TUESDAY 10TH MARCH 2020

FG Considers Reduction of 2020 Budget Size, Oil Benchmark Stock market falls as bond yields rise Omololu Ogunmade, James Emejo in Abuja, Obinna Chima and Goddy Egene in Lagos The federal government yesterday raised a committee

to cut the size of the N10.59 trillion 2020 budget, which is under threat of underfunding owing to the volatility in global oil prices occasioned by the impacts of the outbreak of COVID-19 and a price war

triggered by Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The committee, which was constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari, has as members the Minister of Finance, Budget and National

Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, and the Group Managing Director of

the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari.

Aside the task of reducing the size of the budget, the committee is also saddled with the responsibility of reducing

the oil benchmark from the approved $57 per barrel to reflect the current realities.

By yesterday, the price of London Brent was $35 per Continued on page 27

FG Moves to Minimise Crisis as ASUU Begins Two-week Strike...

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Nigeria Records Second Case of Coronavirus Lagos declares two wanted over contact with index case Nigerian scientists record breakthrough in virus sequencing Omololu Ogunmade, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Martins Ifijeh in Lagos, Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City and David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Minister of Health, Dr.

Osagie Ehanire, yesterday confirmed a second case of coronavirus disease, officially known as COVID-19, in Nigeria.

He also said the Nigerian who tested positive to the disease in Washington DC

was in Nigeria February, but that it was unlikely he got infected in the country.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, Ehanire said the patient who tested positive yesterday to the virus, was

an Ogun State contact of the index case, an Italian, and that he has no significant symptom.

He said: “This brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria to two. The newly confirmed case in Nigeria is not a new

importation, but a contact of the index case, who has since been in isolation and is under clinical follow-up. The new case presently does not have any clinical symptoms but he is comfortable and in care at the Infectious Disease

Hospital, Lagos.

“We have diligently and conscientiously pursued contact tracing and monitoring of people who met with the index Italian patient,” he said.

Continued on page 12

Sanusi’s Dethronement, Banishment Raise Legal, Constitutional Issues Aminu becomes Kano Emir Obasanjo says removal undeserved Tobi Soniyi in Lagos and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The dethronement and banishment of the former Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II by the government of Kano State, raises legal and constitutional issues, pitting old traditions and military era scenarios against Nigeria's modern 1999 Constitution.

Sanusi, who was banished to another state not under the constitutional control of Kano State government, in far away Nasarawa State, where he would be in exile at the pleasure of the Kano State government, arrived at his new abode late last night to waiting arms of officials of the government of his host state.

However, it was a joyous moment for Aminu Ado

Bayero, one of the sons of late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, as he mounted the throne of his father yesterday, following the deposition of Sanusi II. The new king’s older brother, Sanusi, had reportedly won the succession battle in 2014 after the death of their father, who had governed the emirate since 1963, but was shunted by powerful political forces, who helped Sanusi II to twist the arms of Kano’s kingmakers that were said to have overwhelmingly preferred Aminu’s brother to replace his late father.

For Aminu's supporters, who trooped to the streets of Kano to protest his shortchanging, yesterday was dancing time Continued on page 12

TACKLING VIRAL IMPACT...

L-R: Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele; Minister of State, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba; and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, during a press briefing by the presidential committee on the reduction of 2020 Budget at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...yesterday godwin omoigui

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NEWS FG Moves to Minimise Crisis as ASUU Begins Two-week Strike

Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike

Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Union suspends negotiations with govt Ngige, education minister in marathon meeting Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government yesterday moved to avert a major crisis in the public university system following a two-week industrial action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to force the federal government to implement the 2009 agreement signed with lecturers.

ASUU, at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting yesterday in Enugu, directed its members to proceed on a two-week warning strike.

The union has also suspended its ongoing negotiations with the federal government team headed by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.

But Adamu yesterday started a marathon meeting with his Labour and Productivity counterpart, Dr. Chris Ngige, on how the federal government could calm the frayed nerves of the lecturers.

A source privy to the meeting told THISDAY that the two ministers were brainstorming on how “to bring back ASUU leaders to another round of negotiation.�

Though ASUU and the federal government have been at loggerheads since 2009, the dispute was aggravated when the federal government introduced the Integrated Payroll and

Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which it mandated the lecturers to key into.

ASUU resisted the moves and proposed the University Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS) as an alternative platform for IPPIS. Following a threat by the federal government to stop the February salary of ASUU members, who refused to enroll on IPPIS, the union decided to embark on the warning strike to protest what it described as a move to stop payment of members’ February salary by the federal government.

Speaking in a telephone interview with THISDAY shortly after their NEC meeting in Enugu, ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said the union had asked all its members to immediately proceed on a twoweek warning strike to enable them to sort out issues relating to the February salary presumed to have been withheld by the federal government.

"Currently we have declared a two-week warning strike starting from today (yesterday) after our NEC meeting in Enugu. We have decided to embark on a two-week warning strike to tell the government of the need to sort out all outstanding issues in our memorandum with it," he said.

When asked if the federal government has indeed

stopped February salary of ASUU members in the federal universities, Ogunyemi said: "What we know is that our members have not been paid February salary; whether it was stopped or not we are yet find out."

On whether ASUU's decision to embark on a warning strike is going to affect the ongoing talks with Adamu over outstanding issues in the 2009 agreement

with government, Ogunyemi said further engagement would wait until the federal government clarifies its position on the February salary of lecturers.

The federal government and ASUU have been at loggerheads since 2009.

The major bone of contention is poor funding of public universities and suspected plan by the federal government to introduce tuition fees and an

education bank.

ASUU had also complained about the non-implementation of previous agreements, resulting in over three years of industrial action between 1999 and 2018.

In February 2017, Adamu had constituted a 16-member federal government/Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) 2009 Agreement Renegotiation Committee, with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN),

Dr. Wale Babalakin, as chairman.

The committee was mandated “to engender sustainable peace, industrial harmony in tertiary institutions and resolve impending issues.�

However, less than two years after the committee was set up, ASUU described Babalakin as “a stumbling block in the renegotiation process� and called for the suspension of the committee.

SECURING BAYELSA...

L-R: Commander, 16 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brig-Gen. Ephraim Essien; Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri; and the Director, Directorate of Army Recruitment, Settlement and Reserve, Brig-Gen. Emmanuel Akpan, during a courtesy visit of the Nigerian Army Recruitment Team to Government House, Yenagoa...yesterday

Kyari in Germany, Holds Talks with Siemens on APMT: We’re Acquiring NNPC Redeploys Top More Equipment to Stop Management OfďŹ cials Improved Power Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari, and the Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, met yesterday with Siemens officials in Germany in furtherance of the deal recently signed by the president and the energy company on improving electricity supply in the country.

It was learnt that the duo, joined by the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Mr. Yusuf Tuggar, are in Europe to fine-tune the details of the agreement, the process of which started two years ago when Buhari met with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel on August 31, 2018.

THISDAY gathered that the Siemens team was led to the meeting by the Global Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Joe Kaeser.

Confirming the meeting through his Twitter handle yesterday, which was verified by an official of the ministry, who said Mamman left the country on Sunday, the minister explained that he was in Germany to find ways of proffering solutions to the current power problems in Nigeria. “The Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari and I are in Munich right now meeting with executive members of @Siemens to discuss issues relating to the Nigerian power

sector. The Nigerian Ambassador to Germany H.E @YusufTuggar has joined us for this meeting. “It will be recalled that the Nigerian government @ NigeriaGov recently signed a six-year deal with the German company, which will result in the effective generation, transmission and distribution of at least 25,000 megawatts of electricity by the year 2025,� Mamman said.

Buhari had tasked Siemens and other stakeholders in the power sector to work hard to achieve 7,000 megawatts of reliable power supply by 2021 and 11,000 megawatts by 2023 during the agreement signing ceremony. “My challenge to Siemens, our partner investors in the distribution companies, the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the electricity regulator is to work hard to achieve 7,000 megawatts of reliable power supply by 2021 and 11,000 megawatts by 2023 in phases 1 and 2 respectively. “After these transmission and distribution system bottlenecks have been fixed, we will seek in the third and final phase to drive generation capacity and overall grid capacity to 25,000 megawatts,’’ he had said.

The president also said the agreement would be a strictly government-to-government arrangement to avoid the problem of going through middlemen.

Port Congestion

Eromosele Abiodun Following THISDAY’s exclusive report on moves by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to take over the operation of APM Terminals (APMT) after the expiration of the ultimatum given to the firm this week, the company yesterday announced that it had placed orders for more equipment to cope with the significant growth at the Lagos Port.

THISDAY had exclusively reported that the NPA had issued a 30-day ultimatum to the terminal operator to address lapses, which have resulted in port congestion and Apapa gridlock.

The ultimatum, which was given to the company last month, would expire this week.

But in a statement issued yesterday, the Managing Director of APM Terminals Apapa, Mr. Martin Jacob, said: “Due to the conducive economic environment coupled with the closure of the border with Benin Republic, Lagos ports witnessed a spike in volume as cargo was diverted from Cotonou, with periods such as October witnessing up to 50 per cent year-on-year growth of imports. “APM Terminals Apapa has expedited the investment in additional equipment,

with the first batch of three cranes already in operation after arriving within the last month. “A further five cranes are scheduled to arrive within the next few weeks to not only handle the ocean-going vessels but also inject much-needed capacity for the needed barging. “The current investment phase, which will cover yard expansion apart from equipment, will cost about N65 billion. APM Terminals Apapa is committed to delivering the Nigeria Ports Authority’s vision in enhancing the country’s maritime sector.�

He recalled that in 2006, APM Terminals Apapa was awarded the concession to manage, operate and develop the Apapa container terminal at the Lagos Port Complex, after the federal government concessioned Nigerian ports with the purpose of improving port services through private investment and expertise. “The 55-hectare facility has 1,005m quay length, 13.5m draft alongside with an annual handling capacity of 1.2million TEU,� he added.

APM Terminals Apapa said it had invested N130 billion in infrastructure, IT upgrades and modern container handling equipment to improve both quayside and landside operations.

in Major Reshufe Peter Uzoho with agency report The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will carry out a major shakeup which will see a number of top management officers who head different divisions of the corporation moved to new ones.

The shakeup, which is expected to take effect this week, is in line with the corporation’s promise to deliver on its core mandates.

Some of the arms of the NNPC that will be affected in the reshuffle include the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Group Public Affairs Division (GPAD) as well as the upstream division among others.

An online medium has reported that the shakeup would affect mainly Chief Operating Officers, Group General Managers and Managing Directors of its subsidiaries.

According to the order of reposting, the current Chief Operating Officer (COO), Upstream, Mr. Roland Ewubare, would move

to Ventures and Business Development division while the COO Downstream, Adeyemi Adetunji, would move to Upstream.

Ewubare, in the new position, is to get an additional responsibility of business development besides managing the group’s ventures.

With the sharp drop in oil prices and other challenges, Ewubare would have the onerous task of laying the groundwork for the corporation to take up new business opportunities as the National Assembly prepares to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) later this year.

The new position would also see him traversing the downstream, midstream and upstream sectors to develop new ventures.

Prior to his promotion as COO of Upstream, Ewubare was the Group General Manager of Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) between August 2017 and July 2019.

He was also the Managing Director of Integrated Data Services Limited, an NNPC subsidiary, from August 2015 to August 2017.

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APC State Chairmen Pass Vote of Confidence on Oshiomhole NWC not factionalised, ruling party insists

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Segun James in Lagos The forum of State Chairmen of All Progressives Congress (APC) has passed a vote of confidence on the embattled National Chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole.

But the South-south APC stakeholders have said it is in the interest of the party to put the era of his chairmanship behind it and move forward with new leadership.

The forum in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, and jointly signed by its Chairman, Hon. Ali Dolari, and Secretary, Dr. Ben Nwoye, after its meeting, said it was backing Oshiomhole to defend the sanctity of the constitution of the party and its supremacy.

The forum noted that it frowned upon the level of impunity being experienced in the party in which, unauthorised individuals would issue press statements using the name of the party to deceive its leaders and the unsuspecting public, thereby causing disaffection among the party leadership.

It added that all individuals involved in this practice should be mindful that their conduct is prohibited under the party's constitution.

The forum said: "We have therefore resolved to ward off all perceived and real threats by detractors and enemies of our great party to inhibit the implementation of democratic ethos as currently being championed by our indefatigable Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and which, has given sleepless nights to the opposition party."

The forum noted that the fight for personal interests was nothing but a purposeful distraction to President Muhammadu Buhari.

It said the removal of Oshiomhole would not improve the conditions of APC supporters or those of Nigerians, adding that it would only satisfy the vindictive tendencies of a

privileged few who might have been offended by the embattled chairman.

"The state chairmen being members of NEC and critical stakeholders of our party dissociate ourselves from the ongoing brigandage intended to disorganise the peace we have been enjoying in the party. These acts, if successful, would only weaken the political strength of our great party," it added.

According to the forum, the party is bigger than the inordinate ambition of any individual and as such, it would not tolerate any unlawful step by those igniting crisis in the party.

"We, therefore, pass a vote of confidence on the national leadership of the party under Mr. Adams Aliu Oshiomhole for his quality, purposeful and directional leadership," it added.

Also, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke, has said 80 per cent of lawmakers in the House support Oshiomhole, saying that plots to destabilise the party would not succeed.

Faleke in a statement yesterday urged those involved in the plot to remove Oshiomhole to focus on major national issues and end the current leadership crisis rocking the ruling party.

The Lagos State chapter of the APC also expressed support for Oshiomhole.

In a statement issued yesterday, the party described the plot to remove Oshiomhole as a needless and avoidable crisis in the party.

"We acknowledge and appreciate the dogged and passionate leadership of the national chairman, which was mainly responsible for our victories in the national elections. We did not only retain the presidency but also won the majority of the seats at the National Assembly. This gave birth to the progressive leadership at the two arms of the National Assembly.

"We can definitely not dismiss his monumental achievements, which included breaking new grounds to the discomfort of opposition party," it said, adding that the raging crisis in the party might not be unconnected with the quest of some people to position themselves for 2023 elections.

Meanwhile, the South-south APC stakeholders have said it is in the interest of the party to put the era of Oshiomhole behind it and move forward with new leadership.

The stakeholders also said the statement by the APC ViceChairman, South-south, Prince Hilliard Eta, on Sunday where he claimed the leaders of the region were behind Oshiomhole, was not correct.

The spokesman of the APC South-south stakeholders,

Mr. Ray Murphy, stated this yesterday while addressing a press conference in Abuja.

The stakeholders also declared support for the proposed emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for next week Tuesday.

Murphy, a chieftain of the party and former media adviser to Odigie-Oyegun, said that APC members from the region were disappointed at the way and manner Oshiomhole is running aground the APC. He noted that since Oshiomhole took over from Odigie-Oyegun, it has been crisis after crisis generated by his inability to run a party with diplomacy and tact.

NWC Not Factionalised, APC

Insists Despite the crisis in the APC, the ruling party yesterday said its National Working Committee (NWC) has not been factionalised as being reported in a section of the media.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, assured all members of the party in a statement yesterday that party leaders are capable of resolving any contestations that may arise, bearing in mind the best interest of the party and in the pursuit of progress and development of the country.

He also called on all members of the NWC and the party's secretariat staff to resume at their offices and continue carrying out their scheduled

roles and responsibilities without any fear.

The party said: "In a political organisation such as the APC, contestations are not unusual and are not necessarily intractable. The issues being alluded to in the media reports are matters before the courts and should be allowed to run their normal and legal course. The exaggerated story foreboding Armageddon is far-fetched. " The ruling party commended the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu; personnel of the Police; Department of State Services (DSS) and other security services for their professionalism in maintaining the peace and preventing hoodlums from fomenting trouble at the APC national secretariat.

MENTORING THE YOUNG...

L-R: Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Linda Ikeji TV, Ms. Linda Ikeji; Managing Director, Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo; and Founder, House of Tara International, Mrs. Tara Fela-Durotoye, at the forum organized by the bank to mentor young female entrepreneurs in Lagos...weekend

PDP, NUJ, AI, NCC, Others Reject Anti-social Media Bill Chuks Okocha and Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Amnesty International (AI) and the Nigerian Communications Communication (NCC) yesterday called on Nigerians, including the media, organised civil society and all pro-democracy groups to unite against moves to pass the anti-social media bill by the National Assembly.

Also, the International Press Centre, Policy and Legislative Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and 62 groups that presented their position papers at yesterday’s public hearing in Abuja also called for the rejection of the bill as it is against free speech and democratic views.

But the Nigeria Army, speaking through Army Chief of Policy and Strategy, Major General Solomon Doma, who represented the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Buratai, backed the bill because it protects and promotes national security

as well as guide against service rivalry.

He also stated that the bill will enhance soldiers’ moral in battlefield and boost cohesion in the country.

The sponsor of the bill, Senator Sani Musa from Niger State said that the bill was to protect national security and would not hinder free speech.

Also, the AI condemned the bill, saying it is against fundamental human rights laws signed by Nigeria.

AI said the bill, when passed, would be a threat to democracy and urged the Senate to withdraw it as it is against the freedom of speech and expression.

A statement by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan said it was time for Nigerians “to eschew all political, sectional and religious differences and stand in unity against a bill that is clearly designed to suppress and silence the people, emasculate institutions of democracy, particularly the media, take away

the constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of speech of citizens and turn them into conquered people without a voice, in their own country.�

According to the PDP, the bill is part of the anti-democratic moves to further emasculate the 1999 Constitution (as amended) ostensibly as a prelude to foisting a full totalitarianism on the country, where citizens will no longer have the right to freely hold or support opinions.

PDP said it was obvious that the reason for the bill was to suppress democratic rights and prevent Nigerians, the media, civil society groups, pro-democracy organisations, the opposition and dissenting voices from freely criticising the atrocities, abuses, incompetence, corruption, security compromises, nepotism and general misrule that have allegedly pervaded the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

It said the frenzy to pass the bill exposed the perceĂŹved intolerance of the Buhari administration and the

desperation to cover its atrocities.

The PDP expressed worry that the Senate listed the unconstitutional and antipeople bill for second reading procedures even when Nigerians had rejected the bill, given its underlying fascist intendments.

Also, the Executive Secretary of PLAC, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, said the bill restricted the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

According to him, free speech, which remains one of the core tenets of any democratic society, is the ability of citizens to speak freely within the bounds of the law without fear of reprisals The NUJ speaking through the National President, Mr. Chris Isiguzo, described the bill as worse than Coronavirus and should be rejected.

The NUJ President said that free speech is grounded in democracy, adding that any attempt to stop it is to gag the media and human rights.

He added that there are already legislations in the statute book to enforce violations of free

speech.

In its contributions, the NCC said the bill, if passed into law, would be difficult to implement, stating also that it gave too much powers to the police.

NCC called for redrafting the bill due to what it described as a perceived anomalies.

The Executive Director of International Press Centre, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in condemning the bill, said it would be used to hunt media houses as well as affect the growth of free speech as expected in a democracy.

In his speech, while declaring open the public hearing, the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, said information and knowledge grew in an atmosphere of listening and sharing.

"When we listen; we put ourselves on a better ground to reasonably agree or disagree, because our own understanding would have grown.

"When we are intolerant of an opposing view, we will not be able to relate with the message of

the speaker. Disagreement comes thereafter and it will prevent us from having a clearer roadmap.

"I agree that matters of freedom of speech and the inalienable rights of man are issues we should not compromise. I also agree that the right of an individual ends where the rights of another individual begins.

"The rope between the freedom of an individual and the limits of that individual is often a tight one to walk. As a people however, we cannot stop discussing this freedom and its limitations for peace and harmony, growth and development.

"I am assured that with the people carefully invited here today, we are in a good position to proffer well-reasoned arguments on way forward on the bill," he stated.

He said the Senate’s eventual position would be partly dependent on the committee’s report, urging participants that their support in enriching the report is therefore very important.

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PAGE TWELVE SANUSI’S DETHRONEMENT, BANISHMENT RAISE LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES for they regained the paradise they lost six years ago as the no-love-lost between Sanusi II and the Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, degenerated to the deposition of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

In that regard, he stepped into the shoes of his grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi I, who was dethroned in 1963 by the Governor of the Northern Region, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, and banished to Azare in Bauchi State.

However, the former Sarkin Kano’s deposition and banishment, legal analysts said yesterday have raised some legal and constitutional issues, bordering on his rights to fair hearing and personal liberty.

He was immediately consoled last night by former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who said the dethronement was undeserved.

Sanusi’s deposition and Bayero’s enthronement were announced yesterday by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Usman Alhaji.

The appointment of Bayero, who was Emir of Bichi, was a strategic political move to ward off an imminent revolt in the emirate. Said to be popular among the youth and natural choice of the ancient city’s kingmakers, he was a perfect troubleshooting device to detonate the rising anger of the commoners against perceived harassment of their royal institution.

Speculations of his impending appointment and his possible replacement in Bichi by the Galadima of Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, had led to wild jubilations by supporters of Bayero while those of the dethroned emir wore gloomy looks.

Attempts by the supporters of Sanusi to protest his dethronement at the palace was resisted by policemen, who used teargas to disperse them.

SSG: Why We Removed Sanusi In announcing the dethronement of Sanusi, Ganduje accused him of disrespect to constituted authorities, an act contrary to Part 3, Section 13 of the Kano State Emirate Law, 2019.

The SSG in a statement read to reporters at the Government House yesterday, said: "The Emir of Kano is in total disrespect to lawful instruction from the office of the state governor and other lawful authorities, including his persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programmes organised by the government without any lawful justification, which amounts to total insubordination.

"It is on record and in so many instances, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II has been found breaching Part 3 , Section 13 (a-e) of the Kano State Emirate Law, 2019 and if left unchecked, will destroy the good and established image of the Kano Emirate.

"This removal is made after due consultations with relevant stakeholders and in compliance with part 3 section of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019 and other reasons stated above.

"The removal was reached in order to safeguard the sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige of the Kano Emirate built over a thousand years."

The state government urged the general public to remain calm, law-abiding and go about their normal businesses, adding that a successor will be named shortly.

Following the announcement, security was beefed up across

the state, as people moved about their normal businesses.

Also, a detachment of heavily armed security men barricaded the emir's palace.

Amidst uneasy calm, the eagleeyed security men prevented exit and entry into the palace.

Besides, water-tight security was also mounted at the entrance of the Kano State Government House and the state House of Assembly, apparently to forestall protests.

Ganduje later presided over an emergency security meeting, announcing a new emir thereafter.

Announcing the new emir at the Government House in the presence of the four kingmakers of the emirate, Alhaji, who cited the resolution of the State Executive Council at its emergency meeting, and Section 11 (1) of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019, named Bayero as the new emir.

"I hereby announced Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the former Emir of Bichi as the new Emir of Kano, as the 15th Emir of Kano," Alhaji said.

Former King Banished, Arrives Nasarawa State The banished King arrived Nasarawa yesterday into the waiting arms of officials of the government of his host state.

THISDAY gathered that the deposed emir would live in a reserved residence at Keana Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, where he would be received by the Emir of Lafia and other dignitaries.

It was gathered that before the embattled emir was taken away amidst tight security, he was reportedly put under house arrest with the palace sealed off by security agents.

Security was also beefed up at the entrance of the palace of the Emir of Kano.

A team of security agents drawn from the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps manned the palace.

House of Assembly in Rowdy Session However, a free-for-all ensued at the Kano State House of Assembly yesterday when the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Public Complaints and Petition Committee, Hon. Hamisu Chidari, raised an observation over the ongoing investigation of petitions of an alleged violation of the culture, tradition and religious values of the people of Kano

by Sanusi.

Trouble broke out when Chidari in his attempt to make his observation, which was already known to members, was instantly opposed by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In the process, a heated debate ensued, which resulted in pandemonium, as the opposition members struggled to take control of the mace.

But the mace was rescued by security men and the Sergeantat-Arm attached to the assembly.

The fracas lasted for about 20 minutes before the House was restored back to normalcy and went for a 30-minute break.

Obasanjo Consoles Sanusi Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has written Sanusi over his removal, describing the development as sad and good news.

In the letter personally signed by him, the former president said: “It is sad because it was undeserved. “It is good because you have

paid the price. My prayer is that God should give you the fortitude and the courage to continue on the path that you have chosen for yourself in the best interest of our country and humanity.�

Banishment to Nasarawa, Raises Legal, Constitutional Issues, Say Analysts However, the former Sarkin Kano’s deposition and banishment, legal analysts said yesterday have raised some legal and constitutional issues, bordering on his rights to a fair hearing and personal liberty.

According to legal experts, THISDAY spoke to last night, the process of his removal and eventual banishment, if challenged in court might be overturned on the grounds that it runs contrary to the principle of fair hearing and personal liberty guaranteed under the constitution.

A senior lawyer, who preferred anonymity, said emphatically that the deposed emir appears to stand a chance if the deposition is challenged in court. “First, he is already in court challenging the legality of the law under which he was removed. If he wins, and the law is declared illegal, then he would be deemed not to have been removed. Besides, a law abiding governor ought to have waited for the court to determine the legality or otherwise of that law,� he said.

He continued: “Second, it did not appear that Sanusi was given a fair hearing. His removal appeared to have been initiated in a day and concluded on that same day. Fair hearing is a principle of natural justice, failure to observe it may render the proceeding leading to his removal a nullity.

“Thirdly, closely related to the above is whether the Kano Executive Council followed the law under which he was removed. If the court bolds that the law- the Kano Emirate Council Law, was validly passed and constitutional, the court would look at the procedure adopted in removing Sanusi to see if the council adhered to the provisions of the law in removing him. “Lastly, on his banishment to Nasarawa State, Sanusi can test the validity of the provisions of the Kano Emirate Council Law against the 1999 constitution especially the provisions of chapter 2 precisely the fundamental human right to movement.�

Another lawyer said: “While the state government might be empowered to appoint and remove emirs, it is most unlikely it does not have the power to take away the deposed emir's freedom. To be an emir is a privilege, not a right. He does not have a right to be an emir, but he does have a right to live in any place of his choice. “Emirs are citizens of Nigeria, who are equally entitled to the protection of the 1999 Constitution as altered. The constitutional and human rights of Sanusi should not be compromised, just because he has been removed as emir.

This is more so when the banishment was done administratively and not via an order of court.�

The lawyers supported their propositions with the case of the deposed Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Mustapha Jokolo.

Two courts, including a Kebbi State High Court and the Court of Appeal, sitting in Sokoto had nullified his dethronement.

Continued on page 38

NIGERIA RECORDS SECOND CASE OF CORONAVIRUS The minister had last week said 40 persons in Ogun and 20 in Lagos, who had contact with the index Italian patient, were under isolation.

He explained that those monitored have remained free of any symptoms since but that as it is with the ministry’s practice, it decided to test them for the possible presence of coronavirus, adding that one unfortunately tested positive yesterday.

Ehanire said: “Since the beginning of the outbreak in China and subsequent spread to other countries, one of the important response strategies at the containment stage has been to identify all contacts, ensure their strict isolation and to follow up daily with checks for any symptoms of the disease. “Following recent experience from other countries and evidence from newly published studies on non-symptomatic infections, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), advised that samples should be taken from all contacts of the index case for testing. It is in this process that this new case was detected. “Recent studies in China have shown that increased surveillance, self-isolation and in particular, contact tracing does reduce the risk of spread because of further opportunities for transmission of the virus by the infected patient in the community, are limited.�

According to him, all other contacts of the index case in Ogun and Lagos will remain in isolation and testing will be carried out on those not yet tested, including some in other states.

Ehanire also stated that the federal government was in contact with US Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and the one in Abuja and through that got to know that the Nigerian infected with coronavirus in Washington was in Lagos last month. “However, given the timelines between the time he was in Nigeria briefly and when he

became ill, the likelihood that he was infected in Lagos is very low. “We are assuring Nigerians of our commitment to do all that is needed to control the spread of this outbreak. Since the first case was confirmed in Nigeria on February 27, 2020, the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Abuja continues to work closely with Lagos and Ogun State EOCs to coordinate response activities,� he stated.

He advised against spreading misinformation to cause fear and panic.

The minister also highlighted a major breakthrough by Nigeria, saying that a team of researchers from various institutions in the country have successfully performed the genome sequencing of coronavirus.

According to him, the team, including scientists from the Centre for Human and Zoology Virology in LUTH, African Centre for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Redeemers University and the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Lagos, combined their efforts to successfully perform the genome sequencing of the coronavirus strain that the index case brought to Nigeria.

He said the team proved the virus to be a match with the virus circulating in Italy and Wuhan, a Chinese town where the outbreak first occurred. “This was coordinated by the Lagos State Ministry of Health and NCDC. It is the first time the sequencing of this virus has been performed in Africa,� he added.

Ehanire said the medical feat had been shared with international authorities, adding that the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has sent a congratulatory message to the Nigerian scientists for the achievement.

The minister had earlier in Benin, Edo State capital, yesterday

said the federal government had spent about N1 billion since the disease broke out.

According to him, the second confirmed case was detected early due to close monitoring of contacts, adding that the N1 billion spent so far was committed to monitoring and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The minister explained that the federal government has also got promises of cash donations from private individuals and organisations.

"The government of Nigeria has committed about N1 billion to fight the virus."

He said every amount that was requested by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had been granted by the president with no delay at all. Money is available and is being used and utilised.

"We also have promises of donations from several organisations, private sectors and we got a letter the other day that we can apply for the global funds that have been allocated to Nigeria for this response," he said.

Buhari Sets up Task Force for Control of COVID-19 Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja set up a Presidential Task Force for the Control of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

In a statement, presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the president constituted the committee in view of COVID-19's potential to cause significant disruption in the country's health services and negatively affect the economy.

Shehu said Buhari also constituted the committee ahead of a probable major outbreak of the disease in view of the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He said the committee

is expected to conclude its assignment within six months.

"This action is in preparation for the unlikely but probable major outbreak of the disease in the country, which will require a multi-sectoral inter-governmental approach as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) similar to that adopted for the HIV epidemic in the last two decades," he said.

The committee, chaired by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, also has Dr. Sani Aliyu as National Coordinator.

Other members of the committee are the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Services, Ms. Sadiya Farouk, and Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.

Others are the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Environment, Alhaji Mohammed Mamood; Director-General, State Services, Alhaji Yusuf Bichi; Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chike Ihekweazu, and WHO Country Representative.

UNIZIK Suspends Chinese Language Programme Meanwhile, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in Anambra State has suspended the Confucius Institute programme, which teaches the Chinese language and other country-to-country relations of the Asian giant in view of the outbreak of coronavirus.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Charles Esimone, told journalists during a press conference to unveil its programme for the forthcoming 14th convocation of the institution that the programmes would now be

done online.

"Last December, most of our Chinese lecturers in that institute went on holiday but when the disease broke early this year, we had to suspend the programme and stop them from coming back immediately," he said.

Esimone said because of the importance of the programme, the university was considering starting the programme online, to fill the void.

Lagos Declares Two Wanted over Contact with Index Case Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has declared two persons, who had contact with the index case wanted.

They were identified by the Ministry of Health as Enwelunta Obumnore Godfrey and Salami Abiodun Sadeeq.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, told reporters yesterday that Godfrey and Sadeeq who had been in contact with the secondary case of Coronavirus will begin a 14-day isolation process.

The secondary case of Coronavirus was the individual, who had direct contact with the index case, a 44-year-old Italian male, who is currently quarantined at the Mainland Hospital, an infectious disease facility in Lagos.

Abayomi said: “The secondary COVID-19 patient has had contact with a few people and those contacts will begin a 14-day isolation process. “As per our protocol, we have the capacity to test so that we can pick up whether any of those in isolation are turning positive and we have tested the 40 individuals in isolation in Ewekoro at the Lafarge factory because that was the group that had close contact with the index case. “Out of the 40, we detected one positive and that individual happened to have spent a lot

of time with the index case by virtue of his job. “That demonstrates the first transmission for the index case and the good news is that we have the individual under surveillance, so that significantly minimises the chance of transmission to a large number of people.�

The commissioner also said the government was still in search of the remaining two passengers aboard the Turkish Airlines with the Italian coronavirus patient.

He appealed to the two individuals to reach out to the ministry. “It is vitally important that you reach out to us with the numbers that are generally available with the press -08023169485 or 08033565529 or 08052817243 or to the Federal Ministry of Health or to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control,� the commissioner said.

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COMMENT

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

FEARLESS JUDGE, FINEST DIPLOMAT

Bola Ahmed Tinubu pays tribute to George Oguntade, former Justice of Supreme Court and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

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mbassador George Adesola Oguntade is a fine gentleman. He parades very rich intellectual, legal and moral pedigree. Anyone who encounters him would love to associate with him for his candour, courage and forthrightness. As a human being, his humility and modesty is second to none. As an intellectual, he is sound and engaging.

In his years as a judge, Oguntade was brilliant, fearless and incorruptible.

From a lowly place, he rose to the apex of the legal profession through dint of hard work. Chief Oguntade started his legal career as a clerk at the High Court of Justice, Ibadan.

And it is on record that his distinguished career saw him through being a judge of the Lagos High Court, presiding justice of several states’ Courts of Appeal until he berthed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on May 19, 2004.

I must point out that Justice Oguntade shone brilliantly at every turn in his illustrious legal career. He served for six years at the Supreme Court, retiring in May 2010 on attaining the retirement age of 70 years. He is widely regarded as one of the sharpest minds to have ever sat on the Supreme Court Bench. He made important contributions to law and jurisprudence. Specifically, Justice Oguntade’s tenure at the Supreme Court witnessed the delivery of many landmark judgments, which impacted significantly on our legal system, particularly in the area of constitutional and administrative law.

Fearless and courageous, thorough and resolute, his judgments were always reference points for other judges and lawyers. One remarkable thing about Justice Oguntade is the fact of his courage to differ and disagree with his colleagues in the dispensation of justice if occasions called for it. And one occasion that readily comes to mind was the appeal filed by the then Presidential Candidate of the defunct ANPP in the 2007 election, General Muhammadu Buhari, against the election of President Umaru Yar’Adua of the PDP. Justice Oguntade gave a gripping dissenting judgment, wherein he upheld Buhari’s appeal, called for the cancellation

JUSTICE OGUNTADE’S TENURE AT THE SUPREME COURT WITNESSED THE DELIVERY OF MANY LANDMARK JUDGMENTS, WHICH IMPACTED SIGNIFICANTLY ON OUR LEGAL SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW

of the election and ordered a fresh election. Late President Yar’Adua was to admit later that his election was heavily flawed following which he established the Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais panel to prescribe necessary reforms for future elections.

Justice Oguntade’s contributions in other spheres of life are as remarkable as his inputs into the development of the legal profession. For instance, he played and continues to play critical roles in the development of Lagos. As an indigene of Lagos from Epe, he remains a pride to the state. It was in recognition of this that he was appointed Chancellor of the Lagos State University Governing Council in 2015.

For his laudable contributions to the nation, Nigeria has also honoured Justice Oguntade. He is a proud recipient of two of Nigeria’s highest national honours – Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) and Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR)-. Today, Oguntade is also Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Since his appointment, he has taken the relationship between Nigeria and Britain to greater heights. He brightened Nigeria’s image in the UK and showcased our rich cultural heritage. I understand that he has made it his responsibility to regularly engage with the Nigerian Diaspora Community to listen to their problems and to offer a helping hand where required.

Justice Oguntade and I enjoy a close relationship, which I deeply treasure. For the excellent man he has been and continues to be, for his selfless services to the country and commitment to truth and justice, I wish Justice Oguntade a most memorable 80th birthday. As he joins the Octogenarian Club today, my prayer for Ambassador Oguntade is that God Almighty grant him the grace of more years, robust health and renewed energy to continue in the service of our country and our people.

Asiwaju Tinubu is National Leader of the All Progressives Congress

OKOWA: A PASSION FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION The Delta State governor has tweaked the state’s education policy to fit into the demands of the modern era, writes Ruth Ugbechie

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est we forget, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State qualified as a medical doctor at the age of 22.

That was in 1981 when he earned his MBBS from the University of Ibadan. Ahead of his university education, he had made the second best Higher School Certificate (HSC) result in the whole of the then Bendel State. A precocious child and a worthy ambassador of the defunct Bendel State (now Edo and Delta States) where academic distinction, sporting excellence and pristine moral values form the DNA of the people. As a medical doctor, Okowa applied his skill to help humanity.

He brought cure to the sick, gave hope to the hopeless. He also became his own boss at a time, an employer of labour and creator of wealth. He would later quit private practice for public service. He’s a knowledge-driven man in all ramifications.

In a sense, one can safely say that Okowa is a beneficiary of quality education graciously made possible in his early life by his progressive-minded parents. Fast-forward to 2015, 34 years later. Okowa the young medical doctor had become the Governor of Delta State, one of the twin-states of the old Bendel and he’s giving back to the people what he got several decades ago: Good, quality education. He’s doing it with bullish determination.

One of the nuggets of his now popular Stronger Delta agenda is human capital development. But the governor’s idea of human capital development is not in the award of bogus certificates and degrees. It’s in skills acquisition, in preparing Deltans to create the jobs rather than be in interminable pursuit of jobs. He has tweaked the state’s education policy to fit into the demands of the modern era. The world is intricately interconnected in an emergent knowledge era where innovation, skills deployment and solution creation rather than certificates rule the roost.

Globally, there is now more emphasis on what you can do, not on what degrees you

have acquired. The best of innovators and change agents from Bill Gates of Microsoft, Larry Ellison of Oracle, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Coco Chanel (born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in France) of Coco Chanel perfumes and clothiers, Steve Jobs of Apple, among others, were either school dropouts or persons who never had the luxury of certificate-awarding formal education.

The likes of Ray Kroc (McDonald’s), Nigeria’s Cosmas Maduka, Ingvar Kamprad (of upholstery maker IKEA), Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Cosmetics), Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie Steel Company) and lots more have proven that success in life is worth more than designed papers called degree certificates. They all activated their inner talents, some through entrepreneurship, some through inventions and some by putting their skills to work.

