great party, the APC, duly participated at the said election.

You will also recall that the APC emerged victorious at the election leading to our Lyon David

EMEFIELE SEEKS STRUCTURES TO INSULATE ECONOMY FROM OIL SHOCKS will insulate the economy from oil shocks,” he explained.

According to him, following a tepid performance in 2019, global macroeconomic condition is expected to stabilise in 2020, as growth momentum inches up, albeit, sluggishly. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), global growth for 2020 is projected at 3.3 per cent, from 2.9 per cent in 2019.

The projection was buoyed by expected positive outcome of the US-China trade talks, favourable execution of Brexit, and ample monetary policy stimulus.

Regardless, downside risks subsist and market sentiments remain fragile, especially as heightening geopolitical tensions between US and Iran amplified global uncertainties.

However, for the Nigerian economy, the CBN governor said short-term outlook remained modest while output growth recovery was expected to progress.

He stated that CBN analysis forecast growth at about 2.4 per cent for 2020, from 2.2 per cent estimated for 2019.

This, according to Emefiele, could be accompanied by a gradual rise in inflation over the short-term, driven largely by structural and monetary factors in the domestic space.

“Data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows evidence of consolidation in economic recovery as real GDP growth increased to 2.3 per cent in 2019 Q3, from 2.1 per cent in 2019 Q2.

“Analyses indicate that the oil sector grew by 6.5 per cent, contributing 0.6 percentage point to total growth while non-oil sector, with a growth of 1.9 per cent, accounted for 1.7 percentage points with a robust prospect for 2019 Q4 outcome.

“The favourable growth sentiment is supported by positive Purchasing Managers’ Index –both in the manufacturing and non-manufacturing indexes–

buoyed by the continued foreign exchange (FX) market stability and the enhanced credit flows to the real private sector of the economy,” he stated.

Emefiele noted that regardless of the upswing, cautious policy was irrefutable as growth was still low while per capita income and unemployment rate remained outside tolerable levels.

“Besides, the modest shortterm prospect is threatened by a delicate oil price dynamics, weak aggregate demand, persistent herder–farmer conflicts and prevalent security challenges.

“I am of the view that a favourable resolution of these challenges, reinforced by sustained FX stability, as well as continued implementation of the Loan-to-Deposit Ratio (LDR) policy, will further boost short-term outlook.

“Data on domestic prices shows a displeasing and continued uptick in year-on-year headline inflation rate from 11.85

per cent in November 2019 to 11.98 percent in December, with near-term outlook suggesting a gradual build-up of inflationary pressure up to mid-2020. The observed rise reflects the 0.19 and 0.34 percentage points increases in both food and core inflation to 14.67 and 9.33 per cent, respectively, over the preceding month,” he added.

He said analysis showed that food inflation derived from the Yuletide spending was exacerbated by the adverse effects of security challenges along some food producing belts.

Though near-term upside inflationary risks subsist, the existing foreign exchange stability and ongoing aggregate supply boosting policies of the CBN were expected to continue to dampen emerging pressure, he said.

“Net domestic credit expanded by 27.3 per cent, reflecting the 92.9 per cent growth in government credits and the

13.6 per cent rise in private sector credits.

“I note the robust and progressing outturn of domestic private sector credits. While this reflects our recent inclination on LDR, I continue to emphasise the importance of enhanced credit flows to strategic private sector ventures through an effective collaboration of all stakeholders.

“I reiterate that CBN will continue to propel credits to the private sector, even as I remain mindful of the risk aversion of banks to supposedly high-risk real sector ventures.

“I note the improvements in banks’ Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) position and our continuing efforts at de-risking the target sectors.

“Robust credits will bolster domestic investment, household demand and factor productivity while accelerating economic diversification, and ensuring strong and inclusive growth,” he added.

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NGN NGN 0.24 2.74 0.05 0.26 0.05 0.70 0.05 1.15 0.05 1.25 NGN 2.80 25.20 0.05 0.45 0.12 1.11 CHAMS PLC 0.03 0.28 JAPAUL 0.02 0.20 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,242.00 Volume: 132.624 million shares Value: N1.279 billion Deals: 3,189 As at Friday 14/02/2020 See details on Page 37

% 9.6 8.3 7.6 4.5 4.1 % 10 10 9.7 9.6 9.0

MONDAY FEBRUARY 17 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Bayelsa: House Minority Caucus Demands Prosecution of Oshiomhole, APC Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s minority caucus in the House of Representatives has demanded the immediate prosecution of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and the party itself for violating Section 31(8) of the

Electoral Act. Section 31(8) states that a political party, which presents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the name of a candidate who does not meet the qualifications stipulated in this section, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N500,000.

The caucus in a statement issued yesterday by its leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, also hailed the emergence of Senator Diri Douye as governor of Bayelsa State through a Supreme Court judgment delivered last Thursday. The caucus stated: “Consequent upon the judgment, We call for the immediate arrest

and prosecution of the National Chairman of the APC and the APC as a corporate entity under Section 31(8) of the Electoral Act, which provides that a political party which presents to the commission the name of a candidate who does not meet the qualifications stipulated in this section, commits an offence

and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N500,000.00”.

The caucus also demanded the prosecution of the deputy governorship candidate of APC in the November 2019 Governorship Election in Bayelsa State under criminal Code.”

The caucus urged the new governor to fully concentrate

on the task of ensuring good governance and delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Bayelsa State and Nigerians in general.

The PDP caucus however assured that it would continue to call for and work towards deepening democratic practices in the country.

Nigerians Have Right to Protest against Insecurity, Falana Replies Presidency Akinwale Akintunde Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana has stressed that Nigerians have right to protest against any perceived injustice in the country.

Falana said this yesterday, while reacting to a statement issued by the Presidency warning Nigerians to stop protesting against the rising wave of insecurity in the country.

A Presidential Spokesperson, Mr. Shehu Garba, was quoted to have said in the warning statement that “the Presidency wishes to caution a section of the political class against misleading the public and inciting protests against the heads of military institutions.

“This has become necessary in view of received reports that about 2, 000 men and women have been hired to demonstrate against Nigeria’s service chiefs on Monday.”

Reacting to this warning, Falana in a statement issued yesterday said the Presidency has no power to stop any

peaceful protest in the country.

According to him, the right to assemble and protest peaceful was won by the Nigerian people in the case of All Nigerian People’s Party v Inspector-General of Police (2008) 12 WRN 65.

The SAN urged authorities of the Nigeria Police Force not to harrass aggrieved Nigerians for protesting against perceived injustice in the country.

“The authorities of the Nigeria Police Force are urged not to harrass aggrieved Nigerians for protesting against the perceived injustice in the country. After all, a group of citizens was allowed to demonstrate in Abuja last week in support of the prosecution of the counterinsurgency operations by the service chiefs.

“On that occasion, the group called on the federal government to expel Amnesty International from Nigeria for criticising the service chiefs. Without any evidence whatsoever the Presidency has alleged that those who are calling for the replacement of the service chiefs are working for the Boko Haram sect.”

GIVING BACK TO HIS CONSTITUENTS ...

L – R: Senator representing Funtua Senatorial District of Katsina State, Senator Bello Mandiya; President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; and Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, at a Constituency Empowerment Programme organised by Senator Mandiya for his constituents in Malumfashi, Katsina State…yesterday

US Threatened FG over Abacha Loot, Says EFCC The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that the United States threatened the federal government to ensure that the over $308million looted and laundered abroad by former Head of State, the late Gen. Sani Abacha, is not re-stolen in Nigeria again, otherwise it would recover the money from Nigeria.

The warning was sequel to the February 4, 2020, repatriation pact the federal government signed with the US, and the government of Jersey to return

the money.

The EFCC, which was also involved in the pact, said the US government warned against the money being re-looted.

The anti-graft agency’s Secretary, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, said this in Lagos at the weeked during an anticorruption walk organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Olukoyede said: “Two weeks ago, I was privileged to be on the team that went to recover

$308million for Nigeria. They are from Washington.

“You know what they told us when we wanted to sign the treaty? They had the audacity to look into our eyes and said: ‘If you people steal this money again, we will collect it back from you.’

“I stood up against them, I said: ‘We are not a corrupt nation. A few people might have stolen money, but Nigeria is not a corrupt nation. We have a lot of youths who are not corrupt.

“And you know it is not their

fault, (they said that) because they have seen recovered loot being looted again.”

Olukoyede urged the youths to shun corruption and be diligent in whatever they do.

He said: “We have arrested so many youths. If we keep putting youths in jail, what is going to be the future of Nigeria?

“So, we want to encourage you; where ever you see corrupt practice, say no to it. Resist it.

If anyone is trying to lure you to it, say no. You can win by integrity. Integrity pays.”

Boko Haram attacks were repelled by the military in Damaturu, the Yobe capital yesterday evening.

The insurgents had earlier created panic among the residents of Babbangida, the headquarters of Tarmuwa Local Government Area about 50 kilometres from the state capital, Damaturu.

The insurgents were believed to have moved from Damasak,

Government Area in Borno State and transited through Mafa, which shares border with Babbangida on the eastern axis.

However, the spokesman of the army in Damaturu, Lt. Chinonso Oteh disclosed that the terrorists just transited through Babbangida and did not launch any attack on the town.

The insurgents emerged in Damaturu exchanging gunshots with the military as they tried to

They were said to have even thrown explosives at the northern entrance of Damaturu where they engaged the military.

According to some residents of Zannah Zakariya Housing Estate, who spoke to THISDAY, they started hearing heavy gunshots just after Magrib prayer (7.30p.m.) at the entrance of Damaturu near Yobe State Police headquarters.

Speaking on the incident, the Assistant Acting Assistant

Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole, Lt. Chinonso Oteh said troops of the Nigerian Army repelled the attempted infiltration of Damaturu by the terrorists who came through Babbangida road.

“Our men engaged the Boko Haram terrorists in a heavy gun battle this evening (Sunday) along Babbangida road while on their way to Damaturu,” Oteh said.

SERAP Gives FG Seven-day Ultimatum to Disclose Details Military Foils Boko Haram’s Attack on Damaturu of Recovered Abacha Loot Director of Public Relations, Michael Olugbode in Damaturu the headquarters of Mobbar Local capture the capital town.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the federal government to disclose within seven days, details of about $5 billion recovered from a former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha (rtd).

SERAP in a statement yesterday said that it had sent two Freedom of Information requests to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abukabar Malami, seeking the exact amount of public funds stolen and how much has been recovered since the return of democracy in 1999.

“We are concerned that substantial part of the estimated $5 billion returned Abacha loot since 1999 may have been diverted, re-stolen or mismanaged, and in any case remain unaccounted for.

“Getting to the root of the exact amount of the Abacha loot and how the returned funds have been spent is important for the success of the government’s fight against grand corruption

and would reassure Nigerians that the government is truly committed to ensuring full accountability for the alleged corruption and mismanagement in the spending of the funds.

“Disclose within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of our Freedom of Information requests the exact amount of public funds stolen by a former military head of state, Sani Abacha and details of spending of about $5 billion recovered loot since the return of democracy in 1999.”

According to SERAP, failure by the federal government to provide the information requested will show signs of inconsistency and accountability to the general public.

“Any failure or refusal to provide the information requested will be clearly inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the FoI Act. The accountability of government to the general public is a hallmark of modern democratic governance, a norm of human rights and a tool to curb corruption.”

Southern, M’Belt Leaders Back Senate’s Consideration of 2014 Confab Report Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) has backed the decision of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review to consider the report of the 2014 National Constitutional Conference.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who heads the committee, had last week hinted that the report of the confab submitted to the seventh National Assembly by

the then President Goodluck Jonathan, would be given priority of place in the committee’s assignment.

Lauding the Senate committee’s decision at the weekend, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum in a statement jointly signed by Mr. Yinka Odumakin (South West); retired General CRU Ihekire, (South East); Senator Bassey Henshaw (South South); and Dr isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), expressed

their readiness to work with the committee to realise its objectives.

“We welcome their decision with a promise of our readiness to offer them all necessary cooperation in this regard”.

According to the leaders, Nigeria is currently bleeding and needs to be salvaged from possible disintegration.

The forum alluded to the bad state of the country as testified to by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan,

who declared after a recent meeting with President Buhari that the country had reached a “tipping point”.

“This is why the committee has to give the assignment all the seriousness it deserves knowing full well that it is an opportunity to make history if they found an anchor for a polity in distress. We shall take more than a passing interest in the work of the committee as we pray for God to guide them alright,” the leaders stated.

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MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Coronavirus: Fashola Urges Contractors to Source Materials Locally Promises uninterrupted funding of Itu-Odukpani road project Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Dike Onwuamaeze in Lagos The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola at the weekend charged contractors handling the Aba/ Ikot-Ekpene Road, to source and deploy equipment locally to fast-track the pace of work on the road project, pending the reduction of the spread of Covid19 virus in China.

Fashola has also assured that the construction of Itu-Odukpani Road would be financed from the Sukuk fund in order to ensure

that work does not stop till the project is completed.

The minister was reacting to the complaints by one of the contractors attached to Messrs CGGC Global Projects Nigeria Limited, who told him that the equipment and some of the personnel they wanted to use were stuck in China as a result of the outbreak of corona virus.

A statement by a Deputy Director of Press in the ministry, Mr. Stephen Kilebi, noted that the minister also directed that all broken down vehicles along the highways in the country should

be removed, stressing that they were hindering smooth work on most of the roads.

“Start hiring local equipment and hire local people that you need, start training them for engagement while waiting for the one from China.

“Try and repair the bad portions first before the rains come, so that these people will know that their government care about them. So, if you do

not finish the construction of the road, they will know the road is getting better,” he said.

At the Odukpani-Itu road in Cross River, the minister expressed optimism that the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited that is handling 21 Kilometres of the road will do everything possible to ensure that the road is usable during the rainy season.

He said the federal government had enlisted the project as part

of the SUKUK funding scheme, assuring that work will not stop.

Fashola assured Nigerians that his ministry had made plans to immediately remove any broken down truck on the highways as part of measures to ensure free flow of traffic this year while construction work is on-going.

He also inspected the rehabilitation of the OdukpaniAkpet-Alesi -Ugep road in conclusion of his one-week

tour of some federal roads in the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones of the country.

He said: “Government intends to adopt a strategy of immediate removal of broken down trucks along Nigerian highways to avoid commuters being delayed.

This would also apply to all the highways where trucks get stuck easily like the Numan road in Taraba state, Calabar-Itu road and Abeokuta-Ota road.

House to Reintroduce Diaspora Voting Bill Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for diaspora voting, the House of Representatives is considering reintroducing the bill to give it a legal backing.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media, Hon. Ben Kalu, told journalists at the weekend in Abuja that the bill, when passed into law, would pave the way for Nigerians in Diaspora to take part in the selection process of leaders.

He also said the House would on Wednesday unveil the ‘Green Magazine’, an in-house journal that would enable it to tell its own story.

Kalu also noted that the House presently has 679 bills at various stages, while 278 motions had been passed as at last Wednesday.

He stated: “The participation of the Diaspora in our economic growth is huge, the amount of remittances from the Diaspora to Nigeria has given us a lot

of assistance, increasing the GDP of this country. So, to care about them and look into what is their interest should be a priority because we are saying those who are there who are gainfully employed should remember home and if they are remembering home then, we should also take care of what is their desire, especially when it is in line with international best practices. I was part of the Diaspora in the time past.

Colleagues, when there’s national election in their various countries, they go to embassies to cast their vote. That increased their sense of patriotism towards their country.

That made them show interest in the affairs of their country.

They take part in the selection process of their leaders. Nigeria should extend such to Nigerians in Diaspora.”

Kalu said the need to encourage Nigerians in Diaspora to play more active role in the electoral process, inspired those in the 7th National Assembly to propose the Diaspora voting bill, though

NAF Seeks Sustained Acquisition of Fighter Jets for Next 10 Years Kingsley Nwezeh inAbuja In a renewed bid to strengthen its fighting capacity, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has declared that for it to become a formidable force capable of defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria, the federal government should sustain the procurement of fighter jets, helicopter gunships and other aircraft in the next 10 years.

So far, it said, 22 aircraft were purchased since 2015 while 17, including 12 Tuckano and Thunder aircraft were expected to be inducted by 2020 and 2022.

This is coming as it has denied reports that it killed 250 terrorists in the North-east.

Speaking at the weekend, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, said more fighter jets would boost the operational capabilities of the force.

Sadique, who spoke in Kaduna, said more platforms would close the wide gap in the availability of required number of fighter aircraft.

He said government should sustain the procurement of more platforms in the next ten years to enable it defend the territorial

integrity of the nation.

“In the last four and half years, the federal government had facilitated an unprecedented increase in the number of aircraft available for NAF operations bringing the aircraft serviceability rate of the service from 35 per cent in July 2015 to 82 per cent as at February 2020.

“The noteworthy achievement was brought about by intensive training and retraining of aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians who subsequently played a crucial role in the reactivation of platforms and maintenance of equipment”, he said.

Abubakar said:“you would recall that 22 platforms were inducted into the NAF since 2015.

These platforms have since been launched into operations.

“NAF is in the process of acquiring the JF-17 Thunder aircraft and the Super Tucano (A-29) light attack aircraft. The JF-17 was due to arrive Nigeria in November 2020, while the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft were expected to be inducted into Service by Year 2022.”

PRAYING FOR THE NATION...

L-R: An Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi; and President Muhammadu Buhari, during Bauchi’s courtesy visit at the State House, Abuja…yesterday

Diri Vows to Fight Crimes, Courts Opposition Emmanuel Addeh Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has promised to fight crimes in the state and urged the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; the APC governorship candidate in the last election, Chief David Lyon and other opposition parties to join hands with him in his bid to rebuild the state.

Speaking yesterday during a thanksgiving service at the

Gloryland Chapel, Government House, Diri declared that he would run an all-inclusive government, hence the need for the cooperation and support of all leaders.

The governor who thanked God for giving him the mandate, urged all his supporters to be magnanimous in victory, stressing that he will be governor of all the people of the state, irrespective of political party.

“I will be governor of all, be

it PDP, APC and others. We must remain united and ensure peace in our land. That is the only time we can be talking of development. Let us work together,” he said.

Diri added that his priority was to bring development to every part of Bayelsa State, noting that he was willing to consider even members of the opposition parties for appointments.

The governor vowed to fight all forms of criminalities in the

state, urging all those involved in crimes to look for legitimate businesses to do.

“Our administration will not condone crimes and criminalities. No development can take place in the atmosphere devoid of peace,” he stated.

In his sermon, the guest preacher, Apostle Zilly Aggrey of Royal House of Grace International, said no man should take the glory for the victory of Diri at the Supreme Court.

Court Stops Lagos Govt from Stripping Judiciary of Power over Probate Registry Davidson Iriekpen The High Court of Lagos State has stopped the Lagos State Government from taking over the Probate Registry of the High Court from the control of the judiciary.

In a landmark judgment delivered by Justice Babatunde Candide-Johnson, the court held that it would amount to

a usurpation of the powers of the judiciary for the executive arm to seek to excise the Probate Division from the management and control of the high court.

He, therefore, issued an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the state government from taking over or interfering with the management and administration of the Probate Division of the High Court of

Lagos State.

The judgment was delivered sequel to the suit filed by human rights lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), in 2015, challenging the decision of the Lagos State Government to take over the administration of the Probate Division of the High Court.

In an affidavit deposed to by the senior advocate, he stated

that he had been involved in public interest litigations on behalf of the people, recalling his years of activism as a student leader; a pro-democracy activist involved in the restoration of the annulled June 12, 1993 election, the struggle to end military rule and his consistent engagement of various governments in respect of certain anti-people policies.

444 Fatalities Recorded in Niger Delta in 2019, Says Report James Sowole in Akure Foundation for Partnership In Niger Delta (PIND) has revealed in its 2019 Report that 444 fatalities were recorded in reported violence in the oil rich Niger Delta region of the country.

The report also indicated that for the second consecutive year, four of the nine states in

the Niger Delta region topped the list of most violent states.

The list of the most volatile states as released by the PIND in its Annual Conflict Report for the year are Cross Rivers, Delta, Edo and Rivers states.

The report, signed by PIND Knowledge Management and Communication Manager, Mrs. Chcihi Nnoham-Onyejekwe, and made available to

THISDAY, indicated that the rating was based on the number of reported conflict fatalities, adding that the four states remained the most volatile like in 2018 report.

The PIND report indicated that there was increase in conflict risk and lethal violence resulting in increasing reported fatalities in 2019.

Available data, according

to the report, revealed that in the most reported incidents of violence-related to criminality (including piracy, abductions, robberies, and killing for ritualistic purposes) totalling 260 incidents, 444 fatalities were recorded.

This was followed by gang/ cultists supremacy clashes with 272 fatalities in 78 reported incidents, report revealed.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍŻÍľËœ 2020

COMMENT

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

CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION FOR ALL Access to potable water is a basic human right, writes Wilson Atumeyi

F

or 25-year-old Jummai Musa and her 30-year-old husband, Samaila, the reality of Nigeria’s water crisis hits extremely close to home. In their community of Rewianku, Plateau State, accessible clean water is hard to come by. As a result, they are forced to use water from a nearby stream to bathe, wash clothing and kitchen utensils. This has taken a heavy toll on the health of their two-year-old daughter, Safiyah, who has contracted a skin infection that community doctors have traced to the stream. As she talks about her daughter’s condition, Jummai explains that the itching makes it difficult for her to sleep.

With the under-five mortality rate at 127 out of 1,000 infants, this little girl’s condition, though worrying, is not isolated in its occurrence. In the community, Jummai and Musa’s daughter is not the only one suffering from a waterborne skin disease. Several other families, who also use the stream as their source of water, have been put in a precarious position.

For them, the problem is not solely the lack of access to clean water, but also inadequate sanitation facilities; these two issues, which often come hand-in-hand, have put the residents of Rewianku at a greater risk of waterborne diseases.

Access to potable water is a basic human right. In Nigeria, however, only 67.3% of the population has access to clean drinking water services, according to data available on Takwimu Africa. In rural areas, this figure reduces to 56% because basic water services are unavailable.

Globally, a basic water service is drinking water that comes from an improved source (piped water, boreholes, packaged water, protected wells, etc.), which takes no more than 30 minutes for a round trip to and from the source. However, for many communities, the only access to water often comes from unsanitary sources.

The challenges around water access and sanitation in Rewianku are a reflection of the wider challenges of access to clean water access in Nigeria. According to World Bank estimates, there are 123 million people without the basic household toilet and 60 million people are without clean water close to home. For Nigeria, addressing these challenges is a top priority to achieve the SDG 6 target of clean water and sanitation for all. The Nigerian government has come up with a National Plan of Action that aims to address water sanitation and hygiene in order to achieve 100% basic water access by 2030.

DATA FROM UNICEF HAVE SHOWN THAT OVER 56 MILLION NIGERIANS DEFECATE IN THE OPEN BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF ACCESS TO ADEQUATE SANITATION FACILITIES INCLUDING TOILETS WITH RUNNING WATER

For residents of Rewianku, their access to clean water has reduced significantly in the last 20 years. Although the community once had other basic water sources, after years of use and constant repairs, they have been left with only a faulty borehole. The government has made commitments to resolve this problem within the community but in the meantime, Rewianku residents have resigned themselves to sourcing water from the nearby stream. “If that water can cause skin diseases, imagine what it is doing to our internal organs,� says Samaila Musa.

As open defecation is the norm in this community, Samaila’s concerns are well-founded. Data from UNICEF have shown that over 56 million Nigerians defecate in the open because of the lack of access to adequate sanitation facilities including toilets with running water.

Despite the seeming insurmountable challenges, Rewianku has not been left completely alone in its fight for clean water access.

Not-for-profit organisation, WaterWide, works within and alongside the community, as well as its key stakeholders, to help put an end to its water and sanitation challenges. Waterwide works across Nigeria tracking government and international aid organisations’ spending and involvement in WASH services. For WaterWide, creating avenues for communities to keep their governments accountable is crucial to receiving better public services. To support its citizen engagement efforts, WaterWide also develops advocacy campaigns through which it seeks to influence policy-decisions and practices. In Rewianku, the NGO launched the campaign #WaterRewianku to create awareness about the community’s water issues, while being a driver for government action.

Active citizen engagement ensures governments fulfill their commitments to the people. Citizens can only make their governments accountable when they have access to information. Governments can only make informed decisions about budget allocation and spending when they have access to information. Donor organisations and other development actors can only make good investment decisions when they have access to information. It is this crucial role of providing actionable insights situated within the appropriate political and economic context that platforms like Takwimu Africa and other platforms, continue to play, providing actionable insights for development actors like Waterwide and communities like Rewianku.

Atumeyi is Founder, WaterWide

VAT INCREASE V NIGERIA’S GDP Rilwan Balogun canvasses the strengthening of institutions saddled with responsibility of generating income for the government

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s part of his effort to lay a solid foundation towards economic prosperity, President Muhammadu Buhari, on January 13, signed into law the hitherto Finance Bill, which basically came as a child of necessity, and which among other things, focuses on generating revenue for the government, facilitates the ease of doing business and raises Nigeria’s tax base with a view to meeting global best practice. In a another stroke of economic rejuvenation, on January 20, Nigeria’s president in retinue of other crème de la crème in the economy and business pedestals, converged on London in a maiden program tagged UK-Africa Investments Summit, basically to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa. Chief among the subjects of discourse was the assessment of 2019 performance on economies of the participant countries and how best the UK government can assist in charting course for Africa’s development.

This gathering, however, is not unusual, conferences in form of such had been held at both intra-region, regional and at global levels.