Today, these men and women are pacesetters, innovators, inventors, successful entrepreneurs and creators of jobs and wealth. They put skill to action, not their degrees, not their certificates. And now they are proud employers of those with long degrees and multiple certificates. True, marketplace life has evolved from ‘what do you have’ to ‘what can you do?’ The world is looking for those who create solution, not those who can articulate all the problems but offer no solution. Nations around the world have long realized this and have tailored their education towards skills acquisition and hands-on training rather than the conventional textbook hypothesis. The United States, Europe and lately Asia have moved fast into the realm of skills acquisition, innovativeness and hands-on education.

The Asians, particularly India and China, have become world powers in software engineering and other aspects of technology on account of the heavy dose of technical education in their school curriculum.

This is the template Okowa is adopting in Delta State, changing the concept of education from certificate to certification,

from class-work to lab-work, indeed from paper to skills. It’s not for nothing that he has rehabilitated and equipped six technical colleges just to produce graduates with the requisite skills set for entrepreneurship and job creation. He has opened well-equipped vocational centres and he wants to establish more technical colleges before his term runs out in 2023. In effect, he’s laying strong foundation for the making of next generation billionaires and multi-millionaires.

He’s cultivating the ground to produce generation-next techpreneurs, manufacturers, economic enablers and growth-agents who would in no distant time turn their skills to wealth.

The man they call Roadmaster is not done just yet. While presenting the 2020 budget before the State Assembly, he said: “We intend to continue to reposition our educational system to equip our youth population with the skill set needed for this new world of rapid change and digital revolution. As you are aware, technical and vocational education has been our main policy thrust in this sector. During our first tenure, we completed the rehabilitation and equipping of the six technical colleges in the state. Accreditation of all trade subjects by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) was achieved in 2018 and plans are underway for the establishment of additional technical colleges in the remaining 19 Local Government Areas of the state.�

To actuate this vision, the Ministry of Technical Education was recently created to consolidate the gains made and institutionalise technical cum vocational education in the state’s school curricula.

Part of the functions of the new ministry include formulation of policies for technical education, management of technical colleges in the state, coordination of the accreditation of technical colleges and vocational centres, acting as liaison with appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the implementation of technical and vocational education

and training programmes in the state, among others.

Okowa’s commitment to technical education stands him out as a leader who understands the demands of the modern era in the area of national and global competitiveness.

Knowledge, not natural resources, is the new resource. And this is not knowledge of the books only; it’s knowledge that challenges the status quo; that creates, innovates and births solution. It’s beyond head knowledge but the type you acquire by getting involved in the efforts to create solution for the myriad challenges that dog human existence.

India is today the outsourcing capital of the world. Over 50 percent of software used in the United States are developed in India.

India has a culture of technical education and education with rich numerate content.

The Asian software technology super power has Institute of Technology scattered across its many cities. Vocational centres and skills acquisition institutes define the knowledge space of China. The same applies for Singapore, Pakistan, South Korea and other Asian nations. And it’s paying off because none of the most technically advanced nations of US and Russia can afford to ignore these Asian nations.

Governor Okowa’s passion for technical education underscores his vision as a 21st century leader to build technical capacity and competences among his people. It’s the surest ticket to break the limiting walls of paper education that has kept Nigeria, nay Africa, at the receiving end in a technologydriven and technology-determinant global economy. A new Delta is being built on the solid ramparts of technical education. Okowa should stay this course because out of the oasis of technical education shall spring forth fountains of innovation, invention, entrepreneurship and sundry channels of wealth creation. If China, India, South Korea et al could do it, we, too, can. I vote for technical education.

Mrs. Ugbechie wrote from Warri

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EDITORIAL BARUWA’S CONVICTION: A MESSAGE TO RAPISTS Baruwa’s conviction holds lessons for rapists

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he recent conviction of Dr Afeez Baruwa, a former part-time lecturer at the University of Lagos, who raped an admissionseeking 18-year-old girl was a strong message. That Baruwa, who ought to be a mentor to the victim, could molest his friend’s daughter, underscores the level of decadence pervading our society. But we are delighted that justice has been served. When he returns from the prison at the age of 66, Baruwa would have wasted 21 years coupled with the burden of shame and reproach that he would bear for the remaining period of his life. We also hope that the case would mark a departure from the past when rapists went scot-free after perpetrating their heinous crimes because victims were afraid of the stigma as well as the perceived impossibility in proving such cases in court.

More worrisome THE ONLY WAY CITIZENS is that a recent CAN FEEL SAFE AND survey conducted

by Africa Polling SECURE IS WHERE THE Institute (API) RESPONSE TO CRIME IS on “Rape and SWIFT, EFFICIENT AND Sexual Abuse in EFFECTIVE Tertiary Institutions in Lagos State,” revealed “that there is a high prevalence of rape and sexual abuse” on campuses. According to the survey, 61 per cent of students acknowledged that sexual abuse is prevalent on campus, while 56 per cent pin such abuse to rape. The study also revealed that 79 per cent of respondents identified female students as the main victims of rape and sexual abuse or harassment on campuses. Sadly, the study identified 21 per cent of rapists on campuses as lecturers; 33 per cent others as cultists and 29 per cent as fellow male students.

However, the heinous crime of rape is not limited to the universities. It is an act perpetrated in virtually all spheres of our national life, including in the Northern states where

Letters to the Editor

Sharia law is practiced. For instance, the Sokoto Hisbah Commission recently cried out over the activities of rapists in the state. According to the commandant of the commission, Dr Adamu Kasarawa, no fewer than 21 cases of rape were reported in January alone. That is aside several others that might not come to public knowledge. “The record of rape cases with the commission is alarming. The record jumped from 296 cases in 2018 to 606 cases at the close of 2019. More disturbing, in January 2020 alone, about 21 cases of rape were recorded. The issue of rape is rampant among teenage girls between the ages of five and 16,” Kasarawa said.

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 HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

t is against this backdrop that we commend all parties who assisted the 18-year-old girl to bring Baruwa to justice. This kind of diligent prosecution will go a long way in relieving several rape victims in all parts of the country of their trauma and send strong signals to perpetrators that the long hand of the law will catch up with them. We also align ourselves with the recommendations of API on how to curb cases of rape and sexual abuse on campuses and within the larger society. Since a huge percentage of our women and girls are now at the receiving end of incidents of abuse, it is imperative that we make an effort to understand the underlying causes and dynamics of violence.

The insensitivity of the authorities and the fear of stigma help to discourage victims of sexual violence from formalising the reports of incidents involving them. This reluctance, however, has only contributed to the rise in a culture of impunity on the part of the perpetrators. But the diligent prosecution of Baruwa would certainly send a strong signal to other perpetrators to desist from these acts. The only way citizens can feel safe and secure is where the response to crime is swift, efficient and effective. That is what the current situation demands.

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

#EACHFOREQUAL: LET’S CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH

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t is a well-known fact that women are underrepresented in the financial and technology sectors. The median age in Africa is 19: in order for the continent to capitalise on its demographic dividend, women must be given the same opportunities that are afforded to men.

Organisations such as Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) and Pearls Africa based in Nigeria are aiming to boost representation through mentoring and training to girls and young women, in preparation for roles in the technology sector. Here at WorldRemit, we are proud to highlight the notable contributions made to fintech by our colleagues, Sharon Kinyanjui and Cynthia Ponera.

Sharon is the Head of East & Central Africa, responsible for development and expansion across over 10 markets in these regions. Sharon is a team leader, with extensive technical expertise gained through over 15 years of international business development. Sharon has extensive knowledge and experience of remittances previously holding management roles in EMEA for Western Union. She said, “Inclusion of women in the tech space needs to become standard practice. We need to build an environment which allows girls to flourish in the fintech space. Women are frequent consumers of tech and therefore need to be included in

the conversation. Qualified women should continue to take more leadership positions within organisations in the tech ecosystem.”

Cynthia is country manager for Tanzania where she is responsible for generating new business by building relationships with partners and identifying key areas for growth. Cynthia has extensive experience in the banking industry, specialising in digital and alternative channels. It is here that she became chairperson of the Women Network Forum, which was created to empower women to take leadership roles. She championed the #SheforShe and #HeforShe campaigns, where she challenged men and women in leadership positions to provide mentoring to upcoming female talent. In keeping with her passion for technology and how it can be used to empower women, Cynthia’s master’s thesis was on the effect of mobile money on female financial inclusion in Tanzania.

In keeping with their passions for women in technology, they also recognise the ability of digital financial services such as mobile money to drive greater financial inclusion, gender parity. With over 122 million users of mobile money services in Africa, and smartphone connections forecast to grow to 636 million in 2022, hitting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which call for equality and lower remittance costs are likely

to depend on building the right infrastructure to support consumers.

Digital approaches to financial services such as mobile money are having a transformative impact on low-income households, as they provide a path to greater financial security and prosperity. Research by MIT revealed that access to mobile money lifted 2% of the Kenyan population out of poverty. Mobile money was also found to have enabled Kenyans to set up their own businesses. The impact was even more pronounced for female-led households, where mobile money was thought to have given women the freedom to move from agricultural jobs to entrepreneurial and formal employment. While Nigeria has not yet achieved the same level of success recorded in Kenya, according to the MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs 2019, “Nigeria had the second-highest proportion of women in professional/technician roles among the 58 markets surveyed and an exceptionally high percentage of females as entrepreneurs.”

In the diaspora community, women have oftentimes been identified to be making significant contributions to their families and communities back home. Remittances sent and received by women are usually spent on household provisions and healthcare, which have indirect societal benefits. However, as women tend to remit smaller amounts

more often as compared to men, they are subject to higher transaction costs. Research by the UN & EU Women Migrant Project, suggests that female remittance senders could be susceptible to paying more than male counterparts to transfer the same amount of money. According to the Global Migration Group, women have paid remittance fees of up to 20% more than men. Women are overrepresented among the over one billion people across the world who do not have proof of identity documents and are therefore excluded from access to financial services.

Our vision at WorldRemit is to accelerate financial inclusion, in line with the objectives of the African Development Bank’s Digital Financial Inclusion Facility. We are driving this through our mobile-first approach and are now the leading provider of remittances to mobile money wallets across the world.

WorldRemit values the immeasurable contributions made by women to society.

International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to highlight the many achievements of women, whilst paying tribute to the important roles they play in our communities.

Not only are they often primary caregivers, they are increasingly entrepreneurs and the breadwinners in many households. t(CFOHB 0LFKJNJ $PVOUSZ .BOBHFS /JHFSJB (IBOB 8PSME3FNJU

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POLITICS

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

Between Ayade and the NJC, Who Blinks First?

Davidson Iriekpen writes that Nigerians are anxiously waiting to see the outcome of the confrontation between Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State and the National Judicial Council over the appointment of the state Chief Judge

Ayade

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bout six years after the face-off between the National Judicial Council (NJC) and then Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State over the appointment of the Chief Judge of the state, a similar crisis may be brewing in Cross River State where Governor Ben Ayade has turned down Justice Akon Ikpeme who was recommended by the council as the substantive Chief Judge of the state.

About six years after the face-off between the National Judicial Council (NJC) and then Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State over the appointment of the Chief Judge of the state, a similar crisis may be brewing in Cross River State where Governor Ben Ayade has turned down Justice Akon Ikpeme who was recommended by the council as the substantive Chief Judge of the state.

Following the retirement of the former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Michael Edem, last December, the state Judicial Service Commission (JSC) based on the hierarchical seniority of the NJC, presented Justice Ikpeme as the Acting Chief Judge of the state pending compliance with Section 271 (1) of the Constitution, which states that “the Governor of the State shall make the appointment of a person to the office of Chief Judge of a State on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council subject to confirmation of the appointment by the House of Assembly of the state.”

After acting for three months, the state House of Assembly on Monday last week refused to confirm Justice Ikpeme in substantive capacity. Instead, it approved the appointment of Justice Maurice Eneji as Acting CJ of the state.

Until most members of the assembly stayed away from sitting on Febru-

Ikpeme

ary 28, the day slated to deliberate on her confirmation, many did not know that something was wrong with Justice Ikpeme’s nomination.

Eventually when deliberation started on March 3, two opposing reports were presented for consideration indicating that the Committee on Judiciary that handled the matter was divided as a faction of the committee led by its Chairman, Efa Esua cleared Ikpeme for confirmation, while another led by Godwin Akwaji (Obudu State constituency) and five others recommended that Justice Ikpeme be rejected because she is not from Cross River State.

Following the confusion, the assembly after a heated debate, rejected both reports and a committee of the whole ultimately rejected her confirmation through a voice vote.

But a member of the assembly representing Bakassi constituency,

Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, cautioned his colleagues against setting a bad precedence, saying, “This is my fifth year in the House and I have never seen two reports being presented to the House from a committee. The House has to be on the side of justice at all times and avoid setting a bad precedence. We need to strengthen institutions and avoid sowing seeds of ethnicity and disunity in the House.”

Justice Ikpeme was born in the old Cross River State. She had all her education in the state. In fact, her father was a Permanent Secretary in the old Cross River State and retired there. In 1987, the state was split into two - Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State - and by virtue of her father being Akwa Ibom State, her state of origin changed.

She is married to an indigene of Cross River State and blessed with

Following the retirement of the former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Michael Edem, last December, the state Judicial Service Commission (JSC) based on the hierarchical seniority of the NJC, presented Justice Ikpeme as the Acting Chief Judge of the state….After acting for three months, the state House of Assembly on Monday last week refused to confirm Justice Ikpeme in substantive capacity. Instead, it approved the appointment of Justice Maurice Eneji as Acting CJ of the state

children. She started her career with the Cross River State Ministry of Justice and rose to the position of Director of Public Prosecution and further appointed a judge in the state.

She has served meritoriously and despite several challenges along the way has accomplished and received a commendation from the former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa for her immense contribution towards achieving a sustainable and independent democracy in Nigeria.

To the knowledge of the state apparatchik, Justice Ikpeme had, consistently entered her State of Origin as Cross River State and not Akwa Ibom State, in all relevant records, by virtue of her marriage to a bona fide Cross Riverian.

With the retirement of the former CJ, Justice Edem, the state government recommended Justice Ikpeme and Justice Eneji to the NJC for appointment as the Chief Judge of the state. The council, in December 2019, interviewed both candidates and found them respectively suitable for the position but recommended Justice Ikpeme for appointment as the chief judge, being the most senior judge and not having any negative report.

However, following political undercurrents and intrigues, the state assembly rejected her confirmation as substantive chief judge of the state on the excuse that she was not from the state by birth although married to a Cross River man and the fact that she would constitute a security risk to the state.

Many are wondering that if the state government knew that it would in future deny her anything on account that she is from Akwa Ibom State, why was she not told before she entered the civil service or advised to transfer her service to Akwa Ibom long ago.

T H I S D AY ˾TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020

19

POLITICS

In Ogun, Abiodun Restores Hope of ‘Newly Recruited’ Civil Servants Femi Ogbonnikan writes that Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has gladdened the heart of workers employed into the state civil service close to the departure of the immediate past governor

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n a modern democratic clime, political leaders with goals, missions and visions have little or no time for drama. Rather, they invest their energy in creativity, focusing on providing good governance for the general well-being of their citizens. This aptly captures the present accelerated development that is being witnessed in every facet of human endeavour in Ogun state. Since Governor Dapo Abiodun’s assumption of office on May 29, 2019, Ogun has witnessed the birth of a new dawn.

The current administration under the leadership of Prince Dapo Abiodun, the fifth democratically elected governor of the Gateway State has taken governance by the gauntlet and entrenched the principle of walking the talk. Within the spate of nine months, the milestone of achievements recorded so far has been unprecedented in the history of the state, since its birth on February 3, 1976.

Abiodun inherited a near empty treasury from his predecessor. Besides, the flaunted pseudo legacy projects embarked upon (without recourse to due process) upon and subsequently commissioned without completion at the twilight of the immediate past administration were another game plan ostensibly to stir the hornet’s nest in order to befuddle the enlightened people of the state.

Not yet done with its dirty tricks, the past administration recruited well over 2,000 different workers into the civil service, though deliberate, without taking cognizance of the financial viability and capability of the state. It further elevated 18 directors to Permanent Secretary (PS) status, without recourse to due process.

But despite several entreaties from well-meaning and concerned people to rescind the decisions of the immediate past administration in all the affected critical sectors of the economy of the state, Governor Abiodun, with a large heart, demonstrated his magnanimity with the absorption of all the candidates employed towards the tail end of its exit from office. Also, he directed the immediate defrayment of nine-month salaries owed the new workers.

In appreciation of the rare gesture, the new workers recruited in April 2019 through an entrance examination conducted by the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) took the Oke Mosan, the governor’s office, by storm as early as 8:00am on Monday, March 2, 2020, to say, “Thank you, Sir” to His Excellency. The governor, in company of his security details, while about to drive in, fell into the welcoming arms of the joyous workers. Drawn from different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the workers, one after the other, spoke eloquently of his kindness.

Commander Folarin Oladapo and Miss Olabisi Olatunji who spoke on behalf of the TRACE officers expressed appreciation to the governor for putting smiles on their faces and prayed for his successful tenure in office. The duo, on behalf of their colleagues, however, pledged the commitment and resolve to discharge of their statutory duties diligently. In the same vein, another staff, Mr Badejo Ayodele, commended the Governor for the kindness.

“I want to use this medium to express our appreciation to His Excellency for the opportunity given to us to be part of the workforce of Ogun State Civil Service.

The journey started in 2018 when we all sat for the 2017/18 ASCON examination and the extended interview took place in April in 2018. However, due to the change in power. You paid nine months

Abiodun

arrears to us that were employed by the last administration even to a tune of N1 billion. It is indeed a great relief because it affects families in the state.”

In her vote of thanks, the Head of Service (HoS), Mrs Amope Chokor, admonished the new workers to justify the employment offered them. “I have always said that His Excellency is a kind-hearted man and we have seen that you have proven it, even with the payment of the areas of nine months of all our workers. On their behalf, I am saying a very big thank you. You have started well, by the grace of God you will end well and you will finish strong in the name of Jesus. Your tenure has started with peace, you will continue to enjoy peace in Ogun State. By the grace of God, you will never suffer loss.

In your tenure, you will continue to increase from grace to glory in the name of Jesus. Everyone that you are leading, you will take them to greater heights.

“I want to implore you all workers to remain dedicated, hard working and

committed. And as you are serving in your various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, I want to remain officers of integrity. Integrity should be your watchword so that service delivery in Ogun state will improve and the generality of the public will be happy.

I count on your pledge and support,” averred Chokor.

Speaking on the occasion, the Governor sang: “Inu mi dun t’ori mo r ’ojo oni, congratulations Ore, m’owo re wa” (I am happy to witness today, congratulations, my friend, extend your hands and let us share in this joy).

He said, “I never had any warning of this event, but I will call it an ambush.

When I asked what is happening, they told me they were the newly absorbed staff at the gate.

And I asked, “Are they protesting”?

But I later learnt that they have come to thank me. Let me first give all the glory to the Almighty God because it is by His grace that we are all standing here. It is by His grace that we are even

In appreciation of the rare gesture, the new workers recruited in April 2019 through an entrance examination conducted by the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) took the Oke Mosan, the governor’s office, by storm as early as 8:00am on Monday, March 2, 2020, to say, “Thank you, Sir” to His Excellency. The governor, in company of his security details, while about to drive in, fell into the welcoming arms of the joyous workers.

Drawn from different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the workers, one after the other, spoke eloquently of his kindness

here in this capacity; it is by His grace that we have been given the privilege to serve in this capacity as governor, deputy-governor and all of us that are here. I want to give God the glory for also giving us the divine wisdom to do the things that are right.

“Yes, you sat for the examinations, way back, in 2018. You were employed sometime around April 2019 and that was at the twilight of the previous administration. And that was shortly after we have won our election. We saw a lot of these employments or promotions gave us a lot of suspicion. We wondered why an administration would employ people at the twilight of its exit. Was it a deliberate attempt to inflate the wage bill and make the state unmanageable for us? We said ok, upon our assumption of office, we would take a closer look and actually look at it objectively. It took us a few months. What we did was to set up a committee to look into all these promotions and appointments. Having reviewed the report of that committee, we decided that the right, the just, the fair and the equitable thing to do was to absorb all of you formally. We also decided that you deserved to be paid from the time you received your letter of employments till date. Do not do anything that would cause to regret the day we decided to absorb you.”

In reminiscence, while charging the civil servants whom he described as “the engine room of every successive administration” during his maiden address at the Arcade Ground, Ogun State Secretariat, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital, on his fifth day after in office, Abiodun underscored the essence of the workforce and pledged his social contract with it. And during his 2020 Budget address before the House of Assembly on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, the Governor reiterated his tripartite agreement with God, himself and the good people of Ogun State, thus: “I wish to reaffirm my often-stated position that the social contract I have, is a tripartite covenant between me and God, on one part. And on the other part, to serve Him and reciprocate His faithfulness through the journey so far by being a tool to bring the greatest good to the greatest number of the people of Ogun State. That contract translates to being just, equitable, fair, transparent, participatory, inclusive and to respect the rule of law. These to me are all that democracy preaches.”

At the swearing-in of Town Planner (Mrs) Amope Chokor, as the new HoS sometime in December 2019, reminded the workers the essence of their statutory duties towards achieving the set goals.

“Let me emphasise the importance of the Ogun State Civil Service in the successful implementation of our administration’s “building our future together” mantra. I must particularly state that the dedication, commitment and professionalism that the public service has continued to exhibit as key ingredients that guarantee the success of our building our future together agenda. Therefore, in appreciation, we will continue to uphold all our public and civil servants their status and the important holders in the successful implementation of our building our future together agenda. As a matter of fact, we will continue to ensure payment of salaries and other allowances. We are also working seriously to clear all backlog of promotions, leave bonuses and other allowances. So, I charge our workers to be more dedicated and professional in the discharge of their duties and together we will achieve our collective dreams.”

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŽËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

20

FEATURES

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

For Women and Tobacco Control – A Worthy Cause Oluchi Joy Robert

M

arch 8 is dedicated to honouring women’s achievements in different spheres of life annually. It is also a day that women from different backgrounds and culture come together to fight for women’s rights and address issues of bias. The theme for this year’s commemoration is #EachforEqual and as usual, it serves as an action-call for improvement of women’s situations globally.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark this event, it is important to highlight some of the factors militating against women realizing their fullest potentials. One of them is the Tobacco menace.

Smoking still remains a leading risk factor for early deaths as 15 per cent of global deaths are attributable to it.

While men are much more likely to smoke than the women-folk, about 250 million women in the world smoke daily. This translates to about 22 per cent of women in developed countries and about nine per cent of women in developing countries according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In all this, Big Tobacco is having a field day promoting smoking to women via false imagery of slimness, emancipation, and sexuality, among other lies. They even go as far as ‘feminising’ cigarettes by way of making it look extra slim and light colored in some cases. For reasons of self-esteem and peer pressure, a lot of young girls get hooked easier than the boys.

Tobacco use harms women in different ways than men. Statistics has shown that women who smoke as opposed to women who don’t, experience infertility issues and delayed conception. Women who engage in smoking during pregnancy also experience still birth, premature delivery and reduction in breast milk for lactating mothers.

Smoking also increases women’s risk

of different types of cancer including cancer of the cervix. Hence women are more vulnerable to the dangers inherent in tobacco smoking and the negative impact it inflicts on health.

We cannot leave the tobacco industry to continue jeopardising the future of the girl-child through the various tactics they evolve to make profit at the expense of the health of addicted and passive users. It is because of this reason that tobacco control efforts should be a joint venture. Parents should be on the lookout for their kids especially pre-teens and teens.

Teachers should take their classroom work beyond teaching as even simple interactions between them and students can divulge this death habit.

They can also include simple tobacco prevention and cessation tips in their school activities.

The commemoration of the IWD 2020 is an opportunity for all stakeholders to continue galvanising efforts to end the tobacco menace. Women rights groups across Nigeria and the continent must support the Federal Government’s efforts geared towards eliminating the negative attractions of the tobacco industry.

While the Federal Government’s gazette of the National Tobacco Control Regulations is commendable, its enforcement along with the NTC Act 2015 should be a thing of priority. It is particularly recommended that the ban on sale in single sticks, the ban on

sale to minors and the recommended pictorial warnings on cigarette packs commence.

The inauguration of a Tobacco Control Fund as recommended in the NTC Act 2015 should not be delayed any longer to check the tobacco industry which is ever ready to exploit any available loophole.

Because Big Tobacco does not slowdown in its bid to recruit more smokers’ especially young girls, we should also not rest on our oars as only healthy women can realise their full potentials!

-Robert works with the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria.

Literary Icon, Eze Chukwuemeka Ike, Gets Burial Date

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he Ndikelionwu community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, recently hit by the sudden transition of her traditional ruler and one of the nation’s literary icons, Eze Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, OFR, NNOM, has announced the burial rites of the departed king.

In a press release issued by the Eze Ikelionwu Xi Transition Council, commencing March 6 to April 5, flags will fly at half-mast in the eleven villages of the community to honour the distinguished king who will be interned on April 2 at the EzeIkelionwu Xi Palace, Ndikelionwu.

Already various committees have been inaugurated to accord the departed literary giant a befitting farewell. A strong federal government delegation is expected at the event, even as President Muhammadu Buharihas expressed federal government condolences to the family and to the people and government of Anambra State over EzeProf. Chukwuemeka Ike’s demise.

The state government has also expressed interest in giving the one-time Pro-Chancellor of the Anambra State University and Deputy Chairman (South) of the state Council of Traditional Rulers, a well deserved burial.

According to the release signed by the President General, Ndikelionwu Welfare Association, (NWA), who doubles as Chairman of the Transition Council, Chief Sir Edozie Obasi, Palace Secretary, Prince Fortune Ike, and Chairman, Publicity/Liaison Committee, Prince ChidiNwafor, the town will play host to the crème de la crème of

Late Ike the society comprising top officials of the federal and state governments, West African Examination Council (WAEC), where he was one-time Registrar/Chief Executive;

University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) where the Professor was Registrar; and several other universities within and outside Nigeria, where he was either honoured

with awards or had played one key role or the other, authors as well as publishers, clergies and a host of others.

Explaining further in an interview in Lagos, Chike Uchime, a member of the Publicity/Liaison Committee and Editor-inChief of FORWARD MAGAZINE, said Prof.

Ike was a literary colossus who influenced the course and cause of literary profession in Nigeria and Africa. “His legacies can be found in university administration, literary development, community development, philanthropy, accountability and probity advocacy, as well as in pleading the cause of the poor and down-trodden in the society, among others.�

A Literary Day/Book Exhibition will hold in his honour on March 31, while April 1, will feature two events - Tributes and Colloquium and Service of Songs, just as Internment is on April 2. Condolence Visits is for April 3 and 4, while Outing Service rounds up the ceremonies on Sunday April 5, at the St. Margret’s Anglican Church Ndikelionwu.

Eze Prof. Chukwuemeka Ike was a writer of international repute with over 14 award winning novels and several other books and journals to his credit. He received the Nigeria National Honour of Merit Award (NNOM) – Nigeria’s highest national prize for academic and intellectual attainment in 2008, after being conferred Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – OFR, in 2001. He was the Founding President of the Nigerian Book Foundation.

T H I S D AY ˾ MARCH 10, 2020

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FEATURES

Africa’s Women as Consumers: Key to Unlocking Africa’s Growth Nkiru Balonwu

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omen make up 50 per cent of Africa’s population and drive 70 per cent of consumer spend. This demographic represents the continent’s largest growth opportunity, and yet there remains very little data available on female spending habits. If African businesses are to succeed, and indeed if we are to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) into the continent at large, we need to build a better understanding of women in 2020.

“Study women as you would a foreign market,” Forbes Contributor Bridget Brennan told us in her2015 article outlining the ‘Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know About Women Consumers’. Fast forward five years and this remains strong advice – female consumer spending habits remain a mystery to most brands, particularly in Africa.

Generally, when a business spots opportunity in a foreign market, the first thing it does is its homework: employing experts, sourcing local data, conducting feasibility studies, etc. But in the case of female consumers, where is the evidence that this information is even being compiled at all?

In Africa, a lack of data hinders the consumer marketplace at large.

‘With no precise figures’ is a phrase that many of us have become accustomed to when a global study begins to drill down into the African economy, not to mention the individualcountries within it.

Of course there are exceptions to this rule - companies like Nielson and FMCGgiants like Coca Cola, Unilever and L’oreal have been mining data for years - but it is seldom made publicly available.

A good example of this lies in beauty sector, where women are its primary consumers. The global beauty market - including bath and shower, fragrances, hair care, makeup, and skin care - is estimated by Euromonitor to be worth US $250bn.

But as soon as you begin to drilldown into Africa the data becomes more sketchy. A 2012 study conducted by L’Oreal estimated the overall value of the Sub-Saharan cosmetics sector to be Euros €6.9bn.

Within this, South Africa was found to be the largest marketplace, accounting for €3bn of total revenues, followed by Nigeria with €2.5bn. The fact that we are having to reach back to 8yr old studies in the first place, reveals something about the extent of research being conducted in this area.

It’s also an analysis that should not be taken at face value. We know that there are approximately 30 million females in South Africa compared with 100 million in Nigeria. We also know that the overall GDP of the two countries is relatively similar. So the argument that South African women have access to greater disposable income, and are therefore more likely to spend on consumer products, is unlikely to be enough to overshadow a literal 3:1 ratio of bodies on the ground.

There is also evidence to suggest that in times of economic hardship, female spending on cosmetics products not only bucks the overall market trend, but can actually increase. The so-called ‘lipstick effect’ dictates that women view

Balonwu

these types of self-enhancement products as a means of investing in themselves, and use makeup to ensure that they achieve their professional ambitions, as well as romantic ones.

Of course, exactly how far the latter argument stacks up begins to take us into the realm of the qualitative. But in many ways that is exactly the point – there needs to be more research being carried out on both a quantitative and qualitative basis that approaches these marketplaces from the point of view of the female psyche, and with the goal of delivering the products women need.

Researching female needs more robustly could yield serious benefits for brands across the globe.

In 2019, Kylie Jenner became the world’s youngest ever self-made billionaire when she sold a 51% stake in her cosmetics brand to Coty Inc. Rihanna’s beauty offering, Fenty, is now estimated to be worth $3bn+. Between them, these two celebrities have a combined following of 235mpeople on their personal Instagram accounts alone, and while they are not all female, it puts the earlier analogy

of female consumers as a foreign marketplace into tangible perspective.

We know that women in general are believed to drive 70-80 per cent of consumer spend. This is because they make purchasing decisions on behalf of others. They are often, for example, primary care givers, and responsible for both old and young family members.

African women in particular are not only consumers but also the influencers of global fashion, even when western brands don’t necessarily know it. From dance and music to fashion and cosmetics, African women - and women of African heritage around the world – have traditionally influenced global culture from time immemorial and continue to do so today, be that in the form of Beyonce and Janet Jackson music videos to top fashion designers like Christian Dior, LV, etc.

Ultimately, more businesses need to start listening. Women represent Africa’s largest growth opportunity, and collecting better information on their spending habits is the key to unlocking this growth.

Such work is not only the

preserve of the private sector.

In seeking to increase GDP and attract further FDI, Government departments need to understand how critical this demographic is to the future success of nations across the continent, and seek themselves to gather better data on women over a sustained period of time. This can also be beneficial in the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where female spending is particularly important because it is more likely to lift families out of abject poverty versus that of men.

Overall, there are lessons to be learned from behaviour in the fashion and cosmetics industries that can in-turn be applied to help fuel wider growth across B2B and consumer sectors. Finding the answer, or answers, to the question of ‘What African women consumers want’ is key to unlocking future growth on the continent.

-Balonwu is CEO RDF Strategies and Founder/Chair of African Women on Board (AWB), an independent non-profit organisation.

A version of this article has been published in Africa Report.

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TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020 •T H I S D AY

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

10.03.2020

SOCIAL MEDIA BILL: DICTATORSHIP BY ANOTHER NAME

Senate President, Ahmed Lawan

Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila

2/DASHBOARD

10.03.2020

Standard of Proof Required to Dislodge the Paternity of a Child PAGE 4

Senior Advocate, Idigbe Encourages Nigerians to Invest Abroad PAGE 5

Trademark Infringement: Court Bars Premier Lotto, Other Competitors from Selling Ghana Games in Nigeria PAGE 5

Firm Sues Domino’s Pizza, Cold Stone Ice Cream over Alleged N34m Debt

QUOTABLES

PAGE 5 ‘The power is quite clear. If there’s such a fundamental defect with the process of adjudication in which a case has been decided, then any court has the power ex debito justitiae (necessity of justice), to review it and set it aside. The purpose of a court, is to determine cases according to law, justice and where it has jurisdiction.’

– Yemi Candide-Johnson, SAN ‘If a cell that is meant to accommodate 30 persons is currently accommodating 130, if there’s an epidemic, I don’t know how we will be able to control it without reducing the numbers in the cells.....The prison has a system of quarantining newly admitted inmates. They stay in a different cell, where they are first assessed before the are placed in normal cells.’

– Ahmed Adetola- Kazeem, Legal Practitioner, Prison Reform Advocate

‘A Lawyer Must Know Something About Everything’ PAGE 6

COLUMNISTS DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN, OFR, FCIARB, PH.D, LL.D Constitutional Democracy, means a system of government, in which political and governmental power, is defined, limited and shared by a grundnorm called the Constitution, which provides inbuilt checks and balances.

This column seeks to fiercely discuss constitutional, legal and political issues, with a view to strengthening, deepening and widening the plenitude and amplitude of democracy and good governance, without fear or favour.

The writer of this column, Dr. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, is a Constitutional Lawyer, Human Rights Activist, Pro-Democracy Campaigner, Notary Public and Motivational Speaker. He co-founded the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Nigeria's pioneer human rights league, on October 15,1987, the Universal Defenders of Democracy (UDD), in 1992, and with Chief Gani Fawehinmi and others in 1998, the Joint Action Committee of Nigeria (JACON), to push out the military. In his early days, he lectured at the University of Ife. Dr. Ozekhome is an author of many books. He is also a Special Counsel at the International Criminal Court (ICC), at The Hague.

STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN Stephen Kola Balogun, is a vastly experienced Legal Practitioner who obtained his LL.B from University of Ife and LL.M from School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. He has Post-Graduate Diplomas in Intellectual Property Law, Construction Law, Management and Arbitration. He has served in various capacities since his Call to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, including practicing at Akinjide & Co., and lecturing part-time at Oxbridge Tutorial College. He was the Honourable Commissioner forYouths, Sports and Special Needs, State of Osun, August, 2011 to November, 2014. He is currently the Principal Partner at Kola Balogun & Partners. SKB, as he is fondly called, is accredited with several publications to his name, both International and Domestic.

JOY HARRISON-ABIOLA AJoy Harrison-Abiola holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Ondo State University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Lagos State University. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Management Nigeria (ISMN), a member of the Association of Legal Administrators Illinois, and a member of the International Relations Committee (Africa). She is is a leading Legal Management Professional, with over 21 years’ experience as a business professional.

She works with Adepetun Caxton- Martins Agbor & Segun- ACAS-Law as the Practice Administrator. “FROM THE BACK OFFICE” explores what law firms need to do, to remain competitive and relevant in today’s business and economic climate, and will also look at ways to re- engineer and awaken the dynamics of the contribution of the Legal Management Professionals; to better position them to provide practical solutions to the challenges facing law business.

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE EDITOR JUDE IGBANOI DEPUTY EDITOR AKINWALE AKINTUNDE REPORTER TUNDE BUSARI GROUP HEAD OCHI OGBUAKU II ART DIRECTOR

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Unanswered Questions for Supreme Court Happy Belated International Women’s Day to all of us women (March 8, 2020).

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Mutual Respect efore I wrote my piece of today, I gave it a lot of thought and serious consideration.

This is because I have the utmost respect for the Supreme Court and its Justices, and all judicial officers too (and of course, for all my Learned Senior colleagues), and I do not want anyone misconstruing what I say. But, in the end, I concluded that some things cannot be left unsaid. Just like Honourable Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa (of blessed memory) who himself was a respected Justice of the Supreme Court, renowned for his wisdom, eloquence and prose, I do not think Supreme Court Justices or anybody else for that matter, are infallible (Adegoke Motors v Dr Babatunde Adesanya 1983 3 N.W.L.R. Part 109 250 at 274) - only God is.

I was therefore, taken aback when I heard some of the comments made by Honourable Justice Amina Adamu Augie JSC, who delivered the lead decision in the application for judicial review in the Bayelsa case - Senator Douye Diri & Anor v Biobarakuma DegiEremienyo & Ors SC.1/2020. To state that “No force on earth can force the court to change its decision”, gives the impression, not just of finality (we know that the Supreme Court is the highest and final court of the land), but infallibility and omniscience.

To refer to Learned Senior Counsel in such a scathing and undesirable manner: “With tears in my eyes, I feel sad that Senior Counsel in this case would ever bring this kind of frivolous application during my lifetime”, is as unacceptable as those who go out in public to vilify and insult Supreme Court Justices, call them unprintable names and attack their homes, when they deliver judgements which do not favour them. ‘Awa lagba ni le o’ (we have elders at home). I even wondered why the floodgate of tears which were opened during the Bayelsa State review decision, did not flow to that of the Imo

State, in which the dry eyed Honourable Justice Chima Centus Nweze JSC, gave a dissenting judgement! So much for infallibility!

Chief Afe Babalola CON, OFR, SAN, is an accomplished, respected Lawyer and Educationist, over 90 years old.

I do not think he would have left his house in Ado Ekiti to go to Abuja to appear in the Bayelsa matter, if he did not believe that he had a legal point to advance, whether rightly or wrongly, a point which was not even considered on its merit by the Apex Court. Ditto for Chief Wole Olanipekun OFR, SAN, a former President of our esteemed NBA, also accomplished and well respected, especially for his intelligence. His case was also not considered on its merits, nor was it even distinguished from that of Chief Babalola, even though they sought to advance different legal points!

To treat them with such discourtesy and then fine them, is objectionable.

We are all stakeholders in the justice delivery system, and we must accord ourselves reciprocal respect at all times.

I stand by my earlier analysis in my piece of 18/2/2020, ‘Bayelsa: A Vote for the Supreme Court Decision’, that the decision in the Bayelsa case (Supra) was sound, at least to the extent that it had to disqualify the Lyon ticket on the basis of it being invalid, due to the Deputy Gubernatorial candidate’s multiple identity issue. According to the grundnorm, the ticket is a joint one, meaning that the disqualification of one candidate, is automatically the disqualification of both. My analysis was based on my perusal of relevant constitutional provisions - that is, Sections 187 and 182 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution). Those provisions, are clear and unequivocal.

And, if the Supreme Court had handed down any other decision to the contrary in the past, I believe that, on this issue of disqualification, it corrected itself in the Bayelsa case. For instance, as a Notary Public myself, I found it bizarre, ludicrous and extremely laughable that Mr Degi-Eremienyo sought to validate the name on the secondary school certificate which he presented to INEC, with a document purportedly averred

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad

to in the presence of an ‘unnamed Notary Public’! Obviously, an invalid document. Notarising is a personal act where the deponent swears before the Notary Public, who then identifies his/herself on the document, signs and seals the document with his/her seal. For the avoidance of doubt, I even have a stamp which bears my name and address, which I also append adjacent to my signature.

Reasoning for the Bayelsa and Imo Judicial Review Applications’ Decisions Having said that, with all due respect to the Supreme Court, I question the reasoning behind the decisions in both the Bayelsa and Imo judicial review cases, obviously except the dissenting decision of Honourable Justice Nweze JSC, for several reasons.

First, Section 235 of the Constitution provides inter alia that “......no appeal shall lie to any other body or person from any determination of the Supreme Court”.

It is elementary that the Supreme Court itself is excepted or exempted here, as it cannot be included in the ‘any other body or person’, and that this provision does not preclude the Apex Court from reviewing its decisions.

Therefore, to rely on Section 235 as the omnibus basis for deciding that the Supreme Court lacks the jurisdiction to review its decisions, in my opinion, cannot be correct, with all due respect.

In my piece ‘Supreme Court Review: To Be or Not to Be’, I cited the Supreme Court case of Iteogu v LPDC 2018 LPELR-43845 in which the Apex Court held that, it has the discretion to set aside its own judgements in exceptional cases (which I believe is also the position in Ghana), and enumerated some of the circumstances in which it can review its judgements. For instance, if the Court has been misled, or the judgement is not based on the facts of the case or law, or the judgement is perverse or visits injustice, the decision can be reviewed. The results declared by a third party and not INEC, which ended up being higher than the number of accredited voters and the permanent voters cards distributed by INEC in Imo State, with all due respect, doesn’t sound quite right.

While I cannot dream of telling the Supreme Court how to write its judgements, as a practicing Lawyer, I would have found it acceptable if the Supreme Court had given cogent reasons why, in its view, the Bayelsa and Imo cases did not fit into any of the categories enumerated in Iteogu v LPDC (Supra), to qualify for review, instead of coming under the faulty premise that it lacks the jurisdiction to review its decisions. Do we now disregard Iteogu’s case? Or Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc v L.G.C. Ltd 2020 2 N.W.L.R. Part 1707 at 1-17?

Second, if for example, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower courts sentencing someone to death, and while the convict was on death row, new evidence and analysis of some biological samples by the Lagos State DNA Forensic Lab emerge, proving incontrovertibly the innocence of the convict who had maintained his guiltlessness all the while, insisting that he was in Abakaliki and nowhere near the murder scene in Lagos at the time the offence was committed, and therefore, could not possibly have committed the murder, will the Supreme Court not set aside its previous conviction based on the fact of this new evidence?

Or will it maintain that, ‘no force on earth’ can make it change its decision, because by virtue of Section 235 of the Constitution it lacks the jurisdiction

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE

THE ADVOCATE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive.com onikepob@yahoo.com Twitter: @TheAdvocateTD

“TO REFER TO LEARNED SENIOR COUNSEL IN SUCH A SCATHING AND UNDESIRABLE MANNER: “WITH TEARS IN MY EYES, I FEEL SAD THAT SENIOR COUNSEL IN THIS CASE WOULD EVER BRING THIS KIND OF FRIVOLOUS APPLICATION DURING MY LIFETIME”, IS AS UNACCEPTABLE AS THOSE WHO GO OUT IN PUBLIC TO VILIFY AND INSULT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES.......” to review its decisions, and therefore, send an innocent man to the gallows?

I think not.

Third, it is a source of worry when legal practitioners are no longer able to advice clients on the possible outcomes of their cases, based on established law and precedent, because the courts have become unpredictable with their decisions!

Fourth, being not just the final court of adjudication in the land, but a policy making court, it behoves on the Supreme Court to create sound judicial precedent, because of the doctrine of stare decisis, that is, courts are bound to follow decisions of the Supreme Court in cases which have similar facts and diegesis. Where a mistake may have been made, it should be corrected, to avoid the creation of a string of bad decisions which may follow.

Conclusion In conclusion, while all reasonable people believe that it is unacceptable for Politicians or anybody else to seek to rubbish the Supreme Court, or seek to convert it to a Magistrates or High Court where appeals lie from to higher courts, by filing applications for incessant judicial reviews because the court did not decide in their favour and they want victory at any cost, in exceptional cases in which justice demands that there be a review, there must be. As the saying goes, justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.

After all, ‘atrium autem quod essentia facere iustitiam’ - the essence of a court is to mete out justice.

4/LAW REPORT

10.03.2020

Standard of Proof Required to Dislodge the Paternity of a Child

A

right when it held that the evidence upon which the trial court came to the conclusion that the Appellant was the oldest son of Pa Idahosa was flimsy, and below the standard of proof required in a pedigree case. He argued that, the Appellant did not prove that the late mother of the Appellant and 1st Respondent made the alleged confession before she died, and the alleged confession, at best, amounts to hearsay evidence and thus, inadmissible. He relied on ARE v ADISA (1967) NMLR 304 at 306.

He submitted that, the Court of Appeal was right when it held that the trial court having declared that the Eromwon family cannot determine who late Pa Idahosa’s eldest son is, was wrong to rely strongly on the evidence of the 2nd Defendant, a member of the Eromwon family, on the issue.

Counsel reasoned that the Court of Appeal was right, when it found that the trial court erroneously held that the Appellant dislodged the presumption of legitimacy of the Respondent under Section 148 of the Evidence Act (now Section 165 of the Evidence Act, 2011).

Facts

fter the death and burial of a certain Pa Egharevba Idahosa, the Respondent took possession of his Igiogbe at No. 15 Ogbelaka Street, Benin City, as the eldest surviving son. Before and till his death in 1977, Pa Idahosa was married to Madam Onaiwu Idahosa (nee Eromwon) who was the mother of the Appellant and Respondent. Subsequently, Madam Onaiwu Idahosa fell ill and died in 2007. The Appellant contended that a day before their mother died, she confessed to him and the Respondent that the Respondent is the biological son of one Pa Osayande, and it was not the late Pa Idahosa who fathered him. It was his contention that she confessed that at a time during her marriage to late Pa Idahosa, they were separated, and it was during this period that she was impregnated by Pa Osayande and gave birth to the Respondent and PW2, Mrs Comfort Ekwebelem.

The matter was reported to the Oba’s Palace for resolution. However, before the Oba could come out with a final verdict, the Respondent instituted an action against the Appellant, Mr. Stephen Eromwon and Mr. Okhuasuyi Eromwon, the two brothers of Madam Onaiwu Idahosa, who also claimed that the Respondent and his sister were fathered by Pa Osayande. The Respondent sought inter alia, a declaration that he is the eldest son of Pa Idahosa; hence, upon the demise of Pa Idahosa, he became the head of his family. He also sought a declaration that the Appellant and the two co- Defendants, had no right to determine who the eldest son of Pa Idahosa is. The Appellant filed his defence, and also counter-claimed against the Respondent.

At the conclusion of trial, the Respondent’s claim as to being fathered by Pa Idahosa was dismissed, and the Appellant was pronounced the eldest son of Pa Idahosa.

The Respondent appealed to the Court of Appeal which set aside the judgement of the trial court, and entered judgement for the Respondent on his claim at the trial court. Aggrieved, the Appellant appealed to the Supreme Court.

Issues for Determination The parties filed their respective briefs, in which they formulated issues for determination. However, in the resolution of the appeal, the Apex Court adopted the 4th issue formulated by the Appellant: Whether the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal were right, in holding that the presumption of legitimacy inures to the benefit of the Respondent.

Arguments Counsel for the Appellant submitted that, the evidence led at the trial court was thoroughly evaluated by the trial court before reaching its conclusion which was valid, and the Court of Appeal had taken a wrong route thereby reaching an erroneous conclusion which required the interference of the Apex Court.

He stated that, the subject-matter of the action was the paternity of the Respondent, and there was direct evidence which was not subjected to cross-examination. Hence, the Respondent’s failure to cross-examine on this aspect, was an admission of the evidence given. He cited NDOMA-EGBA v A.C.B. PLC (2005) 14 NWLR (Pt. 944) 79 at 107 and AUCHI POLYTECHNIC v OKHUOGHAE (2005) 10 NWLR (Pt. 933) 279 at 296-297.

Arguing further, counsel for the Appellant submitted that, the burden of proving that their mother made a death bed confession as to the paternity of the Respondent was discharged by the Appellant, and the trial court was right to have held so after a proper evaluation of evidence. The decision of the Court of Appeal to the contrary was thus, unsupportable. He argued that, the trial court’s reliance on the evidence of the Eromwon family in arriving at its conclusion was proper, as they can validly give evidence of facts within their knowledge, even if they do not have the right to decide who the heir of Pa Idahosa is. He submitted that, the position taken by the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal to the contrary, was in error.

Counsel for the Appellant argued that, the presumption of legitimacy which would have inured to the benefit of the Respondent was rebutted by

Hon. Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 17th day of January, 2020 Before Their Lordships Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili Musa Dattijo Muhammad John Inyang Okoro Paul Adamu Galinje Uwani Musa Abba Aji Justices, Supreme Court SC.52/2011 Between Sgt. Stephen Idahosa ..................Appellant And Christopher Idahosa .................. Respondent (Lead Judgement delivered by Hon. Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, JSC)

clear, direct and positive evidence adduced by the Appellant at the trial, which the Justices of the Court of Appeal did not consider before arriving at a contrary decision.

Counsel for the Respondent argued contrarily that, the Court of Appeal was right in setting aside the judgement of the trial court because the trial court relied on inadmissible and tenuous evidence, in arriving at the conclusion that the Appellant is the eldest son of late Pa Idahosa.

He contended that, the Court of Appeal was

“BY SECTION 165 OF THE EVIDENCE ACT, ANY PERSON BORN DURING THE CONTINUANCE OF A VALID MARRIAGE BETWEEN HIS MOTHER AND ANY MAN, OR WITHIN 280 DAYS AFTER DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE, THE MOTHER REMAINING UNMARRIED, SHALL BE PRESUMED TO BE A CHILD OF THE MAN. THE BURDEN OF PROVING OTHERWISE RESTS ON THE PARTY ALLEGING THE CONTRARY, WHOSE EVIDENCE TO DISLODGE PATERNITY REQUIRES PROOF BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT”

Court’s Judgement and Rationale In its decision on the sole issue, the Supreme Court found that by Section 165 of the Evidence Act, any person born during the continuance of a valid marriage between his mother and any man, or within 280 days after dissolution of the marriage, the mother remaining unmarried, shall be presumed to be a child of the man.

The burden of proving otherwise rests on the party alleging the contrary, whose evidence to dislodge paternity requires proof beyond reasonable doubt. The court relied on the decision of the House of Lords in the English case of PRESTON JONES v PRESTON JONES (1951) 1 All ER 124 at 127. Reliance was also placed on UKEJE v UKEJE (2014) 11 NWLR (Pt. 1418) 384.

The Court held further that, what the trial court found as proof of the paternity of the Respondent and his elder sister fell short of the standard of proof required, as it cannot be so casually established from a so-called confession or dying declaration in the absence of the Respondent and his older sister, without a buttressing support. The evidence adduced by the Appellant fell into the category of hearsay evidence and was thus, inadmissible. The Court referred to the decisions in ARE v ADISA (Supra) and SUBRAMANIAN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR (1965) 1 WLR 963 at 969.

Their Lordships held that, the pieces of evidence, particularly the testimony of Pa Osayande who testified as DW2, adduced as to the paternity of the Respondent and his sister, Mrs. Ekwebekem, fell short of what is expected in a pedigree matter, as he did not talk of any intimacy with Madam Onaiwu their mother, and his testimony as to the dates and sexes of the children or whether he had given them any name was scanty. This is further buttressed by the fact that Pa Idahosa and Madam Onaiwu were married until their death in 1977 and 1997 respectively, and there was no evidence of divorce between them at any time prior to the death of either spouse. Hence, the presumption of Section 148 of the Evidence Act, now Section 165, was in full bloom to endow the children born within the marriage the status of children of the husband of Madam Onaiwu who was Pa Idahosa.

The Respondent being the first son remained the eldest son, along with his eldest sister Mrs. Comfort Ekwebelem.

Indeed, the Court of Appeal was on solid foundation when it applied Section 148 of the Evidence Act, now Section 165, in holding that the fact of the Respondent being the eldest son of late Pa Idahosa was not rebutted by the Defendants, as the presumption under Section 148 of the Evidence Act is not one to be taken lightly. It is on the same pedestal, as the required standard of proof in criminal cases.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation G.E. Ezomo for the Appellant.

Ogaga Ovrawah with Onyekachi Umah for the Respondent.

Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited (Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Report (NMLR))

10.03.2020

NEWS/5

Lawyers Without Borders Trains Media, CSOs and Security Agencies on Human Rights

L-R: Chief Anthony Ojeshina; Permanent Secretary and Special Advisor to the Office of the Prime Minister, St, Kitts and Nevis, Mr. Andrew Skerritt; Founder, The Fairway Group, Mr. Frank Walwyn; Co-Founder, The Fairway Group, Donna Walwyn; Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN and CEO, Citizenship by Investment Unit Government of St, Kitts and Nevis, Mr. Les Khan at the Seminar last Friday

Senior Advocate, Idigbe Encourages Nigerians to Invest Abroad Stories by Akinwale Akintunde A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Senior Partner at Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors, has encouraged Nigerians to invest abroad.

Idigbe said there was no crime if Nigerians invest abroad, just as we are seeking foreign investors.

He gave the advice last Friday in Lagos, at a seminar organised

by Fairway Condominium Development Ltd in conjunction with Punuka Consulting Inc. on “Citizenship By Investment (CBI) Programme in St. Kitts & Nevis”.

The Senior Advocate, who is one of the Island’s consultants in Nigeria, said “It is an investment; if you have your capital you can invest anywhere in the world. If you look at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, about 61 per cent of the investments are foreign investors putting their money in Nigeria.

So, why shouldn’t Nigerians, also invest in other places?

“The other issue is globalisation, and unfortunately, the state of our passport is very bad. For a

mobile businessman in Nigeria today, you don’t want visa problems. This is business and the Constitution allows you to have dual citizenship.

I am patriotic person; I love Nigeria, but I am operating globally.”

St. Kitts and Nevis, a small island country in the West Indies. The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has a long running “Citizenshipby-investment” program attracting foreigners, who make a substantial contribution to the development of the country. Investors along with any family members, can directly qualify for citizenship through investment, either by making a donation or investment in real estate purchase.

The seminar, which is curated for professionals and entrepreneurs interested in having a second passport to enhance their access to travel, business, financial and lifestyle freedom, provided participants with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand how to obtain

a St. Kitts and Nevis passport, which is ranked as one of the top 25 passports in the world.

Also speaking at the seminar, the Chief Executive Officer, Citizenship by Investment Unit Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr. Les Khan, told participants that with an investment of $400,000 in real estate, they could acquire the citizenship of the island country.

According to Khan, alternatively, interested person could pay $150,000 into his country’s Sustainable Growth Fund to become a citizen, explaining that the fund is generally “used in the purchase of medication to ensure the health and well-being of the growing population; develop climate resilience; build solid and sustainable infrastructure and development”.

Khan said with many countries battling with insecurity, it would not be a bad idea to make the island a second home, noting that the application process takes about only 90 days.

“No withholding tax in St. Kitts and Nevis; no capital gains

tax and no personal income tax.

So, as a country for economic investment, obviously we are a lot of benefits that come with citizenship “Why do people want St. Kitts and Nevis’ citizenship? The first reason is, security. There are lots of countries around the world that are unstable, that individuals need a second base to be able to use citizenship, to get a second passport, to mobilise when then they need to mobilise.

“The second reason would be for business, travels. With St. Kitts and Nevis passport, you can travel to 158 countries visa-free.

We are the number one country in terms of passport value within the Caribbean; we are number 27 in the world. So, for a small country to be ranked so high in the value of our passport, it gives our citizens the mobility that they need for business.

“Why else will you want citizenship? St. Kitts and Nevis is the most beautiful island in the world; you will probably want to settle for it as a second home”, he said.

Trademark Infringement: Court Bars Premier Lotto, Other Competitors from Selling Ghana Games in Nigeria Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has restrained Premier Lotto Limited and 22 other lottery outfits in Nigeria from operating and using Ghana Games lottery products.

Making the interlocutory orders last Friday, the Judge also restrained the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) from revoking Western Lotto Limited's lottery licence, or take any step to prevent it from operating the Ghana Games products.

Western Lotto had dragged the Respondents to court, over their infringement on its ‘Exclusive Right’ to use the trade names and trademarks associated with the Ghana Games lotto products.

Western Lotto’s rights also include, the exclusive right to use the draw numbers of the Ghana National Lottery Authority (NLA) to sell and distribute lotto products and games to customers across Nigeria.

The Respondents in the suit marked FHC/L/CL/2321/19 are

National Lottery Regulatory Commission; Registrar of Trade Marks; Premier Lotto Limited; Secure Electronic Technology Limited; Richwell Plaza Limited; Peoples Empowerment Lottery Limited; Gab Lotto Limited; Payday Lotteries Limited and R&S Lotto Ltd. Others include Capstar Entertainment International Limited, Winners Golden Chance Lotto; EG&H Integrated Concepts Limited; Global9 Lottery Limited; Fortune Games Limited, EMI Systems Limited; Mobile Lottery Nigeria Limited; Wesco Pools and Lottery Limited; Give and Take Lottery and Brentwood Multiservices Global Limited.

They also include International Lottery and Gaming Limited; Winlot Global Resources Limited; Lottomania Nigeria Limited; Derby Lotto Limited; K.C. Lottery Company Limited and K.C. Gaming Networks Limited.

Justice Aneke in his ruling also also made an order of interlocutory injunction restraining Registrar of Trade Marks, its agents, servants and privies, from registering for Premier Lotto Limited and others any lotto games that have Ghana Games Lotto products.

The court also granted an order of interlocutory injunction restraining Premier Lotto and others, "and all members of the class of persons represented by the Defendants whether acting by themselves, their servants, agents, privies or assigns, including their super agents, principal agents or sub-agents from using the trade names and trade marks that are associated with the Ghana Games lottery products, including Monday Special Lotto, Lucky Tuesday Lotto, Midweek Lotto, Fortune Lotto, Friday Bonanza Lotto, Saturday National Lotto, VAG Lotto and Super 6 Lotto in Nigeria, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit."

The Judge, who gave the

orders after dismissing several preliminary objections filed by 25 Respondents in the suit, further restrained the Defendants from passing off their own lottery products/games as Ghana Games lottery product, through the sale and distribution of the Ghana Games and the use of the draw numbers of the Ghana National Lottery Authority (NLA).

Justice Aneke, however, refused Western Lotto Nigeria Limited's request to destroy all the products, equipment and games of the firms offering lottery products styled the Ghana games products - in breach of Western Lotto Nigeria Limited's exclusive rights to use the trade names and trademarks associated with the Ghana Games Lotto products.

The Respondents in their various preliminary objections have asked the court to decline jurisdiction on the matter, as well as strike out Western Lotto Nigeria Limited's suit against them for being incompetent.

Further hearing in the suit has been adjourned till May 28, 2020.

In a bid to address Nigeria's disturbing rate of serious human rights violations, including extra judicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention and ill treatment of detainees by the security agencies, Avocats Sans Frontières France also known as Lawyers Without Borders France (ASF France) has trained 46 participants drawn from the media, civil society and the various security agencies on international human rights standards, within the framework of the EU-funded initiative, "Strengthening National Actors Capacities and Advocate for Ending Serious Human Rights Violations in Nigeria” (SAFE).

The first of the two-part training targeted media professional and civil society actors, while the second targeted personnel of the various security agencies, including the Police, the Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp, the Department of State Services, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Nigerian Immigration Service, among others. Both events took place, in Lagos While the training for the media and CSOs actors aimed to build their capacity for on proper monitoring, documentation and reporting of human rights violations in the field, the training for security agencies aimed at strengthening their capacity and knowledge on human rights standards, as outlined in various international, regional and national Human Rights Instruments and laws.

“With the training, the CSOs and Media participants have been provided with knowledge on fundamental human rights on various thematic areas, and they were also trained on how to document human rights violations by security agents, as well as how to engage appropriate authorities on enforcement of fundamental human rights violations", the Head of Office, ASF France in Nigeria, Angela Uwandu said.

According to Uwandu, the participants from security agencies, also had first-hand knowledge on adhering to the dictates of the law on fundamental human rights.

"We believe that these trainings will culminate in enhanced accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations, while promoting justice for victims", she stated.

Commending ASF for organising the training, the participants described it as an eye-opener to several human rights issues in Nigeria, and said they had been empowered to monitor and gather information, using the right tools and right sources, and reporting such issues for public attention.

The SAFE project is currently implemented by Avocats Sans Frontières France in Nigeria, with support from the European Union in partnership with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organisation (CAPIO), to address core Human Rights violations of extra judicial killings, torture, ill treatment and arbitrary detention by security agencies in Nigeria.

Firm Sues Domino’s Pizza, Cold Stone Ice Cream over Alleged N34m Debt Domino’s Pizza and Cold Stone Ice-Cream, foreign owned companies, have been dragged before a Lagos High Court over a N34 million debt.

A Nigerian company, Crompton Resources Limited, which is into building construction and allied matters with registered office address in Lagos, filed the suit against the foreign owned companies, alleging that they had refused to pay it a N34 million debt.

Crompton Resources Limited, in the suit filed through their Lawyer against Eat N Go Ltd (owners/ master franchise of Domino’s Pizza, Cold Stone Creamery), alleged that Eat N Go Ltd contracted it in 2018, to execute the construction of some of its outlets in Lagos.

According to Crompton Resources Limited, some of the outlets it constructed, equipped and furnished for Eat N Go Ltd includes outlets at 434, Old Ojo road, Satelite Town Lagos, 1 Ologolo Village road, Ologolo, Jakande, Lagos, and Iju Ishaga, Lagos State.

The construction firm stated that, upon completion of the outlets, Eat N Go Ltd refused to pay the contract sum balance of N34 million.

It stated further that, the total contract sum used for the construction of Domino’s Pizza/Cold Stone Creamery outlets was a loan facility it obtained, with the belief that, upon completion of the outlets, the loan sum would be liquidated.

Crompton Resources Ltd stated that, in a bid to further frustrate it, owners of Cold Stone ice-cream, wrote through their Lawyers acknowledging owing Crompton Resources Ltd, but requested that the matter be withdrawn from court before they can proceed to settle amicably.

The matter came up on March 3, 2020 but could not proceed, as the court did not sit. It has further been adjourned till May 5, 2020.

The Claimant condemned the conduct of Eat N Go Ltd as not just reprehensible, but unbecoming of a company owned, controlled and managed by foreigners.

6/

10.03.2020

Petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria 6th March, 2020 His Lordship, The Chief Justice of Nigeria & Chairman, National Judicial Council, Abuja.

Your Lordship, Re: Appointment of the Chief Judge of Cross River State 1. We write to draw your attention to the recent unjust happenings regarding the appointment of a new Chief Judge of Cross River State, and to seek the National Judicial Council (NJC)’s intervention, to ensure that justice is restored.

2. On Monday, 2nd March, 2020, the Cross River State House of Assembly in a voice vote rejected the confirmation of Justice Akon Ikpeme as substantive Chief Judge of Cross River State, on the grounds that she is from Akwa Ibom State, and represents a security risk to Cross River State. On Tuesday, 3rd

March, 2020, Governor Ben Ayade swore in a new acting Chief Judge of Cross River State - Justice Maurice Eneji.

3. We have followed with deep concern, the needless and destructive politics which has engulfed the appointment of a new Chief Judge for Cross River State. Our intervention here is borne out of a need to avoid a most dangerous precedent being set, not just in Cross River State, but such as could be replicated by unscrupulous politicians across the nation.

4. While the State House of Assembly is vested with the power to confirm a nominee for appointment as Chief Judge, we believe such power must be exercised responsibly, and on legally sound considerations. The legislature cannot reject a nominee, whimsically. Justice Akon Ikpeme has served in the Cross River State Government, for about 40 years. It is unconstitutional to declare her a non-indigene where she has lived and worked, for almost her entire life. There is also no evidence that

she represents a security risk, to the State.

The State House of Assembly, in our view, has therefore, acted unjustly in rejecting her confirmation.

5. We join the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), to condemn the actions of the Cross River State House of Assembly in rejecting the confirmation of Justice Akon Ikpeme as the substantive Chief Judge of Cross River State, to condemn the action of the Governor of Cross River State in swearing in another acting Chief Judge of Cross River State, and to condemn the actions of Justice Maurice Eneji in accepting to be sworn in as the Acting Chief Judge of Cross River State, and we call on the NJC to intervene, to ensure that justice is served and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is upheld.

6. We note that the actions of Governor Ben Ayade, the Cross River State House of Assembly, and Justice Maurice Eneji, if allowed to persist,

will not only open the orderly succession in the Judiciary to fierce political battles, but will also have serious socio-cultural consequences in the status of women who marry outside their States of birth. The destruction in our social fabric across the nation, should the charade in Cross River State be allowed, will constitute a threat to National unity.

7. We implore the National Judicial Council to weigh in on this matter, and ensure the actors in this ugly scheme are made to retract their illegal deeds to save our social fabric. Justice Maurice Eneji should be seriously reprimanded, for allowing himself to be used to disrupt the orderly succession to the office of the Chief Judge.

8. Please, accept our highest regards Your Lordship. Kindly, convey our best wishes to the entire Council.

Etubom Archibong Ironbar (President) Professor Eyo Etim Nyong (Chairman of Caucus) Efik Eburutu Consultative Asembly (EECA)

Family Calls for FCIID Investigation over Defunct NITEL land dispute Peter Taiwo The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has been urged to use his good offices to direct the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID), Alagbon, Lagos and the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Zone II, Ikorodu annex, to carry out an investigation on the ownership of a disputed land in Ikorodu.

The Regun and Kaeyoolu families of Ikorodu made the call to the IG through their Lawyer, Debo Adeleke of the Maritime, Commercial and Immigration Law Chambers.

The Regun and Kaeyoolu families are in a dispute with Sonmolu and Aro Efolu families of Itamaga, Ikorodu, over ownership of about 20 acres of land along Awolowo Way, Itamaga, Ikorodu, formally occupied by the defunct NITEL. NITEL relinquished the disputed land, following its liquidation.

Adeleke, counsel to the Regun and Kaeyoolu families, in a Petition dated February 21, 2020, called for the investigation of one Chief Owoweye, Bayo Benson, one Taofeek, a.k.a Apari and others

at large, for them to state their roles in the feud.

He asked the IG to ignore a purported publication making the rounds about them, which they disputed and described as “fake, spurious and false”.

The Lawyer claimed that the Regun and Kayoolu families, are the traditional overlords and title holders of the disputed land.

“The title of our clients’ ownership was confirmed in the Federal Government Gazette of 29th December, 1960 pages 2 and 3, whereby our clients’ names were cupiously mentioned in the Gazette, to the exclusion of the so-called Sonmolu and Aro Efolu families of Itamaga of Ikorodu.

“Upon the ruling of Justice L.B. Lawal-Akapo dated 27th February, 2019 in suit number: IKD/595LMW/2015 and IKD/1000LMW/2015 ordering the demolition of 53 identified structures comprising of houses, foundations, sheds, fences newly built on the portion of the land in favour of our clients, we advised our clients not to carry out any demolition exercise until we have written to the affected people for possible peaceful settlement.

“This is in consonance with the IGP IRT advice, when our clients wanted to commence the demolition as ordered by court, when one of the house owners affected by the order ran to IGP IRT Abuja for possible negotiation with our client", he stated.

According to the Petitioners, the names of Sonmolu and Aro Efolu families did not appear in the ruling of Justice Lawal-Akapo, either as Claimants or Defendants in the matter.

They drew the attention of the IGP to various documents which they said confirmed that the disputed property belongs to them, from 1960 to date, and that it covered a period of 70 years.

They listed the documents to include: Gazette of December 29, 1960 pages 2 and 5; 1964 judgement in Suit No. IK/187/63; Ruling of Justice Savage of 13th June, 2016 dismissing the prelimnary objection of the Defendant/ Attorney-General; Ruling of Justice Lawal-Akapo dated May 28, 2018 restraining anyone from going onto the land, save for those already in occupation before the institution of the suit marked annexure 04; enrolment order dated

April 23, 2018 by Justice Lawal-Akapo for locus in quo; enrolment order dated 4th July, 2018 by Justice Lawal-Akapo for locus in quo, and ruling of February 27 by Justice Lawal-Akapo ordering demolition of 53 houses identified, to be carried out by the Keyoolu and Regun family in conjunction with physical planning and security agents.

The Petitioners said after the “illegal and unauthorised demolition” of the property allegedly by other families, they petitioned the IGP. He directed the FCIID, Alagbon Annex, through the office of the AIG, to investigate same and report.

They said the AIG raised a professional set of investigators led by DC Badiru Lawal, who sent letters of invitation to the other families, but that they allegedly refused to honour Police invitation.

According to them, four members of the other families were arrested and the others complained to the IG Monitoring Team, Abuja which sent one Insp. Reuben and his team to arrest seven of their clients’ family members “for no just cause”.

They said when the IG Monitoring Team

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Legal Personality of the Week Rukevwe Ekugbere

‘A Lawyer Must Know Something About Everything’ gave me a file and asked that I go to a High Court in Imo State that day. The instruction was to let the Claimant’s Counsel lead evidence, and take a date for cross-examination, as I had not read or seen the file before. I arrived in court a little late, because the notice was short. When the case was called, my Lord ordered that we conclude with that witness same day. I was confused. I knew nothing about the case. All my appeals for an adjournment after examination-in-chief, fell on deaf ears. To make matters worse, the Claimant’s Counsel threatened to apply to foreclose us from cross-examining the witness if I did not cross-examine the witness on that day. Just like a “deus est machina”, the Claimant’s Counsel sought to tender an uncertified public document, which I vehemently opposed to. There was serious arguments in court and My Lord was forced to adjourn the case, giving me ample time and opportunity to study the file.

Please, give a brief introduction of yourself?

My name is Rukevwe Ekugbere, I am a legal practitioner in private practice in Warri, Delta State.

I obtained my Masters degree in the Obafemi Awolowo University. I am an Associate Counsel in the law firm of Garnet and Hawthorns Solicitors, Warri, Delta State.

Have you had any challenge as a Lawyer, and if so, what were the main challenges?

Yes I have. It goes without saying that every profession comes with its own challenges. For most young Lawyers and I, we face the challenge of low remuneration. An average Lawyer, receives less than the current minimum wage. It is very difficult for a young Lawyer, to take care of his/her basic needs. It is paramount in the profession for skills to be improved on, as part of the continuous legal education required of a Lawyer. This is done, by taking further professional trainings. These trainings require financing. A young Lawyer who dreams of having a doctorate degree, is at the mercy of his/her Principal.

Another challenge, is the conventional man made stratification of legal practitioners. It is a norm for most litigants, companies, government parastatals, to engage the services of senior Lawyers.

They believe the young Lawyers, do not have the skills. A number of years’ experience, is always required. I can recall an encounter in court, where some litigants said it is not good to engage the services of a young Lawyer. A misconception that has been a plague, for most young Lawyers. I am lucky to have a Principal, who never allows such a misconception. He guides you and allows you make your mistakes, that way, you learn faster.

What do you consider to be your worse day as a Lawyer?

It was my first day in practice, fresh out of

Rukevwe Ekugbere

Law School. My Principal took me to court. I was to appear with him, as a co- counsel. Just as the court resumed sitting, my Principal stepped out and left me with the file, only to send a text message that he is not appearing with me. It was my first day, and I was with a file that has no endorsement, aside what I learnt in the moot court and during moot and mock competitions, I knew nothing else about the practice of law. After announcing appearance, I didn’t know how to go about the matter. My Lord was kind enough to oblige me an adjournment, after noticing my predicament.

What has been your most memorable experience as a Lawyer, so far?

I did my Youth Service in Anambra State. On my 2nd day of resumption in the office, my Principal

Who has been most influential in your life?

Irrefutably and undeniably, Prof. Festus Emiri and John E. Aruoture, Esq., I am sorry, no name can be removed. These two have their special roles they play in my life. Prof. Festus Emiri has been a great push from my university days, and has encouraged me greatly to strive to go higher in my career. John E. Aruoture has been my Principal for about a year now, and working with him has given me a different view about the legal profession. They have both taught me to diversify, even within the legal profession, and to be ready whenever an opportunity comes.

They have both taught me, that the best form of freedom is work.

Why did you become a Lawyer?

It has always been a childhood dream, for me. I remember how a relative of mine wrongly

informed me that, Lawyers genitals are removed upon death, because all Lawyers belong to a secret cult. As a child, I cried and wished it was not true. Law is not just a profession for me, I had always seen it as a medium through which I can serve my people, to educate people. As a Lawyer, I can stand and defend the rights of people. I do some pro-bono cases for some indigent clients, and it always gives me joy. I love identifying issues and solving problems, the practice of law gives one that.

What would be your advice to anyone wanting a career in law?

Do not be stagnant. The world and everything in it, is evolving. Be ready to work and most importantly, be ready to learn. Learn something new, read a book, expand your knowledge, not only about the law. It is necessary that, a Lawyer must know something about everything. My Principal, John E. Aruoture, Esq, once said that being lazy is very easy, doing nothing is very easy. Whether you are lazy or hardworking, time will still run. Would you rather sit down doing nothing, or use your time for something productive?

If you had not become a Lawyer, what other career would you have chosen?

Music has always been a hobby. During my undergraduate days, I sang by poolside with a band, and it helped me when I ran out of money.

Even before I started studying law, I sang with a Christian band called “The Soul Ministers”.

Perhaps, I would have started a career there.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I see myself as a Principal Partner in a law firm, working to attain the status of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and teaching Lawyers and students.

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TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

SMS only to 08098898888

Federalism as a System of Government (Part 3)

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disruptive and divisive British heritage. Still following from this school, emerged scholars who do not share the idea of Federalism as a divide and rule strategy, but rather as a strategy for decolonisation. Such a strategy, according to J. A. A. Ayoade, was either proposed to truncate the cost of colonial administration as in East and Central Africa, or to stem internal divisive tendencies as obtained in Nigeria.

Yet, others in this externalist school of thought have argued that, the system was imposed on the country in order to maintain a neo-colonial state apparatus for effective control of the country after independence, because British colonialists had the opportunity to de-emphasise the particularistic tendencies of the different ethnic groups in the country, but for selfish reasons, they ended up creating ‘structural imperfections’, to bedevil inter-ethnic relations after independence.

Introduction

ast week, we x-rayed the reasons for Federalism, the Nigerian federal structure and issues in its origin and creation in Nigeria. Today, we shall further explore the road to Federalism and the content and practice of Federalism in Nigeria.

The Road to Federalism in Nigeria Federalism as it were, originated during the colonial epoch, beginning with the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates 1st January, 1914. It was introduced proper into Nigeria precisely by the 1946 Richardson Constitution, after the 1922 Hugh Clifford Constitution. The Constitution introduced regionalism into Nigeria for the first time, establishing Regional Assemblies, in addition to the already existing central legislature. However, the regional Houses of Assembly remained only as deliberative and advisory bodies, having no real legislative competence. They also served as Electoral Colleges, for the central legislature. Each of the then three Regions had its own Constitution, attached as a schedule to the Federal Constitution that was operated at the centre.

The federation was finally established in 1954 with the Oliver Littleton Constitution, after the 1951 Macpherson Constitution which granted substantial autonomy to the regions in some matters, including establishment of regional civil service and judicial system. Prior to these periods, the country was administered as a Unitary set up, though with some level of power devolution. It became finally consolidated at independence in 1960, when it emerged a federation delicately balanced on the tripodal pedestal of the three major ethnic groups the Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. Where were the so called minorities? Ask me.

The 1960 Independence Constitution retained the federal structure with the three legislative lists, to wit: (Exclusive, Concurrent and Residual). However, in order to safeguard the unity of the country, it was provided that the executive authority of the regions, should not be exercised in such a way that it would impede or prejudice the exercise of the executive authority of the federation or endanger the continuance of the federal government in the country. The 1963 Republican Constitution retained the same federal structure and provisions protecting Federalism, as contained in the 1960 Constitution. The 1979 and the 1999 Presidential Constitutions expressly guaranteed Federalism in - Section 2(1) and (2) thus: (1) "Nigeria is one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state to be known by the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2) Nigeria shall be a federation consisting of states and a federal capital territory".

In the spirit of Federalism, the Constitution guaranteed three levels of government viz: Federal, State and Local governments.

(See Sections 2 and 3 of the 1999 Constitution, as altered). While the Constitution recognised the need for separateness or some degree of autonomy amongst the various levels of government, it also recognised the need for interdependence and harmonious and effective government, for the Nigerian Federalism to be a worthy one. The 1995 Draft Constitution extensively tackled once again, the question of Federalism in Nigeria, drawing its lessons from past experiences.