While states can be equated as the miniaturized version of a federation, however, individual state’s performance in line with the global rating on ease of doing business in Nigeria is not far from being an eyesore. In Nigeria, even at state level, being components of a nation, it is not a novel scene seeing political candidates selling, among other things, their various economic plans and how they intend to transform their languishing economies to posterity. I could recall vividly, some candidates (now governors or opposition voices) reeling out their proposed plans for the economies of their respective states in the wake of the 2019 general election. Probing questions like: how would you grow the GDP of your state?

How do you intend to optimize a perfect budget implementation? Expectedly, some of them managed to muffle their proposed economic agenda to the politically despaired viewers.

The tripartite concepts of tax system, ease of doing business and economic reform are essentials among the basic underpinnings of economic development of any country in the world. Those who are enthusiastic about national economy and are consistent with what’s up in the Nigeria’s economic sector would concur that part of the concerted activities by the government, both at national and state levels are dif-

ferent reforms, enactment of legislations and perhaps, to a lesser degree, institution reforms, with all geared towards sustaining in geometric progression, the sluggish acceleration indulged in by the Nigeria’s economy. These moves are unarguably necessitated by the fact that these trio concepts stimulate the economy of any nation. With the ugly experience of the striking grip of economic recession, witnessed between 2015 and 2016, Nigeria’s government has been perturbed, thus, the reassertion of the perennial cry by the government for diversification of the sources to its GDP. Bouncing back from the cocoon of recession in 2017, and the snail-pace movement of economic progression since 2017, the Nigeria’s government has been put on its toes on the need to resuscitate its failing economy.

Generally, what constitutes the economy of a nation is the totality of its expenditure, revenue, personnel or manpower and indeed its natural resources. A sharp corollary can be drawn from the fact that the assessment of the World Bank’s ease of doing business and the consequential growth in the Gross Domestic Product is what determine the picture given to any vibrant and viable economy.

Every government is no doubt concerned about the development of its society, thus conscious efforts are geared towards causing enduring increase in the state’s GDP. This is done by embracing any economic concept or policy that best suits its socio-political and economic idealism.

The kernel of this piece is on how governments grapple with the decision on how to strike a balance between the growths of GDP by either expansion of areas of coverage of goods that are taxable on one hand or an increase in the percentage of existing taxable goods on the other hand.

According to the index of doing business reports, 2020, which provides objectives measures of business regulations and their implementation across 190 economies both at national, regional, subnational and global levels, Nigeria jerked up on the ladder of ease of doing business from 151, 146 and 131 positions in years 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. The parameters which were used in assessing countries in terms of this are availability of infrastructure, registration of properties, tax systems, legal compliance, enforcement of trade rights, resolving insolvency and resolution of disputes. Decayed infrastructural development is one of the major reasons while multinational companies as well as small and

medium scale enterprises go on extinction in Nigeria.

On this note, Rachid Benmessaoud, country director of World Bank once stated that Nigeria continued to face the challenge of diversifying its economy thus making the country more business friendly across all sectors. In spite of this, most Nigerian states are still far from the frontier of global practices in all areas. For umpteenth times, it has been pinpointed by experts in political economy that the problem bedeviling all factors of progressive economy is institution. Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by the government are underperforming, unreformed and dwarfed by corruption, more so, there is no proper implementation of plans and nationalistic commitment to governance towards the development of the country.

Faced with inept and indecisiveness in solving its economic crisis, the Nigerian government appears to be politically inclined and convinced that, with increase in tax Value Added Tax percentage, general effective system of taxation and proper utilization of tax money in returns for investment growth, the economy of a country gets a progressive, though, steady economic turnaround. It in its bid to achieving this economic objective, the approach that has always been resorted to is the increase in the percentage of amount paid on taxes, especial VAT. This is done with a view to generating more revenue for the government. However, there is another school of thought in economic development that posits that instead of increasing the percentage of the amount paid on taxes, what should be done, instead, is propagation of a system of increase in the array of things that are taxable. While the former remains a tested and verifiable economy strategy that has been utilized by some of the developed countries, I choose to align with the latter which takes into cognizance that there are other lacunae or factors that can been inculcated into the system without necessarily stifling the investors with outrageous increase in the percentage amount paid on taxable goods.

Summarily, the point we are driving at here is that, from the political perspective, a good public relation strategy needs be cobbled together between the gap of raising the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of a state, by means of raising the percentage amount paid on taxes on one hand and the expansion of the area of coverage of the goods and services that are taxable on the other hand. Where the government takes to the former, that is, by

raising the percentage of tax on every taxable goods and services, the consequential effect would be an albatross of stifling the growth of business sector, and particularly, worse affected is the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) which is a key driver of every progressive economy. The economic blunder could further be exacerbated, where there is no tell-tale infrastructural development emanating as a result of such increase in the percentage of the amount of tax.

No doubt, the essence of all the moves by the Nigerian government lately, particularly the ones by the President Buhari-led administration is basically targeted towards exhuming Nigeria out of the pit of recession and economic retrogression. In the process of development, states not only increase the levels of taxation, but also undergo changes in patterns of taxation, with increasing emphasis on broader tax bases. Thus, in the developed world, taxes on income and value added taxes do the bulk of lifting in raising sufficient revenue to support the productive and redistributive functions of the state.

Contrary to the general presumption; economic development does not mechanically translate into increases in the tax revenue. For example, in India, income tax revenues have stagnated at around 0.5% of her GDP since 1986. Therefore, widening the scope of taxation to broad bases as income and value added is only feasible if accompanied by investments in compliance structure. One of a striking features of a progressive economy is the capacity of its government to raise its GDP through fiscal mobilization. For example, on average, France, Germany, the Netherlands raised their GDPs through tax revenue which dismally was around 12% of the then GDP, which by the new millennium have risen to 46%. Same with US whose tax’s contribution rose from 8% to 30%. According to the study carried out on the increase, the underpinning of these hike, in these countries’ GDPs are a number of tax innovations which included the extension of the income tax wide population. The governments in these countries were able to facilitate large scale compliance with the income tax, which required states to build a tax administration and also implementing withholding at source. Such investments in fiscal capacity have enabled the kind mass taxation, now regarded normal throughout the developed world.

Balogun, a legal practitioner and economics enthusiast, wrote from Lagos

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EDITORIAL LAGOS AIRPORT AND POOR LANDING AIDS The aviation authorities should come up with a solution to their problems

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ometime last year, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) promised that before the end of 2019 it would install Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos which would enable flights to land at zero visibility. This was aimed at overcoming the negative effects of the Harmattan period, when dust haze and low visibility usually obstruct flight operations. In the past two months, the image of Nigeria has been tarred by the failure to provide that efficient navigational equipment at the nation’s busiest airport and one of the foremost in Africa which processes over seven million passengers per annum.

At the Lagos airport, Runway 18 R, known as international runway had Category 2 ILS which does not allow landing at low visibility, but with the upgrade to Category 3 ILS, it was expected that no matter how low the visibility is, flights would land. But after the installation, NAMA NIGERIA HAS BOTH was unable to perfect THE FINANCIAL AND the calibration that HUMAN RESOURCES would certify it for TO PROVIDE STATEuse. So technically OF-THE-ART ILS AND the airport was put OTHER NAVIGATIONAL in a quagmire. The EQUIPMENT second runway, Runway 18L, which is for domestic flights, does not have airfield lighting.

So even if flights were to be diverted there, they cannot land at night. With this situation, when the Harmattan became severe and lowered visibility, international airlines started diverting their flights to Accra in Ghana and Cotonou in Benin Republic.

Considering the fact that the weather conditions in Ghana or Republic of Benin are not different from that of Nigeria, it is evident that the major reason why foreign airlines preferred to land in Accra and Cotonou was because they had better landing aids.

This is shameful. Nigeria has both the financial and

human resources to provide state-of-the-art ILS and other navigational equipment. Airlines have lost huge revenue diverting their flights to neigbouring countries. But the major victims of this unfortunate situation are the passengers who could not be taken to their final destination as scheduled and others who have had to wait for days before being airlifted to their destination.

I T H I S DAY EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI AJAYI, DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO

n his statement last week, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika apologised to Nigerians for the embarrassment. But he also condemned the decision by some of the international carriers to land and discharge their passengers destined to Lagos in other airports in neighbouring countries rather than at any other international airport in Nigeria like Kano, Abuja or Port Harcourt. But the airlines, guided by their own safety standards, may not want to jeorpardise the lives of their passengers by landing at the other airports in the country under such severe weather conditions.

Going forward, the solution is the provision of most efficient navigational aids at the nation’s airports, especially at the Lagos airport which accounts for majority of international passengers to and from Nigeria. Passengers who were taken to Accra were full of lamentation. While some airlines made alternative arrangements to bring their passengers to Lagos, others practically left them to fend for themselves.

Such act was in total disregard of rule of engagement because it is obligatory for airlines to take their passengers to the agreed destination.

Due to what they have appropriately described as operational constraints, major international airlines, including British Airways and Emirates had suspended flights to and from Lagos. It is therefore expected of the concerned aviation authorities that in finding solution to the current challenge, steps should be taken to ensure that international travellers from the nation’s flagship airport do not witness such harrowing experience again.

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Letters to the Editor

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OGUN AND INVESTMENT DRIVE

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ny government, be it federal, state or at local that encourages partnerships both foreign and local, directly or indirectly promotes the socio-economic development and improves personal prosperity of its citizens. This is because foreign firms are more familiar with global good practices while local firms are more familiar with the indigenous context.

The present administration in Ogun State, led by Governor Dapo Abiodun, whose mission is ‘building our future together’ agenda, has since the last eight months worked collectively with private organisations locally and internationally to implement policies reforms to create certainty, consistence and predictability for investors and citizens. Also his government has been steadily working to create a business environment that is competitive and conducive for investors and individuals to come, work and play in the state.

It is also imperative to say here that the governor has embarked on a path that is illuminated by policy consistency and regulatory certainty, fiscal responsibility and decisive interventions to stimulate the economic activities of the state, because rapid industrialisation is critical to any government, as it will also create job opportunities to young ones in the state.

As part of his investment drive, the governor with some of his executive members have met with executives of at least nine UK-based companies in a bid to pull investments into the state.

Meanwhile, the governor who attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 in London as part of efforts to make the state investment choice of destination for investors as well as make the state the nation’s industrial capital, had an assessment tour of the UK manufacturing and agro-processing headquarters of Alvan Blanch, a company that specialises in the manufacturing and supply of machines used for the processing of agricultural produce and waste. The company had indicated interest in investing in the state. The governor also visited five different companies that have multiple specialisations in energy, infrastructure, agriculture and agro-processing, investment and asset management, technology, financial advisory, capital raising and private equity.

Recently, United States Consul General to Nigeria, Claire Pienangelo, had a courtesy visit to the governor, where she lauded the government for providing a level playing field for both local and foreign investors to thrive in the state.

Pienangelo added that though it is a bit difficult for foreign investors to operate in the country, but Ogun State has a good attitude by welcoming foreign and local companies, saying it is the first step in attracting foreign firms, especially American firms.

She said American companies would be interested in road construction, maintenance of equipment as well as in the energy sector by providing generators and other forms of equipment that would assist in the continuous industrial development of the state.

Taylor Temitayo Micheal, Abeokuta

BAYELSA, SUPREME COURT AND INEC

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he dust has not settled yet over the shocking judgement by the Supreme Court on the gubernatorial election in Bayelsa sacking the governor- elect David Lyon and his deputy Degi Biobarakuma a day to their inauguration. The court, in a unanimous judgement, upheld the Federal High Court verdict disqualifying Mr Degi, Lyon’s running mate, for submitting forged certificates to INEC. The Supreme Court ruled that the offence of Degi- Eremeinyo affects Lyon and nullified their candidature.

Therefore despite the controversies, the Independent National Electoral Commission promptly carried out the directives, issuing the Peoples Democratic Party’s Duoye Diri and his Deputy Senator Lawrence Ewrujakpor certificate of return.

Now for the politicians and emotionalists, that is one big opportunity to vent the spleen on the Supreme Court and INEC. But for the development-oriented persons, it is a moment for reflection on our electoral system and the need for drastic review.

Certificate forgery and false submissions is not a new entrant into our political landscape. It dated as far back as 1999 with Hon. Salisu Buhari as a poster boy. We have gone on to see ministers and even presidents dancing in the murky waters of

academic qualification scandals till this moment.

The retinue of claims and counterclaims with the intermittent court cases are innumerable. What this portends is a rise in the dirty act which we must now rise to curtail unless we desire to be perpetually ruled by mediocre.

As the electioneering for 2023 gathers momentum, the National assembly as a matter of urgency should review the establishment act of INEC. What makes a working system in advanced nations is the presence of mechanisms making crime almost impossible. Paying little attention to this scope has been Nigeria’s Achilles’ heel.

The commission, set up in 1998 to oversee elections in Nigeria, presently lacks the statutory power to verify elective office seekers’ certificates and disqualify them on such a ground. The party nominates and submits candidates. What the INEC does is displaying their names publicly hoping for objection from any quarters. This is how we do that we have possible certificate forgers in top elective positions today.

Assuming INEC had sent a correspondence to his schools to verify the submitted certificates - Ahmadu Bello University or Toronto University, the nation would have been spared the ignominy of having Mr Salisu Buhari as HoR Speaker in 1999.

Ibraheem Abdullateef, Kwara State University, Malete

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MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

POLITICS

Email: nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

M O N D AY D I S C O U R S E

What’s Next for De-registered Political Parties?

Chuks Okocha and Udora Orizu write that deregistration of political parties in Nigeria may have become a norm. As expected, the deregistered political parties have threatened to sue the Independent National Electoral Commission

Buhari

Abubakar

Yakubu

Lawan

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19

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020

MONDAY DISCOURSE

Ezeobika

Falana

Hassan

Mbamalu

themselves from such irresponsible conduct

by Mr. Ezenwa and the rest.

“That faction by Leonard Ezenwa is illegal and their action clearly violate the provisions of the Code of Conduct and the law and will be addressed by the council if such reprehensible action is not immediately reversed. IPAC is still under the chairmanship of Chief Peter Ameh.”

He said that the council as a body will decide on what move to make after the final court verdict, adding that they will not abide

by INEC’s decision.

Deregistration of 74 political parties was a disaster waiting to happen. The ground for this was laid in 2017. Contrary to the widespread believe that INEC has no such power, the power was restored to the agency following the 2017 constitutional amendment.

The road to the restoration of INEC powers to deregister political parties dates back when some political parties successfully challenged INEC’s power after the amendment of the Electoral Act in 2010. The outcome of amendment as contained in the Fourth Alteration by the National Assembly bolstered the commission via the constitutional amendment.

Worried by the mockery of multi-party democracy in the country through the unprincipled proliferation of political parties, the National Assembly amended the Electoral Act 2010 to empower INEC to de-register political parties that failed to win any election. Since political parties were registered pursuant to section 222 of the Constitution, the suits filed by the affected political parties succeeded as the Federal High Court declared the amendment unconstitutional and set it aside The National Assembly took advantage of the 2017 constitutional review to reduce the number of registered political parties in the country. Thus, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fourth Alteration, No 9) Act, 2017 enacted on May 4, 2017 has amended section 225 of the 1999 Constitution to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission to de-register political parties It is manifestly clear that INEC has been conferred with enormous powers to deregister political parties that fail to meet the fresh constitutional prerequisites.

Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria ((SAN) who also justified the constitutional powers of INEC. He said, “Going by the results of the 2019 general election, the 91 registered political parties may have been reduced to less than 10 that scaled the constitutional hurdle.

“Not a few people would hail the constitutional amendment in view of the prostitution of the political system by political parties are ill-equipped to promote participatory democracy, economic freedom, human rights and rule of law.

“But it ought to be pointed out that the planned de-registration of political parties that fail to win elections is likely to limit the political space to the so called mainstream political parties that are not committed to any political philosophy or ideology,” Falana said.

Falana, who deplored the opportunism of some political parties, as demonstrated in the last general election, urged INEC to sanitize the democratic space by applying the rules and enforcing relevant provisions of the constitution and the Electoral Act.

“INEC is called upon to formulate new guidelines for the registration political parties within the ambit of the Constitution.

“This should be done in view of the fact that not less than 100 political associations are said to have submitted applications for the registration of new political parties. With respect to registered political parties, INEC must fully comply with section 225(2) of the Constitution by sanctioning them if they fail to submit a detailed annual statement and analysis of their sources of funds and assets.

“This will go a long way to check the monetization and brazen manipulation of the democratic process by political godfathers.

“More importantly, Falana said that INEC should henceforth exercise its powers under Section 224 of the Constitution by ensuring that the programmes as well as the aims and objects of every political party conform with the provisions of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy enshrined in Chapter II of the Constitution.”

Even before the final deregistration of the political parties, INEC had gradually been seeking ways to enforce the provisions of the fourth amendments in the constitution. At a meeting in Makurdi, in June 2019, the stated that it will propose further alteration to the conditions for the deregistration of political parties to weed out ‘dormant and commercial platforms’ with little or no visible structure and presence in the states.

The commission, according to the National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye went further to declare that Nigerians need political parties that can bid for political power and not mere commercial platforms for hire.

Okoye said that the present framework for the registration of political parties was inadequate to guarantee the registration of qualitative, membership driven and ideologically propelled political parties.

He added that some parties were mere platforms and have no concrete and visible presence in most states of the federation.

Okoye opined that, “the presence of too many political parties on our ballot papers has, in some instances, confused some of our compatriots that are not well endowed

in literacy.

“It has bloated the ballot papers and result sheets and trucking them to the polling units has become a logistics nightmare.”

According to him, INEC would present constitutional alteration that ties registration of political parties to visible, verifiable and concrete presence and structure in at least half of the states of the federation.

The National Commissioner further noted that the Fourth Alteration of the constitution is inadequate to weed out political parties with little or no visible structures and presence in any of the states of the federation.

In this regard, he said, “The commission will also propose further alteration of the constitution for the deregistration of political parties as the 4th Alteration to the Constitution is inadequate to weed out dormant and commercial platforms with little or no visible structures and presence in any of the states of the Federation.

“The commission will also propose a rational and democratic threshold for getting on the ballot and save the Nigerian people the phenomena of ‘also ran,’” he added.

He said that in 2018, the Constitution was amended and in addition to the extant provision for the registration of political parties, the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution (Section 225A) empowers the Commission to deregister political parties.

Prior to the Fourth Alteration, the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), he said that constitution had provided for deregistration of political parties. Between 2011 and 2013, the Commission, deregistered 39 political parties.

However, he said several of the parties challenged the power of INEC to deregister them, particularly on the ground that the Electoral Act is inferior to the Constitution and that deregistration infringed their fundamental rights under the same Constitution.

Subsequently, he said the courts ordered the Commission to reinstate the parties and that it was for this reason that the National Assembly amended the Constitution to empower the Commission to deregister political parties.

According to the INEC chairman, in order to implement the provision of the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution, the Commission carried out an assessment of political parties to determine compliance with the requirements for their registration.

Following the conclusion of the 2019 general election, including court-ordered re-run elections arising from litigations, the Commission was able to determine the performance of political parties in the elections. In addition, they were also assessed on the basis of their performance in the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which coincided with the 2019 general election. It should be noted that the FCT is the only part of the country where INEC is empowered by the Constitution to conduct local government elections.

Justification for deregulation The political parties allowed to operate in Nigeria are the Accord Party, the Action Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, National Rescue November, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party and Zenith Labour Party.

The Fourth Alteration vests in INEC the power to register and regulate the activities of political parties. These include; “Failure to win at least 25 percent of the votes cast in one state of the Federation in a Presidential election or 25 percent of the votes cast in one local government area of a state in a governorship election.

“Failure to win at least one ward in a chairmanship election, one seat in the national or state assembly election or one seat in a councillorship election.”

Worried by the mockery of multi-party democracy in the country through the unprincipled proliferation of political parties, the National Assembly amended the Electoral Act 2010 to empower INEC to de-register political parties that failed to win any election.

Since political parties were registered pursuant to section 222 of the Constitution, the suits filed by the affected political parties succeeded as the Federal High Court declared the amendment unconstitutional and set it aside

The Strength and Analysis of Deregistered Political Parties One of the conditions that authorized INEC to deregister the 74 political parties is “Failure to win at least 25 percent of the votes cast in one state of the federation in a presidential election or 25 percent of the votes cast in one local government area of a state in a governorship election.”

Seventy three political parties participated in the 2019 presidential election.

Statistics of the election: registered voters 82,344,107, accredited voters - 29,364,209, votes cast - 28,614,190; valid votes - 27,324,583 and rejected votes - 1,289,607. In an election that had 73 candidates, President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 15,191,847 of the total votes cast, while his closest opponent, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 11,262,978 votes, an astonishing victory margin of 3,928,869 votes. Felix Nicholas of the Peoples Coalition Party (PCP) came a distant third with 110,196 votes.

Despite the fact that some of the candidates dropped out of the race before the election took place on Saturday, February 23, they were still credited with a few thousand votes in the final tally. It was reliably gathered from INEC that the commission used the performance of the presidential elections as a guide.

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

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FEATURES

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

Expose on the Torture Virus, Tabay Following the BBC Africa Eye’s expose on use of Tabay, a crude form of torture that is widely used in the interrogation and punishment of detainees, including children, by some units of the Nigerian Police and Armed Forces, Chiemelie Ezeobi speaks with the team

Torture virus

W

hen an investigation by BBC Africa Eye uncovered the shocking evidence that Tabay torture is being used by multiple branches of the Nigerian Police and Armed Forces, it was met with a mixture of shock in some quarters and not so much in others. Shock for the former given that they did not believe such crude methods of torture would still be practiced especially in the age where it is required for operatives to treat suspects humanely and in line with global practices. For the latter, it didn’t come as a shock as the social media space has been riddled with countless acts of brutality, especially by the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police.

According to the team, “Images from social media show that a particular form of torture - a technique known as ‘tabay’- is widely used in the interrogation and punishment of detainees, including children.

This investigation also reveals that in 2014, a senior police officer from SARS (Special Anti-

Robbery Squad), was found in a civil court case to have been involved in the torture of a young man who later died from his injuries.

When approached by Africa Eye he declined to comment. “A serving police officer confirmed to the BBC the use of torture by SARS and recounted the daily abuse he witnessed in special cells within police stations used to extract confessions.

He said: ‘If you refuse to talk, you are taken in there. You will talk. Some offenders begin speaking the moment they’re tied up. Some start talking when the torture is underway’. “The investigation features two young boys who were tortured by members of a government–backed vigilante group in northern Nigeria in 2019. One of the boys, Abba Bashir, says: ‘When they were doing this to me, I wished I was dead. I felt it would be better to be shot with a gun’. “Torture is illegal in Nigeria, banned by the anti-torture act of 2017. But Nigerian human rights lawyer Justus Ijeoma told the BBC that, despite these laws, torture remains rampant:

‘I am not aware of any prosecution under the anti-torture act. Prosecution, let alone conviction...

We cannot fold our arms and look the other way while our society keeps degenerating’. ‘One of the most widely used torture techniques is called ‘tabay’, in which the arms are forced back and tied at the elbows, cutting circulation to the hands and immobilising the victim. The most violent variation of this technique, according to the police eye-witness, is known as ‘the bicycle ride’ and is routinely used in at least one SARS station. The victims

are tied to a chair with their hands and legs bound from behind, before being beaten and electrocuted. “In other cases of torture by members of the Nigerian security forces, documented on video, victims are suspended with their legs and hands constrained and heavy weights are placed on their backs to increase the pain. The programme reports that ‘tabay’ torture dates back to ancient times and is still used in Nigeria today. The Nigerian police did not respond to requests from Africa Eye for comment.�

Afterwards, THISDAY interviewed the BBC Africa Eye team, who shared some insight into the intricacies that led to the investigation, the processes and outcome so far. Here are the excerpts: What inuenced the choice of topic for this investigation?

This investigation began when BBC Africa Eye was sent a disturbing video showing two young boys being tortured. The method of torture used on the boys was one we had not seen previously. We soon uncovered more images showing variants of this same form of torture.

Forensic analysis and verification of the images showed that they had been shot in Nigeria and that the men involved in the torture were members of the Nigerian security services. We knew this was a deeply disturbing story and clearly in the public interest.

What has been the reception for the story?

The story received a tremendous response from Nigeria on social media platforms with millions of views. In comments about the report, Nigerians have hailed this story as a powerful piece of investigative journalism and have expressed their outrage against the use of this torture technique by Nigerian security services. Many have claimed that police brutality is now a norm in Nigeria.

Some have called for the prosecution of Yusuf Kolo, the former Kano SARS officerin-charge who was found by a court in Kano to have been involved in the torture and

killing of one young man. Since this case, he has been promoted to be the Commander of the Special Tactical Squad of the Nigerian Police.

Has it caused any positive change so far in terms of interrogation?

While the investigation has caused outrage among Nigerians, who have condemned the use of torture and violence by the security services in Nigeria. However, there has been no response or comment made by the Nigerian authorities or security services on the story since its release.

How long did the investigation take?

The investigation was conducted over six months.

Do you intend to follow up seeing that the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad carry out Tabay and even worse on suspects?

Launched in 2018, Africa Eye is an investigations series from the BBC that brings hard-hitting, high-impact investigations from across Africa. Our mission is to expose serious wrongdoing and to hold power to account.

Police brutality is an issue of major public concern in Nigeria. We will follow up on any leads that are sent to us. As our motto reads, ‘Nothing Stays hidden for ever.’

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FEATURES

Equipping African Girls with Entrepreneurial Skills Chiamaka Ozulumba writes that Ladies Helpline Initiative, a non governmental organisation, is equipping young African girls with entrepreneurial skills in ICT

Cross section of the participants at the closing ceremony with the MD/CEO of New Horizon in the middle, Mr Tim Akano

Founder/Executive Director of Ladies Helpline Initiative, Mrs Izehi Hannah Agunkejoye engaging the girls during the mentoring session

T

o equip young girls with entrepreneurial skills in ICT, Ladies Helpline Initiative, a non governmental organisation, has graduated nearly 100 female ICT students who participated in the African girls in Tech (AGIT) conference held recently at the New Horizon Training Centre, Lagos.