Scholars have advanced reasons, as to why Nigeria adopted the federal system of government. But, while they are agreed on the historical factors that made the adoption of Federalism compelling such as diversities in nationalities, religion, language, culture and resources, they, however appear to differ on the political forces that propelled the historical factors in crystallising into a federal union. Their arguments can, however, be narrowed down into two basic schools of thought.

The Internalist School of Thought The first school, which can be described as the “Internalist

“THE FEDERAL STRUCTURE OF NIGERIA IS BELIEVED TO BE “A BAD MARRIAGE THAT ALL DISLIKE, BUT DARE NOT LEAVE, AND THAT THERE ARE POSSIBILITIES THAT COULD DISRUPT THE PRECARIOUS EQUILIBRIUM IN ABUJA”“

President Muhammadu Buhari

School of thought”, is located in the political forces that propelled the historical factors into Federalism in the nationalist leaders.

According to this internalist school, the realities of the country’s historical past, coupled with perceived economic advantages accruable from Federalism, as well as geographical and political factors, made Federalism attractive to the nationalist leaders before independence. The above factors were reinforced by growing suspicion and fear of domination by one group over another, among the various disparate units that made up Nigeria. Thus, it became appropriate to have a system of government that will guarantee and grant units considerable freedom and autonomy, in the internal governance of their people. This desire was found fulfilled in Federalism, since it is inherently decentralised and deconcentrated.

The emphasis here is that, Nigeria’s nationalist leaders had long before independence, become convinced and had reached the conclusion that the country could only survive on the basis of a federal system of government. For instance, this was one of the arguments of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first President (1960-1966), when he canvassed for a ‘federal commonwealth of Nigeria’. It was also the argument of Awolowo in his books, “Path to Nigerian Freedom” and “Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution”, published in 1947 and 1966, respectively. Similarly, Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was reported to have argued the case for a federal option in the following words: “I am pleased to see that, we are all agreed that the federal system is, under the present conditions, the only sure basis on which Nigeria can remain united. We must recognise our diversity, and the peculiar conditions under which the different tribal communities live... therefore... we must do all in our power to see that this federal system is strengthened and sustained” In essence, the “internalist school of thought” is of the view that, the nationalist leaders had a strong preference for federation, and that the British merely rubber stamped what Nigerians themselves had desired and worked for.

The Externalist School of Thought The second school of thought, on the other hand, is the Externalist school of thought. It sees the adoption of Federalism in Nigeria, as externally motivated and propelled. Federalism is here seen as a British imposition, meant to serve the political interests of the British alone. It was therefore, seen as nothing but a contrivance of British rule, for the purpose of administrative convenience of the colonial State apparatus. The argument of this school is that, even before 1954 when Federalism formally evolved, the country had been a conglomeration of different subcultures administered unitarily. The latter introduction of the federal system therefore, merely reflect nothing but the self interest of the British.

It is the belief of scholars in the externalist school of thought that, contrary to the widely shared notion of achieving unity in diversity, Federalism was only introduced by the British as a divide and rule strategy, and to this extent, was an abominable,

Synthesis of the above Schools of Thought From a synthesis of submissions by the two schools of thought above discussed, certain facts become obvious about the evolution of Federalism in Nigeria. It is clear that, some objective factors made Federalism desirable, if the country was to remain united.

Hence, one can hardly query the foresight of the Nationalist leaders, who out of the desire to have self rule along with shared rule, opted for the federal solution.

Similarly, the British overlords could not have pretended not to know that, Federalism was the most appropriate for a heterogeneous society like Nigeria, even though other pecuniary considerations may have influenced the choice of Federalism as a system of government. Added to this is that, the British would not have imposed Federalism in the country if internal circumstances had dictated otherwise. In other words, adoption of Federalism in Nigeria is neither an exclusive action of the British nor that of the nationalist leaders alone; but rather, it was a combination of both – a mutual desire of the two parties.

Watts aptly made this point, while describing the relevance of the federal idea in the post 1945 period. He opined that: “...the creators of the new States approaching independence found themselves faced with simultaneous conflicting demands for territorial integration and balkanisation. They had to reconcile the need, on the one hand, for relatively large economic and political units, in order to facilitate rapid economic development and to sustain genuine political independence, with the desire, on the other hand, to retain authority of the smaller political units with traditional allegiances representing racial, linguistic, ethnic and religious communities. In such situations, where the forces for integration and separation were at odds with each other, political leaders of nationalist independence movements and colonial administrators alike found in the “federal solution” a popular formula, providing a common ground for centralisers and provincialists”.

The Content and Practice of Federalism in Nigeria A pertinent question that derives from the preceding analysis is that, if mutual fears and suspicion of domination among groups, quest for self determination, economic prosperity, desire for unity in diversity, among other compelling factors propelled a federation of Nigeria, to what extent then have these imperatives been transcended many years after adopting the system? This calls for an examination of the content and practice of Federalism, in Nigeria.

The Federal structure of Nigeria is believed to be “a bad marriage that all dislike, but dare not leave, and that there are possibilities that could disrupt the precarious equilibrium in Abuja”. The dominant conceptual and legal foundation for Nigerian internal political geography, is Federalism.

A federal arrangement was expected to be instrumental for forging national unity out of the plural society, and at the same time, in preserving the separate social identities cherished by its component parts. Adoption of Federalism notwithstanding, Nigeria’s political system has continued to operate with minimum cohesion. Rivalry fundamentally instigated by ethnic mutual suspicion, increasingly weakens the fabric of Nigerian sovereignty. This culminated in the Nigerian Civil War. It has also dragged the nation-state into the turbulent June 12 political crisis, which has completely made Nigerian sovereignty frail and fragile. It has also led to the present fragmentation of Nigeria into ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural and political divides. (To be continued).

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “I think it is time for a radical Federalism in this country, where people trust innovation coming from the local level and ramp that up.” (Eric Garcetti).

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Social Media Bill: Dictatorship by Another Name This week, the National Assembly is set to a hold public hearing on its proposed obnoxious Social Media Bill, which has since 2015 when it was first muted, drawn the ire of most Nigerians. Unrelenting, the 9th Senate has continued to push for the passage of the Bill, which, if allowed to see the light of day, will endanger the freedom of the press and the fundamental constitutional right of Nigerians to free speech. Termed the Protection from Internet Falsehoods and Manipulation and Other Related Matters Bill 2019 (Social Media Bill 2019), contraventions of the proposed law will attract a penalty of at least two years imprisonment for offenders, upon conviction. Emmanuel Onwubiko, Udo Jude Ilo, and Uju Peace, in x-raying the provisions of the Bill, posit that the law is not only needless, undemocratic, and autocratic, but a wasteful exercise by the lawmakers at public expense

When ‘Democrats’ Legislate Autocracy

Nigeria Social Media Bill and its Discontents

Emmanuel Onwubiko

Udo Jude Ilo

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9th National Assembly: Candidate for Most Anti-People Session Award! he current 9th National Assembly, right from inception, has travelled from one journey of insanity and incomparable infamy to another, and seems to be in a race against time to become the most anti-people session, of virtually all the sessions of the National Assembly that have come and gone since 1999 that democracy re-emerged on the political climate of Nigeria.

First and foremost, the opaque circumstances that facilitated the emergence of the current leadership of the National Assembly with cocktails of allegations of bribery, financial inducements for votes, and of the external interferences of the office of the Nigerian President, have compelled the widening spectre of the groundswell of suspicions from across the entire spectrum of Nigerians, who are expressing the deep rooted fear that the current leadership of the 9th National Assembly is in no way independent.

Ironically, both the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan, are not ashamed to identify themselves as dyed- inthe wool loyalists of President Muhammadu Buhari, even when the relevant sections of the Constitution such as Sections 4, 5 and 6 have clearly delineated the respective powers/ functions of all the arms of government, and created the constitutional threshold of checks and balances.

In the sense of these provisions of the Constitution, none of the three arms of government should be subservient to each other even when they are expected to identify areas of common interest, in order to advance public interests. Such commonality of interests which should coalesce into the service of the public good, should not necessarily expose one of the arms to the overwhelming control of the other.

The Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan of All Progressives Congress (APC) from Yobe State who has spent nearly two decades in the National Assembly, provided ample ammunition to the critics who dismissed the 9th National Assembly as a rubber-stamp of the executive branch of government, when at a recent public function he was seen stating that the National Assembly will pass all requests to it by President Muhammadu Buhari, because in his warped imagination, our President means well for Nigeria.

And then, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila also of the APC from Surulere, Lagos, was to add salt into injury, by stating that there is nothing wrong if the National Assembly becomes an active subservient partner at all times with the Presidency, because they were not elected to fight the President.

With the above mindset, it is therefore, not a surprise that most Nigerians are not convinced about the altruism and patriotism of the actions coming out of the National Assembly under the current dispensation.

Unconstitutional Bills A major dispute raging on the sinister plot of some Senators to railroad into legislation certain naturally undemocratic and unconstitutional bills, which in effect, will shut the media space and impede the enjoyment of media freedoms, is understandable.

One of such bills seeks to establish an agency of the Federal Government, to penalise Nigerians who are deemed to have committed what they called use of hate speech and hate crimes.

The craziest of the bills is listed as, “Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation and Other Related Matters Bill of 2019”, sponsored by the colourless Niger State born Senator, Mr. Muhammadu Sani Musa.

Already the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters had circulated a commercial invitation asking Nigerians to attend a public hearing on Monday 9th March, 2020 to debate the acceptability or rejection of the aforementioned bill.

I must state that, at a recent public colloquium staged in Abuja by the African Independent Television (AIT) on those sets of anti-social media bills, the majority of the over 5,000 Nigerians in that hall, shouted down those bills.

Nigerians were of the view that, those bills were not only obnoxious and toxic, but are absolutely unconstitutional and undemocratic, even as other Nigerians think likely that certain or all the suggested provisions in those highly toxic bills are offences already created in extant statutes, just as they wonder why the National Assembly plans to duplicate laws that are already scattered in a plethora of provisions of the laws and statutes.

I patiently read through the bill on the so- called 'protection from internet falsehood and manipulation and other related matters bill of 2019', and I noticed that, the aim and objective of this bill is not to protect national interests or public good, but the bill is simply disguised to muzzle freedom of online rights to expression.

Also, the bill is not necessary, since there is already in place the Anti-Cybercrime Act of

O Background

Senate President, Ahmed Lawan

2015, whose provisions are even draconian and undemocratic.

The bill, if passed into law, is a sophisticated form of autocratic rule, in which the freedoms of speech in any form would be imperilled and Section 39 of the Constitution, as well as Section 22 and all other fundamental rights provisions contained in Chapter 4 of the Nigerian Constitution, will be endangered and stifled. How can we have Senators, elected democratically by the people who are the owners of the sovereignty of Nigeria, now colluding amongst themselves as reactionary forces to introduce autocratic bills?

Take a look at the aims and objective of this bill, to know that it is a deliberate effort by the pliant 9th National Assembly to enthrone fascism; autocracy and dictatorship, similar to what obtains in Russia under President Vladimir Putin.

I will make a detour to explain how this bill will turn Nigeria into President Putin’s Russia or Communist China under President Xi Jinping, whereby all the democratic rights of the citizens are muzzled and effectively put at the whims and caprices of the all-knowing political elites.

But, first, let us see the aims and objec-

Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila

tives of the bill which the sponsor Senator Muhammed Sani Musa said is meant to protect them from internet falsehood and manipulation, and for which they ignorantly failed to acknowledge the existence of the strong Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2015.

The aims and objectives of this Act are: 1.(a)

“THE SENATE PRESIDENT, DR AHMED LAWAN.....PROVIDED AMPLE AMMUNITION TO THE CRITICS WHO DISMISSED THE 9TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AS A RUBBERSTAMP OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT..... HE WAS SEEN STATING THAT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WILL PASS ALL REQUESTS TO IT BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, BECAUSE IN HIS WARPED IMAGINATION, OUR PRESIDENT MEANS WELL FOR NIGERIA”

to prevent the transmission of false statements/ declaration of facts in Nigeria and to enable measures to be taken to counter the effects of such transmission; (b) to suppress the financing, promotion and other support of online locations that repeatedly transmit false statements/declaration of facts in Nigeria; (c) to enable measures to be taken to detect, control and safeguard against coordinated inauthentic behaviour and other misuses of online accounts and bots; and (d) to enable measures to be taken to enhance disclosure of information concerning paid content directed towards a political end; (e) to sanction offenders; 2. The provisions of this Act shall apply throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In Part 2 of the bill; (1) A person must not do any act in or outside Nigeria to transmit in Nigeria a statement knowing or having reason to believe that :- (a) it is a false statement of fact; and (b) the transmission of the statements in Nigeria is likely to :- (i) be prejudicial to the security of Nigeria or any part of Nigeria; (ii) be prejudicial to public health, public safety, public tranquility or public finances; (iii) be prejudicial to the friendly relations of Nigeria with other countries; (iv) influence the outcome of an election to any

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n November 6, 2019, Senator Muhammad Sani of Niger-East Senatorial district submitted to the 9th Senate, the Protection from Internet Falsehoods and Manipulation and Other Related Matters Bill 2019 (Social Media Bill 2019). The Bill seeks to prevent transmission of false statements/declaration of facts in Nigeria through the internet, and provides measures to counter and sanction such behaviour. Expectedly, this Bill has generated strong reactions across the country, and internationally.

Plagiarised mainly from a law with a similar title in Singapore, the Social Media bill undermines the fundamental principles of rule of law and constitutional democracy, by the vagueness of its provisions; the unfettered discretion given to the Police to determine crime and impose penalties; and by its audacious attempt to qualify judicial oversight, in its implementation. Taken together, these fatal flaws constitute a serious threat to the civic space and existential threat to democracy in Nigeria.

Bills Prohibition of Frivolous Petitions etc 2015 In 2016, a Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected Therewith 2015, was introduced by the National Assembly. Because of its problematic provisions, the Bill was roundly rejected and subsequently dropped, by the National Assembly. The current Bill under consideration, seems to be another attempt at achieving the questionable objectives of the 2016 Social Media Bill. The attempt at regulating through anti-democratic means the freedom of expression of Nigerians, should worry everybody.

Internet Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill The Internet Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill is divided into five parts with a total of 36 sections. Part 1 of the Bill outlines the objectives of the Bill. Part 2 makes provisions on the prohibition of transmission of false statements of fact.

Part 3 provides for regulations dealing with the transmission in Nigeria of false declaration of fact, while Part 4 is focused on regulation for internet intermediaries and providers of mass media services.

Part 5 deals with the declaration of online locations. Reading through the Bill, it presents a picture of a harried effort to put something quickly on the table. The language is inelegant, the provisions are confusing, and the remit of its application is unrealistic. As legislative drafting goes, this Bill falls short on many levels.

Looking at this law through constitutional and international human rights standard lens, it is problematic. Section 39 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that, every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. Under Section 39(2), it states that: “without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this section, every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions”. It qualifies this with the provisions for licensing for electronic media. The only other derogation from the right espoused in this section is found in Section 45 (1), where the Constitution provides that some of the rights recognised under Chapter 4 can be restricted through legislation that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society”.

Contravention of the Constitution and Article 19 ICCPR, Vagueness To understand clearly what “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society” means, it important to quickly look at the provision of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICCPR, a treaty which Nigeria has signed on to and ratified. Article 19 is in all fours with Section 39 of our Constitution.

Restriction on freedom of expression, according to the Human Rights Committee, must pass a three-part cumulative test derived from Article 19. This includes the principle of predictability and transparency; the principle of legitimacy, and the principle of necessity and proportionality.

Under legitimacy, the restrictions must be aimed to protect at the least one of the following – the reputation of others; national security; or public order and the restriction must be proven as necessary.

Furthermore, the least restrictive means required to achieve the purpose of the law, must be applied. These give us

“THE RESTRICTIONS OF FREEDOM EXPRESSION UNDER SECTION 3 (B) OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA BILL, GOES BEYOND THE INTENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION AND THE ACCEPTABLE REMIT UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW”

clarity in interpreting the qualification found in Sections 39 (3) and Section 45 (1) of the Constitution.

The restrictions of freedom expression under Section 3 (b) of the Social Media Bill, goes beyond the intendment of the Constitution and the acceptable remit under international law. It provides grounds like - falsehood prejudicial to the friendly relations of Nigeria with other countries; influence the outcome of an election, incites the feeling of enmity, hatred directed to a person; or ill-will between different groups and diminish public confidence in the performance of any duty or exercise of any power of government. These grounds are vague, and subject to diverse interpretations that expose citizens to unpredictable legal consequences. They are not reasonable under a democratic government that thrives on diverse opinions, and healthy competition of ideas. They are inconsistent with the provisions of Article 19 of the ICCPR, and the Section 39 of 1999 Constitution.

The absence of clarity and ambiguity in the provisions of the Bill can easily allow for this law (when enacted), to be weaponised, used to undermine free expression, and to target free press.

This clearly flouts the provisions of fair hearing, mandated by Nigeria’s Constitution. In particular, Section 36 (12) provides that “Subject as otherwise provided by this Constitution, a person shall not be convicted of a criminal offence unless that offence is defined and the penalty, therefore, is prescribed in a written law, and in this subsection, a written law refers to an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of a State, any subsidiary legislation or instrument under the provisions of a law”. Definition of an offence requires CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

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WHEN ‘DEMOCRATS’ LEGISLATE AUTOCRACY office in an election or a referendum; (v) incite feelings of enmity, hatred directed to a person or ill-will between different groups of persons; or (vi) diminish public confidence in the performance of any duty or function of, or as it relates to ability to influence negatively any public function, business, property or other economic interests, and can be shown to have caused financial loss and or personal injury or collective injuries directed at a person or entity. (2) Other online harms: These include other online contents and activities and malicious falsehoods capable of causing harm to individual users, particularly minors, or threatens our way of life in Nigeria, either by undermining national security, or by reducing trust and undermining our shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities to foster the Country’s unity and integration. (3) Subject to sub Clause (3), a person who contravenes sub Clause (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction:- (a) in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding N300,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both; or (b) in any other case, to a fine not exceeding N10 million. (4) Where an inauthentic online account or a bot is used :-(a) to transmit in Nigeria the statements mentioned in sub Clause (1); and (b) for the purpose of accelerating such transmission, the person is guilty of an offence under that sub Clause shall be liable on conviction - (c) in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding N300,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both; or (d) in any other case, to a fine not exceeding N10 million.

(5) Sub Clause (1) does not apply to the doing of any act for the purpose of, or that is incidental to, the provision of :- (a) an internet intermediary service; (b) a teletransmission service; (c) a service of giving the public access to the internet; or (d) a computing resource service.

What any critical mind can deduce or decipher from this proposed bill is that, the current set of legislators are so intolerant of a plural society to a hysterical extent, that even what bloggers publish about Nigeria from far flung nations have constituted considerable threats to their exercising arbitrary powers.

History and Kernels of Democracy Professor John Keane who wrote the book “The Life and Death of Democracy”, will like us to be educated on the fundamental kernels of democracy, which is the promotion of public interests above a class or clique’s interests, which is what the bill sets out to achieve.

The book goes thus: "The Life and Death of Democracy, the first attempt to write a life and times of democracy for well over a century, shows that the little word democracy is much older than classical Greek commentators made out".

Its roots are in fact traceable to the Linear B script of the Mycenaean period, seven to ten centuries earlier, to the late Bronze Age civilisation (c. 1500-1200 BCE) that was centred on Mycenae and other urban settlements of the Peloponnese, he submitted.

Also, the author submitted that, it is unclear exactly how and when the Mycenaean learned to use the two-syllable word damos, to refer to a group of powerless people who once held land in common, or three-syllable words like damokoi, meaning an official who acts on behalf of the damos.

What in his thinking is also unclear, is whether these words and the family of terms we use today when speaking about democracy, have origins further EAST, for instance in the ancient Sumerian references to the dumu, the ‘inhabitants’ or ‘sons’ or ‘children’ of a geographic place.

But, these uncertainties are tempered by another remarkable discovery by contemporary archaeologists: it turns out that the democratic practice of self-governing assemblies is also not a Greek innovation, he affirmed.

"The lamp of assembly-based democracy was first lit in the ‘East’, in lands that geographically correspond to contemporary Syria, Iraq and Iran. The custom of popular self-government was later transported eastwards, towards the Indian subcontinent, where sometime after

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The Red Chamber of the National Assembly

1500 BCE, in the early Vedic period, republics governed by assemblies became uncommon.

The custom also travelled westwards, first to Phoenician cities like Byblos and Sidon, then to Athens, where during the fifth century BCE, it was claimed as something unique to the West, as a sign of its superiority over the ‘barbarism’ of the East".

Still on the etymology and historicity of the concept of democracy as it then was, the author stated that, like gunpowder, print and either imports from afar, the arrival of the popular assemblies and (later) the strange- sounding word demokratia in the region that today we call the West, radically altered the course of history.

His words: "It is even fair to say that it made history possible. For understood simply as people governing themselves, democracy implied something that continues to have a radical bite: it supposed that humans could invent and use institutions specially designed to allow them to decide for themselves, as equals, how they would live together on earth. The whole thing may seem rather straightforward to us, but think about it for a moment. The little dream that carried the big thought that mere mortals could organise themselves as equals into forums or assemblies, where they could pause to consider things, then decide on a course of action – democracy in this sense was a spine- tingling invention, because it was in effect, the first ever human form of government."

Dan F. Hahn, tells us lucidly in his book “Political Communication: Rhetoric, Government and Citizen”, that laws made to limit people’s access to the enjoyment of such fundamental human rights like freedom of speech and information, amounts to a contempt of the people by government.

His words: “Governmental contempt for citizens is an attitude we tend to associate with the Russian communist experience, yet it is not clear that the attitude or the existence of secrecy was ever any more prevalent in Moscow than in Washington, D.C., today. And the fact that we are drawn to make this comparison is itself ironic, for these two most secret governments have had moments when they opted for openness. In 1917 Lenin proclaimed that the Soviet government "abolished secret diplomacy and, for its part, expresses its firm determination to conduct all negotiations quite openly before the whole world”.

“At about the same time President Woodrow Wilson, in one of his Fourteen Points, declared there shall be no private international understandings of any kind, but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view.

“How far both countries have strayed from those announced infections!”

The aforementioned author said further that:

“MR FEMI GBAJABIAMILA ALSO OF THE APC FROM SURULERE, LAGOS, WAS TO ADD SALT INTO INJURY, BY STATING THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BECOMES AN ACTIVE SUBSERVIENT PARTNER AT ALL TIMES WITH THE PRESIDENCY, BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ELECTED TO FIGHT THE PRESIDENT.....”

"From a general contempt for citizens, it is a short step to contempt for their constitutional rights".

He then told us that, recently obtained files indicate that from 1981 to 1985 the F.B.I "ran a surveillance operation aimed at hundreds of people and organisations opposed to Reagan Administration's policies in General America....".

“While the F.B.I may not have violated any law in this endeavour, it certainly demonstrated a degree of callousness towards the rights of citizens opposed to government policy. Indeed, it could be said that a major result of domestic surveillance, has been a diminution of freedom. Consider how many constitutional rights are violated by surveillance: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, the right to petition the government, and the Fourth Amendment ("the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures").”

This bill by the Nigerian Senate, is set out to achieve these fascist goals.

Dan F. Hahn said also thus: “Another outgrowth of governmental contempt of citizens, is to keep them ignorant. Of especial interest to the field of communication is the fact that, secrecy "insulates” bureaucrats and thereby, affects their subsequent pervasiveness. Obviously, those who have information, have advantages over those who do not have it. Less obvious, but equally important, is the effect of information in allowing government authorities to talk as "experts" to an audience of "uninformed citizens”.

Further, he reminds us that as communication scholar, Eugene Garver points out, "the persuasion of experts claims not to be persuasion but something else, demonstration or instruction", which creates in the audience a feeling "that they have no choice.... that they are bowing to necessity" "Secrecy, therefore, lifts its holders (government officials) to the category of "experts," while simultaneously lowering the audience (citizens) to the level of "learners." The resulting relationship is hardly to be desired, in a society supposedly designed so the citizens can be the masters."

"Further, those who held secret information can affect the societal dialogue by selectively leaking their secrets. A bureaucrat who wants to strengthen the secrecy apparatus, for example, could leak the "secret" that some potential enemy country had discovered the identity of our agents in their country. That leak might scare the Senate and House, into "shoring up" secrecy requirements.

How common are such occurrences? Forty-two percent of government officials admit they have leaked information, to affect decision- making."

As I stated earlier, there is indeed, no major development that requires that additional media law is needed to add to an over- regulated media environment.

In any event, the Constitution which is supreme, has guaranteed the citizens right to freedom of expression in Section 39.

In their book “How Democracies Die: What History Reveals about our Future,” two Harvard Professors of Government, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, remind us of the supremacy of the Constitution thus: “For generations, Americans have retained great faith in their Constitution, as the centrepiece of a belief that the United States was a chosen nation, providentially guided, a beacon of hope and possibility to the world. Although this larger vision may be fading, trust in the Constitution remains high. A 1999

survey found 85 percent of Americans believed the Constitution was the major reason “America had been successful during this past century”.

Indeed, our constitutional system of checks and balances was designed to prevent leaders from concentrating and abusing power, and for most of American history, it has succeeded”.

I strongly maintain my claim that, those sets of bills meant to further limit people’s access to the social media as contemplated by some two Senators in the 9th National Assembly, who are working hand-in-glove with the overbearing executive arm of government, are not necessary and should be discarded.

For the simple reason that, Nigeria’s online and social media space are over saturated with hard laws. Some of these laws should even be amended, to allow for efficiency and effectiveness of the media.

Other Statutory Provisions Why introduce another law to regulate the internet when we already have the Cybercrime Act of 2015?

Recently, I came across a very beautiful summary of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2015 which was done by Nasir and Dolapo, in which they listed expertly that the extant law has already captured offences such as child pornography, with a sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a N20 million fine.

The law on cybercrime has another strong provision on identity theft, with a stringent three year sentence and/or a N7 million fine.

Still talking about the Cybercrime law and the reason why the Ahmed Lawan-led National Assembly should discard any bills seeking to limit access to social media or introduce the hate speech legislation, we need to know as we were reminded by the aforementioned scholars, that the Cybercrime Act has an ample provision against cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying, even as the punishment is in no way mild because it is N2 million fine and/ or one year in confinement.

Dolapo and Nasir remind us that, under that law, an offender when convicted can be fined up to N20 million or 10 years in prison sentence.

Other notable provisions, are those that permit the nation’s President to classify certain systems, networks and information infrastructure as vital to national security, even as offences relating to endangering such national assets that leads to fatality could result in the death penalty.

The distribution of racially or ethnically prejudicial or violent material through a computer system or network, is prohibited.

Convictions attract at least 5 year’s imprisonment and/or a minimum N10million fine, just as the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are required to keep records of users’ internet traffic and their subscriber data, and must safeguard this information so that the users’ constitutional right to privacy is respected.

The above and several others are enshrined in the extant Cybercrime Prevention Act which allows electronic communication to be intercepted, but only with a court order

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WHEN ‘DEMOCRATS’ LEGISLATE AUTOCRACY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 based on reasonable grounds if it is suspected that the information is required for a criminal investigation or proceedings.

Sedition and Defamation of Character So, I ask again, why waste legislative time, energy and public funds, seeking to pass bills that will at best duplicate the many extant laws?

I will conclude by letting Nigerians know that, the media industry is already over- regulated because the media laws are many, including the laws on defamation (Tort on Defamation) and the law on sedition.

From the law of sedition from www.medialaws.blogspot.com: we learned that the often cited definition for sedition, is one couched by Fitzgerald J in RV. Sullivan (1886) 11 co- cc 44.

He described sedition in the following words: “Sedition is a crime against society, nearly allied to that of treason, and it frequently formulated as treason by a short interval... Is a comprehensive term and it embraces all those practices, whether by word, clust or writing are calculated to disturb the tranquility of the State and lead against person to endeavour to subvert the Government and the Laws of the ethic”.

The writers remind us that, under the Nigerian Criminal Law, sedition is defined under Section 50 (1) of the Criminal Code (applicable to Southern Nigeria; 14, (geris) defines a seditious publication as a publication having a seditious intention. And Section 50 (2) defines seditious intention as an intention: (a) To bring in hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the person of the Head of the Federal Government, the Governor of a State, or the Government or Constitution of Nigeria or a State as by law established or against the administration of justice in Nigeria or, (b) To incite Nigerians to attempt to achieve regime change, through that which is than by lawfully means, or any other matter in Nigeria as by law established, or (c) To raise discontentment or disaffection among the inhabitants of Nigeria, or (d) To promote feelings or ill-will and hostility between different classes of the population of Nigeria.

The writers stated that, a computable provision can be found under Section 416 of the Northern Nigeria Penal Code Law. The section provides: “Whoever by words, either spoken or reproduced by mechanical means or intended to be read, or by signs or by visible representation or otherwise, incites or attempts to incite acts of disaffection against the person of, her majesty, her heirs or successors or the person of the GovernorGeneral or Constitution of the United Kingdom or Nigeria or any Nigeria thereof or against the ministration of Justice in Nigeria or any regions thereof, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years or with fine or between both”.

From the above statutory provisions, they argued powerfully that, sedition can generally be defined as any statement as representation which has the intention to stir up treason, defame the person of the Head of State or Governor of a State, or inciting one section of the population against another.

The objects of the law of sedition are, to

The Green Chamber of the National Assembly

induce an insurrection and stir up opposition to the Government and bring the administration of justice into contempt, and the very tendency of sedition is to incite the people to insurrection and rebellion, they affirmed.

"In a nutshell, it has the effect of: (i) Invigorating public disturbance (ii) Ignite civic disturbance/war (iii) Cast hatred or disaffection to the government (iv) Subvert obedience to the Constitution when therefore, any write-up or speech or any means of communication, whether by sign, tapes, caricature, etc., that has the effect of promoting any of the above, such a write-up, notwithstanding the Constitution is sedition".

Important aspects of law of sedition that the writers of that piece found in the aforementioned blog, are that: The student must understand aspects law of sedition: (a) Seditious conspiracy; (b) Seditious libel; (c) Seditious speech; (d) Who may be convicted for sedition; (e) Is the law of sedition still relevant? (f) Constitutional basis of the law of sedition. (a) Seditious Conspiracy: - This is the agreement or plan by two or more persons, to overthrow or put down by unlawful means or to destroy by force the Government of the country or State. (b) On Seditious Libel they said: - This is any communication in written form or any other permanent form, which has the intention to incite people to change the Government by unlawful means or which advocates the overthrow of the Government by force or which advocates the destruction of the State. (c) Also Seditious Speech accordingly is: - This is any speech which advocates the over-throw of the government or its destruction by force. (d) They then formulated the interrogatory who may be convicted for Sedition?

The answered thus: "Section 51 of the

Criminal Code makes the following persons liable for sedition: Anyone who does a seditious act or takes part in the preparation or conspires with others to commit sedition or utters seditious words. Also liable are printers, publishes, distributors, vendors, reproducers and importers of seditious publications. (e) Is the law of sedition still relevant in the present democratic dispensation? And they respond as follows: "It has been noted that the law was one of the first press laws enacted by the British colonial administration in the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria, to check rising press criticism.

Many journalists and nationalists of that era were as a result, jailed, and newspapers heavily fined.

On the attainment of independence, therefore, the nationalists had expected that, such obnoxious laws would be expunged from the statutes".

Further they argued that, "Indeed, some progressive Judges had ruled that, such laws had no place in an independent Nigeria.

But, 50 years after, the law still occupies a prominent place in the statutes. Those against the retention of the law of sedition point out that, it denies people their fundamental human rights of free expression, violates the right to criticise government, and denies the people their right to self-determination. They argue further that, the law of sedition could be misused by a dictator to overreach himself, thereby retarding the growth of democracy and development."

"But, those in their words who support the retention of the law of sedition present a counter-argument.

Hear them: "They argue that the law of sedition is aimed at protecting the government and its institutions, which are established by law to serve the Nigerian people. Without

such a law, acts of treason, such as incitement to riots, destruction of public property and enthronement of anarchy could be perpetuated by lawless people to the detriment of the State. While arguing that the right to free expression is not absolute, they insist that such right imposes a corresponding duty on the citizens to respect constituted authority, and stay within the provisions of the law".

Conclusion From the above, it is clear to submit that, any further effort to bring into bring legislation to limit access to social media services as is being contemplated by the Ahmed Lawan led Senate, is unconstitutional, ultra vires the law and absolutely irrelevant, and should be discarded as a bad bill meant to re-enact autocracy and tyranny in Nigeria.

Emmanuel Onwubiko, former Commis-

“HOW CAN WE HAVE SENATORS, ELECTED DEMOCRATICALLY

BY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE OWNERS OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF NIGERIA, NOW COLLUDING AMONGST THEMSELVES AS REACTIONARY FORCES TO INTRODUCE AUTOCRATIC BILLS?”

NIGERIA SOCIAL MEDIA BILL AND ITS DISCONTENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 that what constitutes an offence is clear, unambiguous and distinguishable.

Under this Bill, the term “false statement and declaration of the fact” is introduced in Section 1(a), and it is referenced throughout the Bill. The Bill does not offer any actual explanation, of what that means. The vagueness of these terms means that the government who is the implementer of this Bill, can interpret this term anyway it wants. It can be used to go against dissenting voices, free press, or any Nigerian for that matter. The possibility of a law being open to fluid interpretation with implication for individual freedom, contravenes the spirit of Section 36 of the Constitution and undermines the rule of law. The problem of vagueness, is one that colours a lot of provisions of this Bill. Terms like “friendly relationship of Nigeria with other countries”, “influence of the outcome of general elections”, “prevent incitement of feelings of enmity...” and “prevent a diminution of public confidence in the performance of any duty... power of government” as used under Section 3 of the Bill, are subject to indefinite interpretations and can easily be abused by authorities.

In the same vein Sections 6, 12,16, amongst others, provide wide discretionary powers to the Police to make a determination of what is a false statement, to issue an instruction for suspension of internet access, and to close down an internet domain. All these are carried without any reference to individual or entities that are affected by the decision, in contravention of Section 36 of the Constitution.

Section 36 (2) (a) of the Constitution provides that in exercise of any administrative power to take decision that affects civic rights, the process should “provide for an opportunity for the persons whose rights and obligations may be affected to make representations to the administering authority, before that authority makes the decision affecting that person”. Under this Bill the Police makes a determination, based on their assessment that the action they are taking is necessary for public interest. The guide under the interpretation section of the Bill compounds the problem by the vague grounds that it provides, allowing the Police to make these determinations unrestrained. Unfettered discretion as envisaged under this

Bill is antithetical to the principles of rule of law, and the spirit of Chapter 4 of our Constitution. The power of the Police to take decisions that affects rights without representation from the person or persons whose rights are implicated, contravenes Section 36 of the Constitution.

Another grave flaw with this Bill, is its attempt to stifle judicial oversight and access to judicial remedies. Sections 13 (2), 24 (2) and 30 (2) of the Social Media Bill 2019 provide that individuals aggrieved by the decision of the Police under this law cannot appeal to the High court, unless the person first applies to the Police to modify or cancel their regulation, and such application is then refused by the Police. The law empowers the Police, to review its own decision.

It does not provide a timeline, for this review to happen. This effectively opens up this power, to abuse. There is a strong possibility that the Police can claim to be conducting this review for years, effectively denying any individual access to court, and hindering the capacity of the court to dispense justice. Decisions as fundamental as the restriction of freedom of speech or of the press are so

grave, that it should never be left to the administrative whims of any agency of government, besides the judiciary. There is no conceivable justification, for this law to stifle access to the courts. There is no compelling national interest or administrative convenience, that supports this quasi-ouster clause. Any law that imposes an unreasonable limitation in the capacity of citizens to access remedy from the court, conflicts with the principles of rule of law and access to justice.

While we acknowledge that no right is absolute, the restrictions and limitations envisioned under this bill are needless, undemocratic and impractical. Freedom of expression is central to constitutional democracy, and provides the bedrock for a free society. The internet is one of the few public spheres, where citizens have a voice without censorship. Existing laws already provide for reasonable checks and protections, for and from the internet. This Bill only creates an additional layer of risk to our democracy, and our Constitution.

It should be confined, to the dustbin of history.

Udo Jude Ilo, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa OSIWA

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10.03.2020

Proposed Social Media Regulation Bill: Retrogressive and Waste of Resources Uju Peace

or imprisonment for a term of 3 years and Section 50(2) CC dealing with sedition.

Item vi is particularly tricky, as it rubbishes the essence of FOI Act, the freedom of expression and defence of sedition.

K

Freedom of Expression nowledge, they say is power. Though recently, it’s been rephrased as ‘knowledge applied is power’. Either way, it starts with knowledge before application.

Freedom of expression which promotes knowledge, is therefore one of the signs of democracy. Nigeria, being a democratic State, guaranteed this right in Section 39 of our Constitution. However, this right is not absolute, meaning that in exercising this right, people will be cautious in not defaming others, so they will not be sued for slander and libel in civil suits and for defamation in criminal proceedings under the Criminal Code, attracting 1 or 2 years imprisonment, depending on the circumstances. However, if the published facts are true, though defamatory, it will not amount to an offence.

Realising the importance of information in a democracy, Nigeria joined the league of developed States in enacting Freedom of Information Act, aimed at making public information more accessible to Nigerians in the interest of the public, which will in turn promote transparency, accountability and responsibility. As Nigerians are still trying to make practical meaning of the law by suing public institutions who fail to disclose public information, the law makers have come up with a bill to regulate social media. While this is not a problem per se, as it is done in other countries, and people must be held responsible for their oral and written publications online or offline. I earlier pointed out that the right to expression is not absolute, for instance, Section 60 of the Criminal Code (CC) punishes defamation of anyone in authority with 2 years imprisonment. Of course, he/ she can still sue for slander/libel to claim compensatory damages in form of money, public apology, etc. Again, Section 204CC punishes with 2 years imprisonment, insulting of a religious group.

The Unnecessary Protection from Internet Falsehoods and Manipulations Bill Nevertheless, I fault the present action of the law makers because they are wasting tax payers’ resources, in giving us what we already have. The proposed Bill called ‘Protection from Internet Falsehoods and Manipulations’ is aimed at preventing transmission of false statement through the internet. It defines this statement to be that i) prejudicial to security ii) Prejudicial to public health or safety iii) Prejudicial

President Muhammadu Buhari

“.....I FAULT THE PRESENT ACTION OF THE LAW MAKERS BECAUSE THEY ARE WASTING TAX PAYERS’ RESOURCES, IN GIVING US WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE” to friendly relations with other countries iv) Influencing outcome of election v) Inciting feelings of enmity to a person or between different groups vi) Diminishing public confidence in government’s performance of duty.

Items i and ii are covered by Section 59CC, punishing with 3 years imprisonment, the publication of false news which causes fear to the public/disturbs public peace. In extreme cases, item i could be an act of terrorism as defined

by Section 1 of Terrorism Act, and punished as such.

Item iv is an offence under the Electoral Act, punishable with 6 months imprisonment and or N100, 000 fine.

Item v, seriously intimidating a population, is partly covered

by Section 1 of Terrorism Act, Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act punishable with N7 million

Sedition What exactly is sedition? According to Section 50CC, It is a publication: a)to bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the person of the President or of the Governor or the Government of the Federation; or (b) to excite the citizens or other inhabitants of Nigeria to attempt to procure the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of any other matter in Nigeria as by law established; or (c) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the citizens or other inhabitants of Nigeria; or (d) to promote feelings of ill will and hostility between different classes of the population of Nigeria.

The punishment is 2 years imprisonment and or N200 fine.

However, it is no sedition if the publication intends - (i) to show that the President or the Governor has been misled or mistaken in any measure in the Federation or a State, (ii) to point out errors or defects in the Government or Constitution of Nigeria, or of any State thereof, as by law established or in legislation or in the administration of justice with a view to the remedying of such errors or defects; or (iii) to persuade the citizens or other inhabitants of Nigeria to attempt to procure by lawful means the alteration of any matter in Nigeria as by law established; or (iv) to point out, with a view to their removal, any matters which are producing or have a tendency to produce feelings of ill-will and enmity between different classes of the population of Nigeria.

The meaning of sedition is clear and the offence is understandable, as it will destabilise the government or a population leading to insecurity, war, etc; but item vi of the proposed Bill that talks about diminishing public confidence in the activities of government is vague, retrogressive and stifling. A government can only diminish public confidence through its actions or inactions.

A non-performing government will attribute criticism and even true information published about its activities under the FOI Act, as an attempt to diminish public confidence.

The situation will be worse than what obtains under the military, and no one will escape it. This item stretches sedition beyond reason, and hence unreasonable.

Yes, the N200 fine provided under the CC is not stringent, but that shows the age of that law. The legislators can amend it to bring it in tune with modern realities, it is part of legislative exercise, but, the proposed bill is a no, no.

Uju Peace, Abuja

Justices’ Absence Stalls Hearing of Appeal Filed by Tinubu Estate Trustees on Ijora Land Dispute Peter Taiwo The suit filed by the Trustees of the Estate of late Madam Iyalode Efunroye Tinubu at the Court of Appeal Lagos, to challenge the decision of Justice Wasiu Animahaun of a Lagos High Court, on a disputed Ijora land, was stalled due to the absence of the Justices of the Appellate Court.

The hearing could not go on as scheduled because the Justices were unaviodably absent, to attend the valedictory session organised in honour of the retiring Court of Appeal President, Hon. Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.

Justice Bulkachuwa, had on March 6, 2020 retired from the Bench as she attained the statutory mandatory retirement age of 70 years, but a special valedictory court session/reception was held in her honour at the Court of Appeal as part of the programmes of event lined up for her retirement.

Justice Animahaun had in his ruling delivered on January 23, 2019, dismissed the Appellant’s

counter-claim filed on June 8, 2017 in Suit N0.

M/5/2009, on the ground that it was an abuse of court process.

Dissatisfied with the lower court’s ruling, the Trustees had through their Lawyer, Ayoyinka Roberts, filed the appeal prayng the appellate court to set aside the entire ruling of the lower court made on January 23, dismissing the Appellant’s counter-claim filed on June 8, 2017 in Suit No. M/5/2009.

In the appeal marked CA/LAG/CV/589/2019 and filed through their attorney, Adamakin Investment and Work Limited, the Trustees are also praying the court for an order reinstating to the cause list of the lower court, the counter-claim in the same suit dismissed by the lower court.

They are praying the court for an order for the trial of their counter-claim before another court within the same jurisdiction, as constituted before the lower court.

In a 12-paragraph affidavit in support of the appeal and deposed to by one Ayoyinka Roberts, a legal practitioner of Reliance Solicitors, Lagos,

the Trustees also prayed the Appellate Court to stay further proceedings in the matter, pending the determination of the appeal, stressing that taking further proceedings in the matter will foist a situation of helplessness on the Court of Appeal, and render the appeal nugatory.

According to the Appellant, the lower court erred in law when it decided that their counter/ claim was an abuse of court process, despite acknowledging that the counter-claim in the suit before him was the earlier in time.

But, the Respondents have argued that the counter-Claimant’s action was an attempt to reopen the issue litigated upon in the previous suit, which amounted to an abuse of court process.

They also anchored the argument on the period of time that litigation in the previous suit took, right from the High Court to the Supreme Court, stressing that the counter- Claimant and 6th Defendant in the suit are caught by the principle of Estoppel by conduct, having not joined the previous suit that lasted 37 years

FAMILY CALLS FOR FCIID INVESTIGATION OVER DEFUNCT NITEL LAND DISPUTE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 investigated the matter, members of their clients’ families were released and the head of the Monitoring Team, ACP Elema advised the Petitioners to go back to FCIID, Alagbon Annex with an admonition that the Nigeria Police are one, and that they should stop creating disaffection between two Police formations.

He said when the suspected culprits were eventually apprehended by FCIID Annex, they

were granted administrative bail and released shortly after following decision by their counsel, Adebowale Aromolaran who pledged his Call to Bar certificate, believing the four family members arrested were credible and trustworthy persons.

Adeleke said the four suspected persons failed to report the next day for continuation of investigation into the matter by DCP Badiru Lawal and CSP Kayode, contrary to the terms

of their bail.

He said Aromolaran’s Call to Bar Certificate is still with the FCIID, Alagbon, while the suspects have engaged the service of another counsel.

Adeleke said four suspected persons through their new counsel, petitioned DC Panti, which again arrested nine members of his clients’ family that were released only after four days, on administrative bail.

in court, despite having constructive notice of the pendency of the suit.

Ownership of the vast hectares of land spanning to Iganmu, Ijora, Badia, Orile and Coker Village areas of Lagos State has been a subject of litigation for over 37 years, before the Supreme Court on April 3, 2009 pronounced the Ojora Chieftaincy Family the legitimate owner of the disputed land.

However dispute arose on the land between Mr. Adeyemi Olusina Savage, Mrs. Roseline Yeside Roberts, Kolawole Akinleye Savage suing as administrators to the Estate of Kolapo Belugbade Savage as Claimants in Suit No. M/5/2009, while Taylor Woodrow Nigeria Limited, Oba AbdulFatai Aremu Aromire, Chief Fatai Adio Suleiman, Prince Olayiwola Oluwa, and Twinsectra Nigeria Linited, were listed as Respondents.

Meanwhile, before filing the appeal, Justice Animahaun had granted the parties in Suit No. M/5/2009 a consent judgement, in which the Claimsntd and the 4th to 6th Defendants as parties to the suit, agreed on some terms and conditions to settle the suit.

Amongst others, they agreed on an amicable resolution of issues of title raised in the suit, and the Claimants also agreed to cede unto 4th to 6th Defendants' family, all that piece or parcel of land situate, lying and being within the premises of No. 10 Abebe Village Road, Iganmu, Lagos State, measuring approximately 4951.350 square metres and more particularly delineated and verged red on the Survey Plan drawn in the name of Oba Fatai Aromire.

A new date for the hearing of the suit, is yet to be fixed.

10.03.2020

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On February 28, 2020, the Epiphany Azinge Foundation held its 2020 Colloquium, themed Nigeria’s Score Card of 25 Years Post Beijing Conference, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, under the distinguished Chairmanship of Hon. Justice Amina Augie, JSC. Here are some of the personalities who were at the event photos: Julius Atoi

Professor Joy Ezeilo (left) and Hon Justice Amina Augie

L-R: Hon. Justice Amina Augie of the Supreme Court, Dr. (Mrs.) Valerie Azinge, SAN and Professor Epiphany Azinge, SAN

Professor Peter Akpe (left) and Professor Paul Idornigie, SAN

Mr. Tony Ojukwu (left) and Dr Ochea Ochea Uka

L-R: Mrs. Sarah Kalu, Miss Asua Azinge and Mr. Abraham Kalu.

Mr. Godwin Omoaka, SAN (left) and Professor Adembabo Adewekpo

Sir Pius Odimegwu (left) and Mr. B C Igwilo

L-R: Mr. Emeka Obegolu, Professor Epiphany Azinge, SAN and Margret Nwagbo

Rev. Fr. Prof Hyacinth Ichoku (left) and Rev. Fr. Dr Martin Onukwuba

Khadijah El-Usman and Harry Obe

Elizabeth Agbai (left) and Dr. Fatima Waziri Azi

Amb Samuel Eziokwu (left) and Professor Echefuna Onyebeadi

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10.03.2020

FROM THE BACK OFFICE JOY HARRISON-ABIOLA

ibejiiya@gmail.com

Connecting the Dots...

I

s your firm guilty of following the “path of least”? There is an old story about two shoe salesmen, who were sent to different parts of the remote world to study sales potential. The first reported back that, since no one in the region wore shoes, there was zero potential in the region. The other reported that since no one wore shoes, the potential was unlimited.

In business, same as in life, everything is not spelled out for us. There are times we do not know what to make of situations.

When we cannot find the answers, what we need to do is to connect the dots. It requires time, effort and a great deal of deliberateness, but by piecing together bits and pieces, one can stumble upon a pattern or an explanation, and just like a puzzle, the pieces may assemble together to form a complete picture. From the story of the two salesmen, it is clear that, every business strategy rests on specific assumptions about what is happening in the operating environment. Looking at the factors affecting the legal market today, several assumptions are being made by law firms, which is affecting their strategy.

For instance, there is an assumption that the legal industry is experiencing a contraction, that there is more supply than demand and the solution is to drop prices; there is an assumption that the millennials have invaded the legal space and a negative positive disrupt may be imminent, etc. It may be useful to reexamine those assumptions, and see if your dots as a firm are well aligned and if your firm can reach a more logical conclusion, instead of a general assumption.

It may also be useful to ask some questions – e.g. How valid or probable are the assumptions? How do we know what the odds are? What conditions must exist or factors must be true to determine a change in our strategy, and what would that change look like? What if? What if things go contrary to the general assumption e.g. What if some clients continue to pay full rate fees to their favoured law firms? Or what if further waves of fiscal limitations, or new policies stimulate a cost cutting obsession among clients, what if the further spread of covid -19 isolates China completely from global trade? Is this a reasonable risk? What if oil prices continue to drop as OPEC and Russia are unable to reach a deal? To what extent is this amenable to control? Can we manage or influence it? Or only monitor it? How will it affect my firm? Do we move now to invest more aggressively in marketing certain services? Acting on our assumptions requires connecting the dots; thinking through whether our assumptions are still valid when the world changes around us – which according to Patrick Mckenna –“the world changes nearly every day”.

The Dots in Our Practice To connect the dots literally, is to draw a line between dots, often as part of a children's activity to create an illustration or design. The idea to help children learn to draw by linking numbered dots on a page by lines, in the correct order, in order to make a full picture. To connect the dots is to draw logical inferences, connecting items of information to reveal something hidden or unknown. To connect the dots, is to understand the relationship between different ideas or experiences. To develop the ability to associate one idea with another, in order to find the "big picture." To connect the dots in business, is to follow the money, understand the food chain and how it is linked and to oil the links.

Is your firm’s structure connected and cohesive, or are you building separate and distinct structures? Is HR sufficiently connected to IT? Is your succession plan,

connected to your hiring or retention plan?

Are your Lawyers well aligned to your business support staff? Is your management connected to your trainee associates? Are you effectively cross selling? Is your budget connected to your vision? To connect the dots is to develop the ability to put things in context, to put two and two together, to not think in silos. The silo mentality occurs when departments, practice groups or teams do not sufficiently share information, goals, tools, priorities and processes. This will impede operations, reduce morale and may hamper the potential of a firm to succeed.

In our law firms, are we repeating the same problems, towing the same path, despite getting less than desirable outcomes? To connect the dots is to see the patterns, or salient features from a heap of information, track those events or behaviour patterns, in order to learn from the lessons of past failures. Why is it sometimes difficult to connect the dots? It takes effort and you have to be convinced of both the difficulty and the value of the effort.

Hindsight or Foresight In 2005, six years before he died. Steve Jobs delivered a remarkable Commencement Speech at the Stanford University graduation ceremony. He told three stories about his life, and the first was about connecting the dots.

How seemingly disjointed occurrences in his life, strangely with the benefit of hindsight were, unbeknownst to him, meaningfully connected. In his remarkable speech, Jobs

“JOBS ENDED BY COUNSELLING, “YOU CAN’T CONNECT THE DOTS LOOKING FORWARD; YOU CAN ONLY CONNECT THEM LOOKING BACKWARD. SO, YOU HAVE TO TRUST THAT THE DOTS WILL SOMEHOW CONNECT IN YOUR FUTURE””

connected how his dropping out of Reed College after the first six months led to his becoming the successful entrepreneur that he became. Indeed, he traced the dots to before he was born...

“I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months, but then stayed around as a drop- in for another 18 months or so, before I really quit. So, why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a Lawyer and his wife.

Except that, when I popped out, they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl.

So, my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course”. My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college, and that my father had never graduated from high school.

She refused to sign the final adoption papers.

She only relented a few months later, when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.”

17 years later Jobs went to college, a college that was so expensive that all his adopted parents’ savings were being spent on his tuition. After six months, he did not see the value in being in college. Jobs continued, “I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And, here I was, spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So, I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out ok. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting. And, much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition, turned out to be priceless later on”.

Jobs continued, “Reed College at that time, offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus, every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because, I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to

learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating”.

“None of this had even a hope of any practical application, in my life. But, 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And, we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college.

But, it was very, very clear looking backward 10 years later.”

Jobs ended by counselling, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future”.

Conclusion Hindsight or foresight - of these two gifts, which does your law firm possess?

If you do not have the gift of foresight, which few people do, most of them crazy entrepreneurs, like Steve Jobs, at the very least we must “claim” and use our gift of hindsight in our law firms.

Connect the dots, is an idiom that describes a process by which discoveries are made, or lessons learned through a concerted effort to collect cues, information, and facts. To my mind, it is using hindsight to improve foresight. Is your law firm a learning organisation? Are you collating data and squeezing meaning out of them? Connect the dots means working out the true meaning of something, by linking a set of contrasting events. Have you contemplated deeply on what decisions, experiences, principles and events that got your firm to where it is at the moment, and have you fully deliberated on where you are going from here? Most of us are yet to consider the dots, let alone connect them.

10.03.2020

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MY BRIEF BY SKB STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN

stephenkolabalogun@yahoo.com

Meeting the Supreme Court Half Way

T

he general aversion of most legal systems to repeated and protracted litigation is such that, courts may not only throw out claims subject to res judicata or issue estoppel, but also claims in respect of issues that were never litigated upon before, if they could have been properly brought in earlier proceedings.

Such actions or issues may be struck out as an abuse of process; although, unlike res judicata, the jurisdiction is discretionary. It is a rule of public policy based on desirability that litigation should not drag on forever, and a Defendant should not be oppressed by successive suits. However, in the recent Supreme Court case of Senator Hope Uzodinma & Anor v Rt. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha & 2 Ors, the Apex Court in a blaze of publicity which has probably outshone all other electoral cases decided upon this year, was faced with the dilemma as to whether or not to set aside as a nullity, its own judgement perceived as perverse and delivered on the 14th of January, 2020 emanating from an appeal and cross appeal of a decision of the Court of Appeal below.

The Imo State Supreme Court Judicial Review Decision The Supreme Court in a majority judgement of 6 to 1, held that it lacked powers to sit on appeal over its own judgement. The Court held that, the application by Ihedioha’s legal team asking the court to set aside its judgement of 14th January, 2020 on the grounds that it is a nullity, was an invitation for it to sit on appeal over its own judgement, which the Court could not do. Ihedioha and his legal team had, in an application brought before the Apex Court, prayed the Court to reverse its judgement removing him as Governor of Imo State, and asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Senator Uzodinma.

Ihedioha and his legal team faulted this decision, on the ground that the judgement was a nullity since it was obtained by fraud and deceit.

Ihedioha in an application by way of motion on notice filed by his Lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), said the judgement should be set aside, because the Supreme Court was misled into arriving at the decision that removed him from office.

They claimed that Senator Uzodinma presented his case without the record of accredited voters, and that this misled the Court. In a majority ruling delivered by Olukayode Ariwoola JSC, the Supreme Court held that, granting the request of the applicants would open the floodgates by parties to all kinds of litigation. The Supreme Court also said that by the provisions of Section 235 of the 1999 Constitution, its decision on any judgement based on merit is final and shall not be reviewed once delivered under any guise, except for clerical errors.

The Supreme Court also stated that other than by Order 8 Rule 16 of the Supreme Court Procedural Rules 2015, the general law is that it has no power to alter any judgement, and that such judgment once delivered on merit, shall remain forever.

Ariwoola JSC said, “Certainly, this Court has no inherent power to grant what is being sought, it is beyond the powers of this Court.

“IN TRUTH, THE APPLICATION WAS COUCHED AS IF THE SUPREME WAS REHEARING THE CASE, AND NO SUCH JURISDICTION EXISTS IN LAW!!

WHAT IHEDIOHA’S LEGAL TEAM OUGHT TO HAVE DONE INSTEAD, WAS TO PETITION THE SUPREME COURT TO INVOKE THEIR INHERENT POWERS OF JURISDICTION”

There is no constitutional provision for this Court to review its own judgements. To say the least, this Court has no competence and lacked power to sit on appeal over its own decision”. He further stressed that finality of Supreme Court decisions is also entrenched in the Constitution, and its inherent power can only be invoked where there is a law to do so.

He then stated that “This Court cannot, under any guise, alter any judgement under any inherent power, as doing so would bring the Court into disrepute and ridicule. The application is liable for dismissal, and is hereby dismissed for want of jurisdiction and competence”. Each party was ordered to bear its own costs.

Essentially therefore, a decision of the Supreme Court is final. This is so, unless perhaps an Act of National Assembly reverses it.

The Imo State Governorship tussle was first initiated at the State Election Tribunal, which went on appeal to the Court of Appeal before ending up in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court sat upon the appeal and delivered its verdict on 14th January, 2020, thus completing the appeal process, but if the Supreme Court regards that decision as something from which it cannot ‘depart’ what cause of action remains? It is important to note that, the Supreme Court’s self-granted power to ‘depart’ when deciding an appeal presupposes a case actually in being which has reached the stage of an appeal to the Supreme Court, but in this particular case there was no longer any case in being, since the case in question had already been completed by Supreme Court’s decision a few weeks earlier. A lis before the Supreme Court or before any other court for that matter, cannot at one and the same time be a previous case to be ‘departed from’.

The Stanbic IBTC Supreme Court Decision What then is the answer to this conundrum?

It perhaps lies in the words of Abba Aji, JSC in the Supreme Court case of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc v L.G.C. Ltd (2020) 2 NWLR (Pt. 1707) 1 – 17 which was handed down earlier this year. Abba Aji, JSC held inter alia that the Supreme Court has the power to set aside its judgement, and rehear same under the following circumstances: (i) Where there is a clerical mistake in the Judgement or Order. (ii) Where there is an error arising from an accidental slip or omission (iii) Where there arises the necessity for carrying out its own meaning and to make its intention plain. (iv) Where any of the parties obtained judgement by fraud and deceit. (v) Where it is obvious that the Court was misled into giving the decision under a wrong belief that the parties consented to it. (vi) When the judgement was given without jurisdiction. (vii) Where the procedure adopted was such as to deprive the decision or judgement of the character of a legitimate adjudication. (viii) Where the writ or application was not served on the other party, or there is denial of fair hearing. (ix) Where the decision/judgement is contrary to public policy and will perpetuate injustice.

If this is indeed, the most recent position of the law, why the variance with Ihedioha’s case? Why a departure from the guidelines laid down in Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc v L.G.C. Ltd (Supra)?

Petition In this case, an aggrieved party was said to be at liberty to apply to the Supreme Court for its jurisdiction to invoke its inherent powers to be exercised. Regardless of this fact, if we are to be critical of Ihedioha’s legal team, their application to the Supreme Court, even if they followed the above guidelines and criteria in Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc v L.G.C. Ltd (Supra) should not have been, in my humble opinion, by way of Motion

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad

on Notice. An application by way of Motion on Notice presupposes that there is a case in being, that there is lis before the Court. Unfortunately, there was no longer a lis before the Court. The Supreme Court Justices delivered their judgement on 14th January, 2020 and as such, became functus officio. Why then would Ihedioha’s legal team attempt to invoke the inherent jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, by way of Motion on Notice?

By adopting this procedure, they made their case a lot more complex, and at same time, made it massively more difficult for the Supreme Court to look upon their application favourably. In truth, the application was couched as if the Supreme was rehearing the case, and no such jurisdiction exists in law!! What Ihedioha’s legal team ought to have done instead, was to Petition the Supreme Court to invoke their inherent powers of jurisdiction. In petitioning the Supreme Court, they would, of course, still list the grounds within the petition for invoking the Supreme Court’s inherent jurisdiction. Furthermore, in adopting this approach the Supreme Court wouldn’t feel as if they were rehearing an appeal in which they had already delivered judgement. From a tactical viewpoint therefore, Ihedioha’s legal team’s approach before the Supreme Court gave the impression that they were rearguing their case, and that the Supreme Court was being asked to sit on appeal over its own judgement. This impression was unmistakable, from the ruling of Ariwoola JSC Order 8 Rule 16 - Through No Fault of the Litigant Secondly, it also needs to be made clear that, the Supreme Court other than in circumstances provided for under the slip rule and outlined under Order 8 Rule 16 of the Supreme Court Rules 2015 will not reopen any appeal save in circumstances where, through no fault of a party, he or she has been subjected to an unfair procedure. See R v Bow Street Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, ex parte Pinochet Ugarte (No 2) (1999) (1 All ER 577). In this English Common Law case, upon a decision of the House of Lords allowing the appeal of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and the Spanish Government against the decision of the Divisional Court to quash the warrant referred to, it almost at once became known to the Senator and his Lawyers that a Law Lord who had participated in the decision on 25th November, 1998 was closely connected with the charity, Amnesty International. The Law Lord in question, was Lord Hoffmann. Lady Hoffmann had been working in the international secretariat of Amnesty International, since 1977. Lord Hoffmann himself, had in recent years, become a Director of Amnesty International Charity Ltd. The case itself was decided on a split decision of 3 to 2.

Lord Hoffmann was one of the majority, though he did not deliver a judgement of his own, but simply stated that he agreed with the majority

speeches of Lord Nicholls and Lord Steyn. The House of Lord’s dilemma was that if his decision could not stand, obviously the decision of the House itself could not stand, because, apart from anything else, there was no longer a majority for reversing the Divisional Court’s decision. The aggrieved party in this case argued that, through no fault of theirs they had been subjected to an unfair procedure. The unfair procedure alleged was the participation in the House’s 3:2 decision of a Law Lord, who was not truly impartial.

When we say through no fault of a party, what we are in fact referring to is that the petitioning party could not possibly have argued this particular point at the initial hearing.This applies in public law, as well as in private law cases, and is therefore, equally important in constitutional law and electoral petition cases. In this regard, the petitioning party would need to demonstrate to the Court that, this was a point that could not have been taken in the initial proceedings before the Court. If the Court is not convinced that the point could not have been taken at the initial hearing, the petition asking the Supreme Court to invoke its inherent jurisdiction after delivering judgement on a case would fail, as this can only be deemed to be a rehearing of the case, and that is precisely what the Supreme Court would never do, whether or not the initial judgement handed down is flawed or not.

A good example of such a situation would be in a murder trial where a man is condemned to death for murdering his wife, only to subsequently find that the said wife is alive and well, but living with another man. It would be absurd for any Court not to invoke its inherent jurisdiction and listen to the surrounding circumstances as to why the execution of the man who allegedly killed his wife should be put off, but do these circumstances apply in a Ihedioha’s case? These are the issues we need to carefully address and review, before we castigate the Supreme Court.

Finally, it is noteworthy to point out that, a major aspect of Ihediora’s application for a review of his case before the Supreme Court was based on alleged fraud and deceit committed by Senator Hope Uzodinma, in tampering with the Imo State Gubernatorial Election result sheets. The Supreme Court however, are not really competent to handle issues of fraud or deceit, in the sense that evidence usually has to be led to prove such allegations. In effect this would mean that the Supreme Court would ordinarily have to remit the case back to the Election Tribunal for trial on the merits of these allegations, but the time limits imposed on the Election Tribunal (180 days) and (60 days) for Appellate Courts under the Electoral Act 2010 to dispose of any electoral case that comes before them, means in effect that the Supreme Court are helpless in reality to effectively handle issues of fraud and deceit, in as long as the time limits imposed by the Electoral Act 2010 are still in force.

Conclusion An application to the Supreme Court for it to invoke its inherent powers and rehear a case in any situation similar to that of Ihedioha, ought to be by way of petition. The circumstances under which we can invoke the Supreme Court’s inherent powers is by no means open ended, neither is it wise to simply trawl through all the possible grounds for invoking such powers almost as if it’s a re-argument of the initial appeal. Such an approach, can only put the Supreme Court off.

In an age where scholarship and analysis is now rare, a simple and concise approach as in the English Common Law case of Pinochet (Supra) might just do the trick, because whether or not the initial judgement of the Supreme Court is perceived to be flawed or not, the overriding public policy of putting an end to litigation would always outweigh all other arguments, particularly if the opportunity to properly present and argue a case was not by any means hindered in the initial proceedings before the Court. The Electoral Act 2010 also needs to be amended, because whether we like it or not, it indirectly imposes statutory limitations on the inherent powers of the Supreme Court, in constitutional and electoral matters to dispense justice.

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10.03.2020

WORDS OF WISDOM

(Culled from the Internet)

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Quick Takes FGCautionedagainstTaxingDigitalProducts

CELEBRATING WOMEN IN BUSINESS

L-R:GroupHead,PrivateBanking,FirstCityMonumentBank(FCMB),Mrs.AleroAdollo;ExecutiveDirector,BusinessDevelopment,Mrs.BukolaSmith; ManagingDirector,RoseofSharonGroup&ViceChairman,FamfaOilLimited,Mrs.FolorunshoAlakija,andDivisionalHead,CorporateServices,FCMB, Ms.FeliciaObozuwa,duringthefirstyearanniversarycelebrationofFCMB’sWomeninBusiness,heldinLagos...recently

NERC Bars Meter Relocation

by Electricity Consumers Chineme Okafor in Abuja Customers of the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) who self-finance the installation of meters in their premises under the new Meter Assets Providers (MAP) regulation would not be able to transfer their meters when relocating, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed.

Metering has remained a huge challenge in Nigeria’s power sector with the NERC indicating that more than 50 per cent of Discos’ consumers were yet to have meters and are mostly charged through estimated billing.

It however initiated the MAP to quicken the process

ENERGY of meter deployment either by customers’ upfront self-financing the installation or amortization over a 10-year period.

But clarifying the operational model of the MAP, the commission explained that consumers who apply for and successfully acquire meters would not be able to migrate with the meters if they relocate.

It explained that: “All meters under the MAP framework are provided by the MAP on behalf of the distribution company operating in the franchise area, in accordance with the Meter Service Agreement contracted by both parties as contained in the MAP Regulations. “Meters cannot be transferred

by a customer once installed in a premises. Meters becomes part of the property. It is always advisable for landlords to procure the meters for their properties.�

NERC further stated: “Where a tenant with the agreement of the landlord procures a meter for a property, he/she should agree with the landlord on the mode of compensation since he cannot move the meter.�

The commission also clarified the practice of meter maintenance fee, often charged to the monthly bills of consumers and has remained contentious.

According to NERC, if a customer pays for a meter upfront, the payment of a monthly meter charge would not apply to such customer, however if not,

and the meter acquisition was through amortisation, then the customer would pay monthly meter maintenance charges.

It explained that the metering service charge covers for the financing, procurement, installation, maintenance and replacement of meters over the technical life of the asset, adding that the charge appears as a line item on the customer’s monthly bill. “The payment of a monthly metering charge applies to all customers metered under the amortisation option. Therefore, where a customer does not vend, i.e. purchase electricity in any given month during the tenure of the financing contract, Continued on page 24

MOMAN Seeks Increased Margins to Address Infrastructure Challenge Peter Uzoho Marketers of petroleum products under the aegis of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigerian (MOMAN), have once again called for an increase in the margin of their investments to enable them get funds needed to invest in their distribution infrastructure.

MOMAN, which also called for reforms in the downstream sector of the nation’s oil and gas industry, however, warned that the degradation and deterioration of the truck fleet as well as the inability of the downstream oil industry to upgrade its equipment and facilities, presents a risk to the distribution infrastructure.

Speaking during a media

ECONOMY briefing in Lagos, the Chairman of MOMAN and Chief Executive Officer of 11Plc, Mr. Tunji Oyebanji, stated that refineries, depots, pipelines, trucks and filling stations, were all in need of regular maintenance and upgrades.

He said those maintenance and upgrade were funded by industry margins, noting that the regulated structure of the Nigerian downstream petroleum industry had not historically allowed for those adequate maintenance and upgrades. “MOMAN believes that an immediate increase in margins is necessary to halt the further

degeneration of the petroleum distribution infrastructure “The restructuring or reform of the downstream oil industry is necessary. The elimination of oil theft and leakages in the system, the optimisation of the supply chain, the introduction of alternative energies and the regular and consistent maintenance of the distribution infrastructure are all necessary aspects of this downstream reform, which the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill will provide an opportunity for the country to resolve once and for all,� Oyebanji said.

He, however, stated that the association was working in concert with the federal government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other

stakeholders to address some of the challenges in the sector, including petroleum product theft, truck fleet renewal, among others.

Oyebanji added: “Recently, MOMAN attended a working session under the direction of the NNPC GMD designed to curb and indeed eliminate fuel theft in the downstream petroleum industry. “MOMAN wishes to reiterate that its membership in no way condones fuel theft, fuel adulteration or illegal refining of petroleum products by unlicensed entities. “MOMAN membership, working with its business partners, will do all in its power to support Continued on page 24

The Chief Executive, Alternative Adverts Networks Limited, Mr. Emmanuel Nwafor, has urged the federal government to reconsider the decision to tax digital products, adding that the government should rather invest in the development of online products particularly App solutions. He said it would be premature to tax digital products without substantial investments to encourage content development among others.ThefederalgovernmenthadthroughtheFederalInlandRevenue Service (FIRS) said it would begin to impose Value Added Tax (VAT) on online transactions by 2020.

Also, the new Finance Act which was recently passed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari has provision for exacting taxes from the digital economy. But speaking in an interview withTHISDAYduring the Spark up your Brand 2.0 programme, organised by Keystone Bank in Abuja, Nwafor said, “It’s totally premature to do that right now�.

He said the government should borrow a leaf from developed economies such as the UK, where businesses are ďŹ rst supported to grow before being subjected to taxation.

He said: “Taxing them now means you want them to go out of business or you want them to violate the law, because that would happen� stressing that the government should rather develop a plan to aid the growth of digital products going forward before considering placing taxes on them. He said doing so could lead to a situation whereby a local brand could be nurtured into a global brand such as facebook among others.

Winners Emerge in Gage Award

ThemaideneditionofPageawards,aninternetaward,conceptualised to reward excellence in digital application and online presence, has recognised top Nigerian brands and individuals, who have shown dexterity in using digital to boost the nation’s economy.

Themaideneditionoftheawardwhichhad22categories,withďŹ veof the categories audience drive, was held in Lagos recently with GTbank, Airtel,Jumiaandothertopbrands,clinchingawardsinvariouscategories.

GTBankwonthebankingappoftheyearwhileJumiawontheWebsite of the Year and Jumia Food also won in the Breakout App of the year categories. Other winners were Sex for Grade by Kiki Mordi, in the online ďŹ lm and documentary of the year; Skinny Girl in Transit also won the Web Series of the Year among others.

The Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Awosanya, won the Online Person of the Year, while Onyeka Akuma, bagged Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Speaking on the award, Mr. Johnson Anorh, convener of the award, said, “as the internet has become the fulcrum of growth, the biggest and innovation things in society, it is only wise that such an important platform to have a standard.We set out to create a standard with Gage award.� He said the Gage award was set up to channel youthful energy through the internet towards nation building so that it is not being used for other purpose. “Yes, they use it for a lot of activities, but we need to channel for good,� he added.

MTN Empowers SMEs

In its pursuit to provide tailor-made solutions for small and medium enterprises(SMEs),MTNNigeriahassupportedtherecentlyconcluded SME Clinic facilitated by Techpoint Africa held, in Lagos.

The SME Clinic was developed to assist Nigerian Start-ups scale their businesses leveraging the power of technology. Senior Manager, SME Segment Management, Enterprise Business Unit (EBU), MTN Nigeria, Damilola Runsewe, presented various solutions created by the company to assist businesses in Nigeria. He explained that products like the Hynetex and CallAssists helps with the growth of small businesses.Runsewe, reiterated MTN’s continued support for businesses in the country, saying: “It’s 2020 and the business world is more competitive than ever. With our understanding of the policies, new developments, the rapid digitisation of businesses in Nigeria and the rest of the world, we have decided to take necessary steps in pulling others along. “We are always stronger together and all the businesses you see here form vital parts of the building blocks of our economy.

“The legislative and the executive arms are working towards the same goal. It is for the development of our nation�

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele

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BUSINESSWORLD NERC BARS METER RELOCATION BY ELECTRICITY CONSUMERS

the cumulative metering charge shall be deducted upon subsequent payment/purchase/ vending of electricity,� it stated.

The NERC also noted that the procurement of a meter does not exclude indebted customers from clearing their proven outstanding electricity debts to the Discos.

It explained that: “All proven outstanding debts shall be paid by the customer in full or in installments over a period of time as agreed by the Disco and the customer in writing. “Where an outstanding electricity debt as presented by the Disco is disputed by a customer, the customer has the right to a fair resolution of the disputed debt in line with applicable regulations and shall continue to pay for current energy use until the dispute is resolved.�

MOMAN SEEKS INCREASED MARGINS TO ADDRESS INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGE the federal government and the NNPC to eliminate these malpractices. “This will include, working with our transporters and dealers to strengthen processes and ensure that no illegal or adulterated products find its way into our system.�

He, added that the body was fully in support of the federal government in the area of gas alternative in order to drive the full exploitation of the country’s gas reserves including deepening the use of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

Oyebanji, stressed that developing CNG as a cleaner and more affordable alternative to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) was a key objective of this policy, adding that the move towards CNG would reduce the over reliance by the Nigerian populace on PMS. According to him, towards this purpose, MOMAN was prepared to invest in the safe installation of LPG (and when the time is right, CNG) facilities in its stations across the country.

He noted that, that would eliminate the unsafe practice of dispensing LPG through unlicensed roadside vendors.

NEWS

Blue Seal Builds $12.5m Chemical Plant Peter Uzoho

narrative of our country from being an import- dependent to a manufacturing and export based country,� he added.

He explained that 30 per cent of the funding would be sourced locally, while 70 per cent would be sourced outside the country.

Edeni, added that citing the plant in the same area with Dangote refinery and fertiliser plant was strategic, saying, Dangote

Refinery will be our major client considering his proximity to our plant.�

He noted that the company plan to employ about 500 people in the first phase of the project, adding that the number would be raised to 1,000 in due course.

He added: “We have good working relationship with the host communities and they are our major partner. We are

turning the page this time because about four years ago, precisely in September 2016, when we held our first National Water Process Treatment Conference, we announced to Nigeria that we were going to start a new company, that we were going into the manufacturing of specialty chemical products in Nigeria. “The difference this project will bring into our operation

is that we don’t have to suffer losses due to expired chemicals because they are very costly for you to detoxify. “You know you cannot dump those chemicals in the river, sea or even in the air, you have to pay to take it to the detoxification facility for them to be able to remediate it and make it safe enough for discharge to the environment,� Edeni said.

Blue Seal Energy Group, an indigenous engineering solutions company, is constructing a-35,000 metric tons per annum capacity chemical production plant, at an estimated cost of $12.5 million.

The plant which is being sited at the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State is projected to be completed within 36 months.

Briefing journalists in Lagos, at a media briefing/groundbreaking ceremony of the project, the Chief Executive Officer of Blue Seal Energy, Mr. Doyle Edeni, said the facility was being constructed to further strengthen the manufacturing and supply of quality chemical products to the group’s customers.

He also explained that the plant was being built in fulfilment of the company’s promise to gift Nigeria its first ever chemical blending plant to help bridge the gap between demand and supply of industrial chemicals, water treatment chemicals and oilfield chemicals.

Edeni, listed the socio-economic benefits of the chemical plant to Nigeria as improved access to industrial chemicals to boost local production; support to the federal government’s campaign for indigenous production of goods and services; and creation of secondary industry and indirect jobs for suppliers of raw materials.

Others, according to him, include employment generation for artisans and community stakeholders; reduced dependence on imports; as well as economic stimulation.