The graduation ceremony took place after the girls completed intensive training in various ICT courses held for three days.

AGIT was developed to equip young girls in tech with ICT skills to enable them to become better women in the future, the organisers say, and also draw attention to the need for girl-child education to enable girls to break free from negative stereotypes. “We want young girls to be equipped.

We are in a global age and we don’t want them to be left behind and that’s why we created this programme and they applied. Right now, wehave about 80 girls, who have been equipped in one form or another,� said Hannah Agunkejoye, founder, Ladies Helpline Initiative.

Organised in partnership with New Horizon Solutions and Grandrey Training Centre, the participants were trained in website designing, coding, digital marketing and more. Other benefits of the programme include mentoring and opportunities for internship placement.

While elucidating the partnership effort, Agunkejoye said they saw the digital gap in terms of ICT skills and decided to partner with New Horizon to bridge that gap. “The purpose of AGIT is to bridge the gap for females in the area of computer skills because, in this era, if you want to go for paid employment, you must have ICT skills. If you don’t, you can’t be placed anywhere. So that’s why we put up this programme,� she further said.

She admonished the girls to set goals and stay focused on their goals, and keep adding value to themselves. Also, she called on the government to enact more policies that will help improve the lives of women and girls in Nigeria.

Also speaking, Sunday Ayodele, Chief Operating Officer, New Horizon Solutions said the company wanted to identify with girls’ education globally. “We also want to ensure that girls are taking advantage of the global opportunities in e-business and ICT and we also know that it could be sometimes expensive, regarding the income of most homes in Nigeria and we felt it was necessary to work with the NGO to provide this training free of charge to girls,� he added.

The top operating operation officer at New Horizon believes that when the girl-child is trained, there is “a high probability that she would train other

Cross section of practical activities for the girls girls and also train her children.� So, they want to ensure that in the fourth industrial revolution, Nigeria is not lagging and does not lose out to the Asians. “What we want to achieve is to produce many successful Nigerians in the area of ICT and we don’t want the girls to lag.

We have as many youths as possible to take advantage of the global opportunities in ICT and business,� Ayodele said, emphatically.

He encouraged girls to believe that they can get to the pinnacle of their careers, build big businesses that will span across Africa and the world. Besides, he said the government needed to support female education across the entire federation because “when we build girls or educate females, the probability that we will have more success stories of entrepreneurs in

the area of ICT and e-business is huge.

Aseroma Britney, one of the participants advised girls to aspire to know more, look for opportunities such as AGIT and get involved so that they could also pass the information they get to other females who don’t have such opportunities. “In the program, there were three courses—IT fundamentals, Web Design, and Digital Marketing. I picked Digital Marketing and I’ve learnt a lot because we’re evolving technologically. I’ve gotten to understand that I can make money by surfing the internet. They’ve shown me that I can have fun and still make money while doing it,� she told journalists.

Britney added: “Government should support NGOs because they are helping the government in a way to empower people.�

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MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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BUSINESSWORLD

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima

Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

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Quick Takes Group Organises Forum on NIN

TRADE FACILITATION

L-R: KLM Rao, Group Finance Director, Enpee Group, Seyi Soetan; Head, Financial Institutions, RMB Nigeria, Madhuka Khetan; CEO, Agro Allied Resource Processing,Tosin Olatunji; SeniorTrade FinanceTransactor, Afeez Rabiu, and Finance Executive, Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Limited, at the GTR West African Trade Conference sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank, that took place in Lagos‌ recently

‘Lack of Governance Architecture Bane of Infrastructure Devt’ James Emejo in Abuja The Executive Director, Africa Industrialisation Group, Mr. Carl Oshodi, has linked the failure of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the country to the absence of a governance architecture to protect contracts.

He said until the government is able to address the four key requirements namely power, security, infrastructure and corruption, “the concept of PPP will continue to fail because the infrastructure and governance system to drive it is lacking�.

Speaking in an exclusive chat with THISDAY, on the heels of the Pan African Infrastructure Protection Master Class and Business Development Forum,

ECONOMY themed: “Protecting the Awakened Giant: Africa, Infrastructure and Personnel,� slated for April 20-25 in Kigali, Rwanda, Oshodi, said stressed that before any PPP could be successful, there must be an effective governance architecture in place.

According to him: “Governance architecture is a system that the government has to put in place that coordinates the activities of both government, the people and the private sector. “The essence of PPP is for the private sector to drive the activities of government with a purpose of developing a business model that generates revenue

for the government. “But when the components that should make up this list of requirement are not there: power, security, infrastructure and corruption: when these four components are lacking in your governance architecture, the PPP you think you have will fail.�

He said: “So, infrastructure in Nigeria is actually dilapidating particularly critical infrastructure and our advice has been that the government should open up the window of opportunity for the private sector to come in to support it. “And to also create enabling environment for the private sector to be able to be assured that their infrastructure which they are building will also

not be jeopardised because if government deliberate policy is not to fast track or actually enhance the development of the management of infrastructure, there will be no guarantee for the private sector who are actually also pilling up their own infrastructure and for that infrastructure to grow. “Which means that the policies of the government, give or take affect the development of infrastructure generally.�

Oshodi, said currently, Nigeria’s infrastructure decay was also affecting infrastructure development in other countries of the continent, noting that the country occupies a leading role Continued on page 24

FG Urges NCC to Develop New Regulatory Strategies Emma Okonji The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami has called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to develop new regulatory strategies, especially in the area of SIM card registration, that will enhance effective regulation of the telecoms industry.

Pantami gave the charge recently, during the swearing-in ceremony of the Chairman of NCC Board of Commissioners, Prof. Adeolu Akande, who is representing the South West zone. He was sworn in alongside the Commissioner representing the South-east zone, Chief Uche Onwude.

At the event, which took place in Abuja, Pantami said the NCC Board must “hit the ground running.�

INSURANCE The minister, who said, “there is no time for celebrations now and no time for honeymoon,� declared that “we would congratulate the NCC Board after you must have completed your tenure with resounding successes and achievements that have positive impact on Nigerians.�

The minister emphasised the need for the NCC to totally sanitise the industry of improperly-registered Subscriber Identification Number (SIM) cards and to develop regulations on the number of SIM cards an individual or organisation can have at any particular time, as well as ensure seamless integration of SIM data with the national database of the National Identity Management

Commission (NIMC).

Akande, who spoke after the oath of office, assured Nigerians of his readiness to work with other members of the board and management team of the Commission to exceed expectation in providing quality directions for effective regulations of the nation’s telecommunications industry.

Akande, who served as Chairman of the Board of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) before his present appointment, said, “there is no doubt that the NCC, as the nation’s telecom regulator, has a major role to play in the development of the Nigerian economy, especially in the area of effective regulation that can bring efficiency across sectors.�

Akande, was enthusiastic that the telecommunication sector

would improve its contribution to the GDP and enhance the status of the security architecture of the country.

According to Akande, “We want to thank everybody who has been with us since our nomination by the President in the last two months. There is no doubt that NCC has a major role to play in our national life at this time, especially in the area of security. For instance, many people on the street believe that security of lives and property will be bolstered once NCC is able to properly address issues connected to SIM card registration because we would have helped to resolve a critical percentage of our security issue significantly. “I know our minister is someone, who normally set high

The Convention on Business Integrity/The Integrity Organisation in collaboration with ActionAid, and other partners are set to hold the sixth series of their regulatory conversations (RC6.0), with the theme: “National Identity Number: Matters Arising and Implications to Nation-building.�

The event is expected to hold on March 5, in Lagos.

Accordint to a statement, though less than 20 per cent of the national population have the NIN coupled with a struggling NIMC, the NIN was required to obtain the country’s national passport, national driver’s license, registration for public exams (JAMB), opening/maintain bank accounts, required to access retired savings accounts (RSA) and so on. “TheRegulatoryConversations(RCs)Series,whichbeganinSeptember 2018, have provided a platform to interrogate Nigeria’s philosophy of regulation and enabled stakeholders, including private sector actors, to proer solutions to observed gaps in the way and manner regulatory agencies have been interpreting their mandates. “To date, ďŹ ve sessions of the RCs have held addressing and proering solutions to dierent issues. “The focus of the sixth Regulatory Conversations 6.0 would be on the NationalIdentityNumbersystem,theeďŹƒciencyorotherwiseoftheoperations and its implication for Nation building,â€? it explained.

The forum is expected to provide a platform for a robust discussion and anticipates having in attendance senior executives from the government, companies, civil society and representatives of relevant stakeholders.

Afreximbank Harps on AfCFTA

ThesecondIntra-AfricanTradeFair(IATF2020)willprovidekeypathways fortheRwandanprivatesectortoaccessintra-Africantradeopportunities oered by the African Continental FreeTrade Area (AfCFTA), Managing Director of Afreximbank’s Intra-AfricanTrade Initiative, Kanayo Awani,has said. Addressing the opening of a roadshow held in Kigali, recently, to raise awareness about IATF2020 and to showcase Afreximbank products and services, Awani said the way each country prepared for the operational phase of the AfCFTA, which would commence on 1 July, would determine how successfully it would beneďŹ t from the initiative.

ShesaidIATF2020wouldprovidestrongbusinessinsightwithinAfricaby connecting buyers and sellers of goods and services across the continent.

As the host country of IATF2020, Rwanda and Rwandan businesses would be the greatest beneďŹ ciaries of the trade fair, Awani said. “IATF2020, we believe, will transform the way Africans trade with each other,and,speciďŹ cally,thewayRwandatradeswithotherAfricancountries,â€? shesaid.CEOofPrivateSectorFederationRwanda,StephenRuzibiza,which co-organised the roadshow, said the commencement of trade under the AfCFTAwasacriticalmomentforAfricaandthattheeortstobedeployed would determine success. “If we don’t put more emphasis now, then we may not realise the beneďŹ ts of the AfCFTA and intra-African trade,â€? he told the audience. The roadshow featured presentations of trade-enabling initiatives and a comprehensive suite of products and facilities available from Afreximbank. These included the Bank’s industrial parks projects; the Africa Quality Assurance Centres, which aims to address challenges relating to compliance with standards; the Centre of Excellence on health; the Afreximbank Trade Facilitation Programme and other instruments seeking to address the lack of access to ďŹ nance by SMEs.

Stakeholders to Review Border Closure

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is set to hold a roundtable on the border closure and its impacts on businesses viz-a-viz the economy.The event is aimed at examining the eects of the policy on the sectors of economy as well as coming up with sustainable solutions to present to government on the issue.

Theroundtable,accordingtoLCCI,isscheduledtoholdinLagos,tomorrow.

The Director General of the LCCI, Muda Yusuf, said: “The roundtable is designed to bring together stakeholders to have a robust conversation and explore multiple scenarios to the issue of cross border trade. It is also to properly assess the beneďŹ ts or otherwise of the closure of the land borders. We seek the collaboration of government in this regard to complementtheeortsoftheprivatesectortocreatewealthandgenerate employment,byensuringanenablingenvironmentforbusinessestothrive.â€?

“If commercial airplanes don’t land at night in the airports, why will you go and invest between $2 million and $3 million instrument, which you will not use? So everything has to be commercially driven. We have about 26 airports in the country�

CEO, Aero Contractors,,

Continued on page 24

Captain Ado Sanusi

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BUSINESSWORLD ‘LACK OF GOVERNANCE ARCHITECTURE BANE OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEVT’ in terms of services in the trade and industrial development of Africa.

He said infrastructure development had been low because the government has not had a deliberate policy focus and procedure that brings the private sector and the government to support each other in upscaling, protecting, reviewing and updating infrastructure in terms of the services that are needed to give it a different face.

According to him: “With time, infrastructure depletes and if there is sustainable maintenance on these infrastructure, if there’s care, you will see that infrastructure will not only provide what the government desires but will actually help in bringing the government closer to its promises.�

FG URGES NCC TO DEVELOP NEW REGULATORY STRATEGIES

expectations and standards.

I have worked with him at NITDA and I know he is somebody who normally expects the best from his team.

To this end, I give you the commitment of the Board and management of NCC to work together to meet and exceed expectations.�

Akande, a professor of political science and notable scholar of media and politics, was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as Chairman of NCC Board on December 23, 2019. He was subsequently confirmed on February 5, 2020 by the Senate.

With the swearing-in of Akande and Onwude, NCC now has a fully-constituted Board of Commissioners as stipulated in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003, and all the six geopolitical zones are represented on the Board.

The NCC and the telecoms operators (Telcos), recently gave reasons for reallocating dormant SIM cards not in use for a validity period of 180 days, to another subscriber even without the knowledge of the original subscriber.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor ((Energy) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT)

NEWS

‘Nigeria’s Industrial Devt Hampered

by Dearth of Skilled Labour’ James Emejo in Abuja The Director General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Mr. Timothy Olawale, has said the country’s quest for industrialisation is currently constrained by dearth of technical skills adding that industries have continued to struggle over the years.

This is as National President, Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Hajiya Saratu Iya Aliyu, also said the shortage of talent and skilled labour had necessitated the need to employ expatriates to do the jobs which Nigerians should ordinarily execute, adding that “There are jobs but we don’t have skilled manpower.�

However, Director General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Mr. Joseph Ari, said the recent training and certification of 317 Nigerians with entrepreneurial and employability skills will boost job creation and tame rising criminality in the country going forward.

They spoke in Abuja at the graduation ceremony of the ITF Model Skills Training Center, where graduates were awarded with the National Innovation Diploma (NID) issued by the National Institute for Technical Education Certificate (NITEC).

Olawale, however declared that the country is currently in an emergency situation regarding the alarming rate of youth unemployment, stressing that empowering young tertiary school graduates

with requisite skills is the way to go rather than allow them wait for white collar jobs which are not available.

NECA is the umbrella organisation of employers in the organised private sector,established to provide the forum for the government to consult with private sector employers on socio-economic and labour policy issues.

He said: “The way forward

is for the government to invest massively in technical education�, adding that the present crop of graduates only possess textbook knowledge which is limited in modern day work reality.

Nonetheless, Aliyu commended the ITF for moving to close the present skills gaps through the creation of model skills training center to among other things, address the unemployment situation

as well as reduce criminality in the country.

Meanwhile, the ITF DG noted that beyond the demands of its mandate, the commitment to skills acquisition is premised on the fact that it remains the most viable and sustainable solution to combating the rising unemployment and poverty which have continued to defy best efforts by government and non-government actors.

He said going forward, the

objective of the center would be to ensure that as many Nigerians as possible are equipped with the skills for entrepreneurship and employability in order to avert the attendant effect of and unemployment.

He charged the graduates to exhibit positive attitude and values ingrained in them during their course of study and be good ambassadors of both the ITF and the center.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

R-L: Project Manager, TEXEM UK, Omotola Akerele; Senior Project Manager, TEXEM UK, Emmanuel Ekwe; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman and Associate Project Manager, TEXEM UK, Akorede Nurudeen, when the NPA MD received the TEXEM Award for outstanding Women Leadership, in Lagos‌recently

Ayeyemi: Nigeria Has Potential to Feed Africa’s Population The Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Mr. Ade Ayeyemi, has said Nigeria has the capacity to feed Africa’s estimated 1.2 billion people if it harnesses the gains of its agricultural value chain.

According to the Ecobank boss, success in Nigeria’s agricultural sector means reduction in the demand for foreign exchange to import food items into the country and the development of the agribusiness value-chain with a resultant effect in the creation of a new breed of entrepreneurs as well as jobs for the teeming population.

Ayeyemi, said this in Lagos, at the Ecobank Agribusiness Summit in Lagos. The summit had its

theme “Unlocking Productivity and Investment Opportunities Across Nigeria’s Agribusiness Value Chain�

According to Ayeyemi, Ecobank decided to create the summit to enable thought-leaders who are passionate about agriculture and its importance to Nigeria’s economy to put heads together and find ways to maximise the significant potential gains of boosting agribusiness in Nigeria.

He said Ecobank works with various governments and businesses within its footprint to provide support in harnessing and mining value from the huge natural resources across the continent. “The success of this summit and its objectives is therefore

important to Ecobank, as we do know Africa remains fully committed to contributing to its economic development – a core objective of our founders,� he added.Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammed Nanono, affirmed that the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari was committed to finding a lasting solution to issues bothering on food security affecting the country.

Nanono, who was represented by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, also stressed the need for viable synergy and collaboration between relevant stakeholders in the agricultural sector, so as to

further promote its contribution to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the country. “Nigeria’s potential and prospects, makes the agricultural sector a pilot for economic stabilization, diversification and growth in the country. “Indeed, the sector is a major contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), contributing about 27 percent to the GDP and the biggest in job creation in the non-oil sector. “At present, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is promoting and supporting the development of special agro-industrial processing funds, in collaboration with the African Development Bank (ADB) for value addition, import substitu-

tion, job creation and international market. “Commitment and support would continue to be given to the areas of promoting foreign and local enterprise to advance level of credit and investment in agriculture as a veritable step to diversify the economy. “Within the overall sets of policy principles, the federal government is concentrating on providing an enabling environment and enabling playgrounds for stakeholders at all levels, to enhance investment and capital flow into the sector,� he added.

The maiden Ecobank Agribusiness summit in partnership with Vanguard Newspapers had exhibitors and participants from within and outside the country in attendance.

Buhari Commends ACCI’s Role in Economic Development James Emejo in Abuja President Muhammadu has praised the contributions of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) towards the development of the economy.

He said the chamber has under the leadership of its President, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, signed friendly business cooperation agreements with other chambers across the globe as well as bi-lateral relations with other countries.

Speaking over the weekend,

while official inaugurating ACCI legacy projects, including a sixstorey complex in Abuja, Buhari said the chamber’s numerous activities in recent times had led to the scaling up of economic diplomacy, adding that “these are remarkable efforts that must be commended.�

Represented by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, the president said:�ACCI has set the pace by embarking on actions, functions and activities that have created several employment opportunities

and expanded businesses, including facilitating delegations from Russia, Vietnam, Turkey, Syria, Malaysia and all West African Countries, amongst others.�

He said the federal government remained committed to the chamber’s mission and will continue to work closely with its stakeholders in generating the needed synergy required to boost an all-embracing economy.

He said: “My government has watched with great pleasure the midas touch that Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, SAN, the

council and management team of ACCI have displayed in operating and managing the chamber which has translated into these legacy projects. “It is the same energy that has led to the construction of this gigantic complex that we are inaugurating here today.

I know that a lot of resources and commitment have been channelled towards achieving this. I am impressed with the strategy that this chamber has used to drive this development.�

He described the occasion

as a “momentous event in the life of the Nigerian economy as we recommit to deepening our relationship with the Organised Private Sector (OPS).�

Meanwhile, Kayode said impact of regulation, multiple taxation, ineffective funding mechanism, as well as negative philosophy about commercial lending currently affect the economy negatively.

He said the government should sustain its engagement with the private sector to enhance our economic development, stressing that “the private sector knows it

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Forensic Accounting Society to Tackle Fraud Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Society for Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention (SFAFP), has vowed to apply full force in the fight against fraud and corruption in the society.

A board member of SFAFP, Prof. Suleiman Aruwa, made this revelation, recently, ahead of the Society’s year 2020 proficiency training on forensic accounting, fraud prevention and management

scheduled to start in May and to run through August, 2020.

He added that the body was refocusing from fraud auditing to corruption auditing, stressing that although fraud has traces those of corruption cannot be gleaned. “So we are focusing on a very new horizon that people are not even looking at. The key problem we have currently is lack of diligent investigation and prosecution and because of

that we are currently engaging the ICPC, the EFCC and the Code of Conduct Bureau,� Aruwa said.

He said the society was assisting governmental units to strengthen their systems so that fraud can be prevented in the first instance. “Prevention is the issue. I can tell you that in developed economies there are more corruption but the system would not allow them to slip.

“So we are faced with first and foremost in building systems that will not even allow these breaches; that will make it difficult for you to commit any form of fraud.�

This position was corroborated

by SFAFP’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Abuchi Ogbuju.

He attributed the lapses in the anti-graft war to poor investigation and prosecution, insisting that it is wrong to arrest a suspect before investigation.

“To arrest somebody and start investigation is not it. You finish your investigation and get all your details without even the person knowing. It might take up to three years but by the time you are done, it is just a matter of arresting the person and charging him to court with evidence and the trial will run,�

Ogbuju said. He noted that the deployment of forensic ideas and tools working with

data fully analysed and fully comprehended would increase fraud detection to between 90-99 per cent. “So you leave little or no room for a perpetrator or a suspect to get a way because the facts are there,� he added.

He also noted that with the involvement forensic experts in investigations of fraud, shredded and burnt materials can be decoded.

Sokoto Pledges to Accelerate Economic Development Hamid Ayodeji The government of Sokoto State has expressed its preparedness to accelerate development by providing adequate infrastructure to enhance the ease of doing business within the state and position its citizens to effectively harness business and economic opportunities.

Speaking during a forum in Lagos, recently, with the theme: “Building the Future Together,�

which was organised by the Sokoto State Ministry of Finance, the Governor, Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal who was represented by the state’s Commissioner of Finance, Abdussamad Dasuki, disclosed that his administration remains dedicated to attracting both local and foreign investors, so as to improve alternative funding that would improve its economic climate. The Governor explained that his administration is currently working towards leveraging on

its positive financial management profile to expand its capacity, boost overall productivity and implement empowerment initiatives in the state. According to him, the state government was dedicated to effectively collaborating with stakeholders in order to invest heavily in infrastructural development, adding that this would make Sokoto’s economy more conducive for business and investment.

Tambuwal added: “Thus,

we call on the private sector to support our effort by investing in the development of the state’s economy. “We know that the transformation of any economy towards sustainable growth can only be achieved with the collaboration and support of the private sector. “We have a vibrant market with about 40 million SMEs in the country and they contribute 48 per cent to the national GDP and accounts

for 96 per cent of businesses, which indicates that it is vital to the revival of any economy of which, Sokoto has not been an exception. “Owing to this, we have taken deliberate action to work hand in hand with the private sector to drive Sokoto state to its maximum potential. “We remain dedicated to immensely impacting the lives of the people of Sokoto by implementing initiatives that would boost the

agricultural sector of the state and eventually emerge as the leading producer of agricultural products,� he said.

On his part, Prof. Pat Utomi, who was at the event, said one of the key variables to attaining a sustainable developed economy was investing heavily in entrepreneurship. “We need to raise a generation of creatives, innovators and generators of economic problem solutions.�

Lagos Revamps Agricultural Supply Chain Oluchi Chibuzor The Lagos State Government has revealed plan to establish Eko-City Farmers Markets, aimed at connecting all the agricultural value chains with their markets.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan

Lawal, disclosed this recently at a stakeholders’ meeting on the implementation of the Eko-City Farmers’ Market.

He said the Eko City Farmers’ Market was part of the commitment of the state government to making Lagos a 21st century economy as

well as deliver change in the agricultural land space. awal explained that the Eko- City Farmers’ Market is intended to increase productivity of farmers as well as create an avenue for inclusive business where farmers make more profit since they are selling directly

to consumers. According to the Commissioner, the state government would provide a conducive environment and other needed services like cold storage for fish farmers, haulage and some logistics for farmers and vendors to market their produce. “Farmers in the state lack direct

access to markets and this led to the selling of their produce to middlemen at ridiculous farm gate prices. Farmers that are able to penetrate the market find it difficult to break through cartels by the market associations,� he said. Lawal, explained that the objectives of the markets were

to connect producers and make shopping entertaining; to make produce accessible and affordable to consumers; to preserve the nutritional value of farm produce and to promote the, “farm to fork� concept of the input and output policy of the state government.

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Equities Market Sheds N239bn on Continuing Profit-taking of the day because it is going to unlock more capital for the market.

For instance, if I place shares as collateral, I can trade and make money, we are pleased this is coming after so much delay,� he said.

Looking ahead, Kurfi said companies that benefit from Valueadded tax (VAT) exemption such as water, sanitary products, will likely declare better profits.

He added that building material companies such as cement firms, are likely to double their turnover and bottom-line because of early implementation of the budget and focus on infrastructural development.

Goddy Egene Investors staked N12.126 billion on 912.175 million shares in 17,083 deals at the stock market last week, showing a decline of 40.2 per cent compared with N20.295 billion invested in 1.478 billion shares in 23,263 deals the previous week.

The lower market turnover resulted from weak sentiments that continued to dominate the domestic stock market.

The bearish trend led to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index, shedding 1.1 per cent to close at 27,755.87, while market capitalisation shed N162.1 billion to close at N14.456 trillion.

This was the third consecutive week that NSE ASI would decline, bringing the year-to-date decline to 3.4 per cent.

Analysis by sectors for the week showed that the NSE Consumer Goods Index recorded the highest decline, falling by 6.5 per cent, trailed by NSE Insurance Index with 2.2 per cent.

The NSE Oil & Gas Index shed 0.7 per cent, just as the NSE Banking Index went down by 0.7 per cent.

The sole gainer for the week was the NSE Industrial Goods Index that appreciated by 0.78 per cent.

Commenting on the market performance, analysts at Cordros Capital said the bearish trend would likely continue, noting that weakening market sentiment and the absence of positive catalysts are expected to pressure market returns. “Nonetheless, we advise investors to take positions in fundamentally justified stocks,� they said.

Although the market has been bearish since February, some market operators remained optimistic that the market will end 2020 on positive note.