He further explained that the essence of the plant was to invest in Nigeria and support Chairman/Founder, AACS (Consulting & Principal Investment), Dr Falil Ayo Abina (right); with Secretary-General, Commonwealth of Nations, Patricia its economic growth.

Scotland, at the wreath laying ceremony that kicked off Commonwealth African Summit 2020, where Abina delivered a speech, in London‌ “We want to help change the yesterday

COMMONWEALTH AFRICAN SUMMI

Rivers Highlights Benefits of ND Refineries Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Rivers Government has said the performance of ND Refineries Limited, an indigenous petroleum refining company based in the State, has helped the government in the campaign against illegal refining of crude oil.

This is as the state commended the company for its friendly policies on environment and community relations.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, who led members of the Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Environment and officials of the State Ministry of Environment on a facility tour of the company, stressed that the company has

positively impacted its area of operation.

She stated that the state government was aware of the company’s positive impact within and outside its area of operation and appreciated its impact on environment and what they have been doing in community relations.

She said the state government was interested in modular refineries in order to discourage illegal refineries and as well safeguard lives of the people of Rivers State and their environment.

Ipalibo said: “We want to discourage illegal refineries, to save lives and ensure a safe environment. We are also interested in knowledge transfer and job creation for our teeming

youths.�

Earlier, the company’s General Manager, Refineries/Projects, Mr. Femi Olaniyan, who conducted the Rivers State Government team around the facility, said the company, established about 25 years ago, was operating on Ogbele Field Oil Mining Lease (OML) 54 in Rivers State.

He said the company’s vision was to be completely indigenous, adding that it is 95 per cent owned by Nigerians, while the refinery is managed by Nigerians with proven expertise and track record.

Olaniyan said: “As early as 2006 our Company decided to eliminate gas flaring and a gas processing plant was built and commissioned.

“Now we are the only indigenous company to supply gas to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility in Bonny Island here in Rivers state. “We have so far supplied over 50 billion tons of gas to LNG in Bonny. In 2011 we built 1,000 barrels per day production facility. We now produce three trucks of diesel per day from our plant here. “We also produce diesel in commercial quantity with customers drawn from the North East, North West, Abuja, Lagos and so on.’’ He also told the team that in 2016, the company commenced the expansion of its refinery to an integrated facility to produce up to 11,000 barrels of Jet fuel,

diesel, marine diesel and heavy fuel oil per day, adding that the expanded facility will commence full operations by May 2020.

Olaniyan, further said the company, also produces gas for domestic consumption and, “has since January 26, 2019 clocked one million man hours with zero lost time injuries.� “Our facility, a subsidiary of Niger Delta Exploration & Production Plc, is privately owned and can convert Naphtha to petrol with 60 per cent of its labour force from the community and has no negative safety issues. “A considerable number of Nigerians have gained from our deliberate efforts to ensure knowledge transfer,’’ Olaniyan said.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Minister Hails Dangote on Job Creation Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

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)

The Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, has said the employment opportunities provided by the Dangote Group was in line with the present administration’s bid to create about 100 million jobs to lift Nigerians out of poverty.

The minister, stated this during his tour of the Dangote Cement Plant at Obajana, Kogi

State.

Ogah, while reiterating federal government’s commitment to diversify the economy, increase revenue base and improve the welfare of Nigerians through the mining sector, noted that the purpose of the tour was to find more ways of collaborating with the Dangote Group, with a view to building capacity that would enable them create jobs and employ more Nigerians.

According to him, the ministry was working on incentives that would encourage investors to invest in the sector, while measures would be put in place against illegal mining.

He said the ministry was set to ensure that the president’s bid to use the sector as a key for diversification of the economy is achieved. Speaking earlier, the Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries

Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, noted that it was the first time a minister from the ministry of Mines and Steel Development would visit the plant. Edwin, said the new development of senior government officials’ visit to manufacturing plant and mining sites was very healthy for the sector, noting that the knowledge that the supervising ministry could come to monitor their operations would encourage them

to adhere to mining rules and regulations in their operations.

He disclosed that as the largest cement plant in Africa, which sources most of the raw materials for production from the country, “the Dangote Group Ltd ensures it maintains full compliance to federal government’s mining rules.� He, however, expressed gratitude for the visit and assured of its continuous adherence to laid down procedures.

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Iledare: Petroleum Management Bill Needed to Guide Spending Prof. Wumi Iledare, is an emeritus professor of petroleum economics and policy research, and currently the Director, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) African Region as well as the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation’s Chair. In this interview with select journalists, he speaks on a number of issues in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, suggesting a lesson from Ghana on how best to utilise oil revenue for the development of critical sectors. Peter Uzoho brings the excerpts: fund, that means it cannot be used for concurrent expenditure. It has to be used for capital development from one sector to the other. So if it is agriculture infrastructure area they want to concentrate on, the money will go there as the priority, which I think is very good. I think when we were writing the Petroleum Industry Bill in 2018 there was the thinking of having a petroleum revenue management bill but they said it was a-no-go area, because it was a constitutional mandate that every money that is made from petroleum must be spent, which I think is not necessarily correct.

T

he Nigerian oil and gas industry has over the years been asking for reforms and many stakeholders still believe that we have not really seen that reform.

Do you share this view?

Yes, the reform has not been concretised. There have been one piecemeal here and there. The Petroleum Industry Governance Bill was to be the reform in terms of the governance of the industry. The Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill was to be the reform in terms of taxation and royalty.

The Petroleum Administration Bill was to be the reform in terms of the administration of the oil and gas industry; and the Petroleum Host Community Bill was to have been the ultimate reform in terms of the relationship with the community. So, we are not there yet. We started in 2000, with the Oil and Gas Policy which was to cummulate to the ultimate final decision of an Act that is supposed to replace the old Act, which is the Petroleum Act of 1969 and the Petroleum Profit Tax of 1959. So, the laws are archaic. But if you look at what was done recently with respect to Inland Water Basin and Frontier, it is a way forward, but not the ultimate end, and one must understand that in a clandestine manner, that is, it is not fully open yet, but they are working behind the scene in form of the governance bill and in form of the fiscal bill. I think they are working on it, I think it is being spearheaded in an inter-agency manner.

In terms of the PIB, do you think starting from the scratch is what we need to do or they should rely on the documents from the one that had been done previously?

Well, I think, in a pragmatic sense, they cannot start from the scratch, because from 2008 to now, that is 12 years, you have had PIB 2008, you have had PIB 2012, and you have had PIB 2018. So, there is no way anybody will come and claim that they are starting from the scratch, even PIB 2012 was not from the scratch, PIB 2018 was not from the scratch. So, there is no starting from the scratch. They don’t necessarily have to come up with the same format that you had in the past, they can improve on some of the limitations that will appear which was why they rejected it. But starting from the scratch is not effective, is not efficient and to me, it’s a waste of assets. And I can say it authoritavely that they are not starting from the scratch.

But the Senate President recently said a new version of the bill will have to be presented to this new National Assembly?

No, that’s not what he meant by starting from the scratch. What he meant was that it is not going to be a re-presentation of the bill that was presented to the former national assembly, because normally everything that did not get through in an old national assembly is dead at the beginning of a new assembly. So, what he is saying is that what you are going to see is a presentation of the bill that will go through the first reading, second reading and third reading, that’s what I think he meant. It is not that you are going to start the drafting. No, you are not starting from the scratch - going through the nitty-gritty of debate and all that. I don’t think that’s what he meant.

Over the years you have seen this bill go to the National Assembly, now the third time was during the eight National Assembly. What do you think were the major challenges that actually hampered the passage of this bill?

Well, if I’m going to be offering an opinion, since I’m not part of those who truncated the bill, I think the last bill was not an executive bill, it was a legislative bill, and maybe there is a feeling that the executive who is supposed to execute the bill were not in sync with them.

And that is of course the political environment in which APC found itself. Even though they control all the arms of government, there seem

So what about the Excess Crude Account that we have, isn’t that serving that purpose?

Well, I’m not sure there is any law that talks about excess crude account, except the budget process that says that if you have a budget that says the price of what you are going to use to generate your revenue is $50 and the price then becomes $60 then the $10 must not be used to do anything but to put away. But I don’t think there is any Act in the country that supports that, unless you use the budget process to do that, and that’s why state governments will always come to ask for that excess money to be distributed. But if there is an Act that says that only a portion of this amount that is generated every year can be spent, then there is a lot to that, that any government that spends more than that proportion or spends the allocated proportion for something else you will be violating an act.

So why do you think that is necessary for Nigeria?

No, a nation must be governed by rule of law.

Iledare to be no synergy between the executive and the legislature. So, that might have informed them.

Again, that’s just my opinion. But it’s not that they were not carried along; I mean the bill advisors engaged both the executive and legislature and the industry about that. I just think the situation got caught up in the political environment when the election was coming and every politician was trying to score a point to have a public advantage.

The only difference now is that there seems to be a sync between the executive and the national assembly. Well I just hope the National Assembly will not be a rubber stamp, and I think I have confidence that they will have someone to review whatever the executive presented to them and there will be conversation with the advisers and the representatives of the government, so that there could be optimality.

You recently moved to Ghana and you are the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Chair. Having spent some time in Ghana and you have looked at the petroleum sector there, what do you think they are doing differently that is helping their petroleum sector?

Well, they are just emerging. So, they are probably where we were when we produced the first barrel in 1958. So, comparing what is going on in Ghana with what is going on with us now is like comparing apple and orange.

Here, we have a solid local content in which indigenous people are really engaged and we have the capacity that we are under-utilising.

Ghana is just building local capacity at this stage of their development. The only advantage I think they have is that they have Nigeria to learn from, and so they are trying to not make the type of mistake Nigeria made with respect to local involvement. I wish though they are mindful that local content does not mean local pocket, there must be a capacity, and I think that’s why the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation endowed the Chair to be able to help

them. They have four Chairs: one in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, dealing with petroleum engineering. They have another one in the University of Ghana, Accra, dealing with geosciences; and you have one in the Western region, dealing with mining. And you have me, in the University of Cape Coast, dealing with petroleum economics management and finance, which is what is called petroleum commerce. The purpose of the Chair is to build capacity and the industry experts so that local professionals who could manage and participate in the exploitation are properly prepared to do that.

I think the only advantage Ghana as a country has over us is structure and organisation. Ghana is organised and structured and they are not as openly ethnicised as Nigeria. And then the university which is actually the agent for the future is also well structured and well organised compared to ours; and anybody from Ghana could be called upon to head any university in Ghana. They don’t have to come from the area in which the University is. That is some of the aspects that we have lost. So, that’s quite the advantage that Ghana has, which makes the future to sustain and grow the economy, even though they have less resources than us, more likely.

And they are also working to wean themselves off the dependence on Nigeria in terms of gas because they are developing a lot of the gas resources that they have?

Yes, certainly, and the other difference is the fact that they think more of using their gas as an economic engine rather than for revenue.

Right now I think they have an LNG that they are using to power their electricity. So in that case they are different because gas is looked at more as an engine to power an economy than as a source of revenue. And another thing that they have going for them in my opinion is the wisdom at the beginning to dedicate a portion of their money to what they call petroleum

I’m talking about the petroleum management fund that you are saying should be in place?

Yes, because it becomes an Act that must be obeyed from government to government.

The point is, you are talking about the petroleum management bill that will dictate how money that is generated from revenue is spent. So why is that important?

No, because, then there is a law that must be obeyed. Then why is the Petroleum Industry Bill important? A nation operates on the basis of law, which means if you have to change it, then there has to be an Act of Congress to change the formular. Look at the Revenue Allocation Formular, when was the last time it was reviewed?

Look at the Petroleum Act of 1969, when was the last time it was reviewed? So that’s why you need an Act and that Act must be thoroughly debated, because you don’t know when it is ever going to be changed. In a civilised society, laws are not perpetual. There are provisions to revise or review it. So you could see, even when you have a law, it is not obeyed, then everything is free for all, and it becomes more difficult if you are doing a deficit budgeting as we have. The argument is, how can you have money? You even find people arguing, how can you have external reserves, without understanding what the external reserves is. External reserves is not savings.

Are you worried that for some years now we have been weak in the area of oil exploration?

I’m concerned because the only way to sustain petroleum business is to find new reserves. The only way to find new reserves is to explore; the only way to explore is to get new blocks, and none of them is in place. We have not been able to do any bidding since 2007, that’s 13 years ago, whereas you go to some jurisdictions, every year they are offering oil blocks for exploration. So, those are things that the Governance Bill and the Fiscal Bill and the Administration Bill set out to address. But I must confess, they are working on it. If the PIB will possibly come out with two bills, I don’t know.

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EY Rewards Entrepreneurs Sunday Ehigiator The Founder/CEO of Coscharis Group, Mr. Cosmos Maduka and the Founder/CEO, Beloxxi Industrial Limited, Obi Ezeude, have both emerged winners of the EY Entrepreneur Awards ‘Masters Category’ and the ‘Emerging Category’ respectively.

They were chosen ahead of other finalists that included: Founder/MD Lapo MFB, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe; Chairman Nosak Group of Companies, Dr. Toni Ogunbor; Founder/CEO Petrocap Oil and Gas Limited, Olakunle Akeju; and Founder/ CEO, Construction Kaiser, Igbuan Okaisabor.

The awards dinner held in Lagos at the weekend.

Speaking with THISDAY after receiving his award, Maduka, who would be flying the African’s continent’s flag, when he joins other contestants from 150 countries at the global edition of EY Awards scheduled to hold in June, at Monaco, expressed optimism in replicating his victory globally.

According to him, “this award has only put pressure again on me to continue to do what we have done well. I never really expected this because this is the second time I am contesting for this. “The first time was for years ago but I didn’t win. But leaving

this stage back then, I went back home with several thought of what do we need to do more to merit this award. You know, this is a very special award. EY is an organisation known for excellence. “They just put pressure on you to continue to refine your processes and systems in the organisation.�

He added: “I have been in business for over 40 years and I believe this award is an encouragement to those coming behind to strive to be the best they could be, so that by the time they reach the level I am today, they would surpass my achievements. “Competing at the EY World Entrepreneurship Awards in Monaco in June, for me is going to be another level of exposure. “I look up to meeting different people from about 150 countries all over the world. But I’m quite confident that the Coscharis story is very compelling anywhere in the world.�

Also speaking, Ezeude dedicated his victory to young entrepreneurs in his establishments. “The truth about entrepreneurship is that, you must have a great deal of passion for what you do, work hard and be fully dedicated to your work, that’s basically it.

W/Bank, IFC to Develop Akwa Ibom Economic Zones, Others James Emejo in Abuja The World Bank and the International Financial Cooperation (IFC) have expressed interest in the development of the Akwa Ibom Free Trade Zone project towards the economic benefits of Nigerians.

This is as the acting Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Mr. Bitrus Dawuk also said it hopes to attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs) to the economy through new partnership with the World Bank and the International Financial Cooperation (IFC), which aims to boost infrastructural development of free trade zones across the country.

The World Bank made its intention known when a delegation from the Bretton Woods institution and IFC paid a courtesy visit on the NEPZA boss in Abuja. The leader of the delegation, Mr. Feyi Boroffice, had shed light on how the World Bank had been part of the Dangote Refinery and

fertilizer plant project in Ibeju Lekki, suggesting the need for a replication of such a massive project across other zones in the federation.

He said: “We are also very interested in the Akwa Ibom Free Trade Zone project which we understand is under your authority’s supervision as we appeal to you and the authority to give us the opportunity to participate in the project for the total economic benefit of Nigeria. “Just go through the zones, this is exactly development; you have zones and investors coming. A good example is what is going on in Lekki, I don’t think we have ever had an investment of that scale. “If you look at Dangote complex in the private sector it never happened. This should be over $11 billion to $12 billion, it has never ever happened, this is trailblazing.�

He, however, noted that the regulatory laws of NEPZA, as captured in the 1992 establishment decree presently constituted a major hindrance which needed

to be amended to encourage foreign investors and in order to replicate similar achievement by the Dangote Group of Companies.

He, said there should be a legal framework across the zones to improve the union between NEPZA and the World Bank.

Dawuk, however, emphasised the fact that NEPZA’s obsolete legislation which is currently undergoing amendments by the National Assembly, constitutes one of the bottlenecks militating against optimal performance of existing economic zones, stressing that its amendment was capable of generating billions of dollars of investments into the country. Nonetheless, he said the authority was ready to collaborate with both institutions to harness the potentials of the free trade zones.

He added: “NEPZA is ever ready to work with the World Bank and the IFC in giving Nigeria a world class free zones as there are already measures in place to review the outdated regulations of NEPZA to make

it more favourable for Foreign Investors to come in and invest in the country. “I will be on your neck from now on, especially in areas of training of my staff for optimum performance.� Also, the IFC representative, Bambo KunleSalami, said what the World Bank does is to provide funding and advice to the public sector and government while the IFC dwells more on Private sectors.

She said: “We do the same thing the World Bank does but what we do is that we only deal with the private companies.

We also provide funding and provide advice to private companies. “So in Nigeria, we have been active for over 30 years. I will just mention a few projects you are aware of. You all know Dangote cement plants, when Nigeria had no cement capacity, we financed that plant from its very beginning, the world zones were able to finance them as well. We as the International Finance Corporation, we deal with the private sector.�

Oando Bags ISO Certification Peter Uzoho Oando Plc has bagged the ISO 27001 certification - an international standard outlining best practices for information security management systems, from the Certification Partner Global FZ LLC. The energy major announced this in a recent statement, saying it has become the first African oil and gas company to receive the ISO 27001 certification.

Speaking at the certificate presentation ceremony, the Group Chief Corporate Services and Operations Officer, Oando, Mr. Zubairu Muntari, was quoted as saying: “This is a significant achievement for Oando. “By implementing and following the necessary steps to comply with this standard, we can identify, control, and eliminate security risks, ultimately validating the security practices adopted within the organisation. “The certification also means that we are able to provide our stakeholders with a higher degree of confidence in the quality and stability of data security and further validating our commitment to the highest standards of information security.� According to the statement, the Head of IT, Oando Group, Mr. Idris Musa, who directed the project attributed the success to the commitment by management towards managing business compliance and operational risks associated with the use of information systems and digital assets. “The investment in ISO 27001 enterprise security framework

have allowed us structure and implement modern security controls in a complete and cohesive manner thereby strengthening our data and information system governance,� Musa said.

Also commenting on the certification, the Chief Operating Officer, Digital Encode Limited, Dr. Obadare Peter, said: “Essentially, the certification aims to establish and put in place good information security practices across the Oando Group. “The certification is proof that the Company’s systems and processes have been audited against international best practice, positioning Oando as operating to global standards.�

ISO 27001 certification is one of the most widely recognised and internationally accepted information security standards.

The certification is the global standard for information security management system, part of the ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) under the joint ISO and IEC subcommittee. The certification specifies a management system that is intended to bring information security under management control and gives specific requirements.

Organisations that meet the requirements may be certified by an accredited certification body following the successful completion of an audit.

PROMOTING FINTECH

L-R: Executive Director, TechCircle, Oo Nwoye; Founder Sparkle, Uzoma Dozie; Co-Founder, Piggyvest, Odun Eweniyi; Country Director, UKNigeriaTech Hub, Honey Ogundeyi; Representative from Google, Fola Olatunji-David, and Investor, Andrew Alli, during the LagosTech Meet-up, held in Lagos...recently ETOP UKUTT

Group Advocates Innovation for Organisational Growth Emma Okonji The Agile Practitioners Association has stressed the need for disruptive thinking, innovation to enhance organisational growth.

Speaking at a forum organised by the Agile Practitioners of Nigeria (APAON), with the theme: “Accelerating Your Delivery,� held recently in Lagos, the Director, Cognetiks Consulting, Obi Ikegulu, said DevOps has a culture of practice in systems development and Agile helps to increase velocity, reduces downtime and human errors during program processes.

Ikegulu, noted that the inability of companies to fully adopt Agile practice, DevOps and Cloud computing, would make it difficult for competition in the market.

According to him, “Consider DevOps as the tool for continuous production, integration,

delivery. “Cloud is a tool that makes a whole lot of processes easier.

The Google Cloud, the Azure Cloud for instance are meant to make life easier for companies and even save costs. So, cloud makes automation easier.�

Ikegulu added: “That’s why we have come to remove those fears and assist companies to adapt cloud, even though both the government and private sector driven organisations in Nigeria are skeptical about cloud. “Today, data centres are coming up in Lagos. You also have virtual cloud solutions

by VMWare, and others who can build a custom-made cloud system, for you, in order to eliminate all fears about cloud computing. “Applications like Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, WhatsApp, among others are also positioned in the cloud and these applications offer seamless

services that give customers the right confidence about cloud computing.�

Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft Nigeria, Ifeanyi Aneke, stated that with DevOps, organisations could be assured of end-to-end advantages, as it offers them the software development and information technology operations opportunity to shorten the systems development life cycle and improve continuous delivery with higher software quality. “Just like every other organisations within and outside Nigeria, they are beginning to adopt DevOps because of the big advantages is offers. “Emphasis here is that every organisation, no matter the size, will benefit from that tool. It has end-to-end advantage to the company using it; starting from when they conceptualise the project to the point of plan-

ning, developing and managing it, upto building, testing and deploying it to the environment where it will run like Azure. “The difference is in the problem it solves. We use it in Microsoft and we have seen tremendous changes internally.

We built it for ourselves but now want others to join us in enjoying the advantages. Our solutions are better and we release more often now than previously and much more responsive to customer-feedback. This is being reflected in our processes, � Aneke said.

The Founder/Chief Executive Officer, The Agile Advisor in charge of Canada and Nigeria, Mrs. Abiodun Osoba, said the conference was convened to enable practitioners learn from and connect with people who are passionate about uncovering better ways of working and executing projects.

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NEWS

The Long Walk to Banishment Iyobosa Uwugiaren He was sacked as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by President Goodluck Jonathan for divulging a controversial non-remittance of $20 billion statutory fund into the federal government’s accounts, a charge the administration vehemently refuted.

Months later after he was sacked, June 8, 2014, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II was appointed as the Emir of Kano, succeeding his late uncle, Alhaji Ado Bayero, whom historians said served in the ‘’traditional and religious role’’ for well over 50 years.

However, after a long-drawnout battle with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, the Emir of Kano was deposed yesterday, almost six years into his tenure.

His problem with his governor is frequently traced to his critical commentaries in 2017, especially against the governor’s frequent foreign trips, the award of contracts to Chinese companies by the state government, and some general strong criticisms of the northern elite.

Specifically, in 2017 at the Mo Ibrahim governance lecture, the former CBN governor said in faraway Morocco that governors want traditional rulers to fight violence but they were not allowed to interrogate their failure to act, which usually creates violence.

He said: ‘’Three to five million

children out of school in Kano; yet the northern governor still goes to China to get $2bn loan to build light rails instead of schools. “Traditional rulers like me find themselves in a very difficult position; with one hand politicians are very happy for you to fight fires, tell people to keep the peace, preach to people, condemn violence, on the other you are not allowed to criticise root causes that may come from the failings of politicians. “It is fine to say to a rural villager: ‘You should go to school,’ but it is not fine to say to the governor, why haven’t you built a school?�

With that seemingly acidic tongue, not many people doubt that it was a matter of time before Ganduje would confront Sanusi.

Sanusi Accused of Misappropriating N3.4 billion The first move was allegation of misappropriation of emirate’s funds of N3.4 billion. He was later summoned by the Kano anti-corruption agency over his expenses after he was appointed in 2014. Indeed, the Head of the Kano State Public Complaints and AntiCorruption Commission, Mr. Muhyi Magaji, had said that the agency was investigating complaints of “questionable expenditures and financial misappropriations.�

Amidst back and forth

over the allegation of misappropriation of fund, the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission told the world that it uncovered misappropriation of over N3.4 billion by the Kano Emirate Council.

The commission further alleged that the said amount was misappropriated between 2014 and 2017 under Emir Sanusi’s watch, adding that among other things the Kano Emirate Council, under Sanusi, spent over N1.4 billion without appropriation.

The commission also averred that the emirate council spent over N1.9 billion on personal things, which contravened the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and Section 8 of the Kano State Emirate Council Special Fund Law 2004, and Section 314 of Penal Code, as well as provisions of Section 26 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended).

The commission, therefore, recommended the suspension of Emir Sanusi as well as others connected with the case, pending the final outcome of the investigation.

Court Quashes Sanusi’s Corruption Indictment However, when the indictment was challenged, a Federal High Court sitting in Kano set aside the commission’s investigation

Report, which endorsed the suspension of Sanusi from office.

Justice Obiorah Egwuatu, who delivered the judgment, ruled that the failure to invite Sanusi to defend himself against the allegations was a breach and an infringement on his right to a fair hearing. The court also awarded N200, 000 cost against the commission.

Ganduje Signs Law Creating New Emirates in Kano However, following the court’s judgment, which set aside the indictment of Sanusi, the governor on May 8 created additional four emirates: Gaya, Rano, Karaye and Bichi in Kano and appointed first-class emirs, which many believed was designed to weaken the power of Sanusi. But Ganduje claimed the new emirates were planned to facilitate vigorous participation of rural dwellers in governance.

Court Dissolves 4 New Emirate Councils in Kano The battle between Ganduje and Sanusi continued when on November 22 last year, a Kano High Court presided over

by Justice Usman Na’Abba dissolved the four additional emirates and first-class emirs created by the Kano State Government.

The governor’s action was challenged by the then member

representing Gwarzo in the Kano State House of Assembly, Hon. Rabi’u Gwarzo. Ruling on the controversial matter, Justice Na’abba said the Kano State House of Assembly had desecrated the provision of Section 101 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended), which allows the assembly to make laws.

He, therefore, nullified the law creating the new four emirates, stating that the petition for the creation of the emirates was faulty and did not follow due process.

The Fresh Petition that Nailed Sanusi Even though some prominent political and religious leaders across the country tried to mediate over the dispute between Ganduje and Sanusi, political monitors in Kano State said that the strong opposition to Ganduje’s re-election by Sanusi in the 2019 general election compounded the dispute. The deposed emir was accused of working with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to defeat Ganduje in the election.

But through a very controversial election, the governor returned and threatened to finish his battle with Sanusi.

Apparently working on the governor’s political script, a group of person last week submitted a fresh petition to the Kano State House of Assembly against Sanusi for

alleged behavioural misconduct.

The Chairman, Committee on Local Government and Emirates, Hon. Zubairu Masu, had said that the petition was submitted by two people requesting the house to make a necessary and thorough investigation about the allegations, which they claimed was contrary to the culture and tradition of the people of Kano.

Quickly, the assembly constituted a committee headed by the Deputy Speaker, Hamisu Chidare, and seven others to investigate the petition against the emir, coupled with the fresh invitation sent to him by the Kano anti-corruption agency.

Finally, Kano Government Removes Sanusi as Emir Finishing his battle with his perceived enemy, Ganduje on Monday removed Sanusi from office.

The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Usman Alhaji, who announced this on Monday at the State Executive Council meeting said the state government took the decision to remove the traditional ruler over allegations of consistently refusing to abide by instructions given to him.

He said that the removal was in line with the recommendation of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission which had summoned the emir.

FG CONSIDERS REDUCTION OF 2020 BUDGET SIZE, OIL BENCHMARK barrel while the price of New York Light Brent was $32 per barrel, thus underscoring a notable fall from $49 per barrel global price last week.

Emefiele yesterday in Abuja said the economic impact of the coronavirus was already becoming severe with the declining global oil price, which had crashed to about $35 per barrel, dampened consumer confidence as well as declined private consumption and global demand slowdown.

Owing to these developments, analysts have predicted an imminent devaluation of the naira.

However, reviewing the situation yesterday, Managing Director, Financial Derivative Council and a member of Buhari’s Economic Advisory Council, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, said the country should now face the reality because it knew what to do but was wasting time.

Buhari raised the committee comprising the key managers of the country's economic resources to undertake a quick study of the impact of coronavirus on the Nigerian economy.

The committee is expected to bear in mind the fall in the global price of crude oil which is the major source of funding for the budget and come up with revised projections.

Answering questions from State House reporters after a meeting with the president, Ahmed said the committee was expected to submit its report to the president on its eventual decision the latest tomorrow.

She explained that the committee would determine a new oil benchmark, the size of a new budget and subsequently make such new decisions public.

She said: "We just met with the president to discuss the matter of the impact of the coronavirus on our economy and Mr. President has formed us into a committee, with the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, the Central Bank Governor, the GMD NNPC and I as members.

"Our mandate is to make a quick assessment of the impact of this coronavirus on the economy, especially as it affects the crude oil price. We will be writing a report and brief Mr. President tomorrow or Wednesday morning and after that, we'll also have more substantial information for the press.

"But it is very clear that we will have to revisit the crude oil benchmark price that we have of $57 per barrel; we have to revisit it and lower the price. Where it will be lowered is the subject of the work of this committee.

"What the impact will be on that is that there will be reduced revenue to fund the budget and it will mean cutting the size of the budget. The quantum of the cut is what we are supposed to assess as a committee.

"This is just an initial update to inform you on the directives that we have and subsequently we will be sending a report to the president, after which we will be briefing the press on the actions that government will be taking."

Buhari, on December 17, 2019, had signed the N10.59 trillion budget, made up of N4.84 trillion recurrent expenditure, N2.46 trillion capital expenditure, N2.72 trillion for debt servicing, fiscal deficit of N2.28 trillion and deficit to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of 1.52

per cent.

The Appropriation Act was also predicated on certain projections, including a crude oil production volume of 2.18 million barrel per day, oil benchmark of $57, N305/$ exchange rate, the GDP growth rate of 2.93 per cent, the inflation rate of 10.81 per cent and statutory transfer of N556.7 billion Also answering questions yesterday on whether Nigeria would engage Russia on the controversies involving the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Sylva said Nigeria lacked the power to solely undertake such a move.

According to him, the reality of the current situation will soon dawn on everyone and both OPEC and OPEC+ may meet, adding that meaningful engagement is also expected to take place between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed had earlier in response to THISDAY’s inquiry on the federal government's next step in view of the grim economic data, said: “Our programme is on course.

We have not yet seen a need to adjust our plans. We are watching and assessing the situation.�

The negative investor sentiment that trailed the crash in crude oil price on Sunday night has also hit the stock market as the market depreciated.

The fixed income market also reacted negatively as yields went up.

The stock market fell by 2.39 per cent yesterday as the bears took over control.

The bears pulled the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index down, from 26,276.61 to 25,647.54, while market

capitalisation shed N328 billion, declining from N13.695 trillion to N13.367 trillion.

Shedding light on the performance in the fixed income market, the CEO, Afrinvest Securities Limited, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo, said there was significant sell-off in the market yesterday, especially by foreign investors.

Bond Yield Increased to an Average of 13.5 Analysts have predicted an imminent devaluation of the nation’s currency.

Emefiele, had last year, said if crude price drop below $45 per barrel and at the same time the external reserves fell below $30 billion, the bank might be compelled to devalue the naira.

Nigeria’s external reserves stood at $36.221 billion as at last Thursday, according to data obtained on the CBN website.

The spreading coronavirus has seen the global financial markets plummet.

Speaking with THISDAY yesterday, Rewane, while responding to the crash in crude oil price said: “Now the shit has hit the fan and there is nowhere to hide anymore.

It is now time for us to face reality.�

When asked on the way forward, Rewane said: “We knew the way forward all these while; we knew what to do, but we were wasting time. But this is crunch time.�

When asked about the contribution of the EAC, of which he is a member, he said: “The advice is between the council and the president and not for us to be advising members of the public.�

To analysts at CSL Stockbrokers Limited, with

the development in the oil market, the rhetoric about an impending naira devaluation would gather momentum, considering the elevated threat to foreign exchange earnings and in turn the nation’s forex reserves, which the CBN relies on to maintain liquidity and support the local currency.

The Lagos-based investment and research firm noted that the prospect of reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Russia was uncertain, just as it stated that oil prices trading at current levels for a prolonged period would significantly undermine government revenue considering that the 2020 budget was benchmarked on an oil price assumption of $57 per barrel. “With elevated debt servicing cost, rising recurrent expenditure amidst weak fiscal buffers, we are of the opinion that the nation may be on course for another fiscal crisis. That said, we anticipate a widespread selloff in the financial markets as investors scale down on their holdings to gain more clarity on the developments in the oil markets,� it added.

Also, the CEO, CGF Advisory, Mr. Tilewa Adebajo, advised the federal government to adopt fiscal prudence measures.

He said key policy reforms would be imperative to support and sustain macroeconomic stability.

These, it listed to include, among others, a foreign exchange management framework that reflects the market fundamentals, the acceleration of the country’s economic diversification agenda and the oil and gas sector reform, among others.

In addition, it advised

the federal government to cut overhead and recurrent expenditure, while increasing capital expenditure to total budget ratio.

Also, economist and former Director-General, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Dr. Chijioke Ekechukwu, recommended a possible downward review of the budget as well as eliminate wasteful expenditure as a response to the falling price of oil.

He also said the government would need to quickly increase the revenue base from other frontiers like tax efficiency without increasing taxes as well as ensuring that every government revenue-generating agency is held accountable.

He said: "There is fear that we may be heading for another recession. The oil price shock like we have today has always been my fear for our economy that does not have control over that major factor that drives its economy, the oil price.

"Our reserves will be eroded very fast and give room for a very high exchange rate in the short to long run. Borrowing has become inevitable to fund our budget. We can, however, also review our budget downwards and eliminate unnecessary expenditure items or bloated items in the budget�.

To Senior Research Analyst at FXTM, Lukman Otunuga, the depreciation in oil prices could not have come at a more disruptive and critical time for the Nigerian economy.

According to him, “this is bad news for many emerging market energy producers, including Nigeria.

The country’s export earnings and government revenues will take a direct hit from the steep decline in oil prices.�

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IMAGES

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŽËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

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L-R: Branch Manager, AB MicroďŹ nance Bank Nigeria, Mrs. Laura Madukamuo; a renowned author, Prof. Olusoji George, a renowned author; Nigerian Music legend, Onyeka Onwenu and Managing Partner, Prosperar Consulting, Ms. Modupe Ladipoa, at the 2020 International Women’s Day Celebration organized by the AB MicroďŹ nance Bank for its female customers and female employees held in Lagos...recently

L-R: CEO, December 29 Media/convener, Industry Evening Summit, Goddie Ofose; Executive Head, Corporate Aairs, Multichoice Nigeria, Caroline Oghuma; President Public Relations Consultant Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), Israel Opayemi presenting Overall Marketing Practitioner of the Year-2019 to Chief Customer OďŹƒcer, Multichoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho at the 2020 Industry Evening Summit in Lagos...recently

R L: Proprietress, Oasis International Group of Schools,Mrs AdeďŹ ola Akingbade; Chairman of the occasion,Mr. Bayo Olaniyan presenting Trophy to the Captain of Red house, Master Ebenzer Adeyefa at the 4th Annual Inter-house Athletic competition 2019/2020 Session of Oasis International Group of Schools held at Obafemi Awolowo Stadium Ibadan...recently PHOTO: FELIX ADEMOLA

L-R: Director, Zonal oďŹƒce Directorate, Lagos State Environmental Pollution Agency, Mr Adeleke Olukoya; Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof Olarenwaju Fagboun; Director General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Femi Oke Osanyintolu; General Manager, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe; and Director, Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainability Development, Prof. Adeola Animashaun, during an Advocacy Campaign on Single Use Plastics/Nylons in Lagos... recently

L-R: HOD, Customers Service,FAAN, Lorna Idoku; HOD Corporate Aairs, FAAN, Julian Bright Idiaghe; Brand Manager, Hypo Hygiene Products Limited, Akintayo Akinseloyin; HOD Operations, FAAN, AJ Dan Musa; Sponsorship/Product Placement Manager, Hypo Hygiene Products Limited, Opeyemi Awojobi and PRO Immigration, FAAN, Abdul Kareem Abdullahi during the donation of Hypo bleach and toilet cleaners to Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos...recently

L-R: International Producer, West & Central Africa, Global Leadership Network, Fahuwa Felix; Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Emerging Africa Capital Group/Conference Speaker, Toyin Sanni; Convener, The Leadership Project, Godman Akinlabi; Ex-CEO, Nielsen Holdings/Lead Speaker, Mitch Barns and Regional Coordinator, West and Central Africa, Global Leadership Network, Francis Olubambi at the West African Business Leaders’ Summit themed ‘’Leadership. Innovation. ProďŹ tability’’ organised by The Leadership Project in Lagos...recently

L-R; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Wife, Dolapo and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Vice President Osinbajo 63rd Birthday in Abuja...recently

TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT UN Traces Back to Nigeria Half of 40 Largest Seizures of Pangolin Scales Bennett Oghifo

T

he United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said in its recent report that half of 40 largest seizures of pangolin scales have been traced to Nigeria.

The UNODC consistently condemns the trafficking of pangolin scales through Nigerian ports, and has vowed to support the nation in tackling wildlife crime.

Last year on World Wildlife Day, UNODC raised concerns about the trend of increased trafficking in pangolins scales.

The recent UNODC wildlife crime threat assessment in West and Central Africa confirmed this trend with seizures of pangolin scales originating from or being trafficked through Nigeria escalating from approximately two tons in 2015, to close to eight tons in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and almost 24 tons in the first seven months of 2018.

The UNODC assessment shows that between 2014

and 2018, half of the 40 largest seizures of pangolin scales could be traced back to Nigeria.

There are eight species of pangolin, four each in Africa and Asia. The giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), black-bellied tree pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) and white-bellied tree pangolin (P. tricuspis) are found across West Africa, including Nigeria, while the fourth African species, Temminck’s ground pangolin (S. temminckii), ranges across Southern and Central Africa.

In less than a year, more than 25 tonnes of pangolin scales and 2.5 tonnes of ivory have been seized by customs officials in Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore in shipments originating from Lagos. A further 13 tonnes of pangolin scales have been seized inside Nigeria.

In just one of these seizures, in April, Singapore Customs and the National Parks Board found 12.9 tonnes of pangolin scales, worth an estimated $38.7 million, along with 177 kilograms (390 pounds) of carved and cut-up elephant ivory worth

approximately $88,500.

Pangolins have long been hunted for food and traditional medicine. They are traded openly in bushmeat markets in Nigeria. But strong demand from Asia has attracted organised criminal syndicates to set up trafficking networks in the country, and the illegal trade in pangolin parts has gone deeper underground.

Nigeria appears to be a profitable new transit point for this trade. In March 2018, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) arrested a Chinese national living in Nigeria, with 2 tonnes of pangolin scales and 218 elephant tusks in his Lagos apartment. He was the second Chinese citizen to be arrested with a large quantity of pangolin scales in Nigeria in the space of two weeks.

Pangolins of all species are protected by local laws throughout their range, and international trade of live pangolins, their scales or other body parts is prohibited under Appendix I of CITES. Today, all African pangolin species are classed as vulnerable on

the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, but the upsurge in reported seizures shows that legal protections are not being enforced.

According to a statement signed by Sylvester Tunde Atere, National Project Officer, Outreach and Communications, UNODC Nigeria Country Of-

fice, Abuja, “Considering the trends of the phenomenon, it is crucial for Nigeria to strengthen its criminal justice response to tackle the illicit trafficking in wildlife and forest products.”

UNODC said until recently, wildlife crime has not been viewed as priority area of intervention in Nigeria, both by national counterparts and

international partners. A 2016 World Bank report found that in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria was the third lowest recipient of international investments to fight against illegal wildlife trade, with only 0.3 million US dollars invested between 2010 and 2016. However, with the alarming trends of pangolins trafficking related to Nigeria,

Pangolin’s existence is threatened by illegal trade in its scales in Nigeria

NIOB, Stakeholders to Mark Builders’ Day March 13 All is now set for the maiden edition of the Builders’ Day to be marked by the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) and other critical stakeholders in the built environment.

The 13th day of March every year which has been set aside as The Builders’ Day, is to remember the five-storey building that

collapsed at No 63, Massey Street on Lagos Island on March 13, 2019, killing over 20 people, who were mostly school children.

Speaking ahead of the day, the National President of the NIOB, Builder Kunle Awobodu said the sad and painful incident caused by substandard building con-

struction, which has become a common practice in Nigeria should be a reminder to stakeholders in the building industry on the fatal implications of non-compliance with appropriate building construction process.

He said the Builders’ Day, which would be an annual event, would be a nation-

Alaro City Donates Borehole to Epe Residents Residents of Epe have commended Rendeavour, developers of Alaro City in the Lekki Free Zone, for the borehole water project recently donated to the community by the company during the 20th anniversary of their monarch, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, the Oloja of Epe Kingdom.

“Before now, we used to trek for a long distance to be able to fetch water but now it is just in front of my house,” said a trader who gave her name as Zainab. “We are really grateful to Alaro City for making it easier for us to access water in our area.”

Stephen Jennings, Founder and CEO of Rendeavour, who officially handed over the project to Oba Animashaun, said the project was in line with the sustainable development goals and one of the several community development initiatives planned for the area.

“We are happy to launch this water project at such a time that His Royal Majesty, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, celebrated 20 years on the throne,” he said.

“Alaro City is a project that creates value for all stakehold-

ers; and a critical part of our stakeholders is our local community. This is part of several programmes lined up for the people of Epe. It is also, in a sense, our way of supporting Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on his quest to increase, among other things, clean portable water in Lagos State, as part of a pledge he made last year on Sustainable Development Goals in New York.”

Mr. Jennings, who was also awarded the chieftaincy title of “Bobatuluse of Epe Kingdom” (one who works with the king to improve the lot of the community)

by Oba Animashaun during his anniversary celebration, pledged to ensure that the community continues to benefit in many ways from having such a project as Alaro City situated in the area. “In all our projects, we work closely with our local communities to find ways of bringing about needed development,” he said. “In Alaro City, we have created jobs and value.

This will increase as investors continue to come into the city to build their facilities and do business.”

Rendeavour, in partnership with the Lagos State Government, is building Alaro City, a mixed-income city-scale development in the Lekki Free Zone. Alaro City is planned as a 2000-hectare development with industrial and logistics locations, complemented by offices, homes, schools, healthcare facilities, hotels, entertainment and 150 hectares of parks and open spaces.

In January, Ariel Foods, the largest ready-to-eat therapeutic food factory in Africa, launched the completion of its facility in Alaro City.

Oba Animashaun commended Rendeavour for the impact of its development on the people of Epe and pledged to always provide his support for Alaro City. “We are happy with the way Alaro City is growing and how it is bringing development to this area,” he said. “We need more people to invest in our community like these people behind Alaro City.

Alaro City is in my domain.

The builders have shown to be good investors. Alaro City is packed with action and we want to encourage them. We still need to encourage more people to invest in Epe.”

wide sensitisation campaign against substandard building construction.

Awobodu called for the support of relevant federal and state government ministries, departments and agencies as well as critical

industry stakeholders to realise the objectives set for the day.

He said the NIOB was ready to collaborate with well-meaning institutions and building professional groups in the areas of train-

ing of artisans and standardisation of all materials being used in building construction so as to avert the frequent incident of building collapse across the country, which he said had claimed the lives of many Nigerians.

Continuous Learning is the Key to Success Ryno Rijnsburger Much is made of the need to empower our youth and close the gap between skills acquired during studies and the skills required by companies for ongoing employment. No one is diminishing the urgency of this task or the need to create workforce-ready youth, but we ignore the upskilling and reskilling needs of our current workforce at our peril.

The accelerated pace of innovation across industries brings a unique set of challenges to maintaining a relevant workforce. The Microsoft Future of Work Skills research shows clearly that organisations are struggling to find the right skills to enable digital innovation.

The report also highlights the need for companies in the Middle East and Africa to take a multi-faceted approach to finding needed skills. Alongside recruitment from within and beyond their industries, companies must engage in upskilling and reskilling current staff.

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2018 Future of Work report stressed an “upskilling imperative” for the workforce in an increasingly digitised world.

Without doubt, a workforce sufficiently equipped with a comprehensive set of digital competencies would have a

greater chance of standing to gain from new job opportunities arising from technological advances, Digital Intelligence’s DQ Global Standard Report 2019 notes.

Lifelong learning will keep employees relevant Over 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills by 2030, resulting in almost 650 million training opportunities, including retraining, reports the IFC Digital Skills in sub-Saharan Africa study. Self-learning is key to ongoing sustainable employment – without the drive to continuously improve skills, current employees will be left behind. Our mandate is to bring our expert workforce along on the journey. Through the Microsoft 4Afrika initiative, we believe it’s critical that we invest in continuous learning for our expert workforce who will be the guides and mentors to the new generation of skilled ICT workers.

Developing new skills is key In fact, the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2019 reports that the skills gap tops the priority list currently, with the decreasing shelf life of skills challenging corporations to play catch-up in hiring and developing staff.

Understanding the impact of technology and automation on skills development was ranked in the top seven areas to focus on. It’s not only about technical skills – more complex 4IR skills are also in demand – skills such as complex problem-solving, negotiation skills, project management and critical thinking.

These are skills that cannot yet be replicated by an intelligent machine.

Online learning is experiencing an increase in popularity. Since 2017, 59 percent of learning and development professionals surveyed in the Workplace Learning Report say they are spending more money on online learning, although we are aware that this can never fully replace in-person training.

The advantage of onlinebased learning is that it enables modern learners to upskill when and where they need to. Kevin Alves is an IT Manager in Angola who was working with a Dubai-based bank and was initially unsure how to approach the project he was working on for the bank. Through enrolment in free Microsoft Cloud Society courses, he was able to find and develop the skills he needed to build the foundation of the project and continue to see it through to success.

-Rijnsburger is Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft 4Afrika

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T H I S D AY Ëž TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT

FCT Proposes High-rise Buildings to Ease Workers’ Accommodation Burden Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

T

he Federal Capital Territory Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has advised developers to start thinking of erecting high-rise buildings in Abuja given acute shortage of lands for public workers in areas that are accessible to all the means of transportation.

He made the appeal when he received the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan.

The minister said the concept should be similar to what was adopted in Lagos State, where massive high-rise buildings were constructed in Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Surulere to tackle accommodation problems being faced by civil servants.

He also pledged to partner

with the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to improve the welfare of civil servants in the FCT. The Minister stressed the need for the provision of affordable houses for civil servants, adding more partnership is needed among government agencies to provide high rise buildings in the face of inadequate land to carter for the teeming number of civil servants in the FCT in need of personal accommodation. “What we have also observed is that the concept of building that hitherto was done here in Abuja may be 20 or 25 years ago, even for the affordable housing, is no longer sustainable in the sense that land is simply not available in the areas that are accessible by all the means.

In applying the concept of

affordable housing, we should now start thinking of high rise buildings,� he noted.

In her remarks, Yemi-Esan had solicited the assistance of the FCTA to improve the welfare of civil servants across the country, especially in the areas of affordable housing and transportation.

She described as worrisome that many civil servants could not afford to own their own homes and hence the Federal Government introduced the FISH (Federal Integrated Staff Housing) scheme which was designed to enable civil servants own houses at affordable rates.

She disclosed that over 50,000 civil servants had signed up for the scheme and requested that the FCT Administration to expedite action on the provision of land for the programme.

OďŹƒcials of Sycamore that is poised to create Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform

COVID-19: Nigerians, Safety Professionals Urged not to Misinform Public Bennett Oghifo Nigerians and Safety Professionals have been advised not to cause fear and panic

among the public by spreading misinformation through the social media.

The 2019-2020 Nigeria Chapter President - Ameri-

can Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), Nsikak A. Ekam gave the advice in a statement, urging people to stay informed on the

Preventing Mega-cities from Becoming Mega-gridlocks Emmanuel Nyirinkindi and Adele Paris At some point, we’ve all been stuck in traffic. We know how it feels, especially when we’re running late for an appointment. In Dakar, Senegal, a city of 3 million comes to a halt at peak hours, with cars averaging only 15 kilometers per hour.

The gridlock is an enormous productivity loss for Dakar in particular, but the phenomenon is common in the big cities of many developing countries.

At the same time, we know that cities are investment hubs where innovation and smart technologies thrive. Collectively, they are a tremendous economic power that generates more than 80 percent of global GDP. With more than half the world’s population living in cities, and 60 percent of the urban population expected to be under the age of 18 by 2030, we must act now to reduce congestion and strengthen cities’ capacity to offer education and job opportunities while making them more livable, economically viable, and inclusive.

Cities face a dilemma: while urbanisation presents opportunities for youth and attracts private investment, often infrastructure and services can’t keep up with rapid densification, posing challenges to municipal authorities. If core infrastructure is not fit for purpose, rapid densification can cause a city to stop altogether. Planning for a resilient future for our cities means addressing these challenges in an integrated, inclusive, risk-aware, and forward-looking manner.

We need to build thriving

urban economies that drive innovation and job growth to attract young people.

This requires transforming how people move, work, and interact. This is what the World Bank Group is helping the government of Senegal achieve in Dakar by tackling traffic challenges and investing in innovative, congestion-decreasing technologies through a pilot 19-kilometer bus rapid transit (BRT) line using a public-private partnership (PPP) approach.

Thanks to improved frequency, reliability, and safety of the public transport system, the BRT will increase ridership, reduce congestion and emissions along the corridor, and lessen the burden on the public sector by incorporating private sector expertise and leveraging its innovative capabilities.

Delivery model for urban transformation PPPs are an effective delivery model for cities’ much needed infrastructure when risks are properly mitigated and contracts are well-designed, fair, and transparent.

The private sector can bring to cities: r6ONBUDIFE FYQFSUJTF innovative technology, and efficiency r-POH UFSN JOGSBTUSVDUVSF planning r"DDFTT UP QSJWBUF TFDUPS funds Often, residents receive better quality of service, sometimes at a more competitive price while freeing up the city’s capital and resources to be utilised in other strategic municipal services that can’t be delivered by the private sector.

The use of PPPs in cities to

boost livability and sustainability is already showing concrete results. In India, IFC helped develop PPPs and mortgage-style financing to deliver green affordable housing for low-income households.

In the city of Bhubaneswar, a PPP underway is expected to deliver 2,600 units of affordable housing. In Bengaluru, we advised the government on one of the largest street lighting PPPs worldwide, with targeted energy savings of 85.5 percent achieved by simply shifting to energy efficient light bulbs. Better street lights boost nighttime business and increase quality of life and safety. This is particularly important to give women and girls access to safe public spaces and transportation.

These projects form part of IFC’s Cities Programme that aims to help high-density municipalities develop urban infrastructure in a financially and environmentally sustainable manner across a wide array of sectors.

Taking an ecosystem approach Cities must be managed like an ecosystem, not a collection of silos. Singapore has followed this approach by investing in infrastructure for a fully integrated citystate, designed holistically to maximize the quality of life for its 5.6 million inhabitants and boost economic prosperity. The city has effectively tapped into the potential of PPPs since 2003 to build efficient core infrastructure in sanitation, telecommunication, district cooling, metro, desalination, and rooftop solar.

latest developments about COVID-19 through official channels on TV and Radio, the Social Media, including the Lagos State Ministry of Health, NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Health.

Ekam said they would hold the Nigeria Professional Development Conference and Exhibition 2020 (March 19 -21) and Preconference training (March 16 -18, 2020) at NAF, Conference Centre, Abuja with the theme “Productivity & Profitability Matrices to HSE System� to “improve your Safety and Situational Awareness as we journey together (Strength is in numbers) for a Safer OSH future for Nigeria.�

The Safety Professionals applauded the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Lagos State government for early detection and management of lone confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) case. “Our astute physicians,� Doctor was key to our country Nigeria success in case Management. The doctor got in touch with NCDC when he found out he

had just come from Milan, collected a sample, tested it and isolated him in a facility in Lagos as per preplanned protocol that manages infectious diseases.

Nigerians should be rest assured that the Government has been strengthening our country preparedness since the first confirmation of cases in China. All the resources made available by the State and the Federal Government to respond to this case.

Nigeria successfully managed Ebola and managed outbreaks all the time and is currently managing Lassa fever. Prevention, early detection and prompt response to infectious disease outbreaks are key.

The statement said, “American Society of Safety Professionals Nigeria Chapter encourages all to take Safety as our personal responsibility and learn from our previous incidents.�

1. Screening at our port of entries is not a foolproof method as the virus has an incubation period of four to five days. Symptom may not be detected.

2. Fever and hightemperature case should be reported to the clinic/ hospital for proper diagnostic management. All clinic/ hospital have a protocol to follow.

3. Avoid self-medication for all fever and hightemperature case including other symptoms like Cough, difficulty breathing, pain in the muscles, tiredness.

4. Avoid contact with unwell people, in particular, those with a cough 5. Follow general rules governing hand hygiene and food hygiene.

6. Wash your hands with soap and water OR use an alcohol-based disinfectant solution before eating, after using the toilet and after any contact with animals.

7. Catch cough and sneeze with the handkerchief and disposable tissues.

8. Throw away disposable tissues and then wash your hands (Don’t share handkerchief).

9. If you don’t have tissue or handkerchief, use your sleeves.

10. Avoid touching your eyes nose and mouth with unwashed hands

WMO to Release State of Climate in 2019 Today The World Meteorological Organization Statement on the State of the Climate in 2019 will be released today, Tuesday 10 March 2020 at a press conference with United Nations Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres and WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas at United Nations headquarters, New York.

This key UN multiagency statement provides authoritative information on climate indicators and extreme weather, as well as impacts on socio-economic development, human health, migration and

displacement, food security and land and marine ecosystems. It is based on contributions from national meteorological and hydrological services, leading international experts, scientific institutions and United Nations agencies.

It is the twenty-sixth WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate. The annual report was first issued in 1993. The 2019 edition marks sustained international efforts dedicated to measuring, analyzing and understanding the year to year variations and long-term trends of

our changing climate.

The report informs Member States, the United Nations system and decision-makers about the status of the climate system. It complements the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reporting cycle in producing updated information for the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other climate policy frameworks. It elaborates on information contained in a Provisional Statement issued at the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid on 3 December 2019.

32

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŽËœ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Firm Seals Deal on Palm Oil, Tomato Production Kasim Sumaina Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË In a bid to develop soil nutrients map and fertilizer formulations for oil palm and tomato production in Nigeria, the OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Limited has signed an agreement with the National Institute for Horticultural Research (NIHORT), the National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) The collaboration, the group stated, was to support site and crop specific fertilizer formulation to enhance soil fertility status and improve farmers’ productivity.

Speaking during the cooperation agreement signing ceremony in Abuja, the Managing Director of OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Limited, Mohamed Hetiti, cited a report, published by PwC in 2019, to have stated that the

demand for Nigeria’s palm oil was now on the increase both locally and internationally, even though the country continues to spend about $500 million annually on the importation of palm oil, while consumption was rising at about 2.9 per cent locally.

Hetiti, said it was imperative for Nigeria to produce more palm oil and stem the outflow of forex. He opined that it should also be of note that Nigeria’s tomato value chain has once again suffered a setback and the supply was way less than the demand for tomato. He said in order to close the gap, the OCP Nigeria and its partners at NIHORT, NIFOR and IART, came together to sign an agreement to develop specialty fertilizers for value chain crops across Nigeria. “These important issues, the cooperation agreement being

signed is the cumulative result of a lot of hard work, research and several coordinated efforts between our partners. “We would continue to work together with our local partners,� he added.

He, therefore, commended the federal government for giving OCP Nigeria the opportunity to contribute to the growth of agriculture in Nigeria.

OCP Nigeria aims to bring specific response to Nigeria’s agriculture challenges and provide impactful and sustainable solutions to Nigerian food systems and it is sustainable and partnership driven.

He further said OCP Nigeria aims to equip Nigerian farmers with knowledge and capacity to practice sustainable plant nutrition and reduce nutrient loss by leveraging on research and development.

L –R: Convener, Goddie Ofose; Group Managing Director SO&U and Award Winner, Udeme Ufot; Group Managing Director Prima Garnet and Award Winner, Lolu Akinwunmi; Chief Executive Officer, C&F Porter Novelli and Award Winner, Nn’emeka Maduegbuna, and Chief Press Secretary, Lagos State Governor, Gboyegba Akosile, at an inaugural industry forum held in Lagos‌recently

MARKET INDICATORS

Access Bank Launches TraderLite for MSMEs Nume Ekeghe Access Bank Plc has launched TraderLite, an account that enables micro businesses, with turnover between N50,000 and N1 million to operate their businesses with their individual name or registered business name.

Speaking at the launch of the new product in Lagos, yesterday, the Executive Director, Retail Banking, Access Bank, Mr. Victor Etuokwu, said the bank looks at its customers beyond being just customers, but also as partners.

He explained: “The future of Nigeria’s economy is MSMEs because they can provide more than enough jobs to the unemployed if empowered. “And that is why the bank’s passion is to offer more than

financial services to its customers and also work with them in growing and expanding their businesses. “Whichever category you fall into; we are here to work with you to take your business to a whole new level.�

TraderLite, a variant of the Diamond Business Advantage account within the Bank’s emerging businesses portfolio, was specially designed for micro businesses with the aim of providing financial inclusion for businesses in that segment, while equipping them with the required skills to grow their businesses. The product has two variants namely DBA TraderLite Individual, which is for individuals with unregistered businesses and

DBA TraderLite Business, for registered businesses.

Speaking about other products targeted at SMEs, he said: “The Diamond Business Advantage proposition from Access Bank has been designed to add value to micro, small and medium scale business owners, so that they can grow their businesses with smart banking. “The proposition provides SMEs market linkages, increased referral base and networks that enable them scale the hurdles of accessing new markets for their products.� “Networking sessions such as Business Clubs, Business clinics, and Business seminars enable MSME customers expand their referral base through interacting with other MSMEs,� he said.

NERC Approves Kaduna Electric, Konexa Partnership The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved the sub-concession agreement between the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) and Konexa, an integrated energy distribution company registered as ECOF Kaduna Limited.

The agreement would enable Konexa to render electricity services in selected parts of Kaduna Electric’s franchise.

According to a statement, under the arrangement, Konexa is expected to make investments in network infrastructure that would guarantee 24 hours supply of electricity within the sub-concession area to all customers, from large commercial

and industrial off takers to low demand residential customers. “Konexa’s interventions will also see the roll out of new metering technology, the deployment of off-grid solutions such as mini grids and solar home systems to serve unconnected populations, and the installation of embedded generation capacity where required. “Konexa’s integrated distribution model is based on partnerships with existing utilities, bringing cutting edge technologies like smart meters to bear, and delivering a robust customer value proposition for access to reliable power for all,� the statement signed by the Head of Corporate Communication of Kaduna Electric, Abdulazeez

Abdullahi explained.

Furthermore, it revealed that the approval was contained in a letter sent to the Managing Director/CEO of Kaduna Electric by the Chairman, NERC, Prof.

James Momoh, recently.

According to the statement, the sub-concession agreement shall be subject to all existing and other future regulations as may be determined by the regulator. “Konexa shall operate under the electricity distribution license of KAEDCO as a subconcessionaire. The rights and obligations of Konexa under the agreement shall be derived from the existing terms and conditions of license issued to KAEDCO,’’ the approval letter stated.

FATE Foundation Appoints New Board Members FATE Foundation has announced the appointment of seven new members to its Board of Directors.

The appointment was confirmed recently, during the 54th Board of Directors meeting in Lagos. The new elected members include: Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Yinka Sanni.

He has a wealth of experience spanning close to three decades in financing, capital raising, M&A and privatisation advisory.

Also, the Country Director for Google Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan;

the Group Head, Human Resources for Access Bank Plc, Bolaji Agbede; Executive Director of Designing Futures, Olusola Adeola; Vice President of Global Operations at Andela, a venture-backed company, Seni Sulyman; Managing Director of Environmental Accord Limited, Ibrahim Salau, and Partner at Banwo & Ighodalo, Seyi Bella.

The new members would join the Chairman of the Board, Fola Adeola; Executive Director, Adenike Adeyemi, and Tokunbo Talabi in steering the affairs of

the organisation.

Speaking on the appointment, a statement quoted Adeyemi, to have welcomed the seven individuals to the FATE Foundation Board. “They bring along their expertise with deep knowledge and commitment to entrepreneurship development.

Their unique backgrounds and diverse experience will be an asset to the organisation as we continue to enable aspiring and emerging Nigerian entrepreneurs start, grow and scale their businesses,� she added.

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 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

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ʹ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $48.33 a barrel on Friday, compared with $51.74 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

33

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŽËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

MARKET NEWS

Edo State Urged to Access Capital Market to Fund Projects Goddy Egene The doyen of stockbrokers and former Chairman, Association of Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Rasheed Yussuf, yesterday urged the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to raise funds from the capital market to finance the various developmental projects of the state.

Yussuf, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, on the floor of the Nigerian Stock

Exchange (NSE), during the visit of Obaseki, said the market operators were happy to welcome the governor, who is also a stockbroker.

Assuring the governor of the support of the capital market community, Yussuf said this is the time the government should make use of the capital market, adding the market still remains the best avenue for raising long-term capital for the financing of infrastructure, agriculture and

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

other projects.

Speaking, Obaseki said he was at the Exchange to solicit for the support of the capital market community towards the forthcoming National Sports Festival (NSF), to be hosted by the Edo State from March 22 to April 1, 2020.

According to the governor, the market has always have the tradition of supporting sports, explaining that about 25 years ago, the President of the NSE then, the late

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Chief M.K.O Abiola chaired the fund raising event for the Olympic games for that year.

He said:“Today, we are here to solicit the support of the capital market community in participating and supporting the NSF. The NSF is very important not only because it caters to the interests of young people but also it is an event put together in uniting the country.�

He stated that the sport

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

festival and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), are among the policy instruments the government, after the civil war, used to unite the country. “Edo State is using this sport festival as one of its contributions in also enhancing unity in the country,� he said, adding that the state will come at an appropriate time to raise one or two instruments for development.

In his comments, the Chief

O F

Executive Officer of NSE, Oscar Onyema said: “The governor has been doing quite a lot since he became governor including: civil service reforms, Edo Production Centre, Edo Innovation hub, the new enterprise and industrial hub, among others. All these initiatives require funding, which the market can finance and as the governor has said, the state may be issuing one or two instruments in the future.�

0 9 / 0 3 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

34

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Neimeth Assures Shareholders of Improved Value Creation Goddy Egene Chairman, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Dr. Ambrose Orjiako has reiterated the commitment of the board and management to the creation of value for the shareholders of the

company.

Orjiako stated this at the annual general meeting(AGM) of the company in Lagos, assuring shareholders that the directors would not rest until there is return on investment of shareholders in the company, promising the shareholders

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

dividend in the nearest future.

He said company had, in 2019, began the articulation of strategies meant to drive vigorous expansion initiative, adding that the company would launch a five-year strategic plan to reposition the company to play a greater role in the wider healthcare

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 06Mar-2020, unless otherwise stated.

industry and ensure good returns on investment for shareholders.

Explaining the strategic direction for 2020-2024, Managing Director, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Matthew Azoji, said the strategic focus of the company in years ahead is to initiate bold and gradual

expansion initiative that would see the company increasing market share in the healthcare industry.

He said the five-year strategic plan would guide the company’s vigorous expansion programme, which include the upgrade of the company’s factory at Oregun, Lagos State, development

of new manufacturing facilities and expansion of the company’s marketing drive to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Azoji said part of the new strategic focus of the company is to partner with local and international brand owners in the area of contract manufacturing.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 0.89 0.90 5.67% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 34.22% 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 6.09% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.45 2.50 -0.65% 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 5.67% Anchoria Equity Fund 97.30 97.64 -4.78% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.18 1.18 3.39% 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 14.73 15.18 -3.81% ARM Discovery Fund 338.84 349.06 -1.91% ARM Ethical Fund 29.82 30.72 2.53% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.42% 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 95.57 96.24 -0.53% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.01% 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 0.07 0.06 7.37% Paramount Equity Fund 11.61 12.84 -3.21% Women's Investment Fund 108.74 109.56 -1.58% 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 6.32% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 102.03 102.62 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 110.78 111.46 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.37% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.90 0.91 -2.53% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.37 1.37 3.12% 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 5.54% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 4.64% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,204.14 1,206.35 3.63% 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 1,325.16 1,326.33 2.64% FBN Balanced Fund 143.25 144.31 -2.43% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.09% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.51 119.87 0.23% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 120.27 120.63 0.37% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 119.18 120.66 -8.41% 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 8.37% Legacy Debt Fund 3.70 3.70 1.31% Legacy Equity Fund 1.08 1.09 -5.05% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.09 1.09 0.78% 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 3,011.47 3,045.23 0.97% Coral Income Fund 3,130.64 3,130.64 14.21% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 6.32% 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 5.26% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 119.91 117.55 9.96%

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 5.16% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.16 2.20 0.62% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 10.73% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 140.48 140.97 12.56% 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 1.18 1.20 1.13% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,121.04 1,121.04 2.06% 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 1.39 1.41 13.56% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.43 12.54 10.16% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 7.00% PACAM Equity Fund 1.07 1.09 PACAM EuroBond Fund 100.37 102.28 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 122.87 125.41 1.86% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 2.21% 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 0.94% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 1.21% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 -1.69% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 1.61% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 -2.96% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.27% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 -1.58% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 1.06% 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 1.17 1.19 -2.80% United Capital Bond Fund 1.77 1.77 1.91% United Capital Equity Fund 0.67 0.68 -5.28% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.17% United Capital Eurobond Fund 113.29 113.29 1.29% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.08 -1.01% 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 9.99 10.14 -2.66% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.56 11.70 -0.38% Zenith Income Fund 23.18 22.18 2.10% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.61%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.20 120.62 52.41

-66.85% 1.28% 0.69%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.71 89.43 70.12

8.81 91.34 71.43

0.03% -3.29% -4.89%

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

3.25 4.27 12.19 11.53 176.59

3.29 4.35 12.29 11.73 178.59

-8.28% -27.54% 0.52% 10.85% -5.89%

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.

TUESDAYMARCH 10, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

35

NEWS

Emir Sanusi’s Removal: ACF Calls for Calm, Understanding Those behind removal intoxicated by power, says Shehu Sani Kano group vows to challenge dethronement Sanusi paying for his lies against Jonathan, says Omokri The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for calm and understanding over the removal of the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II. The Chairman of the Advocates for United Kano, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, has however vowed that his group will challenge the dethronement of Sanusi, insisting that the Ganduje’s action was illegal and unfortunate.

However, a former social media aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Reno Omokri, has mocked the deposed emir over his ordeal, saying that the former emir was paying for his lies against Jonathan.

This is coming as a former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani, yesterday said those

IYC Faults Constitution of Advisory Committee for NDDC’s Board Dike Onwuamaeze The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has described the decision of the federal government to constitute the Advisory Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to advise the governing board of the commission in accordance with the NDDC Act as contradictory and illogical.

A news release that was issued yesterday by the President of IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, said that inasmuch as the IYC welcomed the initiative by the federal government to comply with the requirements of the NDDC Act by constituting the advisory committee, “we wish to state clearly that the decision in itself is a contradiction because it is illogical for an advisory committee to be appointed to advise the governing board when in actual fact there is no governing board in existence.”

The IYC, therefore, asked the federal government especially the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, which “governing board would the advisory committee advise in the absence of a substantive board of the NDDC?” Omare said that the proper thing that the federal government ought to have done was to inaugurate the board of the NDDC before constituting the advisory committee that would advise the board.

He pointed out that the inauguration of the advisory committee would not serve any useful purpose in the absence of a substantive board.

Consequently, it called on the federal government “to put on hold the planned inauguration of the advisory committee of the NDDC and inaugurate the board of the NDDC before inaugurating the advisory committee.

behind the dethronement of the Emir of Kano, Sanusi displayed “the intolerance and toxicity of the liquor of power”.

The ACF National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, made the appeal in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Kaduna.

Ibrahim said the ACF had earlier intervened in the feud between the Kano State Government and Kano Emirate Council in its efforts to ensure an amicable resolution of the issues between them.

He, however, said with the turn of events, “ACF has no alternative than to call on the people of Kano Emirate to remain calm and show understanding of the situation”.

NAN reported that Kano State Government dethroned Sanusi earlier on Monday and announced the appointment of Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as the new Emir of Kano.

A former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central

Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani, yesterday said those behind the dethronement of the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, displayed “the intolerance and toxicity of the liquor of power”.

Sani said the Northern Elders Forum had waded into the misunderstanding between the deposed Emir and the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, but failed to make the two parties reach a truce.

He tweeted, “The removal of Emir Sanusi represents the incompatibility of the crown and conscience, the consequences of dissent against established norms and the heavy price of holding principles in our north.

It also revealed the intolerance and toxicity of the liquor of power.”

“The Northern Elders Peace keeping force led by General Abdulsalami (Abubakar) sent to enforce a ceasefire and restore peace in the Civil war between the Forces of the Emir and

that of the governor failed in their mission; And they quietly withdrew unannounced, leaving behind an escalation.

“If Governor Tambuwal has not been re-elected, the relatively mildly outspoken Sultan too could have been sacked.”

In another development, the Chairman of the Advocates for United Kano, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, has vowed that his group will challenge the dethronement of Sanusi.

Tofa, a presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in the June 12, 1993 presidential election, vowed that his group would sustain its judicial challenge to what he described as the unlawful law passed by the Kano House of Assembly under which the governor purportedly removed the emir.

“In particular we have vowed to sustain our judicial challenge to the unlawful law passed by the Kano House of Assembly under which the governor purportedly removed the emir.”

He urged the people of the state to remain calm and not resort to violence, saying his group would continue to challenge “every brazen act of illegality, by lawful and peaceful means, perpetrated by the government of Kano State.”

Meanwhile, a former social media aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Omokri, has mocked Sanusi, over his ordeal.

In a post on Instagram, Omokri said, “Last year I said everyone who falsely accused former President Jonathan would pay for it.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a manipulative individual who deliberately lied against ex-President Jonathan to forestall him and facilitate the election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Well, he has his Buhari. Is he happy? He should find time to read Galatians 6:7-8. One by one, the God that Jonathan kneels to pray to will vindicate him.”

FIRS Decries Refusal of MDAs to Pay 7.5% VAT Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has decried the refusal of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to pay 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT), as contracts awarded by them were still based on the old five per cent VAT rate.

FIRS’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Nami, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at a meeting with the members of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance chaired

by Hon. James Faleke.

He also accused some multinational companies operating in Nigeria of not paying the required tax to government, but hide under the issue of pioneer status to get tax exemption for a period of five years instead of the three years contained in the laws.

According to him, “some of the MDAs are claiming that the contracts they awarded are based on the old VAT rate of five per cent and so, cannot remit 7.5 per cent as stipulated by the Finance Act.”

Nami equally lamented that some business premises in the country were also resisting efforts

by FIRS to deploy technology in the collection of government revenue by connecting them to a common server where it can monitor their transaction as is done across the globe.

He said one of the problems in the FIRS was the issue of revenue leakages, adding that even though Nigeria is the number one economy in Africa, it ranked far behind South Africa in terms of tax to GDP growth as a result of leakages in the system.

The FIRS boss said while tax to GDP growth in Nigeria stands at about 6.3 per cent, tax to GDP in South Africa is 27 per cent, adding that Nigeria’s tax rate stands is the lowest in Africa, while the average tax to GDP growth in sub Saharan Africa stands at 17 per cent.

He noted that as a result of these leakages, the revenue agency was not able to generate revenue for government to fund the budget, adding that several Nigerians who are supposed to pay tax in the country were avoiding payment of tax.

HANDSHAKE ACROSS PARTY LINES...

L-R: President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; Chairman of Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; and Senate’s Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, during the public hearing of the social media bill in Abuja...yesterday

Police Confirm One Killed, Six Others Kidnapped in Sokoto The Sokoto State Police Command yesterday said one person was killed and six others kidnapped by unknown gunmen in three communities in Shagari Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Muhammad Sadiq,

told journalists in Sokoto that the incident occurred about 3.30 a.m yesterday at Gidan Shikkau, Gidan Tsamiya and Kajiji communities.

Sadiq said no arrest had been made, but a team of policemen was on the trail of the gunmen.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the communities are about 57 Kilometres from Sokoto.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, said the bandits, fired gunshots indiscriminately, killing one person and abducting six

others to unknown destination.

A member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Hon. Maidawa Alhaji-Kajiji (APC-Shagari), has condoled with the family of the deceased and expressed sympathy for the kidnapped victims.

Court Okays Suit Seeking Okorocha’s Probe A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted permission for the prosecution of a suit which seeks to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to among others, investigate the administration of Senator Rochas Okorocha as Imo State Governor.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in a ruling granted leave for the applicants – Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International and Rights for All International

– to proceed with their case.

Justice Mohammed in the ruling on March 3, 2020, ordered the applicants to serve a copy of the order granting them leave and other substantive documents in the suit on the defendants.

The judge adjourned till March 17 for hearing.

The defendants are: EFCC, Okorocha, Zigreat International Company Limited, Eze Stanley Enwereku and Duru Cyriacus Onyeobi.

The plaintiffs, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/130/2020, filed by their lawyer, K. M. Okere, are seeking to compel the EFCC to investigate Okorocha and others over sundry allegations of financial impropriety while in office.

They claimed to have petitioned the EFCC in 2019, but alleged that the anti-graft agency failed to act on the petition.

The plaintiffs stated that, by

their suit for judicial review, they want the court to order the EFCC to “investigate the allegation of corruption, money laundering, inflated contract, unlawful award of contract without due process and breach of Procurement Act, criminal over-inflation of contracts fully paid for with public funds against the 2nd to the 5th defendants in this suit, as contained in the plaintiffs’ petition dated 22nd August 2019.”

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NEWSEXTRA

Air Force to Deploy 600 Personnel to Fight Birnin-Gwari Bandits Reviews tactics in against criminals Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja One week after 51 persons were killed in five Kaduna villages, by bandits terrorising Birnin-Gwari and environs, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said it will increase personnel in area to 600, to effectively fight the terrorists.

NAF has also pledged to review the tactics of its operation in the troubled Birnin-Gwari, as part of efforts to rid the area of armed banditry, terrorism, cattle rustling and kidnapping.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air

Marshal Sadique Abubakar stated this at the inauguration ceremony of 20 by 1 Block of bedroom at 271 NAF Detachment in Birnin-Gwari yesterday.

He said since the establishment of the 271 units, there has been remarkable improvement in the security situation around the Birnin-Gwari axis, as NAF is constantly reviewing Tactics Techniques and Procedures in order to ensure the security of lives and properties, while preserving the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

According to CAS, “our desire

is to build more of these. We want to increase the number of personnel in Birnin-Gwari to at least nothing less than 600 personnel. “We also want to ensure that we increase the aviation fuel storage in BirninGwari to enable our helicopters land and pick fuel and continue with their operation to protect our communities.”

Abubakar recalled that, “NAF

embarked on the construction of befitting accommodation in all NAF locations within the 6 Geo-political zones of the country.

“The personnel of 271 NAF Birnin Gwari are equally not left out of this development, hence, the provision of this 20 x 1 bedroom accommodation built to provide a place of rest after a hard a day’s job. Let me state, that this project we are

about to commission today is a product of our commitment to improve on personnel welfare.

“I am pleased to note that this building and other projects yet to be commissioned would be named after those personnel that paid the supreme price in line of duty. While we pray for the repose of their souls, I urge officers, airmen and airwomen to continue to display the values

of selflessness, bravery and dedication in the conduct of their respective duties.

“Let me also commend the efforts of our personnel involved in Operation DIRAN MIKIYA for a job well done so far. It is our duty to protect the citizenry and critical assets as well as bring succour to the despaired as we discharge our constitutional responsibilities to the nation.

Policing is Joint Responsibility of all Nigerians, Says AIG Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan Assistant General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone XI, comprising Oyo, Osun and Ondo states, Mr. Bashir Makama, yesterday said policing of the country is not the responsibility of the police alone but responsibility of all the citizens.

He stated this during a familiarisation visit to Oyo State Police Command in Eleyele, Ibadan.