According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of APT Securities and Funds Limited, Mallam Garba Kurfi, the market would close 2020 on positive note after declining in 2018 and 2019. “The NSE ASI is likely going to close 2020 positively and record close in double-digit growth.

Both technical and fundamental analyses move to the positive such as the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (NSE) that had already direction. However, the market Exchange (JSE), Nairobi Securities undergone the process. may experience volatility because of the changes in the reporting financial reports as adopted by the exchange without adequate awareness of the brokers. “Also, I foresee banks unlikely to make more profits like they did in 2019 because they are pressured by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directive to meet up 65 per cent loan to deposit ratio (LDR),� Kurfi added.

But he noted that the review of Cash Reverse Ratio (CRR) from 22.50 per cent to 27.50 per cent,

by CBN would redirect funds into the stock market, explaining that the restriction placed by apex bank on Open Market Operation and Treasury Bills participation, if sustained, would also impact positively on the stock market,� he said.

Kurfi, who is a former Council Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and currently Board Member of the Investment and Securities Tribunal (IST) noted that the demutualisation of the NSE, would lead to a more virile stock market, activate idle capital and boost economic activities. “The demutualisation of the NSE would make the exchange to function better like its peers

Market turnover Meanwhile, the Financial Services industry led the activity chart with 624.219 million shares valued at N7.129 billion traded in 9,640 deals, thus contributing 68.4 per cent and 58.7 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Conglomerates followed with 93.204 million shares worth N452.093 million in 861 deals.

The third place was occupied by Oil and Gas industry, with a turnover of 59.267 million shares worth N124.638 million in 1,254 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely, Zenith Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc accounted for 304.089 million shares worth N5.788 billion in 4,290 deals, contributing 33.3 per cent and 47.7 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Exchange Traded Products recorded a total of 1,540 units valued at N137,421.20 were traded in five deals, compared with a total of 3,840 units valued at N12.029 million transacted the previous week in eight deals.

The bond market accounted for 23,923 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N28.986 million were traded this week in 22 deals, as against 55,246 units valued at N63.094 million transacted two weeks in 15 deals.

“It is a good thing and all of us are going to be happy at the end

Top price gainers and losers A look at the price movement chart showed that 19 equities appreciated in price last week, higher than 15 equities in the previous week, while 35 equities depreciated in price, lower than 49 equities in the previous week.

Livestock Feeds Plc led the price with 16.6 per cent, trailed

by United Capital Plc with 15.2 per cent. Trans-Nationwide Express Plc chalked up 11.1 per cent. Learn Africa Plc with 9.7 per cent, while Prestige Assurance Plc garnered 9.2 per cent.

UAC of Nigeria Plc gained 6.5 per cent, just as Courtville Business Solutions Plc went up by 4.7 per cent. University Press Plc and Africa Prudential Plc chalked up 4.1 per cent and 4.0 per cent respectively.

Conversely, Linkage Assurance Plc led the price losers with 25.8 per cent, trailed by Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc with 23.2 per cent. Guinness Nigeria Plc and Vitafoam Nigeria Plc shed 16.5 per cent and 12.1 per cent in that order. Nestle Nigeria Plc and Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc dipped by 10 per cent each.

MRS Oil Nigeria Plc went down by 9.8 per cent, while Chams Plc lost 9.6 per cent. Japaul Oil & Maritime Services Plc shed 9.0 per cent, just International Breweries Plc fell by 8.8 per cent respectively.

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Insurers Commend FG on Finance Act 2020 Ebere Nwoji The Nigeria Insurers Association(NIA), has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for the speedy assent to the Finance Act 2020.

The association described the move as a welcome development which would usher in a new lease of life for insurance companies.

NIA Director General, Mrs. Yetunde Ilori, made the remarks

in a statement obtained at the weekend. She also commended the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Shamsuna Ahmed, for taking special interest in matters affecting the insurance industry, noting that her desire to promote the business of insurance was appreciated.

According to her, the various amendments brought about by the provisions of the Finance Act 2020 has lifted a huge

tax burden off the insurance companies which had endured years of excruciating tax burden under CITA 2007 which did not place insurance companies at a level playing field with companies in other sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Giving specific details, she stated that Sections 5 and 6 of the Finance Act, 2020 repealed the punitive and outdated provisions of Section 16 of the Companies Income Tax Act

on the taxation of insurance companies, thus resolving significantly tax issues identified in the sector.

She also highlighted areas the new act favored the insurers, saying, “additionally, the new Act has eliminated among other things: restriction of tax-deductible claims and outgoings to percentage of total premium restriction of period to carry forward tax losses to four years

Moghalu to Speak at Africa Growth Initiative Forum

LAPO MFB Empowers Entrepreneurs Sunday Ehigiator LAPO Microfinance Bank, in collaboration with National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) and Ministry of Women Affairs (MWA), has trained about 600 entrepreneurs on different skills acquisition across the nation.

The pilot scheme, which started in January 2016, was undertaken in Lagos and Benin and extended to other states in 2017, 2018 and 2019, to help small businesses grow.

The training, according to a statement by the Managing Director, LAPO MfB, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe, was in line with the sustainable development goals of the bank to ensure inclusive

and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. “The bank believes that beyond work-specific skills, emphasis must be placed on developing high-level cognitive and noncognitive/transferable skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, communication skills and conflict resolution, which can be used across a range of occupational fields. “This belief stimulated the bank to ensure that the same standard training is made available to its clients’ children across the country in their respective communities enabling them to acquire national standard training and become future employers

of labour.�

The statement further explained that, a core part of the training was the promotion of female gender inclusion and empowerment of the girl child to engage in the promotion of small scale businesses. “LAPO also endeavours to pay for the cost of training and consumables on behalf of all clients’ children at no recourse to the client. So far, the statement said states that have benefitted in the acquisition till date include Edo, Lagos, Osun, Abuja, Kaduna, Ondo and Kwara states. “The beneficiaries were trained in fashion design, ICT, catering, hair dressing, textiles design, adult literacy, photography,

other sectors of the economy as opposed to the 4-year restriction previously in place resulting in fiscal equity. “The Finance Act has also simplified basis of computation of minimum tax payable by insurance companies as opposed to the 2007 Act which basis differs significantly from that adopted for other Nigerian companies,� she added. “The Finance Act 2020 provides an inclusion of proper

the special punitive deemed profit basis for minimum tax computation. “The Finance Act also resolved the issue of computation of deductible unexpired risk by adopting the use of time apportionment basis in line with the Insurance Act.�

Expressing delight over the matter, she stated that insurance companies would now be able to carry forward losses indefinitely like companies in

Peter Uzoho A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in the 2019 general election, Prof.

Kingsley Moghalu, has been selected as one of the speakers at a forum holding in Washington DC, the United States of America, on Thursday. The panel with the topic: “Understanding the Drivers of Inequality in Africa and Implications for Human Development,� is being jointly hosted by the Africa Growth Initiative at The Brookings Institution and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

It noted that a business-asusual approach would not address factors driving inequality in the continent.

The Brookings, however, stressed the need to go beyond income to understand inequalities in key elements of human development such as health, education, dignity, and human rights. It added: “We must go beyond averages and analyse the various ways in which inequality plays out across an entire population, in different places and over time. “The United Nations Development Programme explores these themes and provides policy recommendations to address inequality in its 2019 Human Development Report.

Moghalu, and his co-panelists who are experts in inequality and African economic development would discuss the economic, governance, and security implications of the diverse and evolving inequalities across the continent.

The Brookings in a statement, said the discussion was being held owing to the realisation that high average rates of economic growth in Africa over the past two decades have failed to make an appreciable dent on inequality across the continent.

According to the global research institution, while the situation varied in size across the region, the chasm between the rich and poor had remained widespread and entrenched.

CONTINUED FROM P1

Mitsubishi L200. We call it Unstoppable.

When style meets toughness The New L200 has been developed to embody the Engineered Beyond Tough keyphrase which underlined its creation. Elements making it significantly more competitive include: more powerful styling that incorporates the latest iteration of the Dynamic Shield front design concept; an enhanced 4WD system that delivers improved off-road performance, and the latest in active safety and driver assistance systems. Overall, the new model features significant refinements to the durability and reliability required by the commercial user and to the comfort and ride sought by the private user.

1. Powerful “Engineered Beyond Tough� Design The New w L200 L2000 a revitalized rev eviittal aliz ized ed under design g u gn nd n deerr tthe he concept he con once ceptt “Rock ““Ro Rock Ro ck k Solid�

So S oli lid� tthat haat em h hat eembodies, bo bodi od diies es,, both bo oth h out, iinside in nsid side si de aand nd d out o ut,, the th full fu ull essence ess ssen en nccee “Engineered Beyond of iits ts ““En Engi gineered ed Bey ey yon o d Tough� development Toug To ugh� ug d ev velop elop el pme ment nt keyphrase k ke yp phrras asee – a toughness toug to ugh hn nes ess fully full fu lly underpinned unde un d rp de pin inn need by by en eengineering ngi gine gin neer eeri ering ing prowess pr p row weesss and and knowhow. an know kn owhow. owh how.

Front view-The Fr F ron ont nt vi view iew-The ffront ro ont fface inco rpo pora rate tees the the new-generation orporates “D Dyna ynamic Shield� front design “Dynamic concept. The high engine hood line and beefier-looking lamps located higher up give the new model a more powerful and imposing front face.

‘You would too after experiencing the thrill of driving a masterpiece engineered to conquer challenges of all shapes and sizes. With a sleek exterior and a powerful engine, you get the perfect blend of the beauty and the beast. A machine built with Nigerian roads in mind.’ Side & rear view Newly sculpted body curves with contrasting sharp lines, extended wheel flares and bright accents embody the strength of a Mitsubishi Motors’ truck and add modernity. The lighting and bumper parts become part of the tough design, framing the front and visual rear designs and adding g vi visu su ual al width. Interior is tthe hee restyled h res estty ylleed the L200 inside de of of th he L L2 200 00 eexpresses xprreess xp esses ssess a modern with m mo ode derrn n aand nd n d rrobust ob o bust ust feel ffeeling fe eel elin in ng w wi ith h fframe fra fr ram ame

frame surroundings fr ram a e su surr rrou rrou rr und diin ng gss ffor or tthe or he he sswitch sw wittch ch panel paan neell and an nd d air ai air ir outlets. out uttleets ts. A high quality look h hi igh gh q uali ua lit ity ty loo oo ok is created cr created by pad materials ssoft sof so oft ft p ad dm aterials and stitching ater on o n the floor console, armrests and parking brake.

2. 4WD System Gives Enhanced All-terrain Performance New L200 4WD models are fitted with either Super-Select 4WD, which delivers optimum traction and handling characteristics for any given

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surface, or Easy-Select 4WD, which simplifies switching between drive modes for different road surfaces. With the addition of new drive modes, both 4WD systems deliver improved off-road performanperforma mannMode ce. New Off-road M ce od de Both and B oth Super-Select Sup perr-S Seellleec ect aan nd Ea Ea ssy y -Select use new -S Selleecct 4WD 4WD sy 4W ssystems ysstteem ms us u se a ne n w Off-road Of O fff--ro roaad d Mode Mod de which whi wh hich has haas h GRAVEL, MUD/SNOW, G GR RAV AVEL EL, EL MUD/ MU D/ /SN NOW O , SAND SA AND N and and d ROCK R ROC OCK OC CK (in (in 4LLc 4LL 4L LLc Lc only) settings. on nly ly)) se set ttin tt i gs gs.. Wh When en eengaged, en ngaag ng ged ed, Off-road Mode integrally O Of f-ro froad ad d Mod ode inte in tegr gral all lly ly controls power, transmico ont ntro ro ollss eengine ngin ng ine po p ower, owe r, tra raanssmimi braking sssion ss siio on an aand nd b rakin ing g to to regulate amount wheel the am the th mou oun nt o nt off w heel slip and thereby the th ereby maximize all-terrain ereb performance and self-extraction performance in mud or snow.

Hill Descent Control Vehicle speed is electronically controlled to allow the driver to negotiate steep or slippery descents more safely and with more assurance.

3. Pickup Truck Performance & Functionality The New L200 features many detail improvements, directed

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by the Engineered Beyond Tough development keyphrase, to the durability and reliability sought in commercial use and to the comfort and ride sought in private use.

Braking performance and feel are improved with the use of larger front discs and caliper pistons; Ride is improved with the use which of larger rear dampers dampe p rs w hich hi ch h damping oil; contain more d a ping am ng g o il; il; il A/T Changing to a 6-speed 6 ssp 6peeeed A A/ /T A/T from thee ccurrent urrreent ur nt 55-speed --sspeeed dA /T tto o allow smoother, more powerful al llo ow ssm mo oo oth ther er, mo m orree p oweerrful and aacceleration ac acc cce celer lera le rattiion n an nd n d improved imp mproved refinement. refi re fine fine fi neme ment me nt. nt years off pi pick-up trucks 4400 y eaars o p ick ck-u up ttr ru ucck cks ks Mitsubishi Motors’ first M Mi Mits itssub ubisshi hi M otto orrrs’ s’ ffi s’ iirrst st 11-ton -tto on n pickup FORTE pi p ick kup up ttruck rucck ru k – the the he FO FOR ORTE TE - was ass launched lla aun uncch hed ed iin n 1978 1978 aand nd eexported xportted xpor xp with names wi th h n ames am es including incl ncludi luding L200.

Since S Sinc ince th then, approximately 4.7 million trucks have been sold worldwide. It’s a pickup truck that can handle all types of road, anywhere on the planet. It has been developed with a design brief - to meet the desire of customers for a pickup with outstanding reliability, durability and payload performance; with levels of drivability, utility, comfort and ride that are on a par with a passenger sedan.

Mitsubishi Motors leveraged its experience in manufacturing Jeeps to carry out independent development of a model for off-road. Consequently, 4WD

was added to its lineup in 1980 which became the foundation for all Mitsubishi 4WD vehicles and led directly to the PAJERO/MONTERO and DELICA 4WD. The first and second generation pickups were mainly produced at Mitsubishi Motors Ohe Plant in Japan.

Japa Ja paan.

Since Since ce the third-generation th hir ird d-ge d-ge g ne nera r tion n model mod odel el iin n 1995, 119995 95, production pr p rod oduc ucti tio on n hass ha b be been een en concentrated Laem cco onc ncent entr en trat ated eed d iin n the th Laaem m Chabang C hab a an ng Plant Pllan P ant in in Thailand, Tha hailan ha ilan il and, from where ffr rom w here he re they the hey are are exported ex xp po orted d worldwide. w orldw r wiid de. de. The Th hee model mod m od o del el and and factory serve facctto orrry y sse erv rve an an important iim mp m porta orta t nt n role rol oe iin n g global loba lo bal strategic sttra raatte tegi gic plan plan of pl Mitsubishi M Mit Mi its tsub ubis ish hii M Motors. otor ot orss.

Newly body N Ne ewl wly ly sculpted sc d b bod ody curves contrasting with wi h con ontr traasting sharp lines, extended exte ex tended wheel flares and bright accents embody the strength of a Mitsubishi Motors’ truck and add modernity. The lighting and bumper parts become part of the tough design, framing the front and rear designs and adding visual width.

Interior - The restyled inside of the L200 expresses a modern and robust feeling with frame surroundings for the switch panel and air outlets. A high quality look is created by b soft pad materials and stitching stitch hing on the floor console, armrests armrestts and parking brake. New L200 4WD models are fitted with either Super -Select 4WD, which

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delivers optimum traction and handling. The new L200 4WD models are fitted with either Super-Select 4WD, which delivers optimum traction and handling characteristics for any given surface, or Easy-Select 4WD, which simplifies switching between drive modes for different road m surfaces. su urfaces. With the addition of new ne ew drive modes, both 4WD systems sy ystems deliver improved y off-road o ff-road f performance. New Off-road Mode. Both SuperO Select Se elect and Easy -Select 4WD systems sy ystems use a new Off-road Mode which has GRAVEL, M MUD/SNOW, SAND and M ROCK (in 4LLc only) settings.

When engaged, Off-road Mode integrally controls engine power, transmi- ssion and braking to regulate the amount of wheel slip and thereby y maximize all-terrain performance perfo orrmaance and and se sself-extraelf lf-extraperformance orr ction p pe erfform maan ncce in in mud mu ud d o snow.

Hill Descent Control snow w. H illl Des escent es cent ce nt C ontrro oll Vehicle Vehic clle speed speeed is sp is electronically eelle leccttro on niicaall ly controlled the driver contr ro olled ed tto o aallow llo ll low tth he d he riv ver e negotiate orr slippery to ne egoti eg otiatee ssteep ot tteeep eep ep o slip sl ippeery descents safely with desce en nts more mo orre ssa afe felly aand nd dw ith moree assurance. asssuran ass ance ce. e

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Olam Partners MIT for Sustainable Food Solutions Peter Uzoho Olam International, one of the leading global agri-business, has partnered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Solve (MIT Solve), to design a Challenge aimed at addressing the issues around sustainable food systems in Nigeria.

Olam International and MIT Solve co-hosted a Challenge Design Workshop which held in Lagos, recently.

The MIT Solve is a hybrid business incubator and business ideas marketplace from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that advances solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address pressing global issues.

MIT Solve connects innovators

with resources such as expertise, human capital, technology, and funding.

The workshop was designed to engage cross-sector stakeholders in Nigeria, to deliberate on issues affecting the country’s agri-business ecosystem and aid MIT in designing Solve’s 2020 Global Challenges. The event was also aimed at building connections amongst individuals and organisations with an interest in innovation, to address social and environmental challenges.

Addressing the audience on the rationale behind the event, the Country Head, Olam Nigeria, Mukul Mathur, said: “Olam started as a single-man, single product operation in Nigeria and we have managed to achieve

massive growth over a 30-year period. “However, we still face problems and we cannot fix these challenges alone. We realise the value of having an ecosystem which can help in proffering solutions, especially around sustainable food systems in Nigeria. “It is important to have such an ecosystem of likeminded people. I know that together, we can fix these problems.�

Officer, Sustainability Community for MIT Solve, Sharon Bort, described the programme as an initiative of the MIT aimed at solving identified global challenges.

According to her, the MIT Solve cycle which starts in February of each year initiates

competitions in the areas of Economic Prosperity, Health, Learning and Sustainability.

Bort added that MIT Solve decided to focus on challenges associated with food in an attempt to find solutions to issues around sustainable food systems.

According to Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Olam International, Julie Greene, the rise in the world’s population presents an opportunity for players in the agricultural value chain with the rapid rate of urban migration resulting in mass movements away from farms where crops are harvested.

She said: “For most part

of history, people lived near their food sources, they grew their own food. Today over 50 per cent of the population lives in the cities. “This has huge implications because of the channels through which these food products are transported and stored. The bigger challenge is that it inhibits people from having a healthy diet.�

Green, pointed out that agriculture also has its negative impacts, despite its positive effects.

She said, “Agriculture and other land uses are responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizers, deforestation and transportation. “Agriculture is responsible

for 70 per cent of freshwater withdrawals. While these are critical to productivity, they also have polluting effects on the environment. “We only grow enough food to feed the population, but the problem is that 1/3 of that food never actually reaches our plates due to food loss and waste.

Therefore, the food system needs innovation and that is why we are here today to answer the question “what are the various opportunities for a sustainable food system?’�

Vice President, Farming Initiatives, Olam Nigeria, Reji George, identified food loss and wastage amongst some of the challenges encountered in agribusiness.

Nnamani Backs NCC’s Digital Economy Initiatives Emma Okonji The President of Medallion Communications Limited, Mr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, has commended the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for their efforts in building a digital economy in the country.

Nnamani, who is also the First Vice President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) said the Ministry and the telecoms regulator were on the path to driving economic growth through their initiatives aimed at digital transformation.

Specifically, he said the federal government’s commitment to the implementation of the national digital economy strategy would help the country achieve growth and development.

According to him, with the support of the NCC, NITDA and other government agencies in the implementation of the digital policy, Nigeria’s economy would in the next few years take a new shape.

Nnamani said ATCON as a body had also keyed into the digital

agenda, hence, its plan to deepen discussions on the matter through the forthcoming national dialogue on ICT. The event scheduled to hold next months in Abuja, is targeted at changing the narrative of the country’s development through the optimal utilisation of digital resources and to achieve this, Nnamani said State Governors, Ministries, Agencies and Sectors like Agriculture, Education, Oil and Gas, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment, Security and Defence have been invited along with telecom and ICT companies.

He added that the strategic dialogue plans to bring together the Presidency, National Assembly, relevant Federal Ministries, State Governors, ICT State Commissioners, Telecom and ICT Operating Companies, World Bank and other international relevant agencies. According to him, “the strategic objectives of the proposed National Dialogue are to channel collaborative efforts toward Nigerian Digital Economy with the sole aim of accelerating our economy’s performance in relation to other leading African countries and to serve as a forum to discuss the recently launched documents on Digital Economy and take stakeholders input for implementation.

Firm Advocates Tax Exemption for Start-ups James Emejo in Abuja The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Skin 101 Medical Centre, Dr. Hilda Titiloye has urged the government to exempt start-ups and small businesses from taxation She said this would among other things encourage productivity and growth as well as boost the economy as SMEs remain a catalyst to growth.

Speaking at the lunch of a new facility in Abuja, she urged the federal government to consider exempting small businesses that are just starting up from tax as a means of motivating young people in entrepreneurship.

She recalled that unlike in the past years, small businesses were not required to pay taxes, adding the present predicament started two years ago when tax officers insisted SMEs should be taxed.

Titiloye further argued that taxes could be burdensome and a great discouragement in business.

She said lack of power supply was also killing businesses, urging the government to consider the amount of money spent by SMEs in providing electricity to sustain their venues. “Businesses are open to make profit but with all these lack of infrastructures where is the profit?

She queried, adding that “it is not easy running businesses on generators, there is no need over flogging the matter, and I think the government knows what should be done. However, it can be difficult for any business when you spend so much on diesel or any alternative means of power supply.�

The CMD said:“We are lawabiding citizens, so we will pay our tax but simple things like giving a new business tax holiday or people that provide certain essential services would further help to grow SMEs and at the same time serve as an encouragement for more people to come on board.�

EMPLOYMENTSUMMIT

L-R: Country Manager,Tek Expert,Lars Johannisson; Founder / Managing Director, Future Software Resources Limited, Nkem Begho; Head, Innovation and Sustainability, Honeywell Group,Tomi Otudeko, and Partner, Experience Centre and EmergingTechnologies, PwC,Olufemi Osinubi, at the breakout session onJ‘ obsfortheFuture’organisedbythe LagosStateEmploymentTrustFundSummit,heldinLagos...recently ETOPUKUTT

Rotary Club Honours Police, LASTMA Officers Oluchi Chibuzor As part of its contribution to humanity and celebration of Rotary international vocational service month, Maryland Rotary Club has honoured officers of the Nigerian Police and Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) and also presented a cash of N25, 000.

Speaking at the ceremony in Lagos, recently, the Club President, Dr. Adewale Sanni, said the various government officials

recognised at the event displayed courage, diligence despite dangers and risks associated at the various points of duties. “We did our feasibility studies very well to actually know those who are in needs of this support in this month of vocational service as Rotary Club of Maryland. “This is to reward those who were doing well and never thought people were watching them in discharge of their duties and also for people who need support to boost their businesses

to move higher in life.�

The club noted that the reward for excellence came after two months of facts-finding and recommendation from the public and colleagues to recipients.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Vocational Service Committee, Mr. Bamidele Onalaja, said the awards to the recipients would spur more commitment from those entrusted with service to humanity beyond borders. “That is why we went as far as going to their post of duties to

give them the awards and as you can see passersby was cheering them up and echoing they deserve it. To them we believe they never saw it coming but today they are been celebrated.�

On her part, an Officer of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Inspector, Okwudi Dianna, expressed appreciation to God, stating that she never knew that people were watching her, “was just surprised when their President came and told me that they have an award for me.�

Chivita Reiterates ‘No Preservatives’ Quality Chivita Ice Tea, a product which claims to offer consumers all the natural benefits of tea extracts, is an Ice Tea brand in Nigeria that is produced in aseptic packaging, the manufacturers have stated.

The Aseptic packaging production process is a specialised process in which food or other contents are processed separately and filled into the aseptic container or pack in a sterile environment that is safe and free of all harmful bacteria and free from human intervention.

According to a statement from the company, this type of packaging allows the food and beverage products to be transported over

long distances, stored, and sold on shelves without refrigeration, thereby enabling the product have a stable shelf life of between 6-18 months, depending on the product. “Thus, production in aseptic packaging is an innovative technology in the food and beverage industry that does not require the use of preservatives or additives to retain the product’s natural benefits before consumption. “Preservatives and additives have been commonly used in producing packaged foods and beverages to increase shelf-life, and reduce the loss of taste or ingredients in the product before

consumption. Common preservatives used in food production include benzoates, nitrites and sulphites. “Research studies have shown that consumption of preservatives over a period of time could have negative effects on human health. Preservative consumption could be a source of breathing problems like asthma and bronchitis, and some have been known to weaken heart cells, body tissues, and cause cancer,� the statement added.

It pointed out that Nigerian consumers were exposed to preservatives in some of the products they consume in

polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or plastic bottles. “Even beverages that are supposed to be natural and beneficial for human health, have been known to contain preservatives like Potassium Sorbate and Trisodium Citrate, which diminish some of the benefits of the beverage and cause harm to the body. “For food products that contain natural ingredients which promote the overall wellbeing of individuals, inclusion of harmful preservatives in the foods or drinks could negate most, if not all of the natural ingredients in the product.

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Joe-Ezigbo: FG Must Incentivise Gas Sector Investors The President of the Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) and Co-Founder/Executive Director of Falcon Corporation, Mrs Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, in this interview, speaks on factors stifling growth and investment in the gas sector, despite Nigeria’s natural endowed with abundant hydrocarbon. Peter Uzoho brings the excerpts: With Nigeria’s proven gas reserves of over 600TCF and daily production of over 200 billion cubic feet, do you see the National Gas Policy being able to harness the potential of this huge resource for national economic development?