Present at the command’s headquarters to welcome the AIG include the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr. Shina Olukolu, officers of the command, traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders.

The AIG, who was earlier posted to the zone about four weeks ago, maintained that the involvement of community is the whole essence of community policing.

According to him, “Policing is a collective responsibility of of all citizens. That is why the Inspector General of Police is working to make community policing a reality. That is the essence of community policing which has been re-introduced. That is why I said that security is business of everyone.

“We are bringing on board community policing to reduce people’s apprehension. It will reduce the number of hours the police spend at work. That is why we need members of the public to partner with the police. Community policing is proactive in nature. So, the responsibility is on you to help yourselves.”

The police boss also urged the officers at the command, to do their work in line with the constitution, charging them to “make sure that whatever they are doing is within the ambit of law.”

TRCN Storms 33 States, FCT for Certificate Verification Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan Registrar/Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof.

Segun Ajiboye, yesterday said the nationwide verification of teachers’ professional certification was not meant to witch hunt anybody but to sanitise the profession.

TRCN monitoring teams yesterday began the verification exercise targeted at ensuring that quackery is rooted out of the profession all over the country.

The monitoring of compliance with the federal government’s directives commenced in 33 states with state monitoring leaders moving from school to school.

TRCN boss, while speaking with journalists in Ibadan on the exercise, said the nationwide exercise received the support of states and schools, stating that no serious country would allow its future leaders to be taught by quacks and charlatants.

Ajiboye, who maintained that quality of teachers, would affect the quality of education and

learning outcomes. He stated that the federal government would not trade teachers’ professionalism with anything.

According to him, “TRCN monitoring of compliance commences nationwide today in 33 states and FCT with TRCN officials and state monitoring team leaders moving from school to school.

“The exercise is not aimed at witch hunt. It is primarily designed to sanitise the teaching profession of quackery. This is because no serious country will leave the education of its future to charlatans. If we want to get our education right, we must get it right with the teachers.

Quality teachers will translate to quality education.

“The reports reaching us across the states indicated that people were ready to ensure standards in the profession.

Indeed some have picked Professional Qualifying Examination forms. We have received report from Kaduna, Delta, Lagos, Rivers, Plateau, Jigawa, Abia among other swtates on the verification exercise.

CELEBRATING WOMANHOOD…

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Women Radio, Mrs. Toun Okewale; Chairperson of Association of Northern Women Entrepreneurs, Hafsat Sahabi Dange; woman activist, Aisha Abubakar Falke; and an entrepreneur, Mr. Said Takuma at the event to mark the International Women’s Day in Sokoto …weekend

Bamidele: Senate Approved $22.5bn Foreign Loan to Prevent Economic Recession Victor Ogunje in Ado-Ekiti Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has defended the loan approval granted by Senator Ahmad Lawan-led Senate to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Bamidele said the approval given to Buhari to borrow a staggering sum of $22.5 billion foreign loan, was not done for political patronage, but to save the country’s economy from sliding into recession.

Bamidele spoke in Iyin Ekiti during a programme organised for the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and former Ekiti State governor, Chief Niyi Adebayo, to celebrate his appointment as a member of the Federal Executive Council.

Bamidele said the N10.8 trillion 2020 budgetary provision

by Buhari-led government was fashioned in a way that would avert reoccurence of recession that could damage the economy of the country.

“The step we took was

to avert economic recession, because to prevent such, government would have to build infrastructures like roads, rail lines, create wealth, provide employments and carry out other social services to help the people.

“The legislative and the executive arms are working towards the same goal. It is for the development of our nation.

The planners of economy knew that our budget must be well funded, because we have to keep spending on infrastructure

to avert recession.

“The 2020 budget estimate of the federal government was high and the government must ensure that it is made implementable through proper funding and the loan will help in making the funds available.

“The question the people should ask is, what are the plans in place for proper spending of the loan? Our people should see it as a welcome development and way to keep our economy soaring.

Akeredolu’s Convoy Did not Kill Motorcyclist, Say Police James Sowole in Akure The police authorities in Ondo State yesterday said their investigations into an accident which resulted in the death of a motorcyclist in Owo have revealed that the accident was not caused by the convoy of the state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

“Aketedolu’s convoy didn’t crush any motorcyclist in Owo

last Sunday,” police declared.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Tee Leo Ikoro, who made the statement, said the declaration became imperative in view of the rumours making the rounds that the governor’s convoy, while coming from a political rally, crushed a motorcyclist to death in Owo. lkoro told journalists that the investigation revealed that it

was a lone accident on the part of the victim, stating further that the convoy didn’t hit the motorcycle rider.

According to him, “l visited the accident scene to get firsthand information about the incident.

“It is good to correct the impression on the social media.

Journalism is about factual reportage.

“I went with some journalists.

The car involved was parked and the cyclist rammed into the stationery vehicle. It is wrong for people to say it was the governor’s convoy that caused the accident.

“The Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) is with us for proper investigation.”

Reports had it that the family members of the deceased took his corpse away from the scene of the accident.

EFCC Arrests Lagos Hotelier, 79 Others over Internet Fraud Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested a 30-yearold Oladimeji Olusegun Ogunfolaju, owner of Lakers Hotel and Lake County Entertainment in Lagos and 79 others over alleged

involvement in internet fraud.

The suspects were arrested during a sting operation on the hotel located at 29, Ebute-Igbogbo Road, Ikorodu, Lagos on Saturday, March 7, 2020, following an intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering by the commission about their alleged criminal activities.

In his statement, Ogunfolaju stated that he built the hotel, which houses a night club and a strip bar, from the proceeds of internet fraud in 2017.

The hotel said to be a haven for internet fraudsters was guarded by armed security men who took to their heels on sighting the EFCC operatives.

“About 60 of the suspects

have volunteered useful information, leading to further investigation.

“Some of the items recovered from the suspects at the point of arrest include exotic cars, jewelry, mobile phones and some documents, an EFCC statement said.

The suspects would soon be arraigned in court.

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TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Kaduna Killings: SOKAPU Alleges Bias over El-Rufai’s Apology The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) an umbrella body of the people from the southern part of Kaduna State, said the apology by the state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai ,to the people of Igabi and Giwa Local Areas of the state over bandits attack, smacked of double standard on the part of the governor.

The governor had last Monday apologised to residents of communities attacked by bandits in the Igabi and Giwa LGAs of the state over the killing of more than 50 persons.

However, in a statement by the National President of SOKAPU, Jonathan Asake,

the people insisted that the governor’s action was an apparent display of hatred and neglect of southern Kaduna people who had been under bandits’ attacks.

Asake sympathised with the people of the two LGs over killings, but alleged that the government’s silence over the attacks on the Southern Kaduna people, were nothing but a calculated attempt to annihilate them.

He said in all the attacks in the southern part of the state, the governor had never once visited and commiserated with the people of the area.

According to him, the southern Kaduna communities are on the

verge of annihilation with government not doing enough to protect them.

Asake stated, “The prompt response by el-Rufai as demonstrated in his sympathy visit may have portrayed him as a humane leader that is genuinely interested in the welfare of citizens. ”It is strange that after a series of deadly attacks on communities, mostly in the southern part, he has neither condemned it nor issue a statement on such attacks.

Could this present apology be premised on rhetoric calculated at achieving some political agenda, rather than expressing genuine sympathy?

“Without equivocation,

Police Confirm Death of 23 Passengers in Jigawa Auto Crash The Jigawa State Police Command has confirmed that 23 people died yesterday in a motor accident in Gwamfai community in Jahun Local Government Area of the state.

The Jigawa police spokesperson, Mr. Audu Jinjiri, in a statement, said the accident occurred after a tyre burst.

According to the police, a Toyota bus with registration number YD183 HJA was conveying the passengers from Jahun LGA to Shuwarin

Market in Kiyawa LGA before the incident happened.

The police identified the driver as Ayuba, 36, of Afasha village Jahun LGA. ”The driver lost control and hit a house, as a result, the vehicle caught fire and all the passengers and the driver got burnt beyond recognition,” the police said.

Jinjiri added that the 18 males and five females were given mass burial at the scene.

“The doctor certified the

bodies dead and the case is under investigation,” the police said in the statement.

Meanwhile, the state governor, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru, reportedly ‘witnessed’ the accident on his way to Gumel LGA. The governor reportedly instructed the Gumel LGA chairman to identify the relatives of the decease and assist them, according to the new media aide to the governor, Mr. Auwal Sankara.

even before the dastardly attacks on Igabi and Giwa villages, several communities in southern part of the state have been invaded by

kidnappers, Fulani herdsmen militia and armed bandits.

“These attacked communities in Southern Kaduna have become prone to

interminable and unprovoked attacks that have led to scores of deaths, abductions and massive destruction of property.

Tinubu Felicitates With Oguntade on 80th Birthday The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu has congratulated Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador George Oguntade, describing him as a fearless judge, and finest diplomat.

In a congratulatory message personally signed by the former Lagos State governor, Tinubu described him as a fine gentleman, who parades very rich intellectual, legal and moral pedigree.

“Anyone who encounters him would love to associate with him for his candour, courage and forthrightness. As a human being, his humility and modesty is second to

none. “As an intellectual, he is sound and engaging. In his years as a judge, Oguntade was brilliant, fearless and incorruptible. From a lowly place, he rose to the apex of the legal profession through a dint of hard work. Chief Oguntade started his legal career as a clerk at the High Court of Justice, Ibadan.

And it is on record that his distinguished career saw him through being a judge of the Lagos High Court, presiding justice of several states’ Courts of Appeal until he berthed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on May 19, 2004,” Tinubu explained.

“I must point out that Justice Oguntade shone

brilliantly at every turn in his illustrious legal career.

He served for six years at the Supreme Court, retiring in May 2010 on attaining the retirement age of 70 years. He is widely regarded as one of the sharpest minds to have ever sat on the Supreme Court Bench. He made important contributions to law and jurisprudence. Specifically, Justice Oguntade’s tenure at the Supreme Court witnessed the delivery of many landmark judgments, which impacted significantly on our legal system, particularly in the area of constitutional and administrative law,” the former Lagos State governor said.

‘The Greater Lagos Regatta and Festival’ Set to Hold Next Month A major event is set for inclusion in the country’s culture, entertainment and business calendars with the launch of The Greater Lagos Regatta and Festival (TG-LARAF), which first edition holds from 10 to 12 April.

TG-LARAF is the brainchild of Gradient Hill Limited that has the support and endorsement of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State government.

The event, organised under the auspices of the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Culture

working in partnership with Gradient Hill, is billed as a blockbuster three-part event.

According to a release signed by the Principal Consultant, Gradient Hill Limited, Mr. Ivor Ekpe, the event is designed to be a fusion of business, music, arts, culture and general entertainment.

The event will open with the Greater Lagos Inland Waterways Optimisation and Business Conference at the Eko Hotel and Suites. Expected at the conference, to be hosted

by Governor Sanwo-Olu are major local and international experts and investors in maritime, finance, insurance, tourism, hospitality and cultural sectors among others.

The conference is expected to provide directions on how to optimise the economic potential of the state’s marine assets. On the same day, governor will declare the festival open at an elaborate opening ceremony holding at the Eko Atlantic City.

TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Report: Nigeria, Others Account for 50% IFFs in Africa Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

Nigeria, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia account for 50 per cent of illicit financial flows (IFFs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, a new report by the Brookings Institution has revealed.

IFFs often occur through trade mis-invoicing, one of the primary methods of illegally transferring money to another country, which occurs when exporters or importers deliberately misreport the value, quantity or nature of goods and services in order to evade taxes, take advantage of tax incentives, avoid capital controls or launder money.

Brookings Institution is a

globally renowned American research group founded in 1916 on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., which conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global economy, and economic development.

Titled: ‘Illicit Financial Flows in Africa: Drivers, Destinations, and Policy Options’, the report recalled that on January 28, 2020, revelations around illicit financial gains by Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman and daughter of former Angolan President, Edoardo dos Santos, once again brought the topic of illicit financial

flows to the forefront of the conversation on domestic resource mobilisation in Africa.

“Unfortunately, illicit flows are not new to the continent.

While between 1980 and 2018, sub-Saharan Africa received nearly $2 trillion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and

official development assistance (ODA), it emitted over $1 trillion in illicit financial flows.

“These flows, illicitly acquired and channeled out of the continent, continue to pose a development challenge to the region, as they remove domestic resources that are

crucial for the continent’s development,” the reported added.

It stressed that over a 38-year period, between 1980 and 2018, Africa exported an aggregate $1.3 trillion of illicit financial flows, adding that IFFs saw a notable increase in the 2000s

in correspondence to increases in trade from Africa.

However, it stated that while the high aggregate amount of illicit financial flows may appear alarming, it was important to note that the relative share of IFFs seems to be steady or declining.

Osun Commissioner Urges Women to Wage War against Domestic Violence Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo Osun State Commissioner for Women, Children and Social Affairs, Mrs. Olubukola Olaboopo, yesterday urged women in the country to wage war against domestic violence and all forms of discrimination against women.

She equally admonished them to champion the campaign to fully restore the dignity and rights of women because they are partners in the task of raising children at family level towards evolving a better society.

Women from all the local governments and local council development areas of Osun State had assembled at Moremi Hall, State Secretariat in Abere for a one-day public lecture and free medical checkup to commemorate the 2020 International Women’s Day. The commissioner also called on policymakers to create more

opportunities for women to contribute their quota to national development.

She added that women’s inclusion in government would give them more opportunities to contribute to the growth of the economy of Osun State and the nation.

Olaboopo also encouraged women in the state to take the advantage of the empowerment programmes of the state government under the leadership of Governor Gboyega Oyetola to further enhance their standard of living.She advised them not to relent in their efforts by ensuring proper parenting through the creation of standards and values that would make the younger ones valuable to the entire society.

The commissioner opined that this was the right time for men to join hands with women to fight the gender imbalance in the political sphere.

RECEPTION FOR NEW MAYOR...

L-R: Founder, Nigeria Entrepreneurship Summit and Honours (NESH), Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju; Senator representing Enugu West senatorial district, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; Governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Chairman, Igbo-Etiti LGA, Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu-Oju; and former Governor of Central Bank Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo , during a reception organised for Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu-Oju as Executive Chairman, Igbo-Etiti LGA in Enugu State...recently

FG Unveils Locally-assembled Vehicles, Seeks Patronage James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, yesterday appealed to Nigerians in the public and private sectors to patronise madein-Nigeria vehicles in order to create jobs, build capacity, drive investment and conserve foreign exchange as well as aid the transfer of technology to citizens.

Speaking at the unveiling of locally-assembled vehicles, the minister said the country was

moving forward in the area of automotive assembling, adding that from zero production level in 2012, the industry has recorded thousands of newly assembled vehicles.

He noted that since the launch of National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) in 2013, about 62 companies have been registered till date to assemble vehicles at both SKD and CKD levels with a combined installed capacity of 423,790 units, and actual assemblage of 10,343

units had been achieved so far.

Adebayo said 31 automotive assembly firms are currently listed under the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for patronage by ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs).

He said the vehicles and brands unveiled represented a testament to the zeal and commitment of the automotive subsector to the present administration efforts towards diversification and development of the non-oil sector of the

economy.

Adebayo praised the leadership qualities and competence of the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu, in attracting investors across the world to invest in the country’s automotive industry by “creating a level playing ground for all stakeholders through an enabled environment, revitalising, reviving and sustaining the growth of the sector.”

The federal government has been able to secure a sum of N220 billion from the World Bank.

The money, according to the government, would be used for Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA).

The President Muhammadu Buhari administration is also

billion grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) which is expected to strengthen the fight against the out-of school children.

This was disclosed yesterday in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, at the 2020 Commonwealth Day in Nigeria.

the ministry has designed and would soon begin the implementation of a special project known as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE).

“The federal government of Nigeria has secured a funding facility of N220 billion through the World Bank, under BESDA

out of school children.

“This is a five-year project particularly targeting out of school girls between the ages of 10 and 20 at the secondary school level. It is designed to provide them with vocational skills. The project is also supported by the World Bank,” he said.

NIMet Laments Non-payment of FG Secures W’Bank’s N220bn for Better Education Service N2.3bn Debt by FAAN, NAMA Kuni Tyessi in Abuja about to secure a sum of N45 He said beyond financing, to help tackle the problem of Chinedu Eze Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has alleged that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Air Space Management Agency (NAMA) owed it about N2.3 billion for the cost of services it rendered to the two parastatals.

This was disclosed in Lagos

by NiMET Director, Weather Forecasting Services, Dr. Clinton Nzekwe, during a meeting organised by the Flight Crew Association of Nigeria (FCAN), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), and the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCO).

Lamenting over the debts, Nzekwe identified lack of collaboration between aviation agencies as one of the key challenges the industry is facing, explaining that even when there’s a memorandum of understanding with sister agencies, the level of collaboration has not been commensurated with what is written on paper. He observed that a system could not make progress without other components of the system.

He said NiMET has made several efforts even at the ministerial level to recover its money from FAAN and NAMA to buy critical equipment needed for accurate weather forecast, but till date the two agencies were yet to pay the money.

“Incidentally the theme of this gathering emphasis collaborative decision making and one of the key challenges we have had in service delivery has been collaboration.

Even when we have had memorandum of understanding with sister agencies, you realise that sometimes the level of collaboration is not commensurated with what is written on paper.

“As a system, you cannot make much progress without the collaboration of other components of the system, because if one part of the system is not functional, that system will not operate maximally.

“The life blood of any organisation is money and NiMET incidentally is a very small organisation with a very big responsibility. The power of an organisation depends on it fire power – finance.

Power Outage Mars Celebration of 2020 Commonwealth Day Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The celebration of the 2020 Commonwealth Day in Nigeria was stalled as a result of power outage at the Ministry of Education.

The celebration was greeted with poor planning as key members of the diplomatic community with heads of agencies of the Federal Ministry

of Education and students from over 10 schools were kept in the dark for hours.

Among the dignitaries present were British High Commissioner, Richard Moon, and others.

Investigations revealed that the challenge was due to the difficulty faced by the organisers to power a generating set.

Diplomats and permanent secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the celebrating ministry, as well as staff and students of various schools left the venue of the event abruptly.

The highlights of the 2020 celebration with the theme: “Delivering a common future: connecting, innovating, transforming,” included a

parade of the Commonwealth flags, presentation of theme songs, poetry recitation, drama presentation, cultural dance, and exhibition.

The ministry had organised youth lecture and school’s quiz competition in which students were tested in English, Mathematics, Sciences, Current Affairs and issues around Commonwealth.

SANUSI’S DETHRONEMENT, BANISHMENT RAISE LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES The Court of Appeal, led by Justice Tunde Awotoye, held that Jokolo’s deposition by the former governor of Kebbi State, Senator Adamu Aliero, contravened the provisions of the law.

The panel held that the

action specifically ran against Sections 6 and 7 of the Chief Appointment and Deposition Law of the state.

The court held that from evidence place before it, the state government neither made an inquiry into the allegation

against Jokolo nor consulted the state Council of Chiefs before carrying out the deposition.

Sanusi’s lawyer, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, spoke along these lines last night, saying he would, however, need his client’s instruction

before he could challenge the deposition in court.

Specifically, he said the deposition did not meet the requirement of the law, while the banishment offends Sanusi’s constitutional right to personal liberty.

39

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TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Coronavirus Forces Postponement of Africa Cricket Championship Nigeria close camp in Lagos The Africa Cricket Association (ACA) announced yesterday that the scheduled African T-20 Championship in Nairobi Kenya from March 20, 2020has been postponed on the account of rising global health concerns around Coronavirus.

In a press statement jointly signed by the body’s Chief Executive, Cassim Suliman and Chairperson, Jackie Janmohamed, ACA said that “With reference with the above mentioned subjects please be advised (that) with in-depth communications with local and international authorities as well as to ensure safety of all concerned both domestically and internationally we regret to advise the participation members who are competing in the ACA T20 Africa Cup Kenya 2020 has been postponed until further notice. “The ACA respects the decision of the Government of Kenya and supports all efforts that safeguard the country against the possible entry of the Coronavirus Disease 2019

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TODAY (9PM) Leipzig v Valencia v

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(COVID-19). This decision has been taken by the ACA Board as well as in consultation with all the Health Ministries of the various countries.�

Following the development, the Nigeria Cricket Federation has also ended the camping for the country’s team for the event. The senior national Team Yellow-Green, were camped in Lagos to prepare for the event.

The statement also said that the Kenyan government has banned meetings and conferences that are international in nature and as well asked Kenyans to avoid gathering with more than 15 people in attendance.

All which are supposed to be the character of the ACA T-20 event. “The government has, with immediate effect banned all meetings, conferences and events of international nature in Kenya The government has issued a travel advisory to all Kenyans to avoid non-essential travel to high risk countries for conferences/meetings or events where more than 15 people would be gathering. “The Ministry of Health is engaging Kenyans citizens, sector by sector, in the

D E AT H I N L A F I A

Sports Minister Bans Matches without Medics Following the death of the player of Nassarawa United, Chineme Martins during a Nigerian Professional Football League match with Katsina United at the weekend in Lafia, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has ordered that henceforth no game should be played without the full compliments of paramedics personnel and equipment at the venue.

This decision was taken after due consultations, meetings and calls to relevant stakeholders by the minister.

A statement from the Office of the Sports Minister yesterday said: “Henceforth, from March 14th, 2020 no league match would take place without paramedic personnel, full equipment as provided for in the NFF Club licensing Regulations. “This decision was reached to ensure prompt response in the event of any incident during matches. We don’t want any avoidable deaths in our match venues or any other sports for that matter. “We are also going to move against hooliganism at match venues. We shall enforce zero tolerance for violence at stadium as is the case in all match venues,� observed the statement from the minister’s office.

Under the arrangement, all match commissioners and host state FAs must inspect all medical facilities at match

venues, test run to confirm that they are working before the commencement of any league game.

Meanwhile, Dare has offered his condolences to the family of the departed player, even as he assured stakeholders that adequate measures would be put in place to forestall future occurrences. “The death of the Nasarawa United player is most unfortunate. We shall not tolerate avoidable death as a result of not observing laid down rules,� the minister warned.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC), Shehu Dikko has said the league regrets the passing of the young man in his prime. “We commiserate with Nasarawa United and the immediate family of the late player�, Dikko said.

The LMC expects that there would be a standard autopsy to establish the cause of the player’s death. “It is hoped that the findings of the autopsy would inform subsequent measures, if any that has not been addressed by the existing standard procedure,� the LMC Boss stated.

Furthermore, he said that the LMC will keep engaging the club and the player’s immediate family to find the best way possible to offer support in this sad moment for the Nigeria football family at large.

management of both personal and public hygiene,� the statement warned.

In a reaction to the development, General Manager of the Nigerian cricket federation, Emeka Igwilo said that the continental cricket had done well and that Nigeria has complied by disbanding the training camp already opened in Lagos. “As an ACA member federation, I believe the postponement will douse some tension around the event especially as the outbreak around the Coronavirus is on the increase of late. We have also informed our team presently camped in Lagos of the development and the camp has been closed,� he said.

The senior national team, Yellow Green, has been in camp in Lagos since February 29, 2020, and was supposed to proceed on training tour of Zimbabwe for ten days starting from yesterday and have touched down in Nairobi (Kenya) on March 20for the African T-20 Championship. “A lot of sporting events have taken the hit as more people and countries are avoiding public gathering as a way to curb the outbreak and spread of the virus. I believe, the postponement is in the interest of all,� Igwilo added.

The eight-nation championship was supposed to feature Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon,

Ghana, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, and host Kenya.

The ACA states that it will keep its members updated on

future developments around the event.

L-R: Permanent Secretary in Rivers State Ministry of Sports, Honour Sirawoo; Commissioner for Sports, Boma Iyaye (representative of Governor Nyesom Wike); and Zonal Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Sylvester Essiet holding aloft the National Sports Festival Torch on arrival in Rivers State...yesterday

N AT I O N A L S P O R T S F E S T I VA L

Wike Receives Torch of Unity, Charges Rivers Athletes to Shine in Benin Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Monday received the Torch of Unity with less than two weeks to the commencement of the 2020 National Sports Festival (NSF) in Benin City, Edo State.

At a brief ceremony held at the magnificent Alfred Diette-Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt, Governor Wike, represented by the Commissioner for Sports, Boma Iyaye received the torch from the South-South Zonal Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Sylvester Essiet.

Governor Wike, while welcoming the Ministry officials, emphasized once again the state’s leadership role as a stakeholder in the Sports Festival history. “This torch is one of the keys to the hosting of the National Sports Festival. As you are all aware, Rivers State is a major player and stakeholder in the affairs of the NSF. We are always counted among the best when it comes to the National Sports Festival. We also know that the National Sports Festival is like the Olympics of Nigeria.

“It goes a long way to bring unity among our youths. It binds our youths and encourages our youths,� said Governor Wike.

He assured the state’s athletes of all necessary support ahead of the Festival, insisting that the state will not be going to Edo to participate alone but to make a good showing. “We’re not just prepared to go and compete in Edo 2020, we will make sure we are counted among the best in the comity of States,� he stressed.

Also present at the torch-

receiving ceremony is the new Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Sports and President, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Honour Sirawoo; officials, coaches, and athletes in the ministry.

The torch has since continued its journey to Bayelsa State.

After the ceremony, both the commissioner and permanent secretary proceeded to the Board Room of the Civic Centre for the inauguration of the state’s Steering Committee for the Sports Festival headed

by Honour Sirawoo.

Star Lager Lights up Manchester Derby in Lagos, Kaduna Nigeria’s foremost beer brand, Star Lager Beer at the weekend provided another unforgettable moment for fans as the fourth Manchester Derby for the season was played at Old Trafford.

Hosting enthusiastic fans simultaneously at the Star Live Arena in Lagos and Kaduna, the leading beer brand provided the perfect atmosphere to savour another great game between two local rivals who have enjoyed their fair share of dominance in English football and beyond.

Coming from their heroics in the Carabao Cup which they have now won three times in a row,

many had put their money on Manchester City to carry the day especially having lost the reverse fixture earlier in the season at the Etihad Stadium.

However, goals from Anthony Martial and Scot McTominay saw United completing a double over City for the first time in over a decade.

The same way fans; especially the United faithful were having a fun-filled day at Old Trafford, those present at the Star Live Arena in Lagos and Kaduna were equally enjoying the noble treat being offered through Star’s latest sports initiative to connect with

its consumers through passion points, like football.

Apart from the giant screens, food, drinks and music, there were also a lot of prizes given out by Star Lager as it continues in its tradition of rewarding passionate football fans and its loyal customers.

Among other things, bags of rice, footballs, jerseys, fridge and a big rechargeable fan was won by lucky fans.

Fans were also made instant stars as they were given the chance to air their opinions live on Africa’s first Sports Radio, Brila FM. One of the lucky winners of

a bag rice Okunola Olarenwaju expressed delight not only at his prize but the whole atmosphere provided by Star Lager He said: “This is a very commendable initiative, Star knows Nigerians love football and they are ensuring we enjoy the game with their beer, I say kudos to them�

The Star Live Arena is a new platform in partnership with Man. City in which Star Lager Beer offers fans an immersive experience of the Premier League as well as other competitions involving Manchester City in bars around them.

Tuesday March 10, 2020

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MISSILE Oyedepo to FG

“The government in this country is making a draconian law – hate speech. They said if you speak hatefully, you have committed murder. Out of someone who says I will kill you and the one who kills, who has committed a crime? I don’t understand which kind of animal farm we live in” – Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, describing the regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari as the worst in the history of Nigeria.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

Amala and the Coronavirus Patient: Matters Arising

O

f all the updates that have been given so far by the Lagos State authorities on the government’s efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, and ensure proper care for the reported index case, and other possible cases (there is a second case now), the most intriguing update for me is the disclosure that the Italian index case who has since been quarantined at the bio-security facility in Lagos, is recovering - indeed so well that he now eats a local delicacy, called “Amala”. This disclosure was attributed to the Manager of the Bio-security Centre in Lagos, Dr. Bankole Akinwale. Let no one be under any mistaken impression that the doctor was trying to suggest that the eating of amala, is any form of cure for corona virus; he being a Yoruba had to find the most graphic way to convey the patient’s health status as at the time he made that disclosure six days ago.

Amala is a special delicacy that is very popular among the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is in two forms, white and dark brown colours: the former is made from cassava, and is far more popular among the Egba people of Ogun State. They call it Lafun. The latter which is the standard paste is made from yam. Both are best consumed with a variety of soups particularly okro, ewedu, ogbono, or well-made egusi soup or vegetables. When a Yoruba man tells you that he is eating or enjoying amala, it is an indirect way of telling you that he is in good health. In Nigeria, it is not unusual to find persons who associate a good appetite with being well and alive. It is assumed that the sick may not really have a good appetite. This is why the moment a sick person begins to feed well, that is seen as a good sign of recovery. There may be no scientific basis for it, but at least that is what the people believe.

And so when the doctor in charge of the coronavirus isolation centre in Lagos reports that the Italian in the facility’s care has started eating amala, he simply spoke “YorubaEnglish”.

An Italian eating Amala? When did he develop the taste for it? Many of the persons I discussed the matter with began to wonder whether there is actually a kitchen at the isolation centre. We tried to imagine the recuperating Italian dropping dollops of amala into his mouth, with slimy okro and ewedu, and having a good bite of goat meat, intestine, tripe, stockfish, fresh fish or what Iya Sunday, my favourite amala seller calls “orisirisi.”

Only one person objected to the disclosure of the information about the Italian who now eats Amala.

“That was an overkill,” he said…

“It was okay to just tell us that the Italian is recovering. Telling the public that the man now eats Amala. Do you know that some hungry Nigerians can now show up at the isolation centre, hoping to also eat free Amala?, ” he added.

“God forbid! What kind of joke is that?” another person quipped. “We are talking about Corona Virus. It is a deadly disease. Why would anybody go to an isolation centre just because he or she has heard that they are serving Amala there. It is an isolation centre, not a restaurant.”

“Dey there. You don’t know some Nigerians.

There is so much poverty in this land. People will do anything just to have three meals a day.

Government is using its resources to address the corona virus challenge. Testing and treatment are free, and if you recover quickly, you may be served hot piping amala. People will troop down there for a free meal. And may be a bottle of beer.”

“I beg, jare, do you know if they will also serve nkwobi, isi ewu, tuwo shinkafa, and edikaikong at the isolation centre?”, one obvious clown interjected.

The conversation went on circuitously, and was

Health Minister Dr. Osagie Ehanire beginning to assume the shape of a pepper-soup joint repartee when someone sternly reminded us all that there was nothing funny about Corona Virus and that since the index case was identified, there has been another confirmed case in Nigeria, effectively bringing up the number of cases to two. What makes it all the more frightening is the fact that the second person contracted the virus through contact with the first reported case. It has been more than a week since that Italian was quarantined in Lagos. The second reported case during that period has been out there also making contact with other people, who have also contacted others. Nigeria’s early response mechanism and multi-sectoral collaboration to contain the spread of the virus may be commendable, but two weeks later, there are obvious gaps that need to be addressed, and efforts need to be further intensified. How effective is the contact tracing protocol for the two identified and confirmed cases?

There are reported 23 laboratories and isolation facilities in the country. But what is their quality?

Senate President Ahmad Lawan and a team from the National Assembly recently visited the two isolation centres in Abuja. He had to raise an alarm. He met the facilities in such a poor state, he had to threaten to return with his team within a week to check if there have been any improvements. Senator Ahmad Lawan also lamented that the Ministry of Finance has not released money ear-marked for the fight against Corona Virus. His protest helped. Three air conditioners were hurriedly installed the day members of the National Assembly visited.

Other states of the Federation including Ekiti, Plateau, Benue, Kano, Bauchi, Osun, Ondo, Cross River, Nasarawa, Edo, the FCT and Ogun have announced measures to contain the spread of Corona Virus, but in reality only Lagos State appears to be better prepared. In the event of an outbreak, even the facilities in Lagos and the FCT will be overstretched.

There are lessons that we can learn from elsewhere. As at February 7, 2020, Italy reported only three confirmed cases of Corona virus. By February 16, the number had risen to 21. What followed was an explosion in the numbers. About 9, 172 people are with the virus in Italy today.

Over 463 have died. Italy is the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe. Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte has released a health decree imposing restrictions on the movement of people in the region of Lombardy and about 15 provinces, thus quarantining about 16 million people in Northern Italy. They are not allowed to move in and out of the territory until April

3. Violation of the restriction order will attract stiff penalties: jail time and a fine. Italy is now effectively on complete lock down. Sporting events around the world are being postponed.

Football matches are now being played behind closed doors. Supermarkets, cinemas have been shut down. The United Kingdom is in a panic mode. The NHS is already overstretched. Many nations are imitating China. The United States has set aside $8.3 billion. This is not just the flu. The world is on fire!

I do not think that the average Nigerian even takes the Corona Virus threat seriously. One enlightened fellow, a man who should know, told me the other day that we don’t need to panic. He insisted there is too much hysteria over Corona virus and that in six months, it would have passed. One famous Pastor has been quoted as saying there will be rainfall before the end of the month and that rainfall will wash Corona Virus away. The Pastor has a large following. His followers believe him. In Ghana, another Pastor is now making a fortune out of what he calls Corona Virus Anointing Oil. Yes. Anointing Oil! In Nigeria, churches are also making brisk business out of Corona Virus.

They are organizing prayer sessions and night vigils where worshippers hold hands, sneezing in each other’s faces and polluting the environment with saliva. Nigerian cinemas are still open and crowded every weekend. Wedding and funeral parties remain busy. People are still going about sticking out their tongues for a kiss. A serious public health crisis is most certainly around the corner. We need to be better prepared. This is how bad the situation is: Every other country began its encounter with Corona with one index case and gradually, the virus spreads…

The time has come for President Muhammadu Buhari to take personal charge of the crisis and address the nation. Human lives are in danger.

The Nigerian leader must step forward and give the people hope. More so, as the Corona Virus pandemic is threatening not just the global economy but the Nigerian economy which is bound to take a terrible hit. During the last global financial crisis, Nigeria managed somehow to survive the external shocks. With the present global threat, the circumstances are different. A week ago, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, drew attention to the fact that the fundamentals of the 2020 Budget would have to be reviewed in collaboration with the National Assembly.

When Mrs. Ahmed spoke, the spot price of Brent crude had gone down to $52 dollars per barrel due to the Corona effect on global demand for crude.

With the travel and tourism industry and the manufacturing sector shut down in many countries, oil prices have crashed. OPEC had on its agenda a discussion of further cuts for its members: an additional 1.5 million barrels per day. Nigeria’s 2020 Budget is based on a projection of 2.1 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N360 to the dollar. Since Mrs Ahmed spoke, things have turned worse.

Oil prices have collapsed! As at yesterday, the price of Brent crude was down to $31.80. The major catalyst for this is the price war between Saudi Arabia and its long-time ally, Russia.

Russia refused to agree to further production cuts, insisting it can survive on a price of $25 per barrel, and enough reserves to support its national currency, the rouble. Saudi Arabia is also threatening to flood the oil market by raising its own production level, thus forcing prices down. Saudi Arabia has a number of advantages. Russia can also absorb the fall-out.

But where does a collapse of oil prices leave Nigeria and others? Lower oil prices will affect

economies that depend on crude oil. Global stock markets virtually came to a standstill yesterday. The New York Stock Exchange had to shut down for 15 minutes. Faced with the biggest shock since 1991, trading was halted.

Stocks plunged. Yields on government bonds moved southwards.

What is happening is enough to cause panic in Nigeria. Can Nigeria afford to sell crude oil at $25 per barrel? Our production cost is about $30 per barrel. Our daily production capacity is between 1.7 to 2 million barrels of crude oil per day. Can we afford like Saudi Arabia and Russia to increase production? Truth: We don’t have the capacity. Oil and gas business is oily and capital-intensive. We don’t have the resources. And even if we produce more oil, who will buy from us given the emergent energy demand crisis in the world? The worst case scenario, if the present situation persists, is a huge shortfall in Nigeria’s oil revenue. If prices fall below $30 per barrel, our economy will simply fail. We cannot boast like Russia that we have enough reserves to absorb the shocks. Our effective foreign reserves cannot offer us much protection. The Excess Crude Account is depleted. All essential indicators: inflation, unemployment interest rates, debt to GDP ratio are all likely to rise. Nigeria thus faces the threat of another recession, and probably an inevitable devaluation of the Naira. Poverty will spread. Growth will stall.

Mr Bode Ososami, Arise News Business Analyst expressed the view on The Morning Show on Arise News yesterday morning that somehow, Nigeria is always resilient in the face of worst scenarios. I admire his optimism. But if anything, Corona Virus has exposed Nigeria’s utter vulnerability, particularly with regard to our over-dependence on crude oil revenue. When South Africa slipped into recession recently, some Nigerians started jubilating that the Nigerian economy had overtaken the South African economy. Two weeks later, Nigeria faces its own prospect of recession and yet, the South African economy is far more efficient and competitive.

Right now, the US is also mulling the possibility of a recession. The US government is talking about economic stimulus options. What are we saying in Nigeria? We need all the economists, virologists, epidemiologists and all the talking heads, real and fake to start talking. What options are available? The emergency that the country faces cannot be left to the political leadership alone. We need a frank and open conversation on one critical subject: how to save Nigeria.

And two co-joined things: public health and the economy.

Yes, there is so much going on in Nigeria right now. I know that. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, the outspoken and cerebral Emir of Kano has just been deposed. We can deal with that: the security implications, the morality of it, the meaning for the people of the North. Emir Sanusi didn’t need the job anyway. He has enough talent, intellect and skills to survive in the open society. His detractors may end up regretting his removal because they may have just turned him into a hero. There is also serious in-fighting in the ruling party, the APC. The gladiators should learn to keep their egos in check and put Nigeria first!.

The National Assembly has also approved an external borrowing plan of $22. 7 billion: right now, who will that help? The simple point is this: nobody should play “amala politics” with Corona Virus. The President should personally lead the fight against this global scourge that threatens to cripple the economy and throw more Nigerians into poverty and misery. It is not enough to set up another committee.

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