Let me first say that the decisive action by the Nigerian Government to approve the National Gas Policy (NGP) was certainly a significant move in the right direction, establishing the recognition of the gas industry as a standalone Industry with viable economic benefits to Nigeria. Its primary aim is to advance the diversification drive initiated by the government to move the Nigerian economy from an oil export based one to a gas-based industrialised one. It is important to note that although the policy was approved by the government, it is yet to be given necessary legal backing. We must progress it to the level of regulation backed by law, thereby deepening its stamp on the Nigerian gas sphere. This aside, I consider it to be a well thought out and articulated document. It may not contain every provision that would have been needed in order to establish Nigeria as a gas-based industrialisation, but it undeniably constitutes a great starting point.

Do I see the NGP being able to harness the potential of gas as a tool for national economic development? Certainly! The policy provides for the separation of key aspects of the value chain -infrastructure ownership, operations and trading in order to dissuade monopolistic business operations along the gas value chain.

As you can imagine, a monopolistic business environment, especially regarding a vital resource such as gas, is quite dangerous as it puts the power of the output of the resource primarily in the hands of a few entities. Therefore, this provision seeks to encourage more entrants with expertise in various areas to come into the Nigerian gas industry, thereby encouraging competition and capacity as well as creating added depth within the Industry. The policy also provides for the introduction of an Open Access regime regarding gas pipeline networks and the articulation of a National Gas Transportation Network code. A lot of work has already gone into putting this together, and the NGTNP is expected to be launched at the upcoming petroleum summit in Abuja. There are so many other provisions that speak to the focus on developing our in-country gas consumption and utilisation capabilities, so in principle, the answer to your question is yes.

The other side of the conversation however is that the policy cannot succeed out of a concerted effort to address and redress some of the other systemic challenges that have bedeviled the gas sector for quite a while now; challenges which international investor prospects are also reviewing when they look to what the possibilities are within the Nigerian gas market. The success of the policy cannot also be divorced from the broader ecosystem of headwinds impacting on the nation and economy. There are many moving parts where this conversation is concerned, and they signal different things to investor prospects.

I am, however, personally encouraged by the initiatives and proactive approach to things that we see from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and other related agencies, including also the Gas Committees of both houses within the National Assembly. There is a lot of engagement going on with the Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) and other professional and industry associations, seeking to find resolutions to some of these issues. I believe as long as we continue to apply ourselves doggedly in this manner, the needles will begin to shift.

While acknowledging progress on one hand, there are also a few things that continue to give us cause for concern and so we are not relenting on our advocacy efforts to ensure the long-term best interests of our industry and nation are preserved.

Joe-Ezigbo Industry operators including yourself, have been clamouring for an investor-friendly and sustainable gas pricing regime, what are the fundamental issues around that?

The primary dilemma of the gas pricing conversation has been that on one hand, you have government intent on ensuring lower gas prices in order to ensure affordability of the end product to the final consumer, including power; and on the other hand, investors need to ensure gas prices that are reflective of the spectrum of their infrastructure cost profiles and other variables that impact on the viability of their investments. The intention of government is a laudable one but in practice,

The intention of government is a laudable one but in practice, this is difďŹ cult to sustain, especially if we want to see any tangible results in the short to medium terms. We have such a humongous and rather daunting dearth of infrastructure

this is difficult to sustain, especially if we want to see any tangible results in the short to medium terms. We have such a humongous and rather daunting dearth of infrastructure.

Coupled with this is the fact that the funds required to deliver on the infrastructure needs of the country are not readily available in Nigeria, and quite frankly have several options of climes where their returns profiles are better, their lives and assets are more secure, the policy landscape is more stable, and they can bank on the terms they contract on being maintained over the life of their investments.

The Nigerian Gas space at this time can only primarily be funded by the private sector. For every investment opportunity, however, the economical dynamics must make sense. No investor would want to infuse huge cost in a place where internal rate of returns doesn’t make commercial sense. We cannot be trying to impose a social objective on an entity whose primary motive is profit-oriented, especially when we are not in a strong enough position to do so. We hardly manufacture any infrastructure components in-country so the bulk of the requirements on any infrastructure project will be imported, backed by dollardenominated contracts. Loans are sourced in dollars to back projects and must be repaid in dollars. There is already significant value erosion based on the challenges related to forex revenues versus naira receipts and the constraints around sourcing dollars at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) rates. If we stepped back to look at it properly, investors are not being unreasonable when they ask for better pricing. We need to allow more investors come in on better terms and then see how competitive forces over time begin

to put pressures on margins and force prices down. I know many people argue that this will not necessarily be the case, but we have seen this happen in other industry and other climes, so it should be a risk worth taking.

At this point, we are doing the same things and nothing is changing. This should not be allowed to continue. Competition is supposed to drive tariffs but what we have is a reverse scenario where regulation is driving tariffs.

This is unsustainable and we are already living in the fall out of this. We cannot continue to play the ostrich or laugh at the expression we make about how Nigeria does not respond to general economic principles.

That time has since passed and I dare say it was that mindset that has placed us in the current conundrum we find ourselves in. Gas business is capital intensive and in order to encourage the much-needed investment into the sector, it must be treated as a business product not a social service. The government cannot fund the development of this sector.

It must therefore put in place incentives to attract investors. One of the incentives is a profitable pricing mechanism that would be deemed to be commercially viable to investors, both local and foreign.

Is Nigeria doing enough in the area of gas monetisation?

I would posit that there is both a yes and a no dimension to this question. Certainly, a historical perspective guarantees a negative response.

Much as we can celebrate the many successes of our NLNG project, we sometimes need to go back and do a comparative computation CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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JOE-EZIGBO: FG MUST INCENTIVISE GAS SECTOR INVESTORS of how much value was eroded by delaying the take-off of that project for all those years.

Even with the Train 7 that we are so glad has taken off, the value lost by the years of delay on taking FID is monumental. Till today, neither Brass nor OKLNG projects have attained any significant progress, if at all, yes, these are export-oriented projects, but they also held in their hands the capacity to reign in significant revenues to our national coffers which could have been better deployed to building infrastructure and industrialisation. When we look inwards, much as we are now speaking to the critical gas development projects, we have had years where gas transportation, processing and storage facilities alike were not given prime consideration. If they had been, we would have been speaking to a whole different level of monetisation, commercialisation and utilisation of gas industry. Our gas-based industrialisation status is quite poor for a nation of our size, given especially the potential multiplier effects of having a good number of GBI’s domiciled within any one economy.

That said, we must then also commend the efforts to bring to light some of the significant projects which we are currently speaking to, projects which are potential game-changers of the Gas monetisation conversation in Nigeria. Gas flaring in Nigeria had been a problem for decades in Nigeria, primarily due to ignorance of the commercial value of the resource. We flared N460.5 billion of Natural Gas in 2019 alone. That is a huge amount considering we are looking to borrow about N2.8 billion from both domestic and foreign sources to fund our national budget of N10.59 trillion. In this context, we have to acknowledge the work being done to refocus the monetisation conversation via the introduction of the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme which is being steadily progressed, albeit with some delays occasioned by the imperatives for more robust stakeholder engagements. While the push for an enhanced focus on Gas monetisation is ongoing however, there are other things that I believe need to happen in concert. As regards laws and regulations that govern the gas industry, we are currently operating with outdated fiscals, petroleum laws and regulations that need to be reviewed and amended to reflect the present realities of the gas and business environment in Nigeria.

Investors, both foreign and domestic are not keen to spend their resources on domestic Gas projects when they are not protected or encouraged by the domestic laws governing the sector, especially in an increasingly tough and insecure clime. The Gas industry is one that is rife with risks and players should be incentivised by fiscal and commercial frameworks, backed by enabling laws, in order to encourage more participation in the industry, thereby leading to an increased in-country utilisation of the resource. And we must build this in-country capabilities. Our wealth is not so much in having the gas as it is our level of domestic consumption and utilisation across various facets of industry.

SpeciďŹ cally, what pricing structure and mechanism would you prefer to be adopted for the Nigerian gas sector?

At this point, the preferred pricing mechanism for the Nigerian Gas market would be the Willing Buyer-Willing Seller pricing model. This model advocates for a fair price agreed upon by both the buyer and the seller of the gas product, armed with knowledge about the dynamics of the product and under no forced obligation to transact with a price that is deemed unfeasible. Our reality is that we already have these types of transactions happening in the country. We should allow market-reflective tariffs that support investment economics needed to ensure expansions in the gas infrastructure backbone across the country. As it stands, the NGA has been advocating for a while now, for a gas tariff methodology study to be done, to adapt a model for Nigeria that creates a clear returns pathway for both existing and potential entrants in Nigeria’s gas space. A clear unambiguous and scientific approach to the development of tariffs is a good first step on the journey to full market liberalisation.

What are the major risks in the sector

Joe-Ezigbo that need to be removed to attract more investors and encourage existing ones to remain in the business?

Primarily, we need to deal decisively with the investment risk posed by the absence of a substantive legal framework for the gas industry. The Petroleum Industry Bill which has been stalled for a long time must be passed before any investor can regard the Nigerian Gas Industry as a viable one. There are those who challenge this assertion by referring to some of the existing investments that have been made, but our reality is that we are dealing with very different national and global dynamics today that used to be in the past. We are dealing with new types of risks and uncertainties, a different dimension of global interplays and impacts of non-core issues on industry developments. Global investment capital is also more informed, more sophisticated, and above all, more sensitive. I continue to argue that while it is important that we celebrate any recent wins we have seen, we must be challenged by the pace and scale of investments into our industry and economy, particularly considering our population growth. A population growing at 2.6 per cent average per annum with a GDP growth rate that is sub-two per cent on average, is a huge challenge. Gas can get us on a trajectory well aware from such dire numbers, but we have to create the environment for this to happen. There are indications that this PIB will soon be passed into Law and

Gas business is capital intensive and in order to encourage the muchneeded investment into the sector, it must be treated as a business product not a social service. The government cannot fund the development of this sector.

It must therefore put in place incentives to attract investors

NGA is earnestly looking forward to this being a reality. It is also imperative that we move away from market regulation and allow for liberalisation. A review of the National Gas Master Plan of 2008 tells you that the plan was to move to a liberalised Willing Buyer, Willing Seller Gas market. Over the past couple of years however, actions have been taken that shows increasing regulation rather than liberalisation.

This will not augur well for us in the medium to long term. I dare say we are already seeing the ripple effects of this unfolding. What we need to examine is where over-regulation has brought us. We need to look back and see what principles underpinned the concepts of aggregation and the imposition of Domestic Supply Obligations. We need to look at some of the policy thrusts we had before and which we have carried into today, even though the issues underpinning their development at that point have since been overtaken by events.

We need to do a comprehensive review and see how to reposition our industry. This is one of the toughest climes to operate in, with too much uncertainty. You know it is said in business that you can model risk, but modelling uncertainty is another ball game entire. We must address this.

There are several other issues that we have consistently pointed out that need to be addressed. There is the issue of foreign exchange rate disparity and the imperative for a unification of the different rates of foreign exchange in Nigeria, especially as the currency for gas transactions globally is the dollar.

Sanctity of contract remains an area where there is much work to be done. Gas investments are typically long-term investments. It cannot be assumed normal that terms can be breached or changed unilaterally at any point in the life of the agreement, but this happens more regularly than should be the case. Nigeria currently has an infamous reputation of having utter disregard for the sanctity of contractual terms by the introduction of policies that might out rightly upturn contracts made. This is a terrible signal to investors.

Conversation around gas-to-power, and gas-to- industry have been rife, are you an advocate of this, also, how can Nigeria leverage this to scale up the economy?

I am certainly an advocate of anything that would advance the economy of this country.

Gas is a known feedstock to several industries

such as petrochemicals, fertilizers and plastics.

In a country that is as blessed as we are with a wide range of natural resources which readily find outlets in global markets; the potential for Gas-based industrialisation is immense.

Recall earlier that I alluded to the multiplier benefits of GBI’s. not only are talking about significant employment opportunities, but they also engender the development of various layers of enterprise to support their value chain from supply to logistics, etc. late last year there was a feature on Indorama plant, what was formerly the Eleme Petrochemicals plant up until 1996. That singular investment has grown and expanded, provided thousands of direct and indirect jobs, earned several billions of dollars in revenue for the government, and by their records is feeding polymer resins as raw materials for production to over 600 plastic industries in Nigeria. We only need to do the math to see what having multiple Indoramalike GBI’s operating across Nigeria. When we speak to how we can scale up Gas-to-Industry therefore, it goes back to us addressing some of the issues I have spoken to earlier and also coming up with creative ways to incentivize investors and draw them back into the country in their numbers. Regarding the use of Gas as fuel for power generation, it goes without saying that this is the priority direction for us to go when we think power in Nigeria.

Nigeria currently barely produces 4, 000 MW of Power for a population of approximately 200m people. Given that by UN standards, we should have at least 200GW of power. We have a long way to go and Gas can shorten that journey for us. As you know, adequate power is a tool also for growth in enterprise, industrialisation, improved healthcare, more robust agricultural development and unlocking of its higher export potentials through food processing and storage, of and a general improvement of the standard of living of a nations citizenry. The onus is on us to fix our power sector quickly. While there are specific structural issues relating to the power value chain itself, we also must address the gas side of the equation so that the wider ecosystem of Gas-to-Power works seamlessly, efficiently and effectively. And there are many technologies available for us to quickly optimise both Natural Gas and indeed Liquefied Petroleum Gas LPG as fuels for power generation. One of the key things that NGA has been advocating for is closer and more synergistic relationship between the Ministry for Power and the Ministry for Petroleum Resources. There is an evident loss of efficiencies and value erosion where we have the Gascos having to relate with both ministries separately, and sometimes it is clear that the outlook and agendas of both ministries are not in tandem. We are engaging with these ministries to have what would be the first of a series of workshops aimed at a better understanding and collaboration strategies between these ministries.

How did Falcon Corporation fare last year, and what is your projection for this year?

The year 2019 was, for want of a better expression, an interesting year for Falcon Corporation as indeed I am sure it was for most industry players. We took our fair share of hits from the broader economic pressures, policy undulations that impacted the industry, and so on. At the same time, we because we remain resolute regarding our commitment to grow and expand the business, we took on some major strides in expanding our distribution business, progressing our LPG tank farm project in Port Harcourt, gaining a foothold in the LPG trading space, and other expansions which moved past the ideation stage but which I am not at liberty to share at this time. In essence, 2019 was for us a tough year but it was also a year that opened up new opportunities for us because we chose to push past the pressures and the odds.

For 2020, we will continue to progress our existing business while advancing the maturation of our expansion initiatives. Falcon Corporation is a company that prides itself on upholding the highest standards of ethical practice in the Midstream and Downstream Gas business and that has been our voice in the room even in conversations that we had no physical representative. 2020 is, therefore, a year where this standard of excellence would be upheld while we constantly work towards optimizing the outlook for Gas in Nigeria.

34

IMAGES

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Photo Editor ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ ÔËÖË Email Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜Ë›Ă‹Ă”Ă‹Ă–Ă‹ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ù×

President Buhari with Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Zulum and Borno Elders at the Shehu’s Palace during a Sympathy Visit to Borno State over the Terrorist Attack in Maiduguri...recently PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

The patron of Imo Concerned Citizens Forum, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly boy during a protest against the removal of Emeka Ihedioha by the Supreme Court in Owerri, the Imo State capital..recently

L-R; Wife of Senator Udoma Udo udoma , Mrs. Sally Udoma; Senator udoma Udo Udoma being presented with certiďŹ cate of Japanese Order of the Rising Sun . Gold and Silver Star by the Japanese Ambassedor to Nigeria , Mr. Kikuta Yutaka during the ConďŹ rement ceremony at the Embassy in Abuja...recently PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

L-R, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Phillip Aduda; President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan and Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agaga at the inaguration of the Seante Constitution Review Committee held in Abuja...recently PHOTO: JULIUS ATOI

L-R: Chairman, Creativexone Limited, Dapo Oluwaseyi Adelegan; Assistant Director, Public Aairs, Lagos State Ministry of Information, Aruya Temilade; Managing Director, Creativexone Limited, Doyin Adewumi; Executive Director, iFEST, Owolabi Mustapha and Managing Director, Mind Innovations, Jahswill Osondu at the launch of iFEST in Lagos...recently

R-L: Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Shuabu Ibrahim, Director, Press, NYSC, Mrs. Adeyemi Adenike and Director; Internal Audit, Mr. Leke Abiodun, during the Press and Public Relations OďŹƒcers workshop in Abuja...recently PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN

L-R: Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, and member of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Nigerian Security Challenges, Senator Stella Oduah, at the on-going ďŹ ve-day interactive forum of the Committee and stakehokders at NAF Conference Centre, Abuja....recently

L-R: Pioneer Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Exports Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo and National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during a visit to Tinubu by Awolowo in Abuja...recently PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

35

Bauchi state governor Bala Mohammed, Minister of Mines and Steel development, Arch Olamilekan Adegbite during the vist of the governor to the Honourable Minister in Abuja..recently PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

L-R: Group Public Relations /Event Manager, DuďŹ l Prima Foods Plc, Tope Ashiwaju; Children of Heart Of Gold, Arike Adedoyin; Chinyere Adedoyin; and Representative of Founder of Heart of Gold Children Hospice; Mrs Esther Adeboye, during the donation of gift items to Heart of Gold Children Hospice by Indomie to the home during the valentine season in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

L-R: Governor of Ogun State Prince Dapo Abiodun,and Minister of State for Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, when the minister paid the governor a courtesy visit in his oďŹƒce at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta... recently

L-R: Mobile Quality Assuarance Specialist, Samsung Nigeria, Stephen Okwara; Head of Retail Marketing, Samsung Nigeria, Anselm Etibhio and Head Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Nigeria, Adetunji Taiwo at the Launch of the newest agship smartphones Samsung Galaxy 520 held in Abuja...recently PHOTO: JULIUS ATOI

L-R, Senator Douye Diri PDP Governor- Elect of Balyelsa State receives CertiďŹ cate of Return from INEC National Commissioner representing South South, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu in Abuja...recently PHOTO: JULIUS ATOI

L-R: Managing Director, Lagos State Waterways Authority, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel; Representative of the Lagos State Governor, Commissioner of Transportation, Dr Frederick Abimbola Oladeinde; British Deputy High Commission, Harriet Thompson, and Chairman, Food and Beverages Recycling Alliance, Matthieu Seguin, at the Lagos waterways clean-up environmental campaign in Lagos...recently

L-R: Son of the deceased, Mr. Anthony Obayomi; daughter, Evang. Tope Alabi-Obayomi; Son, Mr. Joseph Obayomi; Son in-law, Mr. Soji Alabi; Grand-daughter, Miss. Ayomikun Alabi; Daughter, Ms. Funke Obayomi and Granddaughter, Miss. Deborah Alabi; during the funeral mass in honour of late Pa Joseph Obayomi held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Oshodi, Lagos ...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

L-R: Former Ambassador, Babagana Kingibe, Nigerian oil magnate and entrepreneur, Dr Emeka Oor, her Daughter, Ify Oor, Former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani ; and Former Borno State Governor, Alimadu Sheri, during a get together for Emeka in Abuja...recently PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

36

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍľËœ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

AfDB Refutes W’Bank President’s Comments on Africa’s Debts Hamid Ayodeji The African Development Bank (AfDB) has faulted a recent comment by the President of the World Bank, David Malpass.

Malpass, was recently quoted as saying some multilateral development banks, including the AfDB, have a tendency to lend too quickly and in the process, add to the continent’s debt problems. However, the AfBD in a statement, said Malpass comment was inaccurate and not fact-based. “It impugns the integrity of the African Development Bank, undermines our governance systems, and incorrectly insinuates that we operate under different standards from the World Bank.

The very notion goes against the spirit of multilateralism and our collaborative work. “For the record, the African Development Bank maintains a very high global standard of transparency. In the 2018 Publish What You Fund report,

our institution was ranked the 4th most transparent institution, globally,� it stated.

The Bank said it provides a strong governance program for its regional member-countries that focuses on public financial management, better and transparent natural resources management, sustainable and transparent debt management and domestic resource mobilisation. “We have spearheaded the issuance of local currency financing to several countries to mitigate the impacts of foreign exchange risks, while supporting countries to improve tax collection and tax administration, and leveraging pension funds and sovereign wealth funds to direct more monies into financing development programs, especially infrastructure,� he added.

The statement explained that the AfDB’s Africa Legal Support Facility (ALSF) supports countries to negotiate terms of their royalties and taxes to international

companies, and terms of their non-concessional loans to some bilateral financiers. “We have been highly successful in doing so. These are the facts: The World Bank, with a more substantial balance sheet, has significantly larger operations in Africa than the African Development Bank.

The World Bank’s operations approved for Africa in the 2018 fiscal year amounted to US $20.2 billion, compared to US $10.1 billion by the African Development Bank. “With regard to Nigeria and South Africa, the World Bank’s outstanding loans for the 2018 fiscal year to both countries stood at US $8.3 billion and US $2.4 billion, respectively. In contrast, the outstanding amounts for the African Development Bank Group to Nigeria and South Africa were US $2.1 billion and US $2 billion, respectively, for the same fiscal year.

L-R: Regional Bank Head, Apapa, Fidelity Bank Plc, Jude Monye; Head, Lagos Office, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Suzie Onwuka; Divisional Head, Operations, Fidelity Bank Plc/Vice Chairman, Get Alert in Millions Season 4 (GAIM 4) Promo Committee, Martins Izuogbe; Senior Accountant, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Uche Nebolisa, and Divisional Head, Retail Banking, Fidelity Bank Plc, Richard Madiebo, at the second bi-monthly /4th monthly draw of the ongoing promo, held in Lagos‌ recently

MARKET INDICATORS

Fidelity Bank Rewards More Customers in Promo A total of 12 lucky customers of Fidelity Bank Plc have emerged millionaires in the fourth monthly and second bi-monthly draw of the bank’s ‘Get Alert in Millions (GAIM) promo season 4.’ The electronic raffle draw, which held at the bank’s headquarters in Lagos, was witnessed by the relevant regulatory bodies including the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB) and Consumer Protection Council (CPC), saw the bank rewarding the lucky customers in the categories of N3 million, N2 million and N1 million respectively.

Speaking during the event, Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, reiterated the bank’s commitment to continue to reward customer loyalty.

Okonkwo, who was represented by the Bank’s General Manager/Divisional Head, Operations, Martins Izuogbe,

said, the promo was also to support the Central Bank of Nigeria’s financial inclusion strategy.

According to him, with the changing economic landscape, Fidelity Bank through the promo was creating opportunities for Nigerians to get better returns on savings.

He said the ongoing promo is the ninth edition in the past 12 years, adding that a total of N18 million and 18 consolation prizes were rewarded with cash in the promo and other consolation prices.

He said, “Currently, savings gives better yield than other instruments and what we are doing is in line with the CBN’s directive on financial inclusion and create better value for our customers. What we have done is set aside a total of N120 million as gifts to our customers as they participate in this promo. “It is worthy to note that by the end of today’s draw, we

would have given out a total of N68 million in cash and 72 consolation prizes of fridges, TV sets and power generating sets to over 123 winners. “We expect more winners to emerge at subsequent draws as we still have a total of N52 million and several consolation prizes yet to be won�.

Shedding light on how customers would qualify for the draw, the Divisional Head, Retail Banking, Mr. Richard Madiebo, stated that both existing and new customers could win by simply topping their account with N10,000 for existing customers or someone opening a new account and building it up to N20,000.

He further disclosed that to qualify for the star prize of N3 million one needs to build his account to N50,000 while aspiring for the grand prize of N10 million, one only has to grow his account to N200,000.

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Five Banks Top #BankLoveChallenge #BankLoveChallenge, a survey

by Ciuci Consulting on what retail banking customers wanted from their financial institution in 2020 had five Nigerian banks.

The result of the challenge put GTBank, Zenith, Access, First bank and the United Bank for Africa (UBA) at the top.

According to a statement, the challenge was conducted to discover the love-hate relationship between Nigerians and their banks. It revealed that GTBank, Zenith, Access, First Bank and UBA polled 32.75 per cent, 12.71 per cent, 12.12 per cent, 9.97 per cent, and 7.14 per cent, respectively from respondents.

The respondents mentioned convenience, reliability and customer service as their reasons for having such strong feelings for these five banks. “As much as Valentine’s Day is centred on love, there is no denying the flipside such as heartbreaks, breakups, and relationships which just did not work out, same go with banks and customers across the globe, hence the need for this challenge. “With survey questions such

as ‘who is the love of your life?’ and ‘who is your crush?’ among the banks, the favourite banks of respondents across all age groups were captured with the reasons and why they melt their hearts and fill their tummies with butterflies,� it added.

It stated that the survey which was conducted by Ciuci Consulting in partnership with The Guardian, used a random sample of 1,023 respondents across Nigeria, respondents’ states reasons such as poor customer service, inconvenience and unreliability for banks they will never go back to. Others cited poor turnaround time as the reasons they would never use some banks. “Although 264 respondents were satisfied with their banking relationship, other respondents also had issues with the top five banks noting that they may want to break up with them. As with love, a few complications rose up in the relationships between banks and the respondents, with some respondents having the love of their lives as the bank they want to break up with and their worst ex.

“Despite GTBank being the most loved bank, a common complaint by respondents is that their branches are crowded and their ATMs not enough. This has caused some respondents to consider a possible breakup with the bank, as it has not adapted to its increasing number of customers. “Some respondents chose Access bank as the love of their life, the bank they will never date and their worst ex, citing ‘misbehaviour’ from the bank after the merger with Diamond bank. “Some respondents closed their accounts with some banks due to their inability to access loans, while documentation process and requirements for account opening at a certain bank are considered too stressful.

Notably, respondents considered some banks as ‘ancient’ banks with prolonged turnaround time. “It is the season of ‘shooting your shot’, Zenith bank, GTBank, Standard Chartered, Access bank and First bank were chosen as the banks admired by respondents even though they are no operational account with the banks,� it added.

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

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

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ ÍŻÍą Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $55.86 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $55.54 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), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

37

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯ͵˜ 2020

MARKET NEWS

SEC Harps on Need to Patronise Collective Investment Goddy Egene The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will intensify efforts in making collective investment scheme (CIS) the entry point into the nation’s capital for retail investors.

The Acting Director General of SEC, Ms. Mary Uduk, who disclosed this in Lagos, recently, said ensuring more patronage of CIS, also known as mutual funds, was one

of the commission’s major priorities in 2020 and beyond.

According to her, investing in the market through CIS would ensure proper management of investments by professionals thereby bringing many benefits to investors.

Uduk, disclosed that in order to mark CIS attractive and enjoy more patronage, SEC has embarked on many initiatives.

“For instance, a comprehensive review of the

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

Rules on CIS were recently concluded to improve the global competitiveness of the CIS industry in Nigeria. The review included a reduction of costs, a requirement to benchmark performance and classification of funds to aid comparison and performance evaluation, amongst others.

“The new CIS Rules, which became operational on December 23, 2019, will enable the immediate marketing and operation of open-ended funds

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

after SEC approval of the CIS, thereby reducing time to market,” she said.

The SEC boss explained that reduction of costs was two-fold – offer costs and operational costs (that is total expense ratio) for CIS funds.

“Offer costs were reviewed downwards from a 3.0 per cent cap to a 1.0 per cent cap and 1.65 per cent cap for open-ended funds and closed-ended funds respec-

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

tively. Operational costs were reviewed downwards from 5.0 per cent to 3.5 per cent (effective immediately) and subsequently 3.0 per cent (effective January 1, 2021) to make Nigerian funds globally competitive and attractive,” she said.

Uduk said definitions and other eligibility criteria have been provided in the new CIS Rules to classify funds in terms of their underlying investment/asset class.

O F

“This will aid comparability of funds and their performance.

The commission facilitated collaboration between Brokers and Fund Managers on distribution of mutual funds to retail investors to make CIS funds more accessible to investors. The Commission engaged PenCom to eliminate the practice of commission-sharing between capital market operators and pension fund administrators (PFAs),”he said.

1 4 / 0 2 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

38

˾ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

േ േ

േ

േ േ

േ

7 R S 7 U D G H V E \ 9 R O X P H T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

7 R S * D L Q H U V T ic k er

P ric e

Z EN IT H B A N K

21.7

-1.3%

C A VER T ON

2.74

9.6%

UA C N

21.2

-3.7%

LA SA C O

0.26

8.3%

UC A P

20.5

2.8%

LIVEST OC K

0.70

7.7%

UB A

13.9

-1.3%

LA WUN ION

1.15

4.5%

FB NH

7.6

-0.8%

UP L

1.25

4.2%

C OUR T VILLE

3.3

0.0%

UC A P

2.94

2.8%

WA P C O

3.2

-0.6%

J A IZ B A N K

0.64

1.6%

J A P A ULOIL

2.7

-9.1%

T R A N SEXP R

0.90

1.1%

A F R IP R UD

2.6

0.0%

FCM B

1.87

0.5%

A C C ESS

2.5

-1.0%

M ULT IT R EX

0.36

0.0%

7 R S 7 U D G H V E \ 9 D O X H

7 R S / R V H U V

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

Z EN IT H B A N K

429.5

-1.3%

N EIM ET H

UA C N

208.5

-3.7%

GUIN N ESS

UB A

108.0

-1.3%

NP FM CRFB K

61.1

0.0%

CHA M S

B UA C EM EN T

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

0.45

-10.0%

25.20

-10.0%

1.11

-9.8%

0.28

-9.7%

UC A P

60.3

2.8%

J A P A ULOIL

0.20

-9.1%

GUA R A N T Y

53.4

-3.1%

WA P IC

0.33

-8.3% -8.0%

WA P C O

50.1

-0.6%

LIN KA SSUR E

0.46

FB NH

45.1

-0.8%

T R A N SC OR P

0.93

-4.1%

M TNN

38.5

0.0%

UA C N

9.00

-3.7%

A C C ESS

24.4

-1.0%

GUA R A N T Y

29.90

-3.1%

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Ola Belgore | obelgore@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com Oluwarotimi Ashimi | oashimi@afrinvest.com

Adedayo Bakare | abakare@afrinvest.com

39

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Nigerian Breweries Records N16.4bn Profit, to Pay N1.51 Final Dividend Goddy Egene Shareholders of Nigerian Breweries Plc are to receive a final dividend of N1.51 per share for the full year ended December 31, 2019 following the release of the audited results of the company. According to the

results, the leading brewer recorded a revenue of N323 billion, showing a marginal decline compared to N324.4 billion in 2018. Cos of sales fell from N197.5 billion to N191.8 billion, while operating expenses rose from N90.8 billion to N97.1 billion in 2019.

Net financing cost grew by

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

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

57.4 per cent from N7.5 billion to N11.9 billion. Profit before tax fell by 20.6 per cent to N23.4 billion, compared with N29.4 billion in 2018.

A reduction in tax rate made the profit after tax to decline slower by 17.1 per cent from N19.4 billion to N16.4 billion.

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 13Feb-2020, unless otherwise stated.

The board recommended a final dividend of N1.51 kobo per share for the shareholders.

Looking at the performance for the full year, analysts at Cordros Capital said this is the strongest y/y revenue growth since third quarter (Q3) 2017.

“We note that gains at the gross revenue level were slightly eroded by the higher excise duty expense compared to last year. Sequentially, net revenue grew 33.3 per cent quarter –on-quarter (q/q), the impact of the price increases and Q4 being a seasonally strong quarter

due to the year-end festivities,” the analysts said.

They added that operations expenditure (OPEX) rose by 8.9 per cent y/y in Q4 2019, resulting in an operating expense ratio (OER) of 28.9 per cent, both lower than our estimates.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 153.69 157.17 4.56% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 2.95% Nigeria International Debt Fund 319.39 319.39 2.46% 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 0.90 0.91 7.60% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 33.91% 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 7.17% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.47 2.52 0.41% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.23% Anchoria Equity Fund 104.17 104.54 2.15% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.18 1.18 3.38% 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 15.78 16.26 3.02% ARM Discovery Fund 354.23 364.91 2.54% ARM Ethical Fund 30.15 31.06 3.67% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.19% 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 99.97 100.67 4.05% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 NA 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 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 N/A N/A N/A Paramount Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Women's Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 7.60% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 104.66 105.23 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 114.36 115.03 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 N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 5.04% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 4.90% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,184.24 1,186.18 1.90% 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 1,322.89 1,324.03 2.46% FBN Balanced Fund 150.93 152.11 2.80% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.57% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 120.27 120.60 0.86% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 120.93 121.26 0.92% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 127.89 129.53 -1.72% 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 1.00 1.00 8.42% Legacy Debt Fund 3.69 3.69 0.88% Legacy Equity Fund 1.14 1.16 1.07% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.09 1.09 0.50% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,114.98 3,149.30 4.42% Coral Income Fund 3,180.11 3,180.11 16.00% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 7.93% 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 4.94% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 118.92 119.44 10.34%

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 6.43% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.27 2.30 5.38% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 9.82% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 140.71 141.24 12.77% 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 1.19 1.21 1.87% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,113.83 1,113.83 1.42% 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 1.40 1.43 14.66% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.54 12.64 10.99% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 7.06% PACAM Equity Fund 1.14 1.15 PACAM EuroBond Fund 105.67 107.59 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 131.01 134.95 8.97% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 1.28% 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 3.51% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.81% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 3.93% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 1.24% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 3.17% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.19% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 3.56% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.77% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% 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 1.21 1.23 0.43% United Capital Bond Fund 1.76 1.76 1.33% United Capital Equity Fund 0.70 0.72 -0.29% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.97% United Capital Eurobond Fund 112.83 112.83 0.86% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.09 1.10 0.67% 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 10.50 10.66 2.37% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.69 11.84 0.78% Zenith Income Fund 23.02 23.02 3.57% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.19%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.45 119.99 52.31

-64.35% 0.75% 0.50%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.26 96.85 75.14

9.36 98.93 76.56

6.28% 4.74% 1.94%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund 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 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.72 5.08 12.99 11.71 175.55

3.76 5.16 13.09 11.91 177.55

4.66% -13.89% 6.90% 12.59% -6.40%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.69

17.60%

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.

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

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CITYSTRINGS

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– Ă?Ă’Ă“Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă–Ă“Ă?Ë›Ă?äĂ?Ă™ĂŒĂ“ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ă™Ă—Ëœ ͙͔͙͚͚͓͖͑͑͑͒

Sexual Assault at NIJ With cases of sexual assaults becoming rampant in tertiary institutions across the country, Ayodeji Ake reports on the recent scandal at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism between a lecturer and student, and its attendant consequences

A

fter the investigative report of British Broadcasting Commission (BBC) on sex-for-marks in one of Nigeria’s tertiary institution, some non-governmental organisations relentlessly took up the crusade on sanitising institutions on sexual assault.

One of such was the Centre for International Advance and Professional Studies (CIAPS), which initiated a virtual help desk, NGRCampus.com, which allows both students and lectures to report issues of sexual assaults and harassment for proper investigation and prosecution of victim(s), aimed at curbing the menace of sexual assaults on campuses.

While all these were ongoing, recently, another outbreak of alleged sexual assault rocked the Nigerian Institute of journalism, (NIJ), Nigeria’s foremost premier monotechnic, as a lecturer, Mr. Tene John (now sacked), allegedly assaulted a female student, Ms. Anjola Ogunyemi, which raised an uproar on social media.

Genesis THISDAY gathered that Ogunyemi (the accuser) reported to the institution’s management about the alleged horrible encounter with the lecturer in his office. Immediately the management set up an investigative panel.

Speaking on anonymity, a staff of the school said: “The moment the lady made the claim, the school called the head of department and the student affairs officer. She gave an oral statement and she was instructed to bring a written report. During the statement, she kept talking of 'justice'. However, she was reminded that there is a process which will be followed. “She brought her statement 48hours later (a day to the close of the school year for 2019). The same day she dropped the written statement, she met with the Provost of the school and a panel was set up. The panel members include two women and a man; Mrs. Popoola, Mr. Boye and Mrs. Odum. Those who know these three can attest to their character. “School resumed on January six, after two weeks break, and the panel met. She gave her version of what happened. A week after that, her Briton boyfriend, Dave, came with her parents to the school to ask about the update on the matter and the school explained the steps it has taken so far. “However, the day of cross examination (where she would meet with the accused and talk), she walked out of the panel and the next thing, she took things to social media. This is the same lady that was suspended for one session for being rude to Dr. Omojuigbe for indecent dressing�.

Allegation In her allegation, Ms. Ogunyemi took to social media, Instagram, to state her encounter with the lecturer in his office.

She said: “Today is literally the worst day of my life. I had a problem in school with a lecturer that molested me, dragged up my dress and even put his filthy tongue on my vagina while holding me down real tight to the wall, trying to get his way around. A day before this had happened, rumours had it that he was very ill and a number of students had gone to visit him and wish him a safe recovery. “On the day of this event, I was in school very early, it was around 7:20am. I had classes for 8am and this same lecturer that assaulted me was the one teaching the course. We bumped into each other at the entrance leading to my class then he said he hasn’t been seeing me and then asked me to come with him to the office. I walked right behind him till we got to the office. I sat opposite him while we had several discussions. When I was about leaving, he ran so quick and blocked the door. “He started trying to kiss me but I didn’t give him the chance. He tried a lot of time and then held my neck so tight that I was so afraid and confused. I didn’t know what next to do. He took a grip of one of my arms, held me so tight to the wall, dropped to his knees

The student and her lecturer and tried to take up my dress. I said to him to lets make a deal, if he let me go now and promise to help me out on switching from full-time to part-time as I just got a job offer that will literally take all my time, I will do anything he wants. That was what I said to stop him�.

NIJ’s Reaction Reacting to the allegations and comments that followed on social media, the NIJ first relieved John of his appointment and rebuked Ogunyemi for indecent dressing.

The statement read thus: “Our attention has been drawn to a post on the social media, by one of our students, Ms. Anjola Ogunyemi in National Diploma One, alleging sexual harassment against one of our part-time lecturers, Mr. Tene John. “Ms. Ogunyemi’s petition to the school on the alleged sexual harassment was received on December 19, 2019, the day of our vacation.

And the Provost called her on that same day to acknowledge the receipt of her petition, assuring her that the matter will be looked into appropriately. “The institution, thereafter, set up a panel of three lecturers: two females and a male. The panel sat and took evidence from the two parties and witnesses concerned. On Friday, January 17, 2020, the last day of its sitting, the accused and the accuser were made to confront each other at the panel. It was difficult for the panel to establish concretely a case of sexual harassment in its report because there were glaring contradictions in the testimonies of the two parties and witnesses. “We wish to place on record that Ms. Ogunyemi walked out on the panel and ran to the social media to tell her story on the day the panel’s final sitting. In view of the institution’s zero tolerance for improper conduct on the art of the staff and students, and in light of the interest the matter has generated, the following decisions have been taken: the lecturer concerned, Mr. Tene, who has been on our faculty for over a decade has been relieved of his appointment. We thank him for his services and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours. “Ms. Ogunyemi, who has just returned from a one-year suspension over indecent dressing and gross misconduct is advised to adhere strictly to her matriculation oath of channeling her grievances to the authorities of the institution.

We wish to reiterate that our staff and students are governed by rules and regulations and it is important we comply accordingly�.

Meanwhile, in a recent interview with a national newspaper (not THISDAY), Ms.

Ogunyemi noted she won’t be resuming to the institution over her fear of other lecturers. “I was sent a message that the lecturer has been sacked and I think the school took the right decision, because I feel he has got what he deserves, but at this point, I am not going back to the NIJ. I am done with the school, because I was suspended for one year and coming back, I had to face a sexual assault, which investigation dragged too long before a decision was made. “I feel that there is nothing left for me in the school; other lecturers, who are Johns’s friends, are obviously upset that I caused the loss of his job; so, if I go back to the school, it will be difficult for me to pass through the system. “As far as I am concerned, I am no longer a student of the NIJ. I will wait and write the UTME again and get into a university where I can feel comfortable, safe and not feel that anyone is watching me� she said.

The Accused’s Side of the Story In a chat with THISDAY, Mr. Tene John, argued that he was not guilty of sexually harassing Ogunyemi, just as he condemned the termination of his appointment by NIJ. He explained: “On December 17, 2019, I was verbally informed by the Dean of Student Affairs of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NJI), Mrs Kalesanwo that I should appear before a panel over a sexual harassment claim by a student of the institute, Miss Anjola Ogunyemi.

The said student had alleged that I sexually assaulted her in my office on December 13, 2019, at about 7:20 am. In her claims, she argued that after I tried to kiss her, I pinned her to the wall by holding her neck so tight, dropped to my knees, removed her panties and licked her down. I am placing it on the record that at no point did I sexually harass Miss Anjola Ogunyemi. “The primary reason she was in my office on the said date was to sign the attendance register, which had to be re-written because the initial one was messed up. She wasn't singled out for this. Other students before her had done the same. In the course of signing the attendance, she mentioned that she had got a job that would make attending classes difficult for her. I advised her to change from full-time to part-time to enable her to cope academically.

I said I would help make inquiries about that. “While she was in my office, I went to meet Miss Cynthia (The woman at the bookshop) who confirmed that it was possible and all she needed to do was write a letter to Mrs Kalensawo. During her time at my office, two ND students, Oluwaseun Mohammed and Ibukun Akinsanya entered. Mohammed

greeted her while Akinsanya came to deliver the three-in-onecoffee I sent him. “Before Miss Anjola left, she gave me her phone number at that point, I patted her on the back with assuring words, and she even asked if I would be taking the 9:00 am class, in which I jokingly called her ‘olodo’ and answered in the affirmative. “Those familiar with my office know that there is a bookshop right beside it, as well as a lecturer’s office. At 7:20 am, the school is already lively with gardeners, cleaners, workers at the school cafeteria, and students. “On the said date, after she left my office. I chatted her up on Whatsapp and she responded by thanking me (I have released the chat with this message). She attended my 9:00 am class the same day she alleged that I sexually harassed her, and she also signed the class attendance.

How could a person who left my office ‘shaking’, as she said on her social media post, reply to the chat I sent her at 8:46 am and sat through my two hours class? “Only Miss Anjola Ogunyemi can explain the reason she chose to tarnish my image. Some students even called my attention to her reaction when the news about my dismissal reached her. That ‘mission accomplished’ statement from her sounded vindictive, further proof to the fact that only she could explain her actions. “It should also be noted that during the panel sittings, it was pointed out to her that the initial oral statement she gave was totally different from the written statement she submitted 48 hours later. “However, it came as a shock to me that the institute I had served for over a decade decided to terminate my contract despite the outcome of the three-person panel. In the statement of the institute announcing my sack to the world, paragraph four says: “It was difficult for the panel to establish correctly a case of sexual harassment in its report because there were glaring contradictions in the testimonies of the two parties and witnesses.� At this point, it is pertinent to ask the management of NIJ that on what basis was my contract terminated? “In my service to the institute, which spanned over 10 years, I had discharged my duties with all sense of responsibility. My office was always opened to students, from the ND level to the PGD level. Students charged their phones, kept their valuables in my office, and at no point was my name ever mentioned in the same line with sexual harassment. Ever since the news broke, I have been called unprintable names on my social media handles and despite numerous pleas, I refuse to disable the comment section or pull down the account. My next line of action would be communicated accordingly.�

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MONDAY, ͹Ϳ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

PERSPECTIVE

2020, China’s Big Decade: Lessons for Nigeria, Africa Samuel J. Samuel

forms of education including TVET. Decision of the State Council on Accelerating the Development of Modern Vocational Education (issued in 2014): the government should guide the transformation of a batch of general undergraduate education institutes towards applied technology higher education institutes, improve enterprise participation mechanisms, and require teachers to possess both teaching qualification and vocational qualification. Equally, Planning for Building Modern Vocational Education System (2014-2020) sets the strategic short-term and long-term goals of establishing a modern vocational education system, including improvement on the legal system and standardization system of Chinese vocational education. In addition, as stated in the Vocational Education Law of the People’s Republic of China an enterprise shall, in light of its actual conditions, provide systematic vocational education and training for its own employees and for persons to be employed

Overview

O

ver the past few decades, China has experienced exponential growth over the past few, breaching the fences of a closed economy to evolve into a manufacturing and exporting hub of the world. Going by its huge manufacturing and export base, it is often referred to as the “world’s factory”. According to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI), China is the largest export economy in the world and the 33rd most complex economy. In 2019, in terms of GDP (PPP), the Chinese economy was measured at $25.27 trillion and it is expected to stay above 6% in 2020 (China Press). It is, therefore, based on the aforementioned that the below listed factors could suggest that 2020 might be a decade for China’s further global economic expansion.

1) Tech Manufacturing: In October 2019, China’s manufacturing sector, which is the backbone of its economy, grew at an annual rate of 4.7%. High-tech manufacturing centres on technology. High-tech manufacturing creates the technologies that are indispensable to the nations. As innovation and new technology increasingly drives this industry more than others in the manufacturing sector, the Chinese government has set up a $21 billion state-backed fund to boost its manufacturing industry. The new fund will be invested in corporations working on various areas of technology, especially next-generation information technology and electrical equipment.

These are part of the 10 priority sectors highlighted by “Made in China 2025”, a government-led industrial initiative designed to dominate high-tech industries, including robotics, aerospace and computer chips, amidst the US-China “trade war”. The Trump administration has frowned at China’s initiative, criticising Xi Jinping for using the plan to give its country’s tech companies undue advantage over foreign rivals.

Being the world’s largest importer and consumer of semiconductors, China has made its ambition known to dominate the global technology market such as artificial intelligence and 5G, which is expected to further build up demand for high-end chips. Currently, the country produces just 16% of the semiconductors, fuelling its tech boom.

However it has plans to produce 40% of all semiconductors it uses by 2020, and 70% by 2025, an ambitious plan that is unconnected to the trade dispute with the US. 2) Scientific Research and Discovery: China’s new political leadership has placed science, technology and innovation at the frontrunner of the reform of its economic system (UNESCO Science Report). China has set itself the target of devoting 2.5% of GDP to research and development (R&D) by 2020. Over the past two decades, the Chinese government has been massively investing in science. In 2000 the number of Chinese graduates in science and engineering courses increased from 359,000 to 1.65 million in 2014. In fact, a UNESCO report showed that nearly one in five of the world’s researchers resides in China. Between 2007 and 2013, the country saw a meteoric rise in research and development (R&D) and thereby overtook the U.S in terms of the number of researchers of any country in the world. The UNESCO Science Report asserted that China increased its global share of research spending by 42%, a development which contributes marginally to global research expenditure (19.6%), even above the global population (19.3%). China’s researcher density has scaled-up by 11%, near to the world average in 2013 (1 073) to 1 206 whole-time corresponding researchers per million inhabitants in 2016 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

At the beginning of the last decade in 2011, Chinese engineers and scientists have recorded some unprecedented feats. In December 2013, China’s Chang’e 3 became the first robotic landing on the Moon. Chang’e 3 is a robotic lunar exploration mission operated by the China National Space Administration, incorporating a robotic lander and China’s first lunar rover. In September 2014, China’s State Council disclosed an Energy Development Strategy Action Plan to 2020 that fixes some strict targets for the development of modern infrastructure. James C. C. Chan won the 2018 IEEE Transportation Technologies Award for his contributions to the advancement of electric vehicle technologies. Likewise, in 2017, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China honoured Pan Jianwei for his work on quantum optical technology. Equally, toward reaching sustainable global food safety, Chinese researchers have found a growth-regulating transcription factor GRF4 that has the opposite effect of a growth-inhibiting protein called DELLA in crops. GRF4 and DELLA existed in a balance that regulated plant growth and nitrogen metabolism.

In 2017, the Chinese government spent US$279 billion just on research and development, a development that showed 70% increase in comparison to its 2012 spending. In the same vein, in 2017, a report by the US National Science Foundation revealed that China had outshined the US in the number of science publications.

Likewise, Nature Index rated China’s leading scientific institution, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as the institution with the most research outputs for the same year, ahead of America’s Harvard University and Germany’s Max Planck Society.

3) Number of Registered Patents: Innovation remains a fundamental source of national and global power. A country’s aptitude to develop new products and fashion new procedures or approaches of production automatically enables it to produce and create the desired goods needed by other countries. Hence innovation promotes technological advancement creates wealth in divers ways. China’s fast growing global influence is not unconnected to its innovation. One major way to measure innovation is through

Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama intellectual property (IP) protection in the form of patents. Patents secure exclusive rights to an invention, and thus offer insight into key areas of innovation. This feature evaluates the relationship between patents and innovation by exploring trends in patent applications.

In 2016, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) processed 42.8 % of all patent applications in the world.

With over 1.3 million total applications, China processed 121 % more applications than the U.S. China has been the main driver of global growth and the main source of growth in worldwide IP filings in 2018. In 2017, China became one of the top five US patent recipients for the first time, leaving behind US, Japan, South Korea and Germany. In 2018, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration received the highest number of patent applications—a record 1.54 million. The development amounted to the combined total of the IP offices of other countries ranked from 2nd to 11th place. According to World Intellectual Property Organization (Oct 2019), China’s patent applications accounted for almost half of the global total.

The number of patents filed in China has sustained a high growth rate throughout much of the last two decades. A large percentage of this growth in patent applications stems from a flood of domestic applications, which corresponded with Xi Jinping’s “Made in China 2025”. The development aims to upgrade key domestic industries in order to compete with advanced economies in high-tech sectors. The result of this strategy can be seen by comparing corporate patents from a global perspective. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the two Chinese telecom giants, Huawei and ZTE, have been the top PCT applicants since 2015, followed by Intel, Mitsubishi, and Qualcomm.

4) Tech Skills: “For a country like China, with a population of more than 1.3 billion and a labor force of over 800 million, the issues of employment and human resources development are ones of important strategic significance,”—Wang Xiaochu, Vice Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, National People’s Congress & Former Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security. Likewise, in 2016, at the World Economic Forum, Fan Gang, Director of the National Economic Research Institute & Chairman of the China Reform Foundation, told the audience of some 250 business leaders that China must not only improve the overall abilities of its people so that they are equipped with knowledge and skills, but also the ability to adapt to new technologies.

In 2015, China’s State Council added Artificial Intelligence (AI) to its Internet Plus Initiative, a programme designed to modernise and transform traditional industries. In 2017, Chinese government unveiled the details of a three-stage road map designed to make China a world leader in AI by 2030. It is obvious that the Chinese government is determined to reshape the national skills development system in order to reduce the skills discrepancy, encourage waged and self-employment for young people and mobilise different ways of learning in order to cope with the need for highly skilled workers.

5) Vocational Skill Capacity: One of the reasons that makes China a manufacturing superpower is its aggressive policy on Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. China has various laws that encourage VET. The Vocational Educational Law of 1996, which mandates nine years of compulsory education, lays out a clear design for implementation of VET. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is mainly provided for in the Vocational Education Law of the People’s Republic of China adopted in 1996. It contains regulations on vocational school education at various levels and on vocational education in various forms. Also, Private Education Promotion Law of the People’s Republic of China (adopted in 2002) establishes non-public schools that mainly provide vocational skills, including training for vocational qualifications. National Plan for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development of the People’s Republic of China (2010-2020): outlines development priorities in all

6) Military Mind: It is not uncommon that China and the US are rivals in many ways, especially the quest for global dominant.

As the two countries are in races to develop and commercialise deep learning and other Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, it appears that China is not taking it slow to surpass the US. China is on the fast track to increase its capacities in AI and autonomy to military weapons systems.

China has set a goal of 2020 as the date to achieve what its terms “mechanisation” and “informisation”. Quite what China means by this is latter term is unclear, but Beijing has been watching the developing role of information in warfare and seeking to adapt this to its own particular circumstances. Chinese weapons manufacturers already are selling armed drones with significant amounts of combat autonomy.” From ultra-long-range conventional ballistic missiles to fifth generation fighter jets, China’s progress and technical abilities are outstanding.

In April 2017, China launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier. China is developing a very long-range air-to-air missile designed specifically to strike at tanker and command and control aircraft that now orbit out of harm’s way. The development is known as “fifth generation fighter”. It incorporates stealth technology and has a supersonic cruising speed; it is highly integrated avionics.

It has been reported that China’s air-to-air missile developments by 2020 will likely force the US and its regional allies to re-examine not only their tactics, but also techniques, procedures and the direction of their own combat-aerospace development programmes.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS, London) Military Balance once reported that China has sold its armed UAVs to a number of countries, including Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Myanmar, among others. The US and Western arms exporters see China as a growing commercial threat. China is, however, willing to enter markets which many Western manufacturers, or their governments.

China is also trying to develop weaponry tailor-made to specifically for African countries, whose roads and infrastructural deficits would not be able to cope with many of the heavier models offered by others.

7) Innovation: In June 2016, speaking at the national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, Chinese president Xi Jinping outlined his vision for China to become the leading global leader in innovation, especially in science and technology by 2030.

According to him “Great scientific and technological capacity is a must for China to be strong and for people’s lives to improve.

China and, even humankind, won’t do without innovation nor will it do if the innovation is carried out slowly.”

In agriculture, Crop science is an essential component of agricultural science and also the key to ensuring world food security, stimulating sustainable utilisation of agricultural resources, and effectively protecting agricultural environments. Statistics has shown that China now produces 25% of the world’s food, feeding about 22% of the world’s population with 9% of the world’s arable land, and has completed the transition from a food-aid recipient country to a food-aid donor.

Furthermore, China is poised not just to lead in autonomous vehicles but to dominate this emerging global market in the decades ahead. According to an annual report on the nation’s innovation economy by the South China Morning Post, China is likely to emerge as the world’s largest market for autonomous vehicles and mobility services, worth more than $500 billion by 2030.

In July 2017, China’s State Council issued the “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan,” outlining an ambitious roadmap for China to lead the artificial intelligence sector, with a priority on the development of AVs as a “strategic frontier.” Five months later, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) enhanced the roadmap by announcing the Three-Year Plan for Promoting Development of a New Generation Artificial Intelligence Industry (2018–2020). The action plan includes plans to develop key technological components of AVs, such as automotive smart chips, vehicle intelligence algorithms, and advanced driver assistant systems.

In 2018, China sold more electric cars than in the rest of the world combined. The Chinese government has spent nearly $60 billion in the last decade to create an industry that builds electric cars, while also reducing the number of licenses available for gasoline-powered cars to increase demand for electric cars. China now has more than 100 electric-car makers, along with hundreds of additional companies that supply components for electric cars.

Also, in 2018, China set an economic-policy designed to have half the new cars on China’s roads be partially or fully autonomous by the end of 2020. t4BNVFM JT B 4FOJPS 1BSUOFS 4FOTBMF 3FTFBSDI -JNJUFE

MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Okowa Talks Tough over Herdsmen Menace in Delta Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has expressed anger over the worsening levels of insecurity in the state, which was caused by the lawless activities of herdsmen, which have led to the death of at least nine persons in the last few days.

The governor hinted that his government might be forced

to take drastic action against any stranger who disrupted the peace and security of any community or endangered lives and property in any part of the state, saying the peaceful disposition of government should not be taken for weakness.

He warned visitors obviously taking the hospitality of the people of Delta State for granted that the state government “will

Borno Gov in Niger for Repatriation of 120,000 Nigerian Refugees Michael Olugbode inMaiduguri Borno State Governor, Prof.

Babagana Zulum was at the weekend in Diffa, Niger Republic to arrange the repatriation of about 120,000 refugees back to Nigeria.

The refugees, mostly from Northern part of Borno State had trekked into Nigerien soil at the peak of the Boko Haram crisis few years ago.

A statement issued yesterday by the spokesman of the governor, Mallam Isa Gusau said his boss’ visit to Niger was to contribute in working out the modalities for the safe and dignified repatriation of the refugees to resettlement communities in Borno.

He said about three weeks ago, Zulum had hosted a highlevel meeting in Abuja, which had in attendance officials from federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs; Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development; the National Commission for Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons; and the National Emergency Management Agency to discuss repatriation of Borno citizens from Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

He said after the governor’s Abuja meeting, he travelled to Bosso, Garin Wanzam and Tumur, all in Diffa province

at the weekend to meet the refugees’ host governor of Diffa, Mr. Isa Lameen to discuss the modalities for the refugees repatriation.

The statement said the governor led a delegation including the Speaker, Borno State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, and other top officials of the state government.

According to Gusau, Zulum travelled to Diffa from MalamFatori, headquarters of Abadam Local Government Area in Northern Borno, which had been a stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents, until it was recently liberated by the military.

He said the governor’s trip to Malam-fatori, is the first time in more than five years that a civilian governor entered Diffa province in Niger Republic on the same day.

He said Zulum while addressing top officials in Diffa, expressed his gratitude to government of the province, the government of Niger Republic and the host communities in the country for being hospitable to Borno citizens.

He said the Borno State Governor particularly thanked his host, Lameen of Diffa province, for his empathy and compassion towards the Nigerian refugees.

Ogun Politician Survives Gun Attack Prominent Ogun State politician, Hon. Ibrahim Oyegunle narrowly escaped gun attack in Ibogun area of the state last weekend.

Oyegunle alleged that gunmen shot sporadically at his vehicle while on a business trip.

According to him, the gun attack was aimed at taking his live but God’s intervention saved him.

“It is God’s doing that I’m still alive today as the attack was the second in recent time.

This time around, I never thought I could make it when the attack was launched. But I felt they ran out of luck on sight of a police patron along the Ibogun road. In a commando version, on a motorbike the men of the underworld numbering three in masks pointed guns and ordered me to park the car or risk being killed but my instinct told me to drive faster. As I attempted to speed off, the gang shot at the vehicle but God saw me through. It was a horrible scene and I will never pray to experience such again,” he prayed.

Speaking further, the politician -cum businessman claimed his political activities in the last general election could have caused the attack.

“Though, I was not on the ballot during the elections but I was actively involved in all the process. And that’s why most people are avoiding participating in any politics.

“So, who will develop our country when we all are avoiding to come on board?,” he queried.

“Anyway, I want to plead with our fellow politicians to shun politics of bitterness.

We need to encourage other Nigerians to join the frail.

We must shun violence and embrace political practice that would benefit all and sundry.”

Oyegunle also hinted that investigations are ongoing to unravel those behind the attack as report had been made at the Ibogun Police Station.

Efforts to reach the Ogun State Police Public Relation Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Abimbola Oyeyemi via the telephone proved abortive.

not watch outsiders attack and kill our people any longer.”

Reacting to the reported killing of eight persons and injuring of many others following alleged attack on Uwheru community in Ughelli North Local Government Area at the weekend by Fulani nomads, Okowa stressed that there was no rationale for the attack said to have be launched with apparent aid of men dressed in military uniform.

Okowa said: “The unwarranted attacks and killing of innocent locals in Avwon, Agadama and Ohoror

communities of Uwheru Kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area and the wickedness of suspected herdsmen alleged to be aided and abetted by unidentified military personnel are mindless.

“I, however, appeal to the affected communities to remain calm and peaceful.

I commiserate with the communities and families on the unfortunate loss of their loved ones. “I have directed the Commissioner of Police and the Brigade Commander, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, to rise to the occasion and bring

the culprits to justice.

“As a state, our people have been very receptive to herdsmen and other visitors, but our hospitality and welcoming disposition should not be taken as an act of cowardice.

“The state government will continue to encourage peaceful and harmonious relations between Deltans and their visitors but will not watch outsiders attack and kill our people any longer.”

Avwon, Agadama, Ohoror and other communities in Uwheru Kingdom were on Thursday attacked by suspected

herdsmen.

The attack on the Ughelli community is coming on the heels of another attack on IsseleAzagba town near Asaba, the state capital, which led to death of one man and the kidnap of two persons, including a 13-year-old female student in the town.

Two persons were also killed when gunmen suspected to be herdsmen invaded the IsseleAzagba Mixed Secondary School in October 2019 at about noon, abducting the school principal and five other teachers and students.

COURTESY VISIT...

LL-R: Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Tijani Aliyu; Chief Executive Officer, Most Valuable Governor’s Wife Awards (MVGWA), Mr. Tom Obulu; Chief Consulting Partner, MVGWA, Mr. Nze Agwukwe; and Strategic Partner, MVGWA, Mr. Talabi Michael, during the visit of MVGWA officers to the minister in Abuja…weekend ENOCK REUBEN

Amaechi Lays Foundation Stone for Transport, Logistics Institute in Abia The Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, at the weekend laid the foundation stone for the Institute of Transport and Logistics at the Gregory University, Uturu (GUU) in Abia State.

The institute upon completion, will offer specialised transportation courses and is expected to provide specialised laboratories for maritime and oceanography, aviation/aeronautic, designing and construction suites, aerospace engineering, central

machining tools centre, railway engineering and simulation rooms.

Amaechi said as transport minister, he would be willing to partner and encourage the university in its initiative to educate Nigerians in the transportation and logistics field, taking advantage of the federal government’s development strides in transportation, particularly the rail and maritime sectors.

“We will see how we will partner the university in the Ministry of Transportation,

especially when we start the construction of the Bonny-Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line.

“We are very particular about localising railway technology; that’s why we are training our people in China and even made them to build a transportation university and a wagon Assembly plant here in Nigeria,” Amaechi said.

While making the commencement speech at the university’s eighth matriculation ceremony, Amaechi narrated his political story, from his days as a student union leader, to

speakership, governorship and now minister.

He encouraged the students to be diligent, have the fear of God and be courageous to ensure that they succeed.

Chancellor and founder of GUU, Prof. Gregory Iyke Ibe, said he was inspired by Amaechi’s developmental strides in the transportation ministry and the school is enthusiastic to tap into that sector and aid the growth and training of Nigerians to become professionals in transportation engineering and technology.

WHO, UNICEF Rate Osun High on Polio Eradication The Osun State Task-Force Committee on Immunisation has disclosed that the state health care performance indices on polio eradication has been rated high above many other states in Nigeria by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations for Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF).

According to the committee, the available result, has shown that Osun came second on Smart Survey by scoring 97 per cent .

Osun Immunisation TaskForce Committee led by the Executive Secretary, Osun Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Oluwole Fabiyi made this disclosure in Osogbo

while briefing the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Oluwole Oyebamiji about the successes and challenges encountered by the committee.

The Task-Force Committee on Immunisation further said that Osun has become a pace setter in qualitative health care service delivery and

in the the fight against any preventable diseases.

The committee therefore disclosed that arrangement for another round of routine immunisation for children in all the nooks and cranny of Osun has been concluded to kick off on Saturday, 15thFerbruary,2020.

Ngige Advocates Pro-people Policies to End Poverty, Conflict Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has urged the membercountries of the African Regional Labour Centre (ARLAC) to adopt active policies and programmes to tackle unemployment and poverty in order to check the consequential social tension and violent crimes.

Ngige, in statement issued by the Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations Unit in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr. Charles Akpan, made the call at the 46th Session of the ARLAC with the theme: “Strategic Objective on Social Protection” held over the weekend in Kampala, Uganda.

The minister, who is also the Chairman of the Government

Group of the Governing Board of the ILO, told the gathering that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has relatively achieved a synchronisation with the ILO’s development template through the strategic operationalisation of an integrated employment and empowerment strategy in the national development paradigm.

“The pro-employment

macroeconomic policies for job creation ought to be a multisectoral agenda of government, traversing ministries and agencies. This is exactly what the federal government of Nigeria is currently doing by setting clear targets on key economic sectors with high propensity for job creation such as agriculture, mining, works and housing,” he said.

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MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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UTME Candidates in Last Minute Rush as 1.9 Million Register Candidates for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry examination (DE) are in last-minute rush to register for the examination at the various Computer-Based Test Centres across the country.

The registration for the examinations, which opened on January 13,2020, ends yesterday across the country.

About 1,900,000 million candidates have registered for the examination which will hold from March 14 to April 4 this year in 747 CBT centres nationwide. This is the first time 1.9 million candidates will apply for the examination in the

history of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Last year, 1.8 million candidates registered for the examination.

An optional mock examination for candidates to familiarise themselves with the process will hold on February 18. At the Global Distance Learning Institute, Central Business District, candidates were seen in last-minute rush to register.

The Training Manager of the centre, Mr. Emeka Nwanaka, confirmed the last-minute rush ian interview, saying that there were no issues of biometric failure as witnessed last year.

Nwanaka said that over

5,000 UTME/DE candidates had registered at the centre as at Friday.

He said: “We have registered over 5,000 candidates at the centre. We are hoping that as the network remains intact, we can still carry out more registrations.

For the biometrics, we have not received any incident so far unlike last year’s registration.

“As the deadline approaches, the population has increased by 75 per cent. That has also led to an increase in our working hours. Sometimes, we leave here by 9pm.”

JAMB’s Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the 1.9 million registered candidates in an interview, saying the board would not extend the

deadline for registration.

Benjamin said: “The registration closes on Monday night. As I speak to you, we have registered over 1.9 million.

That is the highest we have ever had in the 41-year history of the board. Right now, we have surpassed the last year’s statistics at 1.8 million. That is to tell you that nobody has an excuse of

why he or she could not register.

“On the February 18 mock, we have put everything in place.

Our workers who are deployed for the exercise are already on the field. And as you are aware, the essence of the mock is to test the readiness of our facilities and also give the candidates the opportunity to have a hands-on experience on the computers.”

Borno Booing Not Rejection of Buhari, Says Presidency The Presidency has said last week’s booing and embarrassment of the President Muhammadu Buhari in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, was not a sign of rejection.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said yesterday evening that his principal remains popular in Borno State, adding that only a few of the crowd that welcomed Buhari during his visit to the state booed and embarrassed him while the larger number cheered him and waved the symbolic broom of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adesina in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said Buhari has taken some decisions regarding the worsening security situation in the country, noting that the president was not given to showmanship and rhetorics and would rather let the results of his decisions show.

Adesina said, “We (The Presidency) don’t see it as a rejection because if you look at

those who turned out to welcome the president from the airport to the Palace of Borno, it was a huge crowd and in that huge crowd, you had a sprinkle of people saying (We don’t want) but the larger number, about 90 to 95 percent were waving brooms and welcoming the president.

So dissenting voices in a large crowd like that is normal in a democracy.

“If you look at the votes in Borno State, the opposition scored some 10 percent. So, if out of the 10 percent that voted for the opposition, one percent of them came out last week and made those noise of dissent, I don’t think it indicates rejection.

“The president is still very much accepted and popular and the people of Borno State know and appreciate what he has done in tackling the insurgency. If you take a true scientific study, the stakeholders in the state will tell you the president remains their man. But of course, out of the twelve, there is always a Judas.

If some people have dissenting opinions in a democracy, they have a right to it.

Katsina Senator Donates 500 Motorcycles, Others to Constituents

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

A lawmaker, representing Katsina South Senatorial district, Senator Bello Mandiya, yesterday donated 500 motorcycles and other empowerment items to his constituents.

Other items distributed to the constituents across the 11 local government areas of the district include grinding machines, 2,700 bags of fertilisers and water bumping machines to revamp and enhance irrigation farming across the district.

Speaking during the disbursement of the items to the beneficiaries in Malumfashi, the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, said the senate would work with President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle banditry and other nefarious activities bedevilling Katsina State.

He commiserated with the people of the state over the last Friday attack by suspected armed bandits that led to the death of 30 people in Tsauwa and Dankar communities of Batsari Local Government Area of the state.

He assured Nigerians that the 9th National Assembly would continue to ensure that the Buhari-led administration provide the needed security equipment to security agencies to end the insurgency across the country.

On his part, Mandiya said the distribution of the empowerment items was to reciprocate the mandates given to him by the constituents and in fulfilment of his electioneering promises.

He admonished the beneficiaries to utilise the items judiciously, promising to bring more democratic dividends to their door steps.

RALLYING SUPPORT FOR NOLLYWOOD...

L-R: Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba; General Manager, Corporate Banking, Sterling Bank Plc, Mrs. Mojisola Bakare; former Senator representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye; and President of the Legends of Nollywood Awards, Mr. Paul Obazele, at the Legends of Nollywood Awards in Lagos...weekend

Katsina Auto Crash Claims 22 Lives No fewer than 22 persons were reportedly said to have lost their lives in a road crash near Kafur town, Katsina State The accident was said to have occurred following the head-on collision of two J5 vehicles, that went into flames.

An eyewitness said the victims, who were mostly women and

children, were accompanying a newly-wedded bride to her matrimonial home.

He said the bride and one of the drivers were among the three survivors who escaped unhurt while other 11 sustained injuries.

“After the crash, the two vehicles burst into flames and 22 persons were burnt to death.

“Most of the victims were women and children escorting a bride to her matrimonial home.

The bride and one of the drivers were among the three survivors who escaped unhurt while 11 others sustained injuries,” he said.

The spokesperson at Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in

Katsina, Mr. Abubakar Usman, confirmed the incident.

Usman said injured victims from the crash were taken to the General Hospital at Malumfashi. “Those who were burnt beyond recognition were buried according to Islamic rites by the community and religious leaders,” Usman explained.

Ekiti NBA Seeks Mandatory Psychiatric Test for Amotekun Operatives Victor Ogunje in Ado-Ekiti

As part of the ways to inject sanity into the conduct and operations of Ekiti State Security Network Agency called ‘Amotekun’, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has suggested compulsory psychiatric test for the personnel as part of recruitment rules.

NBA said the step became sacrosanct in view of alleged incessant misconduct of conventional security agencies,

leading to brutality and unwarranted incarceration and killings of Nigerians.

The bill establishing the outfit, now awaiting Governor Kayode Fayemi’s assent was last Friday passed into law by Ekiti State House of Assembly.

Speaking in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the NBA Chairman, Ado-Ekiti Branch, Barrister Olakanmi Falade, said he had made the suggestion for the inclusion of mandatory psychiatric examination at the Assembly’s public

hearing held last Thursday as part of the prerequisites for qualification for Amotekun operatives.

He said Section 19 of Ekiti State Security Network Agency bill sent to the Assembly spoke about qualification, but issue of mental stability was not put into account, which he said spurred him to raise observation about that.

“Under the interpretation of sections, arms should not mean firearms alone, it should also include axes, and cutlasses

even stick. That I think should have been taken into account before the passage.

“Also, I proposed that in addition to criteria for employment of officials, a mandatory psychiatric test should be added in the law as stated in Section 19 which dealt with recruitment.

“The bill before transmission to the executive with amendments should include this. The mental stability of whoever carries arms matter to Nigerians.

Contempt: Judge Orders Wema Bank Officials to Appear Before Him Today Davidson Iriekpen A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that Wema Bank Plc and its six officials to appear before the court today to explain why they should not be sent to prison for disobeying the orders of the court.

The six senior officials of the bank have disobeyed the order of the court to appear before it.

The affected officials of the bank are the of the bank, Chairman Babatunde Kasali, Managing Director, Ademola Adebise, Deputy Managing Director, Moruf Oseni, Executive Directors, Wole Akinleye and Folake Sanu and the Company Secretary, Johnson Lebile.

The order of the court presided over by Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke was sequel to two different similar

garnishee suits filed before it by a Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Ajibola Aribisala (SAN) on behalf of Heritage Bank, the first one against the Ondo State Government and the Attorney General of the state, and the second one against Idanre Local Government Universal Basic Education Authority, Ondo State Government and Attorney General of Ondo State.

Heritage Bank having

obtained judgment against the two parties at an Ondo State High Court in the sum of N1 billion out of which N600 million has been paid leaving balance, while the judgment against Idanre Local Government Universal Basic Education Authority is in the sum of N405,431,460 .98.

Heritage Bank then initiated garnishee proceeding against the parties in the two suits.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Obasanjo: El-Rufai Made Success of Our Privatisation Programme Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday eulogised the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai at 60, saying he made success of his administration’s privatisation programme between 1999-2003.

El-Rufai was the first DirectorGeneral, Bureau of Public Enterprises (PBE), established

by Obasanjo when he was President during his first term between 1999-2003.

In a congratulatory message to mark the 60th birthday of the governor, Obasanjo noted that el-Rufai also turned around the infrastructural and socio-economic

development of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), when he was the Minister of the FCT. The message, which was made available o journalists by the Ex – President’s Media Aide, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, described el – Rufai as a Nigerian, who has demonstrated rare qualities of commitment and courage in the public service in various capacities.

Obasanjo stated: “Over the years, I have followed, with keen interest, your modest inspiring career as a Professional architect, community leader, administrator and politician.

And I note, with special delight your demonstration of rare qualities of commitment and courage in the public service in various capacities.

“Under my watch as a democratically-elected President of Nigeria, you made a great success of our privatisation programme as the Directorgeneral of Bureau of Public Enterprises, which resulted in the liberalisation of our nation’s economy and our being able to meet some of the challenges of globalisation and tackling the problem of poverty in our land.

S’Court Can’t Change Its Own Ruling, Says Yusuf Ali Hammed Shittu in Ilorin A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and constitutional lawyer, Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali at the weekend said that the Supreme Court cannot change the substance of its own judgment.

Ali who spoke with journalists yesterday in his residence at Ilorin, Kwara State capital, during a luncheon he organised in honour of the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja, Professor Andulrasheed Na’alla was speaking on the chances of the governorship candidate of

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioa who was awaiting the review of his case before the Supreme Court tomorrow (Tuesday) According to him, “the Supreme Court cannot change the substance of his own judgment and they can only correct errors”.

Ali said, “There was this case Adeniji Versus Asiyanbi in 1967 or so; if there are errors the Supreme Court can correct it and not to change the substance of its own judgment.

“For instance, if the Supreme Court awards a case of land to ‘A,’ you cannot go back and ask

it to award it to ‘B’. But if for example in describing the land instead of saying the land is in Oko-olowo, its stated that its in Taiwo then the attention of the Supreme Court can be drawn to such error and it would be corrected.’’

The lawyer added, “There are exceptional cases where you can go back to Supreme Court after judgment, whether their own case falls into that category or not, I don’t know.”

Ali however urged Nigerians to shun desperate moves to clinch power at all cost in order to have a peaceful and egalitarian society.

Forum of Legislators Cautions Imo Assembly on S’Court Judgment Amby Uneze in Owerri A group, Forum of Legislators in Imo State has cautioned members of the state House of Assembly to be guided and rescinded its resolution on the Supreme Court judgement on the state governorship election.

Imo State House of Assembly had last week passed a resolution supporting the Supreme Court judgement and called for the arrest and prosecution of the indicted electoral officers.

The forum, however, in a statement, said it read news of the resolution with shock

and disbelief knowing fully well that “the principle of separation of powers, which disallows the legislature from interfering in a matter before the court, is a fundamental guiding rule of parliament.”

The statement, which was signed by Hon. Nnaemeka Maduagwu, Hon. Chuma Nnaji and Hon. Stanford Onyirimba, on behalf of former presiding officers and ranking members of the National Assembly and Imo State House of Assembly, picked holes in the state Assembly resolution and demanded that such “offensive” decision

should be rescinded.

The group alleged that the resolution showed that the members of Imo State House of Assembly have lost touch with their constituents and didn’t know what their duties are.

“A judgement that is eliciting protests and other display of disbelief and discontent across Imo State, the entire country and the rest of the world, cannot be the same decision that otherwise elected representatives of the people are endorsing in total disregard and contempt for laid downs rules of parliament,” the statement said.

Two Fishermen Nabbed over Attempt to Smuggle Petrol to Benin Republic Chiemelie Ezeobi

Operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) attached to Badagry Division, weekend, arrested two persons, Mr. Jebleh Taiwo and Mr. Jebleh Abiodun, for attempting to smuggle 120 jerrycans laden with petrol into Benin Republic.

The suspects were allegedly arrested at Gberefu beach, a fishing settlement, in Badagry area of Lagos State.

Aside the 120 Jerry cans of fuel recovered from them, the operatives also seized one wooden boat used to convey the stolen petroleum product and an outboard engine of a

boat.

The Commandant of NSCDC, Lagos State Command, Mr. Fasiu Adeyinka, who paraded the suspects said, criminals along riverine communities have devised another way of smuggling to neighbouring countries since the land borders were shut down.

The Commandant said that investigation by security operatives attached to the ongoing joint border drill code names “Operation Swift response” discovered that petrol smuggled out of the country were purchased from filling stations located along border communities.

He said that this prompted

the federal government to outlaw the sale of petroleum products by any filling station located close to the border.

He said upon this directive, filling stations located close to border towns were advised to shut down their operations.

According to him, following the directive, criminals have now resulted to buying petrol from filling stations outside border communities.

He said after buying, the criminals would then move the products on motorcycles to riverine communities or fishing settlement from where the jerrycans containing petrol would be ferried by waterways into Benin Republic.

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Fire Razes Eight Shops in Lagos Market The Director General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said eight

shops were destroyed by a fire outbreak in Apongbon Under Bridge Market in Lagos Island, yesterday.

Oke-Osanyintolu told

journalists at the scene of the incident that the incident occurred at about after 10 a.m. yesterday, saying the cause of the fire, which spread into other shops, has not been ascertained.

According to him, upon

arrival of the LASEMA Response Team to the scene of the incident at 10.35 a.m., it was revealed that the fire emanated from one of the containerised stores in the market.

He noted that the fire

destroyed eight shops in the market including goods. The LASEMA chief said: “Efforts by the Lagos State Fire Service and LASEMA Response Team to combat the inferno were successful. “The fire has been

contained and Lagos residents are urged to remain calm.”

He, however, said the firefighting operations had been concluded while recovery and post-incident assessment was ongoing.

Dickson, has said that he left the Creek Haven Government House, Yenagoa, a fulfilled man.

The former governor said in a statement by his Media Aide, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, that it was to the glory of God that he left Government house in a blaze of glory in spite of the shocking array of political forces who turned against him in spite of the assistance he rendered to them.

He lamented that the security of Bayelsa State was outsourced to criminal elements who

He recalled that the thugs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) killed 21 people in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, without the expected concern and condemnation from the federal government.

He added that even when the election results were announced against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there was no violence in consonance with his politics without bitterness or violence.

He lamented that the thugs of

at Opolo and destruction of property worth millions of naira in response to the Supreme Court Judgment .

He said, “When were ready for the transition, I called the whole state to pray and fast and we prayed and fasted and I considered a lot things, I consulted and took decisions.

“You are all in this state. You saw the reactions, and when the elections came, there was nothing possible I didn’t do as a human being for things to go well. People came here with

state, and wrote results and used people to legitimise it, shouting to vilify me to justify the wrong they did. And people believe those lies.

“As we lost there was no violence. I didn’t come into politics to kill people, to destroy or maim”.

“Ordinary rally three days to election, they kill 21 human beings. Even if you kill 21 goats or chicken, the owner will shout.

Nigeria was not bothered. The security agencies collided with them to kill our people.

Dangote Group Joins I Left Govt House a Fulfilled Man, Says Dickson Global Executive The immediate past Governor of unleashed an orgy of violence the APC destroyed properties in result sheets with the Nigerian Council of PMI Bayelsa State, Mr. Henry Seriake on the state since 2015.

Yenagoa including the residence military, shut down the whole The pan-African conglomerate, the Dangote Group, has been inducted into the influential Global Executive Council (GEC) of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the very first African business organisation to become a member in history.

To this end, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL)’s Group Executive Director, Capital Projects, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, has pledged the commitment of the company to participate as a part of the PMI Global Executive Council.

Dangote Group would join over 80 other global businesses and organisations such as AB Volvo, Airbus, Ali Baba Group, Bank of England, BHP, Amazon, ABB, Boeing, Bosch Group, Australia Department of Defence, China Petroleum Engineering & Construction, Treasury Board of Canada, Microsoft, Wells Fargo etc on the PMI council.

PMI is one of the world’s largest not-for-profit membership associations for the project management profession with over 500,000 members and over 1,500,000 certification holders.

They have led the work of project management advocacy for over 50 years PMI works closely with several multinational companies.

By the induction into the elite

PMI Council, the institute has shown confidence that Dangote Industries Ltd is one of such value-adding company and as such would like a collaborative relationship.

The PMI Global Executive Council is a very exclusive partner network of some of the world’s most respected organisations. Working together in synergy as thought leaders and influencers, these organisations improve efficiency, lead cuttingedge innovation and make transformative changes in society.

Dangote Group thus has become the very first African company to be welcomed to this very powerful group of companies who are shaping the future of many industries globally. The group has joined and would participate as an equal stakeholder in this group of some of the world’s most respected organisations spread across different industries doing great things, changing the world!

Dangote Group, according to Edwin, would have access to this group to gain insights into how market leaders are solving complex problems and also share how Dangote is solving problems in Africa.

He also explained that

Omo-Agege Wants Police to Fish out Attackers of Delta Community Deji Elumoye in Abuja Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has called on the police authorities to fish out perpetrators of the attacks on some communities in Uwheru Kingdom, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State that claimed eight lives.

Reacting to last Thursday’s attack on the

Senate Committee to Meet Service Chiefs Tomorrow Deji Elumoye in Abuja The 18-man Ad-hoc committee on Security set up by the Senate to interface with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the three service chiefs on the security challenges facing the country will meet the security chiefs tomorrow, having failed to meet the two-week deadline given to it to submit its report.

The committee headed by the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, which had up till last Wednesday to submit its report was yet to complete its assignment which informed why the report was not laid at plenary last week.

Sources told THISDAY at the weekend that the committee did not achieve any of its assignments during the first week until the

second week when some top federal government functionaries were engaged by the committee in camera.

According to a member of the committee who craved to be anonymous, the committee after its inauguration a fortnight ago decided to group its invitation to the security chiefs and top government officials into five groups.

THAT SUPREME COURT MAGIC JUDGMENT Did the Supreme Court forget its judgments and decisions as contained in law reports on the need to call eyewitness evidence in proof of election petitions, inadmissibility of hearsay evidence including documentary hearsay, and also the import of dumping of documents without having them demonstrated in open court or relating them to aspects of the petitioners’ case? What was denied Atiku must equally be unavailing to Uzodinma.

In declaring Uzodinma governor of Imo State, the Supreme Court simply annulled a valid mandate freely given to an individual and transferred it to another person who came fourth in the election. The question also is this: Did Uzodima meet the constitutional requirement of spread? The Supreme Court MUST answer this question.

The Supreme Court decision on the Osun State governorship election between Ademola Adeleke of the PDP and Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC where the court relied solely on technicalities

to dismiss the appeal filed by the PDP was another case that permanently tarnished the image of the court . The court ruled that the absence, during a previous sitting of Justice Peter Obiorah, who read the election tribunal’s majority judgment declaring Adeleke of the PDP winner, nullified the tribunal’s judgment. How could that be? But even if he was absent, he read all the proceedings and testimonies.

I have heard some of the establishment lawyers argue the soundness of the Uzodinma magic judgment, the same lawyers also argued that the abhorrent judgment that brought the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi to power in 2007 as sound. For whatever extraneous motivation, the Supreme Court imposed on Rivers State a man who did not even contest the governorship election as governor. Such was the tyranny of our Supreme Court then. Many years after, that absolutely blemished judgment has been consigned to the dustbin of history, where it

belongs. But with this recordsetting infamy, the Supreme Court has now found itself in another unenviable position.

Oh my God, how can the number of votes exceed the number of registered voters? For the weak and the oppressed, the fear of not getting justice is increasingly making the Supreme Court a social leper. There are a few issues in the history of modern-day Nigeria that have been so overwhelmingly and atrociously destructive as some of the judgments that have emanated from the courts.

The system has unleashed a generation of gangsters, thugs, certificate forgers, certified fraudsters, convicted looters, thieves, etc., to run the affairs of government. That has made it near impossible for a generation of good people who cannot engage in all the monkey tricks to participate in leadership contests.

Without mincing words, the Supreme Court is, by the Uzodinma magic judgment, leading Nigeria down a slippery slope to ruin and global infamy.

communities, Omo-Agege while condemning in strong terms the killings called on the Nigeria Police to immediately bring the suspected herdsmen who carried out the unprovoked attacks to justice.

He also charged the Nigerian Army to fish out its personnel alleged to have accompanied the killers to perpetrate the heinous crime.

The Senator called on security agencies to restore normalcy to the affected communities, even as he appealed for calm.

Omo-Agege, in his official reaction to the incident, said: “I condemn the unprovoked attacks and killing of my constituents and the destruction of their property by suspected herdsmen. The attacks on Avwon, Agadama,

Ohoror and other communities of Uwheru Kingdom, is one too many.

“I call on security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book by ensuring that they face the wrath of the law. I assure the people of Uwheru Kingdom that this matter will not be swept under the carpet and that the full weight of the law will be brought on those found culpable.”

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MONDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

2021 AFCON Qualifier: Super Eagles to Host Leone Stars in Asaba

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

As reported by THISDAY last week, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) at the weekend confirmed our report that the 15,400-capacity Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba will host next month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone. The AFCON 2021 qualifier was earlier scheduled to officially open the refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, confirmed at the weekend that the federation has settled for the Asaba stadium without giving any explanation why it was moved away from Benin.

Although sources in the Edo State capital had confided in THISDAY that the facility “is primarily renovated to host the National Sports Festival before any other game.� “We have finally settled for the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba for the qualifying match against Sierra Leone. The match will be played on Friday, 27th March 2020,� was Dr Sanusi’s confirmation of the shift of the match to Asaba yesterday.

The venue, named after former Nigeria captain and coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi (of blessed memory), has hosted several international matches involving the Super Eagles and the Nigeria U23 squad, since it was opened two years ago.

Uganda was the first

opposition entertained at the venue by the Super Eagles -in a friendly match - days after Nigeria sealed a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations ticket in South Africa in November 2018. The match ended scoreless.

The Super Eagles have since lashed Seychelles 3-1 (2019 AFCON qualifier) and pipped seven-time African champions Egypt 1-0 (a friendly) at the same venue, as well as enacting a scoreless draw with Zimbabwe in a pre- 2019 AFCON friendly in June last year.

The U23 boys turned back Libya and Sudan in 2019 U23 AFCON qualifying matches at the same venue.

With the NFF having picked March 27 for the first match, the Sierra Leone Football

Association is now most likely to opt for Tuesday, 31st March (the final day in the FIFA window) for the return leg scheduled for the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown.

Victory in next month’s

Match-day 3 fixture against the Leone Stars will take the Super Eagles closer to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals, as they currently perch at the top of their pool with the maximum six points from their first two

matches and a goals difference of plus three.

A 2-1 win over Benin Republic in Uyo on 13th November was followed by a 4-2 whiplash of Lesotho in Maseru four days later.

Ighalo Trains with Man Utd Teammates ahead of Tonight’s Debut against Chelsea Manchester United have been given a boost ahead of their clash with Chelsea tonight as loan signing Odion Ighalo reported trained with his teammates for the first time yesterday.

The Nigerian striker has completed an enforced 14-day spell away from his newteam due to coronavirus fears having joined from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.

And on Sunday, Ighalo was pictured being driven into United’s Carrington training base ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge.

United took the precaution despite the fact that Ighalo did not arrive in the UK from Wuhan, where the virus originated.

It forced the 30-year-old to miss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s winter break training camp in Marbella, Spain last week, over fears he would not be

allowed back into the country due to tightening of national security following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Ighalo had been training with Manchester-based performance Coach Wayne Richardson at the GB Taekwondo Centre in the city.

He is set to travel with the squad for Monday night’s clash with Frank Lampard’s side, where, fitness permitting, he is expected to be among the substitutes.

United’s boss was optimistic on Friday that the new man could make an instant impact “Well, it didn’t take me too long,’ said Solskjaer. “I didn’t need to have a training session to come on. “As a striker, you get thrown on out there and it might be that he’ll have to come off the bench to give us a goal. “He’ll be involved with us and travel down with us.

Maltina School Games Flag off Today with State Preliminaries All is now set for the preliminary round of the newly instituted Maltina School Games as action will commence today across the four states picked for the pilot phase of the new school sports initiative.

Over 500 schools will take part in the track and field events that will produce finalists across the states ahead of the national finals in Lagos next month.

Set to impact over 20 million school children, this innovation into the school calendar by Maltina brand is designed to promote and foster national unity and raising active kids through sports.

Lagos, Kano, Anambra and the Federal Capital FCT will be the centre of attraction from today all through Friday, February 21 as youngsters aspiring to be Olympians and represent Nigeria at the highest stage of track and field sports will set their dreams into motion.

According to the breakdown, Lagos with 182, has the highest number of participating schools coming from its six educational districts. There are 120 schools from Kano while Anambra has 124 and the Federal Capital Territory, 116 all registered for the Maltina School Games The Maltina School Games is also a platform designed to promote the development of children, from improving their social and leadership skills, to bettering their wellbeing through sports.

It has also been announced that the Overall Best School will win N1 million worth of support for its forthcoming inter-house sport.

Also, the Overall Best Athlete (OBA) will win a scholarship to any Federal University of choice.

After the Preliminary round, the State finals are scheduled to start from the 24th through 28th of this month.

Now he’s out of that two-week (incubation) precaution period we made, let’s see if he’s involved or not. “We’ve kept in touch with him. We’ve done our own programme, he’s done his, and it was always going to be a case of him having to integrate with us, having been out in China. “He needs to get used to the players, the team, up to speed as quick as he can, he’s been working really hard.

Odion Ighalo is expected to make his debut for Manchester United in tonight’s Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

2020 GTBANK LAGOS POLO

Leighton Kings are Majekodunmi Cup Champions NRT, RCF win Low, Governor’s Cups The 2020 GTBank Lagos International Polo Tournament ended on a flourishing note Sunday with Lagos Leighton Kings clinching the prestigious Majekodunmi Cup 10-5 at the expense of Lintex Agad.

NRT also clinched the Low Cup while RCF settled for the Governor’s Cup. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman

AbdulRazaq, Billionaire Businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and MD/CEO GTBank, Mr Segun Agbaje led the large roll call of dignitaries for a colourful ending to a memorable tournament which featured an unprecedented 39 teams.

The Kings, which had Bowale Jolaosho, Bello Buba, Raul Laplacette and Manuel Crespo, were aiming for an unprecedented four title wins having won the Oba of Lagos Cup, Open Cup, Italian Ambassador’s Cup but were pushed all through in the opening and second chukkas

by Agad which paraded Sodiq Dantata, Bashir Dantata, Chris McKenzie and Thomas Lorente.

The Kings’ superiority eventually came to fore from the third all through the end of the six-chukka match as they coasted to victory with five clear goals.

In the Low Cup final, which was the penultimate match of the dual-phase tournament, Timi Badiru scored a high – goal with less than two minutes to play as NRT survived a late surge

by STL for a 9 ½ - 8 triumph over their fellow Lagos side.

Englishman Dorian Bulteau – playing for the first time

in Africa - was pivotal to the priceless win, scoring a handful of the goals for the team who also featured Tomi Ojora and Yasin Amusan.

The Governor’s Cup went the way of Lagos RCF A+ with Argentine five-goaler Andre Crespo leading the home team’s resurgence.

Nasariya were leading 4-1 as at the tail end of the penultimate third chukka but four straight goals by RCF three of which came off the mallet of the South American and one from Mohammed Dangote completed a remarkable turnaround.

NPFL: Plateau Utd Regain Top Spot Abia Derby in Umuahia ends in bloodletting after fans invade pitch Match-day 20 of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) witnessed a change of guard at the summit yesterday after leaders Lobi Stars lost 0-4 to Wikki Tourists at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi.

Plateau United who defeated Dakkada 2-0 at the New Jos Stadium have returned to the top of the Nigerian topflight.

Tosin Omoyele and Oche Ochowechi scored both goals for Plateau United to lead at the top with 36 points from 20 games.

Lobi are now second with a point below the Jos team while Rivers United who pulled a 1-1 away draw in Ilorin are third on 33 point from same 20 matches.

Akwa United stepped up into the Top Four of the NPFL following their huge 2-1 away victory over Rangers in Enugu.

Ndifreke Effiong put Akwa United ahead in the 13th minute, while Kenechukwu Agu equalised for the hosts in the 55th minute.

Akarandut Orok netted the winning goal for the Promise Keepers in the 70th minute.

As a result of their home loss, the Flying Antelopes are now back in the relegation zone from where Warri Wolves leapt out with their 2-0 home win against Katsina United.

At the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano Pillars edged out MFM 1-0 with Usman Babalolo scoring the winning goal in the 23rd minute.

The only sour point of the weekend games of the Nigerian topflight was the local derby in Umuahia between Abia United and Enyimba that was aborted following pitch invasion by

fans.

There were reports of injuries to players and officials.

MATCH-DAY 20 Rangers 1-2 Akwa Utd Heartland 5-0 Adamawa Utd Ifeanyi Ubah 3-1 Sunshine Kano Pillars 1-0 MFM Kwara Utd 1-1 Rivers Utd Nasarawa Utd 1-0 Jigawa GS Plateau Utd 2-0 Dakkada FC W’Wolves 2-0 Katsina Utd Wikki 4-0 Lobi Stars Abia Warriors v Enyimba (disrupted)

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MISSILE

Wike to Oshiomhole “The worst form of armed robbery is when you steal people’s mandate and just like what Oshiomhole is noted for. He thinks because he’s in the ruling party, he can use security to steal the mandate of the people” – Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, describing the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, as a man without character.

SHAKAMOMODU That Supreme Court Magic Judgment THIS REPUBLIC

shaka.momodu@thisdaylive.com

F

rom the outset, let me declare unequivocally that I am breaking away from the norm by not recognising a Supreme Court judgment. With malice to no one, I am personally not going to dignify and acknowledge Senator Hope Uzodinma as the legitimate, duly elected governor of Imo State. I have taken this extraordinary approach to this issue based on the multifaceted challenges we are facing and the extraordinary times we are in, that demand extraordinary action. Even more so is the fact that the Supreme Court judgment gifting him the governorship was anchored in inconsistencies and a statistical sleight of hand of the worst sort.

Uzodinma is an imposition on the good people of Imo and so, I have decided not to join the madness in the land by being an accomplice in legitimising the fraud which breached the universal laws of arithmetic. The mandate he is exercising is blemished forever by a withering injustice. I scorn at anything that rises close to this level of absurdity. The astonishing mendacity at the core of his case and the ultimate outcome has dragged the reputation and confidence in the judiciary to an all-time low.

In an article published late last year titled, Nigeria’s Confounded Judiciary, I had stated inter alia that the “demons of our democracy have amassed on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary, which has essentially abandoned its core duty of doing justice for the pursuit of mundane pecuniary benefits. Men of courage in our judiciary have since gone into extinction”. But this time around, it appears even INEC, which is its partner in electoral heists, was scandalised by the judgment of the Supreme Court. The coven of judges has declared war on truth and justice and usurped the power of the people to choose their leaders, annulling an election mandate on the filmiest of grounds. By that, the Supreme Court has constituted itself into the ultimate electoral principality, whimsically rubber-stamping electoral malfeasance.

While I have no power to change the outcome of the Supreme Court judgment, no one, not even the Supreme Court can take away my right to register my disagreement with its most contemptuous and abhorrent judgment in living memory. I reject the incoherent evidence on which the judgment was predicated. At the heart of this judgment were the results of 388 polling units which had been rejected by INEC as a forgery; results which in all probability did not make sense were inexplicably accepted by the apex court.

According to summary of trial materials, “no ward collation agent was called to show that at the collation center, results were brought from the 388 polling units where the alleged exclusion took place and INEC refused to accept or collate them. The petitioner, rather called 28 polling unit agents who came to identify some of the results tendered by the petitioner from the bar. All the electoral documents from Forms EC8A – EC8E were tendered from the bar and thus dumped on the court without anybody giving evidence correlating the contents of the result Forms with the tabulation done by the petitioner himself.

“Each of the 18 polling unit agents under cross-examination, manifested ignorance of the contents of the documents and never

Uzodinma convinced anybody of being present in their claimed polling units. These witnesses were called to testify in respect of the disputed 388 polling units where the petitioner tendered what he called pink copies of result sheets.

“Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in their reply to the petition disowned those result sheets and averred emphatically that no results were generated from those polling units as elections in those polling units were cancelled by presiding officers as a result of violence, over voting, snatching of electoral materials, etc. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated that any result from those polling units presented by any of the candidates, in this case, the petitioners, must be fake.

“These polling units’ agents were called to testify that the election took place in those polling units. When confronted with the purported result sheets tendered by the petitioners, each of the witnesses admitted as follows: i. The names and signatures of the Presiding Officers are not well found on those results. ii. The names and signatures of other party agents did not appear on the result sheets, neither could they mention even one party agent of the other political parties in those booths. iii. The result sheets do not contain the total number of ballot papers used and number of ballot papers unused or invalid. The scores of political parties are not clear on the face of the documents.

“It was on account of this and many other material contradictions that the tribunal found as a fact that the evidence adduced by these 28 polling units’ agents of the petitioner has been so contradicted under cross-examination and rendered so manifestly unreliable that no reasonable tribunal or court can ever rely on them for any purpose whatsoever.”

Based on the above, it appears the Supreme Court was desperately working to an answer in favour of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to please the powers that be and the only opening to do that was to accept the fictitious results of the 388 polling units willy-nilly. And instead of doing substantial justice on the matter, it ended up delivering one of judiciary’s greatest infamies which even a kid learning arithmetic can see through. The judgment turned logic on its head, rewrote

0811 266 1654

the basic universal laws of arithmetic and did grave and substantial injury to our democracy and the power of the people to choose who governs them. With this judicial precedent, the Supreme Court has inevitably rubber-stamped political rascality and the judgment could shape our democratic future.

The court has widened the opening which politicians exploit and manipulate to get into elective offices. All one needs to do is to stay somewhere, maybe in one’s room, probably with one policeman or so, write one’s own results, submit to INEC for counting and if it refuses, don’t worry, bid your time till you get to the court. With supreme arrogance, the final court of appeal will recognise the results as legitimate, credible and authentic and pronto, you will be declared duly elected. There is no more need for the people to troop out to elect their leaders. No need for candidates contesting elections to even campaign and sell their vision and programmes to the people. All that is old school and a sheer waste of time, money and resources. It just doesn’t matter anymore. Just forge the results and get a policeman to attest to them, boom! You are good to go.

The most basic quality of leadership is lacking in men and women in leadership positions across the country – in politics, judiciary and the generality of the public sector. Our democratic institutions have sold their soul for a mess of pottage. Any system that works this way is doomed to failure. Any wonder things are the way they are and our country’s fate increasingly looks precarious? Is it any wonder Nigerians have been labelled as corrupt, dishonest and unreliable, that the country, in violation of its rights as a sovereign nation to conduct its own affairs, entered into a humiliating agreement with the United States on how to spend the late General Sani Abacha loot on the grounds that previously released loot was allegedly looted?

Too many things are wrong with this land of our fathers.

Clearly, Uzodinma did not win the March 9, 2019, governorship election. But he has been sworn in as governor of Imo State because his mindless forgery and falsehood have received the validation of the highest court in the land.

The breakdown and analysis of the results of the 388 polling units validated by the Supreme Court, show alarming trends. Not only did every registered voter vote in some polling units, recorded voter turnout exceeded the total number of registered voters. Where in the world have elections recorded such turnout of every registered voter? So in the calculation of the justices who sat on that panel, no registered voter died, nor travelled, nor relocated since the last registration exercise? Even more perplexing was the fact that in some of the polling units, voter turnout was more than the registered voters. How is this possible?

In Uzodinma’s result sheets, there was no voided vote and only two parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APC participated and were reflected in the election results of the 388 polling units. Yet, 70 political parties participated in that election and were all reflected in the INEC declared results of other polling units all over the state. Strangely, his result sheets in the disputed 388 polling units only reflected a contest between the PDP which came first and his party, the APC which came fourth prior to the Supreme Court judgment. There was no

tabulation for other parties. Does it mean that other parties such as All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Action Alliance (AA), etc., did not participate in the election in those 388 polling units contrary to INEC’s results in other areas of the state?

Why did the result sheets reflect only two parties when so many parties participated in the said election? Apparently, Senator Uzodinma concocted those results that fly in the face of the basic laws of arithmetic and common sense between the PDP and the APC after the fact that the PDP had won the election and he only scored his party a vote figure higher than the PDP vote. The corollary to that is that if it was any other party that was on the cusp of victory, Uzodinma’s results would have been between just the APC and that party! Yet our almighty Supreme Court glossed over all these fundamental anomalies in Uzodinma’s result sheets which had been rejected by even INEC, its fellow demon as fictitious, and accepted same as authentic.

A further assessment of the result sheets of the disputed 388 polling units showed that the said units are all in the Orlu Senatorial Zone where Uzodinma and the candidate of the Action Alliance Ugwumba Uche Nwosu come from. So even if the 388 polling units were concentrated mostly in Uzodinma’s ancestral home, surely, Nwosu who emerged second in the March 9, 2019 election in Imo State and was backed by the incumbent governor at the time, Rochas Okorocha, his father in-law, must have amassed some votes from the units. But these votes were curiously missing, for the simple reason that they forged the results, and very badly at that.

Furthermore, that Uzodinma of the APC scored an average of 98% of the total votes cast in the 388 units, whereas he scored an average of 13% in the remaining polling units in the state jumped out at me. How could this be? Why was it that it was only in these 388 units throughout the state that the voter turnout was either more than the registered voters or achieved 98 to 100 percent of the registered voters? Please note that my emphasis is NOT on the number of accredited voters which is usually far less than the number of registered voters. Uzodinma’s fake results validated by our Supreme Court defy reason. The pattern of the results from the disputed 388 polling units clearly shows the improbability of such an occurrence. And on the basis of the testimony of one policeman, and 28 discredited polling units’ agents who gave contradictory statements at trial, the Supreme Court accepted the results.

Perhaps it’s time to ask the Supreme Court what happened to the precedent it set in the Atiku Abubakar case. Why did the Supreme Court not request for witness testimony of every polling unit of the 388 polling units in contention, a request it demanded of Atiku?

The fact remains that there was none. There were neither witnesses nor party agents that were witnesses to the fraud. So on the strength of the testimony of one policeman who is not omnipresent and 28 polling units’ agents out of 388 disputed polling units, the nation’s apex court took such a monumental decision with far-reaching implications to override the mandate of the people?

Continued on page 50

